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Posts Tagged ‘green living’

From the operators of www.build-a-solar-panel.info — providing education regarding how to build a solar panel, green home tips, and reduce carbon footprint.

Solar hot water heating systems are a basically straightforward design.  Solar collectors reheat water all through the day, which is stored in an insulated reservoir to keep it warm for ongoing use.  But sub-zero temperatures can bring this kind of system to a standstill.  But new and improved methods have been developed that allow solar hot water systems to operate effectively even in cold climates.  Here is a basic description of how they work.

After a few decades of experimentation with solar hot water systems, most qualified users have determined that the closed loop design is the most successful for climates with freezing temperatures.   Because oxygen is eliminated from the system, pumps will not corrode and will have a greater lifespan, saving you time and money for upkeep and replacement parts.

The system is filled with an antifreeze blend (propylene glycol) at the time it is installed.  It then circulates between the solar collectors (where it is heated by the sun all through the day) and the storage tanks, which provide heat during the day and night.  There are several smaller components that allow the antifreeze to expand and contract, and which inhibit too much pressure from building up in the system, among other things.  But the solar collectors, the pump and the tank with heat exchanger are the principal components.

Drainback systems are so named because the solar collectors drain when they are not being used.  Due to this, you can use either water or antifreeze in the system.  But for maximum guarantee that the system will not freeze, people often choose to use antifreeze as an extra precaution, particularly in regions that frequently experience temperatures below zero.  

A thermosiphon system also uses a detached solar collector, along with the pull of gravity. And it allows for the use of an insulated storage tank for more dependable hot water delivery. When using any of these systems in cold regions where freezing is an issue, both the piping and the storage tank ought to be placed indoors and suitably insulated to provide hot water even on the coldest days.

Even though the collectors drain when not in use, they drainback system is still a closed loop system. It requires a robust pump in order to return the drained liquid to the solar collector after it has been drained.  But it is a fine choice for a homeowner who needs a solar heating system that is uncomplicated to maintain.

Solar hot water heating systems are relatively simple to install, easy to maintain and the most cost effective way to introduce your home to solar energy.  They can save considerable energy and cost when they replace an electric hot water heater.  And they can be successfully used even if you live in a climate where freezing temperatures are common during the winter.

In US there are government recognized agencies which certify the ecosystem safe buildings. Such certified buildings normally use up to 40% less energy compared to the customary buildings. Keeping this concept in mind how fine we can intend our future dream home is tremendously valuable. The sustain-ability of this earth with the present reckless advancement is causing concern.

So the people are looking for ecosystem friendly homes. This is typically known as natural living under natural buildings. When we adopt this attitude we can feel comfortable that we are in our own recipes adding less to the future damages to the earth.

To settle about the ecosystem friendly homes, you have to first assess yourself about your life style and your future requirements. If you are a person who is provisioned to live under a roof where you are require a cool ecosystem during summers and lot of heat during peak winter, then you will have to select those ecosystem friendly materials which have good insulation in winters and maintain a tremendously cool ecosystem during summers. With the right combination of construction materials which are ecosystem friendly you can go about without consuming excess power.

On the other hand if you are not still comfortable, you can have the option of going for solar energy. These solar panels will obtain care of your fancy gadgets almost free of cost. It is also doable that if the power generated from your solar panels are not fully utilized you have got the option of giving back to the power grid. They accept this gesture with gratitude and even pay for it.

Going natural in food production also is catching up. Plan yourself for growing whatever doable vegetable in your back yard in organic instructions, with even so little space you might have. This will reduce your grocery bill and also it will give you physical exercise on tending the vegetable garden.

When you renovate the cleaning materials and other ingredients you use, you are inflicting to some extent scratch to the ecosystem. You have to be selective in going for the cleaning materials which are not harming the ecosystem.

Similarly, when you do the foundation work for your buildings you will be turning out many soil. You have to make certain to put slit traps to prevent the run off towards the streams and lakes. The slit can create the clean waters into a mess of slush and choke the living organisms there. When the construction is over, the planting of grass and other seasonal vegetation will control the excess runoff of the slit.

If you browse the net you will find details about many companies which are doing natural friendly projects. Study them and act upon them for your own survival.

Timothy Greensland
Obtain further facts regarding green friendly and environmentally sustainable development.

Most people are more than a little conscious of the energy crisis that we`re facing at the moment. The idea of wind and solar energy has surely been around for a long time and some people have even made use of it on a fairly small scale. Nevertheless, it could just be time to start thinking big with these alternative forms of electrcity.

Turning to Alternative Energy Sources

Even if we persist to use fossil fuels, there are so many downsides to this. While it`s anticipated that we still have some time left on the existing fuels, they will eventually run out. They are a fixed resource that we`ll surely use up. At the moment, we are accessing the simplest sources, but soon, more labor will be needed to get to the other areas that can provide us with this type of fuel.

In addition, fossil fuels are a major issue in the present state of the ecosystem. Whether or not you believe in global warming, there is definitely an effect on the world from the huge amount of pollutants being formed by electricity consumption around the planet.

There is also the economic factor to consider. Everyone was recently astonished with just how high gas costs went around the earth. While they have stabilized a little, the price of electricity can only go up as fossil fuels become scarcer. All this leads to the perks of wind and solar power, both excellent renewable energy sources that could well end the electricity crisis.

Why Wind AND Solar Power?

Quite simply, it`s pretty hard to get the amount of electrcity needed from just one type of collector. For instance, if we use only solar panels . . . what happens when we have an extended cloudy period? And similarly, if using only wind, what happens when it dies down? It`s always good to have backup systems in place and wind and solar electrcity work very well together.

At the moment, wind electrcity in the United States creates enough power to electrcity approximately 2 million homes. Studies have shown that it`s more than possible to provide for the energy needs of the entire nation using just wind power, which is also the most efficient and easily used renewable energy source.

Solar electrcity is very useful, but it is also still fairly costly to install solar panels. While this will likely drop as the exploration and knowledge improve, for the moment, it`s cost prohibitive (and space prohibitive!) to use solar panels to provide the entire nation with electricity. Nevertheless, many areas are doing very well with solar electrcity, chiefly those in the sunnier parts of the country and with the grouping of solar and wind, you can see that there is an alternative to the petroleum products at present being used.

Harnessing the Energy

More and more people are opting to add solar panels to their houses, saving on power bills and lowering their overall energy use rate. However, in order to really generate a dent in the electricity crisis, we`ll need more than just individuals working on the crisis. With cooperation, it`s possible for entire towns and even cities to run completely on alternative power sources, like those we`ve been discussing here. Envision the impact this could have on the ecosystem, as well as our everyday lives.

Solar and wind power are the future of electricity sources. Together, they provide the opportunity that we need to escape from the ever rising cost of fossil fuels and give us a cleaner, safer and less expensive power.

Gone are the days when the bedroom was just used for sleeping and unwinding. It has now become a multi task room. Offices are now incorporated into the bedroom and also TV and entertainment centers.

Because of these facts lighting needs to be carefully planned, firstly ambient or general illumination needs to be considered. This is often recessed ceiling lighting. Sometimes you may want a bright light and at other times you may want less illumination. You can use a dimmer for better versatility. This will allow you to have a bright light for working, like getting dressed or a softer light for relaxing. You can even turn down the light quite considerably for watching TV.

Various task lighting is necessary for different activities around the room. A popular reading spot is a corner of the room or actually in bed. Table lamps are very important for this work. In order to let one partner sleep and the other to keep on reading, table lamps on each side will be useful. You can have a sliding angle lamp attached to the bed post for better illumination.

A corner of the room reserved for reading will be served very well with a floor lamp. It will provide a bright light and allow you to curl up with your favorite book in a comfortable chair. In order to gain optimum reading light floor lamps should be 10″ behind your shoulder and stand 47″ high.

If you have an office area in the bedroom it will be likely that you will have a table against the wall. You can make use of a desk lamp for your office or computer area. It should be bright enough for reading and can be an angle poise lamp for better directional lighting.

To add more interest to your bedroom, accent lighting is excellent. You can illuminate niches, ornaments and art work with these types of fixtures. One of the best lighting you can use for this purpose is LED light bars. The reason for this choice is the fact that these fixtures will give direct bright light. Highlighting will heighten the interest and personality in your bedroom.

To create a more decorative look you can experiment with various colors and styles of lamp shades. Use chic lamp shades for greater interest and a better look to your room. Oriental lamps can set the tone of your bedroom and make it more unique. When you use pretty pastel shades they will tone down the light and create a calmer mood in your area.

Track lighting used around the ceiling will make it appear higher. This will make things seem more relaxed and also be helpful as a night light. You can turn these up or down to change the lighting effects.

FL lights no longer provide just a dim flicker. Yes they are the ecological choice to incandescent light bulbs, but they can also be interesting and are a favourite of current designers. So why are they a good environmental alternative, and what’s so cool about them?

Every electrician will tell you that fluorescent lights have a tendency to last four to ten times as long as normal (filament) light bulbs and use about 20% of the electricity. The trouble with normal light bulbs is that 95% of the energy they use is lost through heat and only 5% is actually utilized to light up a room.

Despite the fact that fluorescent bulbs are more costly to buy initially, they will save you cash in the long run, usually paying for themselves in under a year. And they fit in most existing light fittings, so you won’t even call for an electrician to change your fixtures.

One more direct ecological advantage is that since the light bulbs last so much longer they generate less waste for the dump as fewer are being tossed away every year. And once you’re fitting them and doing your bit, you could even feel so green and greenly aware that you take your tasks further and turn lights off when they’re not being used.

When you do need to toss away fluorescent light bulbs at that time attempt and do so responsibly. Unlike filament light bulbs, they have a tiny quantity of mercury which is environmentally harmful if they are binned, so ask your local council about recycling facilities for light bulbs and do your bit to keep them out of landfill.

Now for the fun part! Fluorescent lights are wonderful if you want to create a colour wash on the wall or against draperies. They may be recessed so that the glow seems to come magically from a concealed source and if the light shines against a reflective facade, you can create a thoroughly dramatic effect. You can also talk to your electrician about installing more than one fluorescent tube so that you have a choice of colours at your fingertips.

Fluorescent lights of course come in white but also four fundamental colours – red, yellow, green and blue. If not any of these go well with your scheme, you could put a white light behind a coloured filter of your choice or even get coloured theatrical lighting goo which can be practical to the bulb to accomplish the effect you’re after. There are even companies that advertise bulbs previously coated, offering a range of colours if you can’t face doing it yourself.

If you’re putting together a lighting plan bear in mind that fluorescent white light tends to appear cool rather than warm. FL bulbs can be incorporated into a dimmer system when of course they turn out to be less bright, but they won’t create a warm glow like a normal bulb. As well as being put onto dimmers your electrician could go one step further and incorporate them into a plan of pre-set scenes to generate several mood options for your room.

The truth is that in 2007 the US Government announced that normal light bulbs are to be barred by 2011, which should help save around 5 million tons of CO2 by US household users alone. So it makes sense to get ready now for this new era in lighting. Light bulbs in the US are now graded A-G for ecological effectiveness, so it’s easy to pick ones that do less damage and that will save you money in the mid and long term. And it doesn’t mean living in darkness – fluorescent lights have come a long way since their flickering early stages.