energy efficiency

Save Energy by Charging Devices Through Your Computer

jplatt — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

How many devices do you have on your person or on your desk right now? Sitting in front of me today, I've got my cell phone, camera, and iPod -- plus all of their respective chargers. I chage most of them by plugging them into wall sockets, but a new study says that might not be the most efficient use of energy.

It turns out that most of our external AC/DC power supplies are only 30-40% efficient. While a device is charging, 60-70% of the energy is wasted -- leaked out of the power cord instead of going into charging our electronics.

A solution? Charge your device through your computer. According to the 1394 Trade Association, using FireWire cables or USB cables to charge your devices are not only 85% efficient, they are also often faster.

Of the two, USB cables are much slower -- FireWire is 18 times faster, according to the 1394 TA (which is, after all, the industry trade group for FireWire).

Of course, out of all of my portable devices, none come with FireWire cables and only two (my iPod and my camera) come with USB cables capable of charging the gizmos. But if I had more of the right cables, and especially if the manufacturers supplied me with them, I'd be more inclined to charge everything while I'm working on the computer.

Will this work for you? Your mileage may vary, but still, it's something to consider as you're going about your day and as you're buying new electronics.

A Real TV Star: New ENERGY STAR Rules for TV Efficiency

jplatt — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0500

How many hours a day do you use your TV? One? Two? Five? More?

Okay, let's ask a more important question: is your TV energy efficent?

Don't know the answer? That's okay, because until now it was hard to know if your television was a power hog or not. But now new rules from the EPA's ENERGY STAR will make it easier to buy an energy-efficient model -- just in time for the holidays!

Old ENERGY STAR rules only rated TVs according to how much power they used while off or in "standby" mode. The new rules go several steps further, requiring energy efficiency when TVs are on, and also guiding the use of external power supplies when necessary. "This new specification is important," says the EPA, "since televisions being sold now are larger, in use more hours a day, and offer more vibrant pictures, which can impact the amount of electricity they use. In fact, some of the largest, high resolution televisions can use as much as 500 kWh per year."

TVs with an ENERGY STAR rating will use an estimated 30% less juice than other TVs, so this will really make a difference as people replace their old models with new, higher-tech screens.

So far, 229 TVs conform to the new rules. They include 19 plasma models, 199 LCD models, and 11 "others".

Check 'em out!

What happens at a Home Energy Audit?

ellen — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:57:00 -0500

Jimmy and John from ASK Construction came over to do a Home Performance Energy Audit (a comprehensive energy and safety inspection) of my home.

First they did a fairly quick survey inside and out to determine the overall volume of the house, including the size of all the windows and doors.

The Audit was divided into 2 parts: Energy Efficiency and Health|Safety.

The items they looked for in the Health|Safety category are fairly obvious but are often overlooked including:

Adequate Carbon Monoxide (CO) coverage: in addition to having a sufficient number of detectors, each needs to be located such that if one of them is activated, all the occupants will hear the alarm, no matter where they are in the house. Suggested locations are: at the top of the Basement stairs in case there is a problem with the mechanical equipment and just outside the kitchen because when you turn on your oven, carbon monoxide levels of 700-2000 parts per million can accumulate until they are vented away by your hood exhaust.

They checked all the mechanical equipment in the house to see if there was any carbon monoxide (CO) leakage (there wasn't any), and that there is adequate fresh air intake and exhaust (there's plenty).

They checked to make sure all mechanical gas-fired equipment was enclosed in a fire-rated room (this item needs a little work).

They checked that the bathroom exhaust fans were working properly. An adequate bathroom exhaust fan should run for 20 minutes after a shower to remove the moisture from the room. (Ours are pretty good - loud but powerful).

At the Basement, where we have a de-humidifier running all year round, they tried to determine where the moisture was entering from (I think it's from along the side garden wall - more difficult to fix than if it was just the rear wall at the backyard) and we had a long discussion about what kind of exhaust fan to install.

Now for Energy Efficiency (!)

Heating/Cooling system: First they had me turn the thermostats for the furnace way up so they could check if there was any leakage in the air ducts. Turns out that there was a 50% drop in pressure when they added up the measured supply of air in each room. Unfortunately, these ducts are concealed in the ceiling - this wastes a lot of energy in both the heating and cooling seasons because a lot of conditioned air is wasted heating and cooling the duct enclosure so expect to see big holes in the ceiling sometime soon so we can get in there and repair the ducts.

Air Infiltration: Jimmy and John tested all the windows to make sure they were operational and then closed up all the doors and windows for the blower door test - that's what is going on in the picture above. The idea is to close up the house and then measure the volume of air that leaks in from openings in the building envelope and locate the source of those air leaks so that they can be corrected. The red fabric shown in the picture is stretched over a temporary frame in the door (you can sort of see the digital gauge attached to the edge of the door that measures the air flow). Jimmy said the air leakage in the house didn't seem so bad but he wanted to do the calculations back in his office to confirm.

We have an opening in the ceiling in one of the bedroom closets in order to access some valves and it was totally screwing up the test so they taped the door closed to get the proper seal. Apparently, it's openings like this that can suck out your heat in the winter and conditioned air in the summer. Closing up this opening will be a high priority.

Windows: John mentioned that our aluminum windows with double-pane glass, circa 1990's could be improved. I know that vinyl or wood windows are more efficient (vinyl and wood are better insulators than aluminum) and new double-pane glass comes with Low-E coatings and can be filled with argon glass for added efficiency but these types of new windows are VERY expensive and I don't think they will fit in our budget for a while. In the meantime, we will invest in high-efficiency double-honeycomb shades to better insulate at the windows.

Insulation: John made a small hole in the wall adjacent to the garden and found that it was PACKED with fiberglass insulation. This is very good news.

Costs:

As for costs, the audit cost $350 which I believe will be refundable by New York State's Home Performance with Energy Star Program if we do more than $2,000 worth of weatherization work (which seems likely).

Having completed the audit, we will now be eligible to take advantage of the incentives offered by the program which can be up to 20 per cent cash back on the total amount of eligible measures, plus federal and state tax credits. The whole point of this exercise is to improve the efficiency of our home so we should also expect to see a large cost savings in our heating and cooling costs.

I expect the full report in about 10 days, after which we will start the corrective work to repair all deficient conditions.

This was a very interesting experience and I would highly recommend others to investigate the efficiency of their home.

www.ehapc.com

[brooklyn green] www.ehapc.wordpress.com

Make Beautiful Music with Eco-Friendly Audio Systems

jplatt — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:25:22 -0400

Love music? Love the environment? Then let's talk about this year's greenest audio devices.

Like all electronics, audio systems can contain all kinds of toxic materials. They aren't always easily recyclable, and they often come with too much packaging. They also tend to use a lot of power, a critical concern when we're trying to make things more energy efficient.

To help make sure you're choosing the greenest audio components, MetaEfficient has named the Greenest Audio Systems of 2008. Winners include the Pure iPod dock, the Samsung SWA-4000 Wireless Rear Stereo Amplifier, and the Panasonic SC-PT650 home theater system. Several brands of speakers and receivers are also rated.

All of these devices ranked well on energy efficiency, and often use eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

There are other ways you can "green" your music. You can buy any number of solar chargers to keep your MP3 players juiced up. Buying music digitally can also be green, since it doesn't involve any manufacturing or shipping.

Got other ways you keep your tunes eco-friendly? Post 'em here!

How to Recycle Your Old CFL Light Bulbs

jplatt — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400

Yes, CFLs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They use less electricity, last longer, and look cool in your shopping cart. But as their critics are quick to point out, they do contain a small amount of mercury. That means they need to be properly recycled, unlike your old incandescent bulbs, which could just be thrown in the trash.

Unfortunately, a recent news report suggests that most people and businesses don't know how to recycle their used-up CFLs. In fact, surveys indicate that 90% of CFL bulbs are ending up in the garbage!

Kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

So, if you're still unsure of how to get rid of your CFLs, here are a few tips:

1. Check with the store where you buy them. My local hardware store collects old CFL bulbs. I just bring them in and hand them over. Easy as pie.

2. Search Earth 911 for local recycling options. Simply type in your zip code and this great site will come up with a list of local recycling and re-use centers.

3. Ask the EPA. They have a complete list of state-sponsored recycling programs on their web site.

4. Recycle in bulk. Businesses, which may end up using dozens or hundreds of CFLs in a building, can order an EasyPak CFL recycling container which holds up to 90 bulbs. The price of the $74.95 container includes shipping to return it when it's full. (This is also a good option for neighborhood who might want to recycle together.)

CFL recycling can seem like a pain, especially for individuals who might only have to get rid of one at a time, but as the bulbs get further established in our both our homes and our businesses, it's extremely important to understand our recycling options and to have good systems in place for when bulbs need to be replaced.

By the way, the next generation of CFLs will contain a lot less mercury -- and LED bulbs, when available, will be even greener -- so let's do our part now until something better comes along.

Build Your Home for Energy Efficiency

jchait — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:06:33 -0400

If you’re building from scratch there are some things you can do to insure maximum energy efficiency.

Work proper shading into your design – tactics such as overhangs and trees planted within close proximity can work hard to naturally cool your home during the summer.

Use smart lighting where you can: Shoot for a majority (or all) of your lighting to be sun tunnels, compact fluorescents, or LED vs. incandescent lighting.

Throughout your home use energy efficient appliances – look for the energy star label.

Don’t add more light then you need. For example, in a room used for an office, one that just has a desk, requires less lighting than say a family dinner dining area. If you can utilize task lighting with LED only, try that. You can always add more light if truly necessary.

Build no larger than you really need. Extra unoccupied rooms lead to extra heating and cooling costs. Even if you shut the doors on these rooms, drafts may be an issue.

Build with the correct building orientation in mind to utilize passive solar and minimize wind. Consider whole solar or power or a wind solar combo if you can.

Use spaces as weather buffers – like a garage. Although, some think that better energy efficiency can be gained by not having an attached garage. Talk to your contractor or designer to see what suits your site best.

Make sure you design your home for easy installation of renewable energy systems from the start. If you plan poorly in the beginning, it can cost much more later on.

Choose a home building team who has completed energy efficient homes from the ground up previously.

Consider a green roof or white roofing.

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

jplatt — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:47:28 -0400

For the fifth year in a row, the natural-gas powered Honda Civic GX has received the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's ranking as the greenest car on the market.

According to Honda, "This is the eighth year in a row that a Honda vehicle received the number one ranking and the seventh consecutive year that Honda vehicles held at least four positions in the top 12."

Other top-ranking vehicles included the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and the Mini Cooper.

Vehilces at the bottom of the list (what ACEE calls the "meanest vehicles for the environment") include the Volkswagen Touareg, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Hummer H2 and four models from Mercedes-Benz.

To create its lists, the ACEE ranked vehicles according to their fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts and global warming emissions.

If you're in the market for a new car, your own mileage using this list may vary according to what "green" ranking elements matter most to you. The Honda Civic GX may have had the highest "green" rankings due to its low emissions, but it only has a fuel ecomony of 24 MPG city / 36 MPG highway. The Toyota Prius, meanwhile, gets 48 MPG city / 46 MPG highway.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

Who Makes the Greenest Electronics?

jplatt — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:18:33 -0500

The Sony Ericsson T650i mobile phone is one of the greenest cell phones on the market, according to a new report from Greenpeace. The venerable environmental organization studied 37 devices (cell phones, laptops and desktop PCs) from 14 brands, judging them on energy efficiency, recyclability and avoidance of toxic manufacturing substances.

Also ranking high were the Sony Vaio TZ11 notebook and the Sony Ericsson P1i PDA. None of the desktop PCs reviewed received good grades.

While even Greenpeace itself admits that this study is not comprehensive enough to be used as a buying guide for all products, they are using the study to show that while electronics makers have come a long way toward getting greener, they still have a lot further to go. They also want to encourage consumers to think green when buying electronics, and to buy the most environmentally responsible products available.

An earlier report from Greenpeace discussed the rising tide of "e-waste" from electronics, and showed how much of it is dumped in the developing world, where toxic chemicals will impact generations yet to come.