Energy-Saving Tips
Learn how to save energy around your home and save money in the process.
Recent Posts
Why You Should Use Smart Power Bars
Did you know that monitors, printers, scanners, DVD players, televisions, cable/satellite boxes, PVRs, stereo amplifiers and other electronic devices draw as much as 70% of their total power even when they are in stand-by mode or switched off?
Phantom loads are created by devices that continue to draw small amounts of power, even when they are off or in sleep/standby mode.
Smart Power Bars eliminate those loads by cutting the power off completely when they are not needed.
Simply plug the ‘master’ load into the Master receptacle on the power bar. Once that load drops (e.g. when the unit goes to ’sleep’ or is put on stand-by), then power is cut to all the peripheral devices plugged into the Slave receptacles.
If you have devices that cannot be shut off or that you don’t want to shut off, then plug these into the Always on receptacles as these remain live all the time.
We use and recommend Smart Strip power bars with surge protection.
How Much Money Can I Save by Replacing My Furnace?
“How much money can I save if I replace my furnace?” is question people ask me most often.To figure that out, you need to know your annual fuel cost, the type of heating technology you are currently using and the type you plan to use.
AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) ratings for common systems are shown below.
Annual savings = A -B x C
A= Seasonal efficiency of proposed system
B= Seasonal Efficiency of current system
C= annual fuel cost for heating
Example: You have a conventional gas furnace and are converting to a high efficiency gas furnace. The conventional furnace has an AFUE ( annual fuel utilization efficiency) of 60% . The high efficiency furnace has an AFUE of 96%. The annual heating cost id $1200.
Savings = 96 – 60 x 1200 =$450.00
Your annual savings would be $450.00 plus you eliminate the need for a chimney.
Typical Heating System Efficiencies and Energy Savings
| Energy Source | Technology | Seasonal Efficiency (AFUE) % |
Energy Savings (% of Base’) | |
| Natural Gas | • Conventional furnace boiler | 60 | Base | |
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• Standard-efficiency furnace | 78-84 | 23-28 | |
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• Standard-efficiency boiler | 80-88 | 25-32 | |
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• Condensing furnace | 90-97 | 33-38 | |
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• Condensing boiler | 89-99 | 33-39 | |
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• Integrated space/ |
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33-38 space | |
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tap water condensing | 90-96 | 44-48 water | |
| Propane | • Conventional furnace/boiler< | 62 | Base | |
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• Standard-efficiency furnace | 79-85 | 21-27 | |
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• Standard-efficiency boiler | 82-90 | 24-31 | |
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• Condensing furnace | 88-95 | 29-34 | |
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• Condensing boiler | 87-97 | 29-36 | |
| Oil | • Cast-iron head burner(old furnace) | 60 | Base | |
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• Flame-retention headreplacement burner | 70-78 | 14-23 | |
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• High-staticreplacement burner | 74-82 | 19-27 | |
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• New standard model | 78-86 | 23-30 | |
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• Standard-efficiency | 83-89 | 28-33 | |
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• Integrated space/tap water |
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28-33 space | |
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standard-efficiency | 83-89 | 40-44 water | |
| Electricity | • Electric baseboards | 100 | N/A | |
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• Electric furnace or boiler | 100 |
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• Air-source heat pump | 1.7 COP’ |
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• Earth-energy system |
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(ground-source heat pump) | 2.6 COP’ |
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| Wood | • Central furnace | 45-55 | N/A | |
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• Conventional stove(properly located) | 55-70 |
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• “High-tech” stove’ (properly located) | 70-80 |
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• Advanced combustion | fireplace’ | 50-70 |
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• Pellet stove | 55-80 |
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How Electricity is Produced
Electrical energy was one of man’s greatest discoveries.
It has helped build new civilizations. The large amount of electricity produced has its source in fossil fuels, nuclear fission, water, and wind. This article will explore the different methods of electricity production.
Electricity is churned out by enormous turbines. These turbines need a support to be moved.
There are various ways of moving these turbines: