Summer’s a time to make a difference
June 25, 2009
What better of a time to curb global warming than during the warmest time of the year?
Full Story [The Kingston Whig Standard]
Is a picture worth a 1,000 watts?
June 25, 2009
LCDs and plasma televisions are the Donald Trumps of the energy world: power hungry.
New efforts are being made to scale back energy sucking flat-screen TVs by requiring retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient models by 2011. LCD televisions use around 43% more electricity, while plasma screens use three times more power than conventional models.
In California, televisions account for about 10% of the average monthly household electricity bill. The Golden State’s Energy Commission is searching for inventive ways to save and redistribute power consumption.
On average, 4 million more television sets are being sold per year. Regulating televisions would reduce energy needs by an amount equivalent to the power consumed by 86,400 homes per year. The regulations, phased in over two years, would save homeowners anywhere between $18 and $30 a month on their power bills.
This is nothing new for other home appliances such as refrigerators, which have had efficiency standards for more than 30 years. An average refrigerator made in 2001, for example, was 146 percent more energy efficient that a similar model made in 1980.
But it’s a trade-off. In order to save on energy, you have to pay more up-front. For example, a more-energy-efficient washer costs anywhere between $800 and $1,600 compared to the $500 you would pay for a standard washer.
From Boob Tube to E-Tube, in many cases, the ultimate energy savings will offset the extra initial cost and make that Superbowl victory that much sweeter.
Microsoft launches home energy monitoring tool
June 25, 2009
Energy conservation just got really easy with Microsoft Hohm
Separating truth from greenwashing in the West’s energy export boom
June 25, 2009
The Western Energy Corridor could open new markets in fossil fuel and clean-energy for the prairie provinces
Steorn’s free energy device rejected
June 24, 2009
Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed to hear that an international panel of 22 experts has rejected one entrepreneur’s claim that his invention can generate energy from nothing
Full Story [gadgetrepublic.com]
Canada to reward pulp and paper mills for efficiency improvements
June 24, 2009
The Canadian government will reward some pulp and paper producers for making their operations more environmentally friendly
Decentralized power
June 24, 2009
Soon you might be borrowing a cup of energy from your neighbour instead of a cup of sugar.
Decentralized energy is an alternate to conventional grid energy where consumers make their own power and then trade, sell or share surpluses with neighbours. The problem is that nobody has any money. Alternative energy sources save money in the long run but are expensive to implement. The old ‘spend-money-to-save-money’ pitch may be a difficult one to make to cash-strapped consumers in the United States.
So it’s up to the government to intervene, since the payoff could mean nearly a limitless source of energy. President Obama maintains that those countries that switch to renewable resources such as solar energy will become world leaders.
The U.S. invented solar technology but has not been producing it at the same rates as countries like Japan and Germany. Currently, the US doesn’t even have one tenth of one percent of electricity or heating from solar. Using existing technology, the U.S. could replace one percent of its total energy consumption with solar energy each year.
In Alberta, micro-generation legislation was passed in January 2009, meaning that consumers are now able to sell their residential surpluses to the provincial grid.
And new projects, like the Calgary District Energy Project are looking at providing self-sufficient heating and power networks. A $1-billion Shepard power station project would have the capacity to heat about one-third of Calgary’s 30 million square feet of office space.
Now that’s the type of Power Play that Canadians can get behind.
Wednesday Words
June 24, 2009
Step-up gearbox | increases turbine electricity production in stages by increasing the number of generator revolutions produced by the rotor revolutions
Green computers
June 23, 2009
Is that a tree on your desk, or a computer?
MicroPro Computers have a biodegradable PC named iameco, pronounced “I am eco”. With bodies, keyboard casings and mice out of recycled wood, the computers are praised for their environmental friendliness. The company also designs the zero-waste computers so that they can be easily upgraded rather than replaced.
The popular iMac desktop is another good example. It supplies the same service using one-tenth of the materials and energy required. The current iMacs weigh half as much as their colourful originals and use one-sixteenth of the power of the first model, just 2.2 watts when asleep. Happily, it contains only 0.6 grams of lead as opposed to the 484 grams of the bulky original.
Apple’s new line of Macbooks are also one of the most energy efficient models on the market. In all, it now uses one-quarter the power of a single light bulb. The computer is free from mercury, arsenic, PVC and brominated flame retardant and almost completely recyclable.
Not to be out-done by Apple, Dell has unveiled a bamboo computer. The Dell is around 80 percent smaller than a standard mini-tower desktop, and consumes 70 percent less energy.
Want to know if your computer measures up? Check out EPEAT’s online assessment tool. EPEAT (short for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) allows consumers to compare computers based on their environmental friendliness.
Summer heat: will it keep your romance alive?
June 23, 2009
Nearly half of all Canadians report domestic discontent over the temperatures in their homes. So how can energy efficient practices help diminish such domestic disturbances during the dog days of summer?
Full Story [Westmount Examiner]
