save energy

Save Money and Energy -- Unplug Your Gaming Consoles!

jplatt — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Looking for energy vampires in your home? Look no further than your gaming system. Chances are, it's sucking power from your walls at right this very moment...

It's estimated that 35-40% of U.S. homes have some type of gaming console, and according to a new report from the NRDC, those game systems consume 16 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. But, says NRDC, if we take a few easy steps, "we could save approximately 11 billion kWh of electricity per year, cut our nation's electricity bill by more than $1 billion per year, and avoid emissions of more than 7 million tons of CO2 each year."

The first thing to do is look at your habits. It seems that most gamers leave their systems on when they're not in use -- and the devices usually don't have an automatic "sleep mode," so they continue to use as much energy as when you're using them to play a game. So it's important to actually turn your systems off when you're not using them.

Second, see if you can install power-saving features on your device, which will help it to power down after a certain amount of idle time. (See the link above for tips for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3).

Finally, if you're not a gamer yet, think about what system you're going to buy. According to the NRDC, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 each use nine times more energy than the Nintendo Wii.

Indivudually, these tips won't necessarily save you a whole pile of cash, but when you consider that there are millions of gaming consoles in the U.S. alone, they add up to a huge environmental impact. Do your part, turn your games off, and help save the environment when you're not saving the princess.

Top 10 Things to Ask When Buying 'Green' Electronics

jplatt — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Buying electronics is a chore. Picking the right device takes time, research, and money.

Unfortunately, buying green electronics can require even more time and research, and sometimes a little bit more money. But the rewards for the planet are well worth it, and you just might enjoy your gadgets a bit more knowing you made a right choice for the environment. '

With that in mind, here are 10 ideas to take into consideration when buying electronics to help you make the greenest choice.

10. Is it ENERGY STAR rated? This is one of the easiest ways to make sure your device is eco-friendly. ENERGY STAR devices use less energy than competing products, so look for the ENERGY STAR logo. If it's not there, you might want to keep looking.

9. How easily can it be recycled? The more complex the device, the harder it is to recycle. You also want to look at what chemicals and materials are used; some are more toxic than others.

8. Is it responsibly manufactured? Does the manufacturer have a good eco-record?

7. How long will it last? If your new device won't last a few years, or more, is it worth buying?

6. Are the manufacturers' green claims independently certified? There are dozens of organizations -- too many to list here -- that test and verify products, making sure they are truly green. Certified products will have an official logo on the package, so look for them and ask what they mean.

5. Is the packaging recyclable, made from recycled materials, or at the very least, kept to a minimum amount?

4. Do you need it? Can your old tech's lifespan be extended, or can it be made greener? Let's face it, you don't need every new device. Keeping an old product in use for a longer period of time is almost always the greenest option.

3. How eco-responsible is the retailer? Do they offer take-backs of old devices? Do they take efforts to green their supply chain? Do they use eco-friendly building materials? Look the company up; don't do business with companies that don't support the environment.

2. Is the green value worth the price? In other words, don't spend $1,000 extra to save $500 in energy costs over the life of the product.

1. Is it the greenest option available, or can you do even better? Okay, so there's always just a little bit more research you can do. But trust me, it will be worth it.

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!

How Businesses Can Save 25% on Energy Costs: HP Introduces Tech to Cap Power Use of Data Centers

jplatt — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Data centers and servers take up an increasingly large slice of the average company's electricity expenses. But HP has an idea on how to make those data centers more efficient.

Their new technology is called HP Dynamic Power Capping. Essentially, it lets IT managers decide the upper amount of energy specific servers will use, and "cap" that server at a lower energy level than it might otherwise demand.

HP says this more efficient energy management can result in savings of 25%.

Dynamic Power Capping had already been preloaded on many HP servers, but this is the first time that it is available on its own, as an add-on to any existing physical or virtual server. License fees range from $399 to $549 -- not too bad for what could amount to a substantial power savings.

Meet Europe's Top Cleantech Companies

jplatt — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0400

You may not have heard of companies like Odersun, CamSemi, Atraverda and Pelikon, but chances are you will in the days to come. These four companies and 96 others were named to The Guardian and Library Houses's CleanTech 100, listing the best European companies involved in clean technology.

The firms run the gamut of green technologies. Some are involved in solar, wind or tidal power. Others are developing efficient power systems for a variety of devices. Some are trying to turn waste into energy. And that's just scratching the surface.

About half of these companies' products are either in development or beta testing. The rest are already on the market.

To get on this list, the companies faced a pretty tough selection process. Ranking factors included companies' capital history, positive media stories about them, the size of their management team, and independent analysis to make sure that the technologies the companies were developing was actually credible. (In other words, no vaporware allowed.)

The companies were also asked about their environmental vision, what they saw as the size of the market for their products, and the impact they expected their technology to have on the world.

Give the list and the accompanying articles a read. They give me hope about the technologies we'll be seeing in the next few years.

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.

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!

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.

Green Your Workspace with New Online Tool

jplatt — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

One of my core beliefs is that one person can make a difference. That's true at home, in the community, at play or at work.

Speaking of work, the EPA's ENERGY STAR program has launched a great new website called Energy Star @ Work. It offers any employee, executive, building manager or small business the tools and information they need to make their office and workplace greener and more energy efficient.

Some of the recommendations are nothing new -- use CFL bulbs, for example -- and others are obvious choices for the sponsor of the site -- buy ENERGY STAR qualified monitors. But the site is full of all kinds of other ideas that look at everything from heating and cooling and reducing waste to setting up "green teams" at work.

One of the site's highlights is an interactive tour of the average office, which offers some unexpected ways to save energy.

Check out the Energy Star @ Work site at http://www.energystar.gov/work. It's worth a look, and it could help you make a difference.

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.