Some Facts About Solar Cells.
Another interesting video, courtesy of UTube. So it is possible to power your home on solar cells alone. The cells in this video certainly look the business, and certainly cost it as well. There is no reason why, with a bit of practice on some smaller DIY solar cells, an array [...]

Energy Saving Waterless Washing Machine.

During my research, actually my wife spotted the article in her weekly Russian language paper, which seems to be more up to date than our own papers, or certainly have more interesting news articles. Anyway, as I was saying, during my research for all things green, or greener, and more friendly to our environment, I have come across a very interesting article about a very green washing machine, that is in the pipeline, and made by a company called, ‘Xeros’. The article below is a year old, but the article in my wife’s paper is current, and does have up to date information, so maybe there will be some news in the offing. I’ll do some research, and do a follow up post with my findings.
If this machine is genuine, and does live up to it’s advertised environmentally friendly specifications, then it will certainly be a boon for all of us environment friendly people. In fact it will be a boon for everyone, because as well as using a lot less water, it uses a lot less energy. So it conserves a natural resource on two fronts, so even if you have renewable energy powering your home, it will take some of the load off that. Remember, it’s all about conservation.

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Waterless washing machines to be released next year

http://www.reuters.com/article/environment…

A washing machine using as little as a cup of water for each washing cycle could go on sale to environmentally conscious Britons next year.

Xeros Ltd, which has been spun out of the University of Leeds to commercialize the technology, said on Monday the new machines would use less than 2 percent of the water and energy of a conventional washing machine.

Plastic chips are used to remove dirt and stains from clothes, leaving them dry and reducing energy consumption as there is no need to use a dryer after the washing cycle, Xeros said.

A typical washing machine uses about 35 kilograms of water for every kilogram of clothes, in addition to the power needed to heat the water and dry the clothes

Renewable DIY Energy. Take The Load Off.

Over the decades, we have become totally dependent on Electricity in our daily lives. In fact, without those wiggly amps, our lives just would never be the same.
The problem our world faces now is that most of our electrical power generators are driven by non renewable energy, usually fossil fuelled, or nuclear powered steam turbines. The amount of energy the world needs, to keep all the industry’s running, and all of us happy, is staggering.
I do think that the technology exists, to have a totally renewable energy using world, but it’s not in the big players interests to have this technology released, so it looks like the world in for a lot more pain, before sense prevails, if it ever will. Of course, as the world suffers, so will we. In the short term we will suffer under the load of ever increasing energy prices, and in the not so very long term, the consequences will be very much more serious than the cost of our utility bills.

That brings us very nicely to the topic of home renewable energy, and in particular DIY Renewable Energy for the home. As more and more people become aware of what is available on the DIY Energy front, we should see over the next few years, more and more homes with DIY energy equipment powering their utilities. When Electric cars become more widely available, it would be easy to fit a few DIY solar cells, or a small DIY wind turbine on the roof of the garage, to charge the car batteries. That’s totally pollution free; totally free fuel, motoring, what an exciting thought.
So, if the majority of us supplied just 50% of our home energy needs from renewable resources, DIY or otherwise, think of the load that would take off our planets dwindling natural resources. At the moment, governments and power companies are just paying lip service to renewable energy, but if enough people went the green energy route, well, that might just give them the jolt they need, to really get the renewable energy ball rolling.

Why We Should Use Energy Saving Light Bulbs

A very nice video about the environmental benefits of using CFL Light Bulbs. Fitting energy saving bulbs in your home really does have a beneficial impact on our environment, and these bulbs are now nearly as cheap, and with the special offers everywhere, can be even cheaper than the old incandescent light bulb, and CFL’s last for years. So, if you want to help save our world, and why wouldn’t you? An easy start would be to fit energy saving light bulbs.

This is a very Interesting Electric Car

This is very interesting video concerning an Electric car with a difference. Very interesting subject, as well. the electric car, definitely deserves more research. Electric cars can certainly be viable, certainly if they are charged with renewable energy, ie; wind turbine or solar cells. Imagine running your car on totally diy renewable energy. That would equal zero pollution, and zero cost. Now that’s something to aim for.

Bio Diesel Facts.

Hre’s a video with some very interesting facts about Bio Deisel. perhaps we should consider alternative cmbustive fuels for our transport, while we are waiting for the Electric revolution.

DIY Energy. Saving Money, and Saving the Environment

The amount of money you can save using DIY, or non DIY renewable energy devices, is directly proportional to the amount of electricity you consume. It’s no good leaving all the lights on, and all the other gadgets on standby, as well as running the washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, and whatever else you can plug in. So sensible power usage is the key to successful DIY renewable energy usage, (see energy saving tips and video’s). I stress DIY, because if you go the ready made professional installation route, it’s going to take a lot of years to get any return on your investment, typically 15 years plus. Though the way energy prices are sky rocketing, that time will be cut down considerably. Now, I know we all want to go green to save the environment, and I’m serious here, but there are limits to what most of us can afford, and if we can save the environment more hassle, and save money as well, then that’s a bonus. Also, certainly concerning wind turbines, there is no reason why a DIY unit cannot look the business. Even DIY solar cells, with a lot of care, can look the part.

The way to get the best of both worlds is to have a DIY wind turbine, and DIY solar cells linked together. Solar cells work all the time in daylight, so they can take up the slack, when the wind takes a break.
I truly can foresee a future when everyone will live in renewable energy self sufficient houses, and not a distant future either. The way renewable energy is so much to the forefront nowadays, it should be on everybody’s mind. The more efficient, household renewable energy units get, the more people will want to go there, and in the end, it will be out of government control to save the environment, certainly as far as power generation goes. As usual, your average Joe will be the hero.

A question of maintenance, and something new.

On the question of wind turbine maintenance, which begs 2 questions; How often? and how easy.

Generally, wind turbines are very reliable, and can last for several years with minimal maintenance. If you have a DIY energy unit, parts should not be a problem, as they can be sourced easily locally. Ready built and installed wind turbines will obviously be more expensive to repair, and if it is an old unit, parts might not be so easy to obtain.

Again, for ease of maintenance, if you have a DIY turbine supplying you with renewable energy, you can build and install it with maintenance in mind. Also you won’t be wary of getting in there to fix any problems.

I will shortly be doing a review on a renewable energy DIY generator that has been getting a lot of publicity lately. It actually does sound too good to be true, but I have done some research, and although I have no technical data at the moment, all the articles I have read, are positive, and nowhere can I find that it is a scam. So, the proof being in the eating, I will give it a go and build one. I’ll give a blow by blow account of my endeavours as I progress.

Energy Saving and Conservation Vids.

Here’s a selection of energy saving and conservation videos. It’s all basic stuff, but there might be some things that some of us never think of. For instance, I didn’t know that drinking tap water instead of bottled water saves energy. So, enjoy. My faves are the Animal Planet and Hippy Shopper.







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Energy Saving Tips

Here is a really ineresting article from Freesource.co.UK: About how we can save energy in our homes. Bearing in mind, that even if we have renewble energy devices in our homes, DIY or otherwise, it’s still sound practice, to practice energy conservation.

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Energy Efficiency

This section is provided to give people easy quick ways to help the environment and sometimes to save money. Very often this is a critical part of preparation for investing in renewable energy, we need to understand and reduce our energy consumption before we can size our system to fit.

We know not everyone who considers renewables is ready to invest straight away, so here are a few things people can do while they think about it.

1a. Contact the Energy Saving Trust
They are lovely people who can help you on all of the energy efficiency things you need to know. They can also help you gain access to grants and discounts to help pay for part or all of it. freephone 0800 512012

2a. Get Cavity Wall Insulation
One of the most effective and best value measures you can take
Costs only £200-£300 and payback is 3 to 5 years. If you have a cavity, you will need it filled before you can apply for a renewable energy grant scheme.
If your house was built after the 1920s you should have a cavity.
The Energy saving Trust can help you access grants
You lose 35-50% heat through your walls (due to the size of surface area).

3a. Improve Your Loft Insulation
This only costs a couple of hundred quid and pays back in a few years as well.
You lose up to 25% of your heat through your roof if uninsulated
You need 10″ before you can apply for renewable energy grant schemes so top up if you haven’t.

4a. Get energy efficient light bulbs
Contrary to popular belief, they do work as good as normal bulbs nowadays. A 20 watt energy efficient bulb (same light as a 100w normal bulb) lasts 8 times longer, uses five times less electricity and pays for itself within a year. If you want a renewable energy grant you need to use these in your property.

5a. Switch off your Red Standby lights
Your PC costs you £50 per year if it is left on overnight
Your other devices cost you £35+ if you leave them on overnight
If people turned these things off at home and in the office this country could switch off several power stations. A lot of devices have a digital clock, but is worth the expense?

6a. Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree
This can cut your heating bill by up to 10%. Homes should be set at between 18 and 21 degrees, if you have to set it higher then check your insulation measures as you may be losing money.

7a. Contact Sust-It for advice on energy usage for different appliances in the home.
Sust-It is a great resource if you are considering any new electrical purchases. They provide up-to-date information on the energy usage of consumer products available today, so that you can compare the running costs of your new purchase. It does this by taking the manufacturers published energy consumption rates then multiplying this by and average electricity unit tariff.
Visit Website http://www.sust-it.net/

Carbon Conscious Ideas
1b. Buy Local food
Buying locally grown food helps the environment and local business.
If you buy wine from Australia or vegetables from Mexico remember they have to travel here using fossil fuel.
Look at the labels for their country of origin and buy British or European if you can.

2b. Buy or plant a tree
There are sites online where you can buy trees as gifts, if not, pop down the garden centre and invest in one for the garden. They are the best value presents as they last hundreds of years. The International Tree Foundation offer a tree purchase scheme where you can plant 5 trees of your own for around £35.

3b. Try Carbon Offsetting
There are websites available in our links page where this can be done. It is a very good idea when you take a long train or plane journey to consider contacting these people. They can arrange for trees to be planted to offset the carbon produced.
Other Conservation Ideas

1c. Try to Buy Wooden Products Where Possible.
Wood is a sustainable resource, whereas plastic, especially UPVC, is very bad for the world.
Did you know UPVC creates 9 of the worst 15 chemicals known to man in the manufacturing process?

2c. Use Environmentally Friendly Paint and Preservers
This is for your health as much as it is for the environment.
Some studies have shown normal paint slowly poisons people in their homes and almost certainly exacerbates allergies. There are environmental alternatives for most things.

3c. Avoid Plastics and UPVC
Plastics are created from fossil fuels and materials, often the processes cause enormous lasting damage to the environment.
Manufacture of UPVC is alleged to produce 9 of the top 15 worst chemicals known to man.

http://www.freesource.co.uk/pages/more_ideas.html