jplatt's blog

Do You Waste Energy by Leaving Your TV On When You Leave the Room?

jplatt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Sometimes the greenest way to use your electronics is to turn them off when you're not using them. But we're human, and we get distracted, don't we? We get up from the TV to make a sandwich, and then the phone rings, and then the dog starts begging for a walk, and the next thing you know, the TV has been on for an hour and no one has been watching it. Oops.

Well, Sony has a new product for forgetful TV viewers: the new KDL-VE5 LCD HDTV. The set comes with a little sensor that watches you while you watch it. When that sensor figures out that no one is in the room, it turns the TV off.

Not a bad innovation!

Now, this isn't the greenest TV in the world. A review from CNET says the KDL-VE5 still uses quite a bit more power than other Sony TVs while it's on, so the auto-off feature won't save you a heck of a lot of energy unless you're really the type who keeps wandering instead of focusing while you're watching your stories. Still, this might be a good solution for hotels and other businesses where TVs can end up being used in empty rooms and running up corporate energy bills.

The KDL-VE5 comes with a hefty price tage (up to $1529.99), but all green innovations tend to be highly priced when they first hit the market. Hopefully this is an idea that will catch on, and we'll see it in lower-priced models in the near future.

Until then, turn your TV off when you leave the room!

San Diegans, Save Energy this Year by Trading in Your Inefficient Christmas Lights

jplatt — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

If you live in San Diego County, and you want to enjoy a green, energy-efficient Christmas, then San Diego Gas & Electric wants to give you some free LED Christmas lights. You heard that right -- free!

All you need to do is bring your old, inefficient, incandescent holiday light strands to any of nine trade-in events which start this week and run through December 5th.

According to SDG&E, "LED holiday lights can save customers energy and money, when compared to traditional incandescent holiday lights. They cost up to 90 percent less to run, are cool to the touch, reduce fire risk, and are safer for use both inside and outside the home. LED lights also shine brighter and last up to 100 times longer than incandescent holiday lights."

This is the third year of SDG&E's incandescent trade-in program. Last year, 2,500 customers took SDG&E up on their offer, and the company passed out more than 5,700 LED light strands.

This year's event is even better. In addition to the free LED lights, everyone who attends will also receive a free Home Energy & Water Savings Kit, includeing a low-flow showerhead and three faucet aerators, along with an eco-friendly reusable shopping bag.

"Free" is a great deal. "Saving energy and money this holiday season" is an even better deal. So if you live in San Diego County, make sure you attend one of these events. And if you don't, think about buying some new Chrismtas lights this year. Your energy bill will thank you for it.

Asus Laptop First to Earn Carbon Footprint Certificate

jplatt — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

The Asus N51V laptop has become the first notebook computer in the world to receive both an Environmental Product Declaration and a carbon footprint certificate, both of which are part of the EPEAT (Electronics Products Environmental Assessment Tool) program.

This means that ASUS implemented something called Life Cycle Inventory, which looks and materials, manufacturing, using, transportation, and disposal. It also means that Asus discloses both the direct and indirect emission data created during each of those five phases.

Now, I can't find the N51V for sale anywhere online, but here's a very detailed review of the computer. It didn't rank very high in battery life, which kind of reduces the impact of its manufacturing efficiencies, so that's something to consider before making any buying decisions.

In fact, outside rankings like the review and the certificates are incredibly important when making any electronics purchases. Certifications like EPEAT and ENERGY STAR are vital to your understanding of a product's energy use and recyclability, so take a look at the package of any laptop you are considering buying and do some research. The wrong computer can use way too much energy and create too much e-waste at the end of its life cycle.

But Asus is definitely going for the green here with this green notebook and it's other environmentally friendly products. Give them a look and see if they work for you.

New Eneloop Batteries Can Be Recharged 1,500 Times

jplatt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

If you haven't broken the disposable battery habit yet, or if you're looking for an even better solution than the one you're using now, here's a great new product for you: Sanyo's latest Eneloop rechargeable batteries.

Not only do the Eneloop batteries come pre-charged, so you can use them right out of the package, they can be recharged an amazing 1,500 times, according to Sanyo.

This is about 500 times more recharges than most competing batteries will take, and that's nothing to sneeze about.

But wait, it gets even better. The batteries have a "low self-discharge rate," which means that once they are charged, they retain that charge for a very long time, even when they are not in use. Sanyo says an Eneloop battery can sit around unused for three years and still retain 75% of its power charge. Try that with any other battery!

And you know what? The story isn't over there. Remember how I said these batteries come pre-charged? Well, Sanyo's factory is totally solar, so all of the energy that goes into manufacturing and pre-charging Eneloop batteries is completely sustainable.

Sanyo Eneloop batteries come in AA and AAA sizes, and run about $8 to $10 a pack.

Home Depot Wants Your Old Drills

jplatt — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Got an old rechargeable drill lying around? Home Depot wants you to trade it in for a new drill with a lithium-ion battery. You'll get a new drill, save 15%, and end up with a better, more environmentally responsible battery in the process.

Your old drill doesn't even need to work. Home Depot's Power Drill Trade In, Trade Up event will take used or broken drills, no worries.

You don't even need to buy a new drill. Home Depot participates in the Call2Recycle program, you can take any rechargeable power tool batteries to any Home Depot location and have them recycled responsibly.

This offer is only good until this Sunday (November 8), so hurry up and make the trade!

How Cold Does Your Company Need to Keep Your Data Center?

jplatt — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0400

The IT guys where I used to work were a funny bunch. While the rest of use showed up each day in the summer in light clothes and short-sleeved shirts, the tech folks tended to wear flannels, sweaters and even the odd parka or two.

You see, company data centers generate a lot of heat, and heat makes computers and servers stop working, so IT needs to keep its department not just cool, but often quite cold.

But is your IT department keeping things too cold, and wasting energy in the process? According to a new study, the answer is yes.

According to Dylan Larson, Intel's director of server platform technology initiatives, most companies keep their IT centers several degrees too cold -- as much as 15% too cold, in fact.

Yes, according to Larson, IT centers these days don't need to be cooled below 80 degrees! Yet according to a study he conducted, 97% of data centers are being cooled to below 74 degrees!

There are challenges to this, of course. Your company needs to break through old thinking (machines really did used to need to be kept much cooler), and the technology for servers to tell you how cool they need to be doesn't really exist yet. Plus, most IT departments don't see the bills for their air conditioning costs, so they don't know how much money they're wasting.

So if your company has a data center, it's probably time to ask yourself about its cooling, and see how much you can save in both energy and expenses. Your bottom line, and the atmosphere, will thank you for it.

Windows 7 Promises Power-Saving Features, Especially for Laptops

jplatt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0400

So the big Windows 7 media push has begun. We're seeing commercials and reviews everywhere, but so far, few people are talking about the energy-saving features built into the new operating system.

According to Microsoft, Windows 7 "runs with fewer background activities so your PC processor doesn't work as hard and draws less power." The OS also automatically dims screens when they're not in use, powers off unused ports, and uses less power when playing DVDs, a feature Microsoft particularly mentions for laptop users.

Also for laptop users, Windows 7 includes what Microsoft calls a "more accurate battery-life indicator" so you'll have more notice about when you're running out of juice.

If you're looking for a reason to upgrade, and especially if you use a laptop, this might help you make your decision.

Meanwhile, businesses may see even greater energy savings from Windows 7 in the coming year. According to a report from Earth2Tech, Windows 7 will have an even greater effect as new PCs and peripherals hit the market next year.

Of course, you shouldn't have to replace an entire computer just to save a few watts of electricity, but if your software can cut energy use for you, that's not a bad investment at all.

Westinghouse Introduces Energy-Saving HDTVs

jplatt — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Buy the wrong HDTV and your energy bill will suffer. Many HDTVs use way too much electricity, but Westinghouse's new greenvue line breaks that trend.

These new "eco-friendly" greenvue HDTVs uses 40% less energy than the models Westinghouse shipped last year, and exceed the EPA's Energy Star requirements for energy-saving HDTVs by 20%. That's not too shabby.

There are three models in the greenvue line: 26-inch, 32-inch and 42-inch. You can find all of the specs for the TVs -- including their contrast ratios and all that other good stuff -- at the link above.

The TV itself isn't the only green thing about greenvue: According to Westinghouse, "the packaging process for the greenvue line is eco-efficient. The product box is made of recyclable materials and uses soy-based ink." It's nice to see them embracing green packaging, too, since TVs requires so much of it. (We bought an Energy Star HDTV recently, and it came with enough cardboard to make a nice-sized doghouse.)

List prices for the greenvue line go all the way up to $699.99 for the 42-inch model. That's not a bad price, and may be worth it for the energy savings. Give it a look.

Vampire Energy: It Sucks

jplatt — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0400

How much energy is being wasted -- drained -- around your house on a daily basis? Too many of our elelctronics continue to suck electricity from the wall whenever they are plugged in, whether they are being used or not.

A new website, VampirePowerSucks, aims to help you put an end to the bleed, and in the process help Americans save up to $10 billion a year in wasted energy.

You can use the site to learn about vampire power, calculate your own energy loss, and spread the word about this important issue.

So what are the devices that suck the most blood, er, juice from your wallet? TVs, DVD players and computers are huge energy hogs, using a ton of electricity to remain in standby mode so you can use them whenever you want. Gaming systems also use way too much energy when they sit around doing nothing. Your coffee maker and other appliances with clocks are always on, even when they don't need to be. If you leave your cellphone or camera charger plugged in even though the device is fully charged, you're wasting more than you want to know. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So give VampirePowerSucks a try, learn about the waste going on throughout your home, and then start giving those power cords a yank!

Business Owners: Save Water By Installing Greener Urinals

jplatt — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Toilets may not be the most high-tech items in the average building, but they have a massive combined environmental impact.

In fact, water-efficient urinals are so important to American conservation efforts that the EPA has made flushing urinals the very first items to receive its new WaterSense label.

According to the EPA, "WaterSense labeled urinals have the potential to help save businesses and institutions water and money on utility bills. If all urinals installed before 1994 were replaced with WaterSense labeled models, it would save nearly 36 billion gallons of water annually—equal to the flow over Niagara Falls in 20 hours."

Some old urinals (and they tend to last a long time) use as much as 5 gallons per flush (or gpf, one of my all-time favorite abbreviations). The current federal standard is 1 gallon per flush. New urinals bearing the WaterSense label will use even less -- just .5 gpf.

How much impact would this have on your business? The EPA estimates that replacing just one inneficient urinal would save 4,600 gallons a year. That's a lot of water, and that translates to a big chunk out of your monthly water bill.

It's also important to realize that the water we use in our toilets and urinals comes from somewhere -- in most cases, wildlife-rich areas that need that water. And let's not forget about the droughts in places like California. How many fewer wildfires would there be if the state could leave a billion or so gallons of water in its natural setting every year?

So, business owners and building managers, think about this upgrade. It may cost a bit at first, but it will save a lot more in the long run.