Category: Going Green

Recently, the Consumerist directed us to a review of the Kill-A-Watt, a device that plugs in between an appliance and an outlet to give you a reading of its power consumption. We actually already owned one of these devices, from our affiliate, Smarthome.

With it, you can determine the energy wasters in your home and, if possible, replace them. Look for the EnergyStar label…and for computers, use the power-saving features built in…program them to blank your monitor, spin down your drives…even standby or hibernate if it works for you.

Since devices draw power even when apparently off, especially ones that can turn on via a remote, you might want to put devices on power strips you can manually turn off. We made a list of our devices and redistributed our electronics to allow us to turn off power to our computer monitors and such when they weren’t being used.

Just remember…a tech-enabled lifestyle doesn’t mean you are wasteful.

We tend to avoid the hand dryers in bathrooms, because they take a long time to get your hands dry and often don’t do the job. We, obviously, if you read our previous posts, are in favor of environmental responsibility. But an inefficient product does not encourage our usage.

As The Sun Online reports, Billionaire inventor James Dyson, well known for his commercials for his Dyson vacuum, has promised his new restroom hand dryer will end the need to wipe your hands on your clothes. Instead of using hot air, as the current dryers do, his pumps room-temperature air through a tiny slot at four hundred miles per hour. It apparently dries both hands in ten seconds, after which it sterilizes the waste water.

Dyson claims it not only dries better, but uses 83% less energy. It is being launched in London today after trials and will officially launch in the UK next month.

On a recent trip to the local Home Depot, we were pleased to see not only a whole section of CFLs, but Phillips dimmable CFLs in the R30 and R40 sizes available for the first time. They only had a few boxes, but $11.95 each was still less than we’d found online. So, check your local home improvement warehouse for these dimmable CFLs if you can.

When we started this site, we did not think we would necessarily emphasize energy-saving. But, with rising fuel and energy costs a consideration for all, we feel it is a good move to explore new technologies can save you money.

Now, with the summer over and winter coming, it is time to think about heating your home. There are two basic types of heating systems: 24 volt and line voltage. Line voltage systems are usually used for electric baseboard heaters. In this, the 240 or 120 volts that power the heater run directly through the thermostat.

Now, there is no lack of programmable thermostats on the market. They are not all created equal and are priced differently for a reason. Programmable thermostats are divided into 7, 5-2, and 5-1-1 day programmable thermostats, based on the number of different programs it can contain. While we think that backlit displays for thermostats make them look more impressive and are easier to find, we have never sprung for the extra feature.

Some also have a vacation override function, which allows a second program to supplement the first in the event of a vacation. Another feature related to this allows the vacation override to be triggered by a dry contact switch. Thus, a wire can be run to a home automation system to allow remote control. This allows you to call ahead and switch back from vacation to normal mode, a wonderful feature for any vacation homes you might have.

One of the biggest problems with heating and cooling control is the multi-room house. With central heating and cooling, if one person wants the air on, the whole house gets air. With varying cooling/heating capability and size of room, that can mean variants in temperature. There is an option. One is of course, having vents that can close. A more high-tech solution is a motorized duct damper. By installing these dampers and wiring them to temperature controls, the duct can be opened or closed based on the temperature. This is called zonal heating or cooling, as it divides the house into zones.

This system is already in place if you have electric heating. Electric heating usually mean independent thermostats per baseboard, and thus the cost of upgrading to programmable is much more expensive, as there are more to replace. We are preparing to field-test the least expensive programmable line voltage thermostat we could fine, a rebranded version of the Line Voltage Thermostat – LUX ELV1 for a list price of $39.99. We’ll have more information on how that worked out in a future post as well as thoughts on controlling your temperature remotely.

Some of us are more environmentally conscious than others. Most tend to want to help the environment, but admit they could do more. Corporations are the same way. Check out The Green Electronics Guide. This guide from Greenpeace lists companies and their records for environmental responsibility. We commend Greenpeace for its efforts to get companies to remove toxic chemicals from their components.
When it is time to dispose of your old electronics, if you cannot find someone to use them, research takeback programs. Dell, for example, will offer you a recycling kit with every computer purchased to allow you to rid yourself of an old one. If this fails, there is always donation. Allow your old tech to be someone else new tech.

We were intrigued when Fastcompany.com reported on the evolution of the CFL, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb. Obviously the lightbulb itself is no new invention, but the traditional incandescent lightbulb uses five times more energy than these newer bulbs.

Over the years, they have been plagued with problems. Flickering when turning on, inability to be dimmed, harsh white light instead of warmer tones, dimness during the first minute or two of activation…but the technology continues to improve.

As the article reports, if every American household replaced one 60 watt bulb with an equivalent CFL, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million. Not only do they use less electricity, they generally last longer than an incandescent bulb…rated in years instead of months.

Walmart is getting in on the act, apparently, trying to use its size to try to sell every customer one of these bulbs, and teaming with General Electric, singlehandedly double CFL sales in the United States in a year.

Just go to your local home improvement store or large department store and see the different kinds of lightbulbs you can get in a CFL. Not only are there lightbulbs of varying spectrums of the white and warm families, but replacements for tubular bulbs, globes, chandelier bulbs, floodlight bulbs, etc. Most of these come in both the spirals and frosted glass forms that look so similar to the incandescent equivalent you cannot tell the difference.

We have yet to find a store carrying screw-in dimmable CFLs, but these items are available for mail-order. The dimming on a fluorescent bulb is not as variable as it is on an incandescent, and goes in a series of steps, limiting fine tuning. However, it is still a viable option for those who wish it.