Today's Eco-tip is about carbon offsetting. Carbon Offsetting is a way of cutting your carbon emissions by investing in clean energy certificates. These certificates come in the form of "wind certificates" or "green tags," which represent clean power that you can add to the nation's energy grid in place of electricity from fossil fuels. Basically these companies use your funds to build, research and produce alternative forms of energy.For more information, check out the carbon offsets page atwww.neutralexistence.info'BeGreen' area.The way it works is you calculate your emissions associated with your everyday activities, then buy enough certificates to offset them and become "carbon neutral." This is a great way for people who are not willing to make huge sacrifices to live green, but have no problem throwing money at the problem.See you next week, Adam ...read more
By EEra August 02, 2010
Today's Eco-tip is about hibernation. No, I am not talking about bears sleeping through the winter, I am referring to hibernation mode in computers. For the sake of this tip, I am going to assume that you are one of the 95% of people in the world who uses the Microsoft windows operating system, if you are not, thats ok, we have a link for you at the bottom. So, what is hibernation? Hibernation is basically a process in which Windows will take a picture of your current desktop and all of your currently running programs and save it to your hard drive, at which point, windows will then shut down. Now by saving the image in your computers hard drive, it is able to access it when it is turned back on. What's great about hibernation is that you can pre-set it to hibernate when it senses non-activity for an extended period of time. Also when you come back to the computer and power it up again, the start-up sequence is twice as fast as it normally is and all of your information is back up exactly like you left it. This means no more having to save and close all of your open windows before going and shutting down your computer, you can either invoke the hibernation manually or have it done automatically. Setup:The setup is really simple. Simply go to START--->SETTINGS--->CONTROL PANEL and in the control panel window find the "POWER OPTIONS" and double click. Once you are inside the "Power Options Properties" you are going to make a few setting changes. First click on the "HIBERNATE" tab and click on the empty box next to "Enable Hibernation" so that a check appears in the box and then click the apply at the bottom right. Now click on the "POWER SCHEMES" tab and select the "Power Scheme" which best describes your situation. Now adjust the settings directly below to turn off your monitor after XX minutes (I recommend 10-15 or less). Now set the "turn off hard disks" to never and set the "System Hibernates" to a time limit that suits your needs (I recommend 1 hour). Now Click apply and you are done. Pat yourself on the back because you just eliminated about 300 lbs of CO2 per year reducing your household rate by 2% and saving about $15-$20 annually. If you want even more savings, mix this method with an automated SmartStrip power strip so that you peripherals (printers, speakers, mice, etc..) get turned off as well when your computer hibernates. And as promised, for those Apple users here is a freeware software program to help you out. See you next week,Adam Beazley ...read more
By EEra April 19, 2010
A radiant barrier is a material with a very low emissivity and high reflectivity giving it the ability to virtually stop the transfer of radiant heat or thermal conductivity. This allows the radiant barrier to reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, thus reducing the net heating and cooling needs of the structure. While radiant barriers are effective in both hot and cold climates, they are far more effective when installed in attics in hot climates where they can reduce summer heat gain. In colder climates, the primary function of radiant barriers are to keep the structures mechanically generated heat inside thereby reducing heating cost. Radiant barriers are starting to become common place in building and home construction. Whether you are building a new home or live in an older home, it is never too late to add an energy efficient, heat reflecting, aluminum radiant barrier. The attic is the most common place to install radiant barriers, and in this location, a highly reflective aluminum radiant barrier is very effective at reducing both the heat gained in the summer and the heat lost in the winter to make your home more comfortable and save money on utility bills. See you next week,Adam Beazley ...read more
By EEra January 26, 2010
In 2024, replacement window trends focus on sustainability, smart technology, and superior insulation. Homeowners prioritize eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient solutions like triple pane windows, which offer thermal insulation and noise reduction. Smart windows, integrated with home automatio... ...read more
You may have considered starting your own apartment cleaning service. If you have startup capital and are physically capable, there is a demand for these types of services. Apartment owners and managers often hire services to clean apartments after tenants move out. Apartment management services also ... ...read more