Getting Started
Regardless of whether you’re thinking about solar, wind, hydro, or biomass, it all starts with conservation. Here are a few easy things you can do:
- Find the energy hogs – Go through your house and identify those items using the most electricity. A great tool for this is a Kill-A-Watt meter. If possible, replace the worst offenders with new, Energy Star rated appliances, which use much less electricity. Wherever possible, unplug items not being actively used. And switch to battery-operated or solar-powered items—ever think of replacing your alarm clock with one?
- Get smart about power strips – When you turn off your TV, is it really off? Are your DVD player and DVR off, too? Even small amounts of energy use add up when they’re running 24 x 7. Replace your old power strip with a Smart Strip on entertainment equipment and computer systems to minimize unnecessary power consumption.
- Unplug, turn off, and power down – Speaking of computers, your computer still uses as much as 6 Watts an hour when in sleep mode. That's over 52,500 Watt-hours a year!. Shut down completely whenever you leave your computer for more than an hour. With a Smart Strip, all your peripherals will shut down, too—automatically. Also ... you know that little black box you plug in the wall to charge your cell phone? Use a Kill-A-Watt meter to find out how much power it’s using when you don’t have your phone connected. (Then unplug it—and all the other little black boxes around your house)
We all need to use electricity from time to time. When you do, use it as efficiently as possible:
- Replace your lightbulbs – One of the easiest ways to conserve energy is simply replacing your old incandescent lightbulbs with new, energy-efficient compact florescent lightbulbs (CFLs). You’ll save over 70% on electricity right away. Want to boost that savings to 90%? Replace your most-used bulbs with new super-efficient LED lights. And in some cases, you can eliminate the need for lightbulbs altogether (at least during the day) with a tubular sky light to bring natural daylight into dark rooms.
- Use only Energy Star rated appliances – But look for the highest-rated products! Energy Star ratings can cover quite a range, so it’s important to compare brands very carefully. First look for the Energy Star logo on the product you’re considering; then study the yellow Energy Guide that should be hanging on a card somewhere on the appliance. Write down the Estimated Yearly Operating Costs and Estimated Yearly Electricity Use and keep shopping around until you find the product with the lowest numbers in its category. When purchasing electronics, consider the EPEAT rating system, which has been widely adopted by state & federal government purchasing groups.
Wherever possible, choose clean renewable energy options instead of traditional solutions that rely on dirty, costly fossil fuels. There are great choices for nearly anything you’d like to power at home, at work, in the garden, or on the farm.
- Eliminate those little black boxes – Instead, use solar-powered chargers. They’re not only great for home and work, but anytime you’re traveling, out on the trail, cruising the waterways, or sunning on the beach.
- Stop heating with dead dinosaurs – Replace, or offset, your use of fossil fuels with clean-burning wood, pellet, or solar options. Today’s free-standing wood stoves or central biomass boilers offer a clean sustainable way to heat your home. And solar-generated radiant heat is one of the most comfortable and earth-friendly options you could choose.
- How about free hot water for life – solar hot water is the most efficient way to harness the sun’s power and it not only offers a quick payback, but then delivers free hot water for the remaining life of the system (20 - 30 years!)
- Cut your electric bill down to size – whether you’re powering a shop/studio, lakeside camp, or your entire home or office building, solar electric and wind systems deliver the power you need, while offering independence from ever-rising utility costs.
Ready to get started now? Contact Us! Give us a call at 603-856-8035. Or visit our retail store and green living showroom at 22 Pleasant Street in Downtown Concord, NH.