Green Your Heating This Winter
Posted by Laird on Nov 24, 2008
Green Your Heating This Winter
Winter is coming and with it the high heating bills not to mention the amount of gases that are sent into the air we breathe. The winter season does not have to be spent wrapped in a blanket or thermal wear and turning the heat full blast. There are many simple ways you can stay warm and keep the air you breathe cleaner.
One of the simplest ways most people do not even think of when they are considering the cold winds blowing is their windows. The windows are one source of cold air that adds to the work your heating system is doing when it is struggling to keep the temperature at the setting you have chosen.
If you do not have storm windows or cannot afford them right now, the next best alternative is to get plastic insulation. It is clear so you can still see out your windows. The type that can be fitted by heating is a good alternative to letting the windows add to the cold air in the room. You will be surprised just how much of a difference this can make in your home.
Another way that is often overlooked and will work for both heat and air is the ceiling fan. They are not as expensive as they once were and one with a low setting that turns slowly can spread the heat or air. Everyone knows heat goes up so what better way to push it back down to where you are than to put up an inexpensive ceiling fan and enjoy the warmth.
Solar power is one source of energy that many people are finding is a great alternative to electrical power. There are many solar appliances becoming more commonplace today. For instance, there are many solar hot water heaters in use. This is an excellent way of heating your water. Solar panels are being installed in roofs to capture the warmth of the sun and distribute it to many different household uses. Much of the recent news about solar power is concerned with using it to actually generate electricity to save on your utility bills.
Here is another way of saving on heating bills as well as energy. The rooms that you do not use do not need to be as warm as the ones you are spending your time in. Besides which the rooms you are in until time to retire will be warmer just by having more people in them. Everyone generates body heat and if there are several people in one room the temperature will go up by more than you would think possible. By keeping doors closed and confining activities to certain areas of the house you will be using less energy and utilizing something you already have. This can also be a way to save energy when you are not home.
By turning the thermostat down to a cooler setting, you are saving energy that would just be wasted when the house is empty. Many people use timed thermostats for this purpose - turning the heat on/up just before rising in the morning, before everyone is due to be home, and this can also be used for turning the hot water tank on and off.
Get the whole family involved. Sit down together and make a list of everyone’s suggestions when it comes to saving energy and making the air we breathe cleaner. You might be surprised at some of the ideas your family will come up with.
Fuel firms go green to bulk up profits.
Posted by Laird on Oct 19, 2008
Fuel firms go green to bulk up profits
Fuel companies are bulking up their diesel and their profits with harmful biofuels. Some firms are adding twice as much of the plant based fuel as required under Government rules, despite growing evidence that its production is pushing up food prices, destroying rainforests and killing wildlife.
BP is using palm oil, a “green” fuel blamed for endangering Orangutans in Indonesia where farmers rip out forests and lay fuel crops plantations in their place. Under the Government’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, suppliers have to mix 2.5 per cent biofuel into their fuel.
But tests carried out by Green peace reveal the level is twice that. Biofuel is cheaper than fossil fuels, especially at the moment with oil prices at a high level. Shell are selling diesel with 4.9 per cent biofuel. BP is selling 4.8 per cent biofuel mix.
BP defended its use of palm oil, saying it backed industry moves towards making it sustainable.
Put the VROOM into electric cars
Posted by Laird on Aug 15, 2008
Lotus fits speakers to electric cars to put the ‘vroom’ back into silent engines.
The green lobby loves them, celebrities drive them, and they have become Hollywood’s latest politically-correct status symbol. But hybrid cars, which use both electric and petrol engines, still have their critics to silence. The problem, according to campaigners, is that cyclists and blind pedestrians can’t hear them coming because they are so quiet.
Lotus is hoping specially designed speakers near the radiator will be able to successfully reproduce the traditional sound of a car engine
Which is why Lotus, famous for its gasguzzling supercars, is putting a bit of vroom back into hybrids. Its ideas division, which works with other manufacturers, has used a Toyota Prius to synthesise the sound of a traditional engine which is then emitted through a loudspeaker mounted near the radiator. It projects a realistic engine sound ahead of the car when it is running solely in electric mode and the sound changes depending on speed and throttle. The driver cannot hear any of the additional noise.
Concerns about an increase in accidents with electric cars seem to be supported by research. A study at the University of California found that a petrol or diesel car could be heard 36ft away but a Prius was not heard until it was 11ft from blindfolded volunteers.
In hybrid cars, batteries charge and act as a storage device to power the electric motor, usually working when the vehicle is travelling at low speed or in traffic, therefore ideal for city driving.
The petrol engine, usually a small efficient unit, then powers the car when more power is needed such as at higher speeds.
The new engine noise system is also being developed for purely electric cars, which have also come in for criticism from blind and partially sighted people due to their almost silent operation.
Mike Kimberley, chief executive officer of Group Lotus, said: ‘The increased acceptance of greener vehicles such as hybrid and electric vehicles is to be encouraged.
‘They have an important role in improving fuel economy and reducing emissions.
‘Our advanced external sound synthesis technology increases pedestrian safety, while retaining the car’s environmental benefits.
‘We hope that legislators introduce minimum noise requirements for vehicles to encourage the adoption of technologies, such as ours, which will ultimately increase pedestrian safety.’
Clive Wood, transport policy officer at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, said: ‘Blind and partially sighted people use the noise of oncoming traffic as a cue for when it is safe to cross a road - if a ‘quiet’ hybrid electric vehicle is approaching then they will no longer have this cue and are immediately put at risk.’
Duncan Vernon, road safety manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: ‘We welcome innovative solutions which address this.’
Can Water Really Power Your Car?
Posted by Laird on Jun 2, 2008
Water powered cars are something that the public has been hoping to see on the road for a few decades now. The possibility of water powered cars being invented has been talked up practically since the invention of the automobile itself.
Hydrogen cars are cool. What can be cooler than a future filled with zero emission vehicles that outperform today’s vehicles? Hydrogen cars are the future, baby! Not only are hydrogen cars the future of automotive travel as we know it, they are here right now, among us. Hydrogen cars are being hyped today as few technologies have ever been. Bush announced a $1.2 billion research initiative, so that the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free. Fuel efficiency is related to the mileage per unit of fuel used. A hybrid car, run on a mix of water and gasoline, shows very noticeable increase in mileage from the time it was run only on gas. Fuel efficiency is on everyone’s mind these days thanks to skyrocketing oil prices and a struggling economy. The best vehicles on the road, from a fuel efficiency standpoint, save their owners hundreds, even thousands of dollars per year on gas. Hydrogen fuel cells are considered a leading alternative energy for running cars and other devices in the future. The membrane material could also replace an expensive step in current petrochemical processing, or reduce how much energy the step requires. Hydrogen fuel cells are the most ambitious of the options, and offer some amazing benefits. Among them, a car running on a hydrogen fuel cell would only create water and heat as by-products. Hydrogen fuel cells are very efficient and produce only water as a by-product, but they are expensive to build.
TILL KNOW! THAT IS
The answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY! We have made the technology to build a water-burning hybrid easy and affordable.
Water can be used to fuel a car when used as a supplement to gasoline. In fact, very little water is needed! only one quart of water provides over 1800 gallons of HHO gas which can literally last for months and significantly increase your vehicle’s fuel efficiently, improve emissions quality, and save you money.
Thousands of successful water-conversions around the world are proof that this technology works and will soon catch on! Some industry insiders say its just a matter of time before this water-burning technology will be standard in new automobiles. One expert estimates most cars will be using this technology by 2012, but until the auto manufacturers catch up,
You can use this technology for yourself today at a very reasonable set-up cost.
Experts Agree: Water is Viable Fuel Technology.
Latest News from CES 2008
At the 2008 CES (Consumer Electronics show) in Las Vegas, there was a new water-powered device for charging laptops and other electronic devices! We are excited to see the power of water finally being used to its potential! The big oil companies have tried to stop the power of water from being used in the automotive industry, but they can’t keep everyone’s lips sealed!
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Algae Oil can Provide Power
Posted by tich on May 27, 2008
I just heard (for the first time) of algae oil, having power producing capabilities. I was watching the news Sunday morning, and saw a story about a guy named Glenn Kurtz in El Paso Tx.
He says that he can produce 100,000 gallons of fuel per acre per year. Compare that to corn at only 20 to 30 gallons of fuel per acre per year!
Moving our country towards corn for fuel is just plain stupid, and most rational people already know that corn is not the answer, but this sounds like it has real potential.
Even better, you can ..
Source: Biofuel
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Transportation And Alternative Fuel Sources
Posted by tich on May 27, 2008
Using alternative fuel sources is not just a matter of environmental responsibility. It is not just about assuaging your conscience. It is good sense, and sound planning. Although most of us are in denial, the fossil fuels which form the backbone of our world economy are dwindling quite rapidly, even as we go about our daily business in our cars.
Although few Americans use an alternative fuel source to commute, those who do are soon going to be at an advantage. If your alternative fuel source is your feet, whether through walking or bike riding, you are already at an advantage, ..
Source: transportation
THE PROS AND CONS OF BIOFUELS
Posted by tich on May 27, 2008
For the last few years, and especially recently, the production of biofuels has been on the rise and it doesn’t seem like it will curb at any time soon. However, the question of whether this is ecologically best choice remains to be answered. Personally, I think there are more negatives than positives for these resources to be our best bet. So inspired by and article in “Fortune”, I decided to put forward a list of most popular biofuels and their pros and cons for you to decide it for yourself.
CORN ETHANOL
Pros:
Compared with oil it may help decrease the gas emissions ..
Source: Reviews
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Bio-Fuels = Good or Bad?
Posted by Laird on May 27, 2008
Bio-Fuels = Good or Bad?
Bio fuels are produced domestically, which is a great first step towards energy independence. Bio fuels are solids, liquids and gases derived from living organisms and used as fuel. Unlike petrol, coal and nuclear fuels, it is environmentally-friendly and a renewable fuel based on carbon cycle. Bio Fuels are all over the news these days. Farmers are falling over each other to plant corn for ethanol plants, the Federal government is investing in the industry as part of its environmental strategy, institutions from public transit to delivery companies are looking at biodesiel conversion, and the auto industry is pinning its hopes on the promise of biofuels.
Bio fuels are realistic contenders as major low carbon fuel sources for the future. Ethanol from food crops and bio-diesel from plant oils serve as an entry point but have limited potential for further cost reduction.
Bio fuels, hydrogen fuel cells, and pure electric cars are all aimed in the right direction however some attempts are ultimately not as significant. Biofuels are increasingly used in many countries for environmental and economic reasons. Two of the more popular bio-fuels are ethanol and biodiesel for gasoline and diesel engines, respectively. Biofuels were all the buzz at the biotech industry’s most recent mega-convention in April 2006 . Syngenta (the world’s largest herbicide manufacturer and number three, after Monsanto and DuPont, in seeds) is developing a GE corn variety that contains one of the enzymes needed to convert corn starch into sugar before it can be fermented into ethanol.
Although Bio-fuels are fuels that can be used to replace polluting fuels such as petrol, without damaging the environment. A fuel such as ?willow? is a good example. Bio-fuels are being touted as the new panacea for global warming. But, because this fuel from plants is being introduced without much thought about wider implications; it is becoming a good idea practised badly.
Environmental impacts from utilizing agricultural products and/or wastes may also be explored. Environmentally, bio-fuels are a “good thing”, but then comes an economic struggle for agricultural planning - is it more profitable to grow food or energy ?
Support to bio-fuel production displaces food production in some areas and leads to higher food prices. There are no criteria presented to ban bio-fuels that do compete with food production in developing countries. Supporters of biofuels argue that they can be “carbon neutral” because the CO2 released from burning them is taken up again by the next crop. Interest is greatest for diesel engines, which can run unmodified on vegetable oil, and in Germany bio-diesel production has doubled since 2003.
Biomass is today the largest non-hydroelectric renewable source for electricity in the U.S. Most of this is produced in pulp and paper mills, which often generate electricity by burning wood chips, bark or the sludges and “liquors” that are byproducts of the paper-making process.[1] Biomass is plant matter such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops or other biological material. It can be used as a solid fuel, or converted into liquid or gaseous forms, for the production of electric power, heat, chemicals, or fuels.[2]
[1] http://www.wapa.gov/es/pubs/esb/2007/dec/dec074.htm
[2] http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/
Bio-fuel crops, such as corn and rape-seed are internationally traded commodities which means as demand increases the price goes up. This has a direct impact on food prices as well as the price of bio-fuel.[3] Bio-fuels are energy sources from matter that was living only months or a few years before use as fuel. [4] Bio-fuels are agri-produce, dictated by weather and crop cycles. So the risks of short supply and price swings are much higher.[5]
[3] http://www.boilerjuice.com/blog/6/have+you+ever+considered+using+bio-fuel%3f.html
[4] http://www.chemecol.net/faq3.html
[5] http://www.kavitachhibber.com/main/main.jsp?id=business_related-may2006
Bio-fuels have huge potential to serve up to some 30 per cent of the global energy consumption in the near future (when taking into account the vast potentials of energy efficiency in the transport sector). Bio-fuels are not renewable. Water supplies are depleted. Bio-fuels development is just one aspect of a sustainable energy policy. Other alternative sources like biogas, solar and wind should likewise be explored.
And of course!
Bio-fuels are poised to get some of the largest tax breaks, subsidies, and kickbacks, and user surcharges of any renewable.
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