USE POWER STOPLIGHT TO HELP YOU SAVE MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

With the summer heat and the constant humming of the AC unit, everyone is looking for ways to save money.  If you’ve been paying attention to your energy bill you might see the dollars flying right out of your wallet.  Sure there are ways to help save money and energy- programmable thermostats, window coverings, or simply baring the heat.  But to Richard Unetich, creator of Power Stoplight, this is not enough.

Richard has taken the concept of energy conservation and given it a kick in the pants to help people really have control of how they spend their energy in their homes.  Power Stoplight is an app that you can use on your smartphone to allow you to see when the best times are for you to run your appliances.  This idea not only helps save you dollars but also helps to regulate the demand on the power grid.  By reducing demands for energy on the power grid at peak times, we can help eliminate the need to expand these energy facilities.

HOW THE APP WORKS…

The smartphone app, which only costs 99 cents, is really easy to use and understand–don’t worry you don’t have to be an electrical engineer to get it.  The app uses a stoplight to tell you when the best time to run your appliances.  For example, you might check your phone before doing a load of laundry to see how much it will cost you to do that load of laundry and to see how much demand there is for energy.  If the demand isn’t that high you will get a green light.  If it’s some where in the middle, you might want to think about another time, and if you get a red light you should check back later.  Here are some examples of what you might get…

With the Power Stoplight, you can learn the best and cheapest times for you to save money.  You can even make a game out of it and see how cheap you can get your chores done! 

CAN I USE IT???

Since dynamic pricing for energy is limited to certain areas, not all areas can utilize Power Stoplight.  Check out the list of available cities and see if you can start saving today!

You can also check out the Power Stoplight website to learn more about this great, easy to use app that will help save the environment and your money.

Once you give it a try, let me know what you think…

Tips to Saving Energy and Xcel Energy Rebate Offers

From June to September of this 2010 Xcel Energy switched to a tiered or inverted block rate system for all residential customers.  The rationale for tiered rates is to more accurately reflect the cost of providing electricity service to customres.  Costs are generally higer during the summer months, so the tiered rates serve as a price signal to customers who can chosse to use less electricy to manage their energy bills. 

Just about everyone I know loves the idea of a fireplace–sitting with a loved one and cozying up to the fire to ward off the cold weather. These days we are lucky enough to enjoy the warmth of a fire any time of year with a gas fireplace- forget all the wood, kindling and matches, all you need is a switch.

However, as we become more aware and concerned with fuel prices gas fireplaces may not be the best option.  Wood fireplaces are great but they also release smoke, soot, and ash that can create a mess and pollute our indoor air.

My sister Christina, who is an interior designer and a gracious supporter of my blog, introduced me to the Chantico Fire biofireplace, which uses a bio ethanol fuel called Fanola.  The best part about the fuel is that it burns odorless and it doesn’t produce smoke or soot.  The only emissions from the fuel are heat, steam, and carbon dioxide, which is comparable to that of humans.

Biofireplaces also are a great addition to apartments or offices because they don’t require any installation.  You could even set your biofireplace on your coffee table if you so choose.  This is a great solution for me and my husband since we love fireplaces but live in an apartment and quite frankly can’t figure out how to use a wood fireplace.  I know what your thinking but its true.

Let me just tell you really quick why we need a biofireplace, besides all the great environmental perks…We moved into an apartment with a fireplace and couldn’t wait to use it.  We got, and I’m ashamed to admit, one of those duraflame logs to get an easy fire started.  We really wanted to enjoy a fire but it was getting late.  We figured we’d stay up and read by the fire and enjoy the three hours we’d have with our duraflame.  Well, after about an hour we were tired, didn’t feel like ready and were pretty much done with the fire.  We threw some water on the log and went to bed.  Around 2 in the morning my husband flies out of bed and runs out to the main room.  I slowly woke up to the fire alarm and once I realized what it was, thought we set the apartment on fire.  Luckily we didn’t.

Instead, the log kept burning and releasing smoke into the apartment.  Since there wasn’t enough heat to push the smoke out it just slowly filled our place.  We had to open all the windows, our sliding glass door, and front door to try and get rid of all the smoke.  It was crazy!  We finally cleared out the smoke but our place reeked for days and not to mention all of our clothes.  For a better part of two weeks we walked around smelling like a camp fire.

So, what did we learn?  We need a fireplace we can easily shut off and doesn’t produce smoke.  The solution, a biofireplace.  If you’re like us check out the Chantico Fire website . With your purchase you might even qualify for a tax credit up to $1,500!

By Phila Hoopes

Whether you’re deep in the trenches of Corporate America, working for an small local business, or running your own office from home, it’s not hard to create a personal green haven at your desk. Here are just three ways to get started…

Detox and Destress

Whether it’s a lush potted jungle or a single plant on your desk, living foliage removes airborne contaminants and electromagnetic fields, as well as balancing humidity and decreasing office noise and stress levels. In fact, NASA studies indicate that plant-filled rooms contain 50-60% fewer airborne molds and bacteria than rooms without plants.

Just a single plant on your desk can clean an area of 6 to 8 cubic feet; 15 to 20 plants clean the air in a 1,500-s.f. office. The best plants to use? Rubber Plant, Dragon Plant, English Ivy, Dwarf Date Palm, Boston Fern, and Peace Lily.

Cut Back Energy Use

1. Set your computer to switch to energy-saving modes – not just your screensaver – when you’re not using it. Standby mode reduces monitor and computer power use to 1-3 watts each, wakes up in seconds, and saves $25-$75 per computer annually. Hibernate mode is like standby mode, but lengthens wakeup time to 20+ seconds, and saves your work if there is a power loss. Turning off your monitor reduces your PC power use to 1-3 watts, and saves about $12 – $35 annually.
2. Switch to a laptop rather than a desktop computer if you can. While a desktop and monitor use a total of 200 watts, a powerful notebook uses just 30 watts.
3. When you go home, turn off peripherals (printers, speakers, etc.) and “vampire” energy users (cell phone and PDA chargers, etc.). A Smart Strip surge protector lets you leave some key components turned on while you power others off.
4. Use sunlight or task lighting with CFLs at your desk instead of overhead lighting.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Trash

1. Bring in a reusable mug, glass, plate, and set of flatware, and pack your lunches in a reusable bag. Use washable containers instead of sandwich bags and refillable stainless steel bottles for liquids rather than prepackaged single servings.
2. Think before you print! If you really need a paper copy, print double sided…or two pages to a side (called “N-up”) if your eyes are good. Print drafts in black and white rather than color.
3. Don’t stop with recycling paper, plastic, glass and metal. Recycle printer cartridges, cell phones, keyboards, mice and more.

Phila Hoopes is sole proprietor of Fresh Green Image, an independent eco-consulting firm providing Green Home Makeovers and Office Makeovers and offering a growing inventory of green home and office products through the national company Green Irene. She also partners with local and national eco-preneurs to provide a variety of eco-educational products and courses.

To get her special free listing of “Great Green Resources to Know” and monthly e-zine loaded with simple, practical tips for saving energy and water, detoxing your home, purifying your air and water, and much more, just sign up on her home page.

Take a look at these houses…can you guess what they have in common?

If you guessed straw then you are right! These fantastic houses are made of straw bales, a great sustainable resource (the bales are leftover stalks from grain that would otherwise be burnt). The homes are green in every sense considering the tightly packed straw in the walls helps to retain heat, keeping the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, minimizing the home’s carbon footprint.

Many people worry about the risk of fire but because of the construction of the the home and the material placed on top of the straw these homes are, for the most part, fire retardant and without all those chemicals, hooray!

To read more about these fantastic houses and other like them check out Straw Homes – Straw Bale Construction – thedailygreen.com.

It seems like every where we turn these days someone is talking about efficiency.  What the heck does that actually mean?  Well, according to the Center for Sustainable Energy in California, efficiency is simply the process of doing more with less.  Sounds easy, not a new concept but for most of us, can be very hard to achieve.  I think I’ve been working on the same “To Do” list since the new year started.

An easy way to start incorporating efficiency into your every day life can be in terms of energy and how much you are using in your house.  The goal of energy efficiency is to accomplish the same tasks and functions as before while using less energy.   If you are like me and want to cry every time the gas/electric bill comes in the mail, this is a great place to start.

Winter is a hard time to think about being energy efficient, especially if you live in a place that actually has winter (snow, ice…burr) and you live in an older house or apartment with drafty windows, doors, and an ancient heating system.  It’s easy to forget about all the money floating out of your home when it’s freezing inside.  Summer is so much cheaper, especially in Colorado!

Luckily, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to become more energy efficient.  To fix drafty windows you can get a window insulation kit, which you can get from Home Depot, Lowes or Target for under $10.  They are easy to install and really reduce the heat you are losing from your windows.  Another great, cheap and easy fix for poorly winterized doors is the self-adhesive door sweep from Green Irene.  These only cost $3 and are so easy to install and they keep your heat and money inside.

You can see a quick video showing how easy it is to install the door sweep.

Another great way to start on your new path of energy efficiency is to change your light bulbs from incandescent’s to CFLs (compact fluorecent light bulbs).  I know, I know, you’ve heard it a million times and so what?  Well, let me practice on my efficiency and say–they can save you tons of money.

Lighting consumes between 10-15% of your home’s power and if you bring that cost down, you’ll have more money to enjoy an night out with friends.  Who wouldn’t want that?  CFLs are four times as efficient as incandescent bulbs, representing a 300% increase in efficiency. For example, a 100W incandescent light bulb will provide the same lighting as a 25W CFL bulb.  The problem with incandescent bulbs is that 90% of the energy they use is lost as heat.  Ever try to set the mood by putting a scarf over a lamp and realize that was a terrible mistake?  Not so romantic when the scarf starts smoking…

CFLs last 6-15 times longer with a typical lifespan of 10,000 hours vs 1,000 hours for an incandescent bulb.  If you replaced one incandescent bulb with a CFL you could save more than $14 a year.  That’s just for one bulb.  Imagine if you replaced 12, you could save over $160 a year!

Changing one light bulb really does have an impact and making small changes to your home and apartment will not only make you more efficient but richer.  We all could use a little extra money and who knows, maybe after making your energy use more efficient other parts of life might follow too.  Here’s hoping!

Hooray!!!  This is the best time of the year and I couldn’t be more excited about this information.  If your appliances are older than 5 years and you are looking for ways to save money buy new Energy Star appliances.  Luckily for us starting in March 2010 rebates, tax credits, and financing is available for new Energy Star refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers, gas storage water heaters, gas tankless water heaters, gas furnaces, and gas boilers.

So, if your in the market for some new appliances think Energy Star and save green and go green!

Energy Savers: Colorado Appliance Rebates.

It might just be me but it seems like this winter is colder than usual.  It could also be that this is my first winter in 9 years and I am having winter amnesia and missing the 70 degree weather in sunny San Diego.

While I’ve been dreaming of nice warm days and nights,  my husband and I are finding it harder and harder to keep our little one bedroom apartment warm.  Especially this last month.  We have a programmable thermostat that we’ve set at 68 degrees for the day and 65 for the night.  However, I just got our Excel bill yesterday and it has gone up more than $36!  Most of the information I’ve read so far suggests lower the thermostat but with our drafty windows and doors this isn’t really helping.  At this rate we will be cold and poor!

I did some research today and I found this great article on ways to help save money on heat at night.  I think some of these can also be implemented during the day, especially if you are like us and work from home.

The main tips from the article are to:

1. Dress warm – throw on a pair of wool socks, a sweater, and/or a hat

However if you’re not a fan of piling on wool here are some other tips…

2. Use a programmable thermostat and lower the heat by 10 degrees for 8   hours a day.  You could initially save up to $46 dollars a year on your heating bill.

3. Insulation, insulation, insulation….this can be an investment but can save you up to 50-60% on your monthly heating bill.  Putting in wall installation can only be done on owned properties of course. There are options for apartments, see the next tip.

4. Air sealing – this is an easy way to fix drafty windows in an apartment because it can easily be taken down once the weather starts to warm up.  All you need is a heavy-duty clear, plastic sheet and some tape.  Use it on windows and hopefully the drafts are gone!

5. Keep lowering your heat – while it might sound crazy if you keep your heat at 60 degrees you can save even more money.  However, this will only really be effective if you properly winterize your home.

6. If you can’t bare the thought of setting your thermostat at 60 degrees try 65 degrees and use a space heater.  This is what we are going to try since we work from home and have limited options as to how we can winterize the apartment.  The idea is to only heat the rooms you occupy instead of trying to heat the whole apartment or house.

If you have any tips to share please let me know.  It’s always nice to learn new tricks to keeping in the heat! Also, the link to the article is listed below.

Savings Experiment: How to Save Money on Heat at Night.