Want To Know More About Energy Conservation? Read On...

Energy conservation is good for you and the environment. It doesn't need to be a huge ordeal, or require a massive lifestyle change. Conservation is all about developing new habits, starting small with simple day to day changes that anyone can do.

These involve the whole of life, things that you do at home, at the office, and even while driving down the road.  None of them are difficult, all of them small but the end results can be big.  The bonus is, not only will the planet benefit but your wallet will benefit as well. 

Transport is a big one. Make a conscious effort to walk more, instead of taking the car for short trips. For medium length journeys consider cycling. Obviously you will still need a car for longer journeys so make it a habit to keep it well tuned, replace dirty filters, change your spark plugs, and keep the tires properly inflated. All these things are easy and all ad up to helping your car run more efficiently and therefore burn less fuel. A combination of all the above will save you money and help the environment.

Businesses are not as easy to control, but you can encourage your employer to do things like recycle your water bottles, don't use disposable coffee cups, use recycled paper or maybe restrict what has to be printed in the first place. Maybe you could consider taking a packed lunch in reusable plastic containers instead of eating unhealthy, expensive take-aways. 

Finally, what can you do at home? Stop using disposable plastic bags to transport your goods from the supermarket. Turn off lights when you are not in rooms. Get rid of those old incandescent light globes and replace them with modern energy efficient globes which use less energy, last longer and reduce green house gas emissions.

While lighting is a significant power use, heating and cooling are the real power hogs. Here too there are some simple things you can do to reduce expense and save the environment. Before winter sets in get your furnace inspected to make sure it's running properly, as well as change the filters regularly during heating season. Maybe you should consider adding a programmable thermostat to your air con system so you can automatically adjust the temperature down when you're not there or sleeping, which will provide savings in both summer and winter. Another idea is to check that you have adequate insulation in both walls and ceiling, and that caulking around doors and windows is working.

If you have done all that and want to go one step further, you might want to consider investing in alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. For about $300- $400  and a couple of weekends of your time to build your own wind turbine. Add to that a few solar panels and a couple of hundred more, you could be almost independent of the commercial electricity grid. The fact is you don't need any technical skills or knowledge, just pick up a manual on the net, and it will walk you through these processes quickly and easily. 

So, now it is up to you. My suggestion is that you start small and keep building, using the savings to feed into bigger and bigger projects. Here are more tips and info on energy conservation. The key is to start doing something, that will help the environment and save some of your money.

Will A Wind Turbine Help Me Get Off Grid?

If you are like me, you want to have the freedom to be able to choose to disconnect yourself from the strangle hold of the big energy companies. Then I have some good news and bad news.

The good news is that a range of technologies are now available to domestic users which utilise alternative sources of energy therefore it is now possible for you to get off the grid.

The bad news is that one wind turbine or one solar panel isn't going to be enough to do it, and the set-up costs may be prohibitive.

However, if you can combine the benefits of wind power and solar power then maybe you have a chance. These two green sources of energy compliment each other very well. Sunlight is only available during the day but if its cloudy the chances are better that there will be sufficient wind, which can operate 24 hours a day.

The engineers have done the math, and typically one small wind turbine (on a windy day) will generate about the same electricity as 5 solar panels (on a sunny day) so in ideal conditions you would need fewer turbines than solar panels.

If you wanted to buy a turbine off the shelf, the cost would be prohibitive for most people, but the internet now provides all the instructions for how to build your own for a fraction of the cost. Some sources suggest you an do it for a mere $200-$300. The parts are becoming standard items that you can find most in your electrical hardware store or in other places like Ebay. The whole project requires only basic skills and shouldn't take more than a few days to a week max to assemble.

As long as you have the right conditions even just one wind turbine can generate enough power to supply your home with about 60% of it's electricity needs and though that's not enough to free you from your utility bills it is enough to make a pretty big dent in that bill.

If you are serious about getting off the grid, you will have to determine what works best in your area. Start small and expand. You may decide you will need multiple wind turbines or you will need to combine them with other sources of alternative energy such as solar power. This could be simple solar panels or a more elaborate solar hot water system, depending on your needs.

The fact is you CAN save a heap of money by generating your own electricity, and many companies are now prepared to pay you for any excess that you produce! It may not get you off the grid, but it surely is good news if you do something about it.