Energy Conservation, The First Step Towards Solar

[michelle]

Brand New!

Hi,
I'm just jumping on the Go Green bandwagon and am most interested in harnessing the power of the sun.
This thread is very interesting. As a child my dad would always tell us to turn off the light and now as a parent myself I can sure appreciate what his deal was
As a parent sometimes doing the laundry late at night is unavoidable but having to do it to avoid rate hikes is just wrong.
A lot to think about.

[russ]

Hi Michelle - Welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

Russ

[Mike90250]

These are all great ideas to do to make your home more energy efficient. We normally don't even think of some of these. The changing of your light bulbs is a big savings. I've changed mine to the energy saving lights about 5 years now.

Busted

[stanly]

Is this calculator help on calculate the Battery charging time and device supplying duration?

http://solarcalculator.yuniz.com/

[Mike90250]

Is this calculator help on calculate the Battery charging time and device supplying duration?

http://solarcalculator.yuniz.com/

cool. it sort of works, but I didn't double check their calculations.

[stanly]

Yup, as far as I know.

[junker 2009]

Conserve conserve conserve

Remember the average 2000 sq. Ft.house in the us uses 30 kw a day following the advice given in this thread could save 5-7 kw =to a savings in pv of 12 to 15 thousand grid connected almost double that in a stand alone system

[russ]

Remember the average 2000 sq. Ft.house in the us uses 30 kw a day following the advice given in this thread could save 5-7 kw =to a savings in pv of 12 to 15 thousand grid connected almost double that in a stand alone system

Correct - the best investment in PV power is conservation - always!

[Ema]

Energy saving ideas:

If you do run your dishwaher (dishwashers use less water than washing by hand if you use running water, vs water in a bucket style. IF you always wash a full load) but turn off the dry cycle and dry your dishes by hand.

Switch to LED lighting

Set your thermostat higher when running AC (about 82-85 ˚F) and use fans to move the air, you feel as cool if not cooler and save energy because fans do not draw as much power as AC. Or, use evaporative cooling in areas where it is possible.

Put a main switch on our AV equipment (aka media center) and turn it all off so it does not idle in "stand by" mode.

Use front loading washers. They remove more water from your laundry in the spin cycle so if you use a dryer your clothes dry in less time, or just hang your laundry outside (here in NM it dries before you are done hanging a load)

[noeladdison]

Energy conservation is important, especially today because it is not just beneficial for yourself (financially) but it will also contribute a lot for the whole world. Energy conservation is not just about saving the money you spend for electricity. Every single conservation act contributes a lot to the preservation of the environment.

[Prabha]

Solar Power

Heating & cooling your home is expensive. The SolarBeam Concentrator can be used with your existing heating setup (i.e., hot-water, forced air, in-floor) which means that you don

[russ]

[QUOTE=Prabha;30578]Heating & cooling your home is expensive. The SolarBeam Concentrator can be used with your existing heating setup (i.e., hot-water, forced air, in-floor) which means that you don

[johnkimball@sunelec.com]

Energy Star Refrigerators

We have thousnds of people who walk into our stores to buy PV and don't even think about energy conservation since we can't do much about Air Conditioners I usually talk about refrigerators first, you need inventory, price and specs first so I usually refer them to Sears then tell them to pick out the smallest size the wife will accept, make sure the unit is an energy star and then compare the tags. The Kenmore brand has always been a leader in energy efficiency and Sears is all over the place even in Haiti, they pick up the old ones, deliver the new ones and install and they are there for the warranty and repairs. Most importantly the wife feels comfortable, usually, in Sears, than shopping out of AEE, DC Power or other suppliers AE catalogs.

They have good prices for AC refrigerator units and you can buy alot of other items while in the store. DC and propane refrigerators all have their place just a comment. Please don't kill me for it. I think Sears is an American company too.

John

[satguyjim]

One thing that I think is important in figuring our where you are wasting energy is to use a whole house watt meter such as a TED (from The Energy Detective), I personally have used the TED1000 and TED5000C but other manufacturers are out there and they really help in finding out where you are wasting energy. They also show you in real-time if something was left on by accident. Getting your house under control is the first step in finding out what uses what and where you are wasting electricity. AFTER you get your waste reduced, THEN you can think solar.

Other things that I have used to reduce my consumption is to ventilate the attic with solar-powered gable fans, one sucking in and one blowing out, it dramatically reduces the need for central air when the house feels comfortable. I also use a charming spinner to reduce the amount of moisture in my laundry, think of it as a salad spinner for clothes, it spins at 3200 rpm, when they come out they are practically dry and take very little time to dry on the line(or in the basement)


Jim

[tamz]

The color of your roof plays a big factor. If you are living in a warm/tropical country, Paint it with a reflective paint (white paint will do) to reflect most of the sun rays. This should reduce your house or attic temperature. Will significantly reduce your cooling cost.