Cut Your Electric Bills

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If you are like many Americans, you are probably scared to receive the utility bills at the end of the month. This is normal in this uncertain economy.

Did you know that you can save more than 70% on your utility bill by switching to alternative sources of power?

If you want, you can choose to live off the grid and say goodbye to your energy bills for good. Thousands of people are already doing it, and you can to by creating their own homemade wind generators.

How can you create alternative energy and save money?

You can create alternative energy by using the power of three natural elements.

1. Sun power

2. Wind power

3. Hydro power

In this article, we are going to talk about using wind power to create electricity. To make your own energy with wind power, you are going to create your own homemade wind generators.

Before you consider building your own wind generators, make sure that there is enough wind in your area. If there is not enough wind, you will not be able to produce the amount of kinetic energy you need to convert the wind into electricity.

Once you installed your own windmill, you will not have many things to do since they don’t require a lot of maintenance. The only problems I can see would be when a bird is is made prisoner by your windmill, or a major storm in your area. In this case, your tower will probably suffer.

Be aware that installing your own home made wind generators can cost you from a few hundreds dollars to a few thousands. You need to conduct your project seriously and learn about all the option available to you before you start. If you really want to do it yourself, you may want to invest in a good guide like Earth4energy manual for example. You will save a lot of money.

The benefits of installing your own windmill generator beside saving money is that you will contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide reducing emissions.

Franck Silvestre
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/how-to-generate-electricity-from-wind-756466.html

There is no question that solar panels are a terrific way to cut energy costs, reduce your carbon emissions and make you more self-sufficient. There can be no argument about that.

These magical devices harness the energy of the sun and convert it to another type of energy. Generally the power that results can be used to heat your home, for example, or to power anything from your electric shaver to your computer.

As a result, solar panels are now becoming extremely popular in urban areas, where alternative energy advocates and lawmakers are creating incentives for this friendly and quiet alternative energy source.

The state of Colorado, for example, has been offering huge rebates on the up-front cost to acquire and install a residential solar power system.

Solar panels have other advantages. They normally are maintenance free, for one thing, and many manufacturers will guarantee electrical output for as long as 20 years.

Plus, after the panels are installed, any excess energy from the system – that is, energy left over after all of your needs have been met – can be diverted for use on the grid, where it is bought back by the electrical power company.

Which means there may be times when you are actually making income from your panels.

You’ll have to be patient, however.

With rebates factored into the initial cost, it generally will take from 17 to 24 years to get back the initial expense, at which time you will essentially be generating power from the sun at no cost.

And there are other factors – maybe I should say “little known” factors – about solar panels that may make them less than desirable for some folks.

One such factor is that solar panels actually may initially contribute to greenhouse emissions.

How so?

Well, it takes power to manufacture a solar panel. And the energy that requires very often is fossil-based and front-end loaded. So there is a time during which a solar panel actually adds to carbon emissions rather than detracting from them.

Until such time as a solar panel has produced energy equivalent to the energy used to manufacture it (its fossil-emission payback period) it in effect contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. This fossil-emission payback period is generally considered to be five to 10 years.

And although manufacturers will focus on the magic behind this environmentally friendly power source and why it’s sensible to buy your solar panels now, you should be aware that having your own home energy system installed can be quite an expensive proposition – ranging into the thousands of dollars.

But there is a better way. Cheaper by far. Just as efficient. And ultimately far more satisfying.

Dave Tishendorf
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/solar-panels-there-is-a-better-way-744960.html

Majority of households nowadays in one way or another have air conditioners. Many houses especially in tropical countries have air conditioners. Types may range from window types, split types and the centralized ones for big establishments or for those who could afford. Having an air conditioner is indeed an advantage especially if we need to cool ourselves from the hot humid weather during summer. But, the thing is having an air conditioner can shoot up electricity costs as compared to utilizing only an electric fan.

There are a lot of factors that you have to consider that would affect your air conditioning electric bill. The first obvious factor would be your location. The type of weather you have in your country would greatly affect how hard your air conditioner is expected to work. If you live in a place with a naturally hot climate, your air conditioner is expected to work twice as hard compared to one that is being utilized in a home with a mild climate because it has to maintain coolness and comfort.

The energy efficiency ratio of your air conditioner is also another important consideration. Manufacturers of appliances worldwide are now expected to include with the appliance a tag indicating the appliance’s energy efficiency and electric usage. Look for an air conditioner that would use minimal electricity to help you save on your electrical bill. Having an old model of an air conditioner that is like a decade old should call for you to changing it with a new one.

It is also important that you buy an air conditioner in the size proportionate to the room size where you will be installing the unit. The tendency would be that if you were to utilize a small air conditioner in a very big room, it wouldn’t be able to give the adequate coolness and comfort it is suppose to provide. In addition, the unit will have to exert double the effort to make the room cool which means higher electrical usage. It is true that larger units cost more but it would definitely save you on usage costs in the long run.

Of course there is one factor that you cannot control and that is your local cost of electricity. Saving on energy is really up to you. You can do other things as well like having your air conditioner filter regularly cleaned or replaced when necessary which could also help you in minimizing your cost for electrical usage.

Mary Lorainne
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/how-to-cut-costs-with-your-air-conditioner-111049.html

Many things are starting to bite as the global economic recession sets in. In these times of economic difficulties, it pays to be vigilant about your finances. The best way to get a grip on your finances and start saving money is to know what you’re doing with it.

1. Draw up a budget:

You will need to pin down the amount of money coming in and money going out. It should be easy to figure out how much money is coming in. You’re likely to have more difficulty with the outgoings.

The ultimate objective in working out a budget is for you to have a surplus, that is, to spend less money than you make in a month. Unless you generate a surplus each month, it will be difficult to get ahead financially. Any small amount will help: saving money as little as $10 a day on lunch at work gives you $50 a week which mushrooms into $2,400 over a 48-week working year.

You will need to know where you are actually spending your money to have an idea of cost items you can cut down or cut out altogether. List down everything; hide nothing; and be ruthless in cost-cutting.

2. Save:

If you normally spend less than your monthly income, saving money would just come naturally. The rule of thumb is to target saving at least one-tenth of your monthly earnings. Assuming you are able to do that, it will not be enough to just place the money in your transaction savings account. Look around for a savings account that offers higher interest yields.

3. Reduce energy consumption:

Energy bills amount to approximately $1,500 a year for the typical household. Energy for heating your home can easily account for one-half of your power bills during winter, while hot water costs constitute about one-fourth.

Saving money on energy is not difficult to achieve. Applicances that are fitted with special energy saving technology will cut your power consumption. But there are small corrections you can do that add up to big savings.

You can save about $100 a year by making sure the TV, computer, and other appliances are turned off when not in use. Putting these appliances into standby mode is not the same as turning them off completely. Over the course of a year leaving items such as your TV and other electronics on standby could account for around 10% of your power bill.

You’ll be saving money if you find ways to trap heat inside the house in winter. For instance, making sure doors get shut, windows are properly sealed, and bare floors are covered can help. You could save as much as $200 a year by ensuring proper insulation on your ceilings, walls, and floors.

4. Compare energy costs:

As well as using appliances less and turning them off you should look to cut your bills further by comparing gas and electricity energy plans available in your area. Comparison websites can help you evaluate plans and prices, while electricity retailers publish online guides on energy consumption and estimated running costs of various appliances.

You need some patience in comparing prices because many variables are involved. The comparison websites provide many tools to assist you in this regard. It is useful to remember that the most expensive rate in your area is likely to be the default tariff.

5. Avoid unnecessary fees:

It is good to keep a sharp eye on your checking and savings accounts, loans, and other items which can be subject to bank fees and charges. An overdraft on your accounts will automatically cost you $30 in over-limit fees per transaction; sometimes, a penalty fee is charged. The easiest way to avoid these charges is to keep a cloise eye on your accounts and ensure they hold sufficient funds. Look around for low-fee or no-fee accounts on offer from some banks.

Richard Greenwood
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/saving-to-survive-the-credit-crunch-744911.html

Is there a website that would tell you the equivalent of using different light bulbs compared to fluorescent?

The efficiency varies between manufacturers and between types of bulbs.

The best information available is at http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/

my home has electric heat and electric hot water heater.can i plug into my main power line from my power pole after my meter and before my breaker box in my home with my batteries and my inverters any help would be great thanks

You can but it will cost you a nearly astronomocal amount of money to do so and you want to run your entire home from it.

Just so you get an idea of the amount of money, view this:

http://www.americanpv.com/pdf/res_on/prices.pdf

$80,000 without incentives and that is in Arizona, where they would be just about the peak of efficiency. This is not including the cost of batteries either and then lets not forget the $10,000 or so it will cost you to replace those batteries in 5 or 10 years.