energy-saving ideas

Five Green Devices Every Home Should Have

jplatt — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:44:18 -0400

You don't have to install huge solar panels on your home or drive a hybrid vehicle to go green. Sometimes, the best steps to take are the littlest ones. With that in mind, here are five green devices that should be in every home, all of which are easy to find, and none of which will break the bank.

1. A battery charger. Too many of our devices and tools still need batteries, which end up in landfills and leach toxic chemicals into the ground. Stop the cycle by making the switch to rechargeable batteries. They'll save you money, reduce your waste, and make a huge difference.

2. A solar-powered calculator. Why use batteries at all if you can choose a device that doesn't need them?

3. A solar-powered charger. For the devices that don't take your conventional AA batteries, try picking up a solar charger. You can use the device to charge your cell phone, MP3 player and other portable devices. Several are on the market, with prices starting under $100.

4. Solar-powered LED flashlights. These great new devices use both solar cells for power and low-energy LED bulbs to provide bright light. I picked one up at my local drug store last week for 15 bucks, and it's the best buy I've made in a long time.

5. An ENERGY STAR-qualified fill-in-the-blank. Just about any appliance you want to buy comes in two flavors: an energy hog, and an energy-efficient version. Look for that ENERGY STAR logo whenever you buy an appliance or piece of electronics. You'll use at least 25% less energy, which will save you plenty of green.

What other green devices do you think everyone should embrace? Post your ideas here.

New Rechargeable Battery Plugs Into Your Computer

jplatt — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Have you already made the switch to recycleable batteries? Good, we knew that you did. We were just checking.

But here's another question: are you getting tired of carrying a battery charger with you when you travel, or searching for your charger when you need it every few months?

Moixa Energy has a solution. Their new USBCELL rechargeable batteries come with what you might call a pop top -- one end of the battery swivels off to reveal a USB plug. Just hook it into any USB port on a PC or laptop and your computer does the work of recharging the battery!

According to a recent article at GreentechMedia, there is a small cost to pay for this convenience: the USB plug takes up space that would normally hold power. As a result, the USBCELL holds 1300-1500 milliamp hours, as opposed to the 2500 in a regular nickel metal hydride battery.

Oh, one other possible inconvenience: USBCELL comes with a bit of software that could, depending on how it is configured by the manufacturer, pop up ads or energy-saving tips on your PC every time you plug the battery in.

So far, Moixa's batteries are only available in AA size. They ship from the UK, and run £10.99 for a set of 2 batteries (with delivery, that translates to $20). You can also get a "gift set" of 20 batteries for about $165.

Lenovo Introduces Six New Green Computer Monitors

jplatt — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Lenovo this week announced six new energy-efficient computer monitors in its ThinkVision product line.

The LCD monitors, which go on sale soon, have a fairly wide range of environmental innovations. All use various techniques to reduce their power consumption by 30-60%. The monitors are also EPEAT Gold rated and GREENGUARD certified, according to the company, and some are packaged in 65% recycled materials.

On the low end of these new monitors, Lenovo's new L1700p (available next week at $239.99) uses 30% less power and 50% less mercury compared to other models on the market. On the higher end, the L2440x (available soon at $749.99) will actually be made without mercury, a real step forward for LCD screens.

The L2440x news doesn't stop there: it will use LED backlighting to further reduce its energy use, down to just 29 watts. Wow.

Some of these models are already available from Lenovo's web store. Check 'em out.

Track Your Energy Use by the Second with The Energy Detective

jplatt — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:48:00 -0400

How much electricity do you use when you turn on a light? When you're watching TV? When you wash your dishes? How about if you're doing all three at once?

The Energy Detective ("TED" for short) from Energy, Inc., can answer these questions, helping you not only to see how much electricity you are using in your house at any given moment, but also to predict the size of your monthly electric bill.

Once hooked up, TED monitors your electricity usage, with just a two-second real-time delay. It also tracks your monthly usage, and calculates the exact amount you are spending on your electricity.

The basic TED unit costs $139.95 (more advanced models run up to $209.95) and can be installed in 10-15 minutes ("by an experienced homeowner or qualified electrician"). You can also order additional software called Footprints ($44.95) which allows you to track your usage on your PC.

So why install a TED? An energy monitor like this allows you to see exactly how much juice your house is using. Hook it up, and then you can walk around your house to see how much difference your TV makes, or find the "phantom loads" of so-called "vampire devices," the ones that keep using energy even though you think they are "off." The company says a well-aware homeowner can use the information from TED to make the device pay for itself in a matter of months.

5 Ways to Green Your PC -- Without Spending a Penny

jplatt — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:25:46 -0400

How many hours a day do you spend on your PC? Two? Four? Eight? Twelve? (Okay, I'm not quite that bad, but I do average about 8 hours a day.)

PCs -- especially desktops -- can use a fair amount of electricity, even more so when you start adding on extra devices. Newer PCs tend to be more energy-efficient, but you don't need to buy a new PC just to save a few dollars on electricity. There are a few things you can do that won't cost you more than a few seconds of your time...

1. Let it sleep -- As you've probably heard by now, a screensaver doesn't really save your computer from using any energy when it's not in use. Instead, go into your control panels and select "power options." Here, you can set an amount of time when your monitor or your entire PC will shut down if it's not in use. Try 10-15 minutes. That should do it.

You can also install a free program called Edison which can help to manage your PC's energy needs even more.

(BTW, if you're going to be away from your desk for more than 15 minutes, it's probably best to just turn your computer off.)

2. Let it breathe -- Look at the location of your computer. Is there enough room around it for air to flow freely? Computers burn hot, and most still need internal fans to cool them off. The more circulation there is around your computer, the less heat it will retain, and the less your fan will need to run. Keep your computer cool and it will keep your energy bill a bit lower.

3. Turn things off -- Too often our scanners, printers and other peripherals stay on for hours and hours when we're not using them. They don't need to be on, so turn them off.

4. Really turn things off -- Of course, many devices keep using electricity even though they are "off." Standby mode might make a device respond faster when it's needed, but it keeps sucking in electricity until that time. If you only use your scanner or printer occassionally, totally unplug them or turn off your surge protector until you need them.

5. Run anti-spyware programs often -- No matter how safe you think you are, evil little programs have a tendency to install themselves on your PC when you're not looking. The worst of the malware bunch can turn your computer into a zombie, using its memory to send out malicious spam emails without your knowledge. A busy piece of malware can keep your PC hopping for hours on end. Put a stop to them by finding and removing the programs.

There you go! Hopefully these simple tips will save you a little bit of energy and help you go a bit greener without having to buy a new computer first.

Fridge Door Open Too Long? Sound the Alarm!

jplatt — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:21:51 -0400

Does anyone in your house have an annoying tendency to stand in front of the fridge with the door open? Do your kids or your husband spend long minutes searching through the refrigerator or the freezer, letting the cold air out and wasting electricity?

Well, there's a solution. Many new refrigerators (like this Frigidaire) come with "door ajar" alams. If the door is open too long, the alarm sounds a reminder to shut it. This keeps the interior of the fridge from warming up and saves you a lot of energy that you would need to cool it back down again.

Of course, not every fridge has this feature, and no matter how bad your family member(s) may be, you don't need to buy a new fridge just to get an alarm.

If your current fridge doesn't have a door ajar alarm, you can also buy a simple magnetic door or window alarm and attach it to your fridge. These can be set to go off instantly or a few seconds after the door opens.

If you're industrious, you can also build your own alarm circuit (method 1, method 2).

By the way, this is also a great tool for dieters! Set the alarm to its shortest time possible -- or set it to go off as soon as the door is opened!

Classes Are About to Start -- Online!

jplatt — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:13:42 -0400

Millions of kids are about to go back to school next week -- right alongside millions of adults looking to take their careers to the next level.

This year, more and more of college students adults will be attending school online. Online education programs offer the same benefits of in-person learning, but they save energy not only for the students but also for the schools.

For one thing, you don't need to drive to online classes. Schools are rarely in your own neighborhood, so driving to a class several miles away uses a lot of gas and creates a cloud of greenhouse emissions. With online classes, your car stays in the driveway, and you stay comfortable next to your own computer.

Meanwhile, with no students on site, schools don't need to worry about lighting, heating, cooling, or other costs.

There are other enviornmental benefits: most classwork is done online, so no assignments need to be printed, saving paper and trees. More textbooks are available digitally, which saves more trees and offers greater flexibility of usage. Online colleges feed fewer students in their cafeterias, which saves water from washing all of those dishes and trays.

Online course enrollments have doubled and tripled over the last year, as people look to reduce their driving costs and improve their quality of life. It might be time for you to think about doing the same.

Fabrik Introduces World's Greenest External Hard Drive

jplatt — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:18:44 -0400

Having lost more than my share of data over the years, I always make sure to have an extra hard drive hooked up to my computer. I use it for extra storage (those digital photos take up a lot of room) and to back up my files.

I'm not looking to replace my current external drive, but if I were, I'd start looking with Fabrik's new [re]Drive, which the company bills as the world's most energy-efficient external drive.

The [re]Drive is manufactured with bamboo (a sustainable resource) and recyclable aluminum, and is packaged in eco-friendly materials. The aluminum is a key eco feature of the drive -- it acts as a heat sink, cooling the drive without using additional energy, so the drive doesn't need a fan to keep it cool. The [re]Drive automatically powers on and off with your computer (I wish my current drive did that), and uses the Turbo USB 2.0 interface, which is up to 25% faster than regular USB 2.0 and is therefore more energy efficient. It includes an Energy Star® Level 4-qualified power adapter, which Fabrik says provides up to 30% greater power savings over non-Energy Star adapters.

All told, Fabrik says the [re]Drive uses up to 90% less power than traditional external drives. Not too shabby!

The [re]Drive is popping up on online retail sites now, with prices at $149.99 and less.

Want Solar Power? Let RoofRay Calculate Your Solar Potential

jplatt — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:48:24 -0400

Thinking about putting solar panels on your house, but not sure how effective they'll be? RoofRay has an answer.

This great online tool uses Google Maps to calculate the amount of energy that you will likely be able to collect by placing solar panels on the roof of your house or business.

RoofRay is incredibly simple to use. You put in your address, and it pulls up a satellite image of your house or business from Google Earth. Once that image appears, you click on the corners of your roof, and the RoofRay system calculates the approximate square footage of your rooftop. Then you drag a small indicator to tell the calculator which direction your roof slants. RoofRay already knows how much sun your part of the country gets, so its calculators do the rest.

According to my test of the system (which took all of 45 seconds), putting solar panels on my house could generate up to 11,000 watts of electricity at peak performance.

RoofRay also tells me which months will be the best for my solar panels (obviously, December and January won't be ideal). Next, it tells me how much I can expect to save on my electric bills each month of the year. Finally, it estimates the costs of my solar panels, deducts likely state and federal rebates or tax credits, and tells me how much the panels will cost or save me over their anticipated 25-year life.

According to RoofRay, installing solar panels will cost me about $100,000 to start, but create a net positive cash flow of more than $88,000 over 25 years. That's a pretty good illustration of the effectiveness of solar power.

RoofRay won't connect you with contractors to install your solar panels, but if you're just looking for information, this could be the first step toward your energy independence.

SunLight Flashlights Save Energy, Save Lives

jplatt — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:32:31 -0400

Imagine a rural area in central Africa, with no running water, no paved roads, and no access to electricity. Life there is dependent upon daylight. Once the sun is down, work comes to stop, unless you can afford expensive gasoline, kerosene or batteries.

But what if there's a medical emergency in the middle of the night? How can a doctor help someone he can't even see?

SunNight Solar Enterprises has a great solution with its two new solar-powered flashlights. The SunLight SL-1 ($20) and SL-2 ($25) offer bright, white light through energy-efficient LED bulbs. Their batteries fully charge during the day, and can hold from 5-10 hours of illumination, depending on the model. The SL-2 can also be used as a room lantern, replacing the need for costly kerosene lamps.

The flashlights are rugged and waterproof, designed to be used for years on end without need to replace batteries or bulbs. This makes them perfect flashlights for anyone who needs them, in any situation.

SunNight is committed to getting its flashlights into the developing world, where they are most needed. Not only can you buy one for yourself, they offer a buy-one-give-one program that has already delivered thousands of flashlights to needy areas around the world. They also have a WarLights program, allowing soldiers to give lamps to people in warn-torn areas of Afghanistan and Iraq, and will soon introduce several other giving programs.

So give the SunLight flashlights a try. You'll save money on batteries, and support a company that's going exceptional work in the process. (Me? I think I just found this year's Christmas presents.)