Tag - solar power
07Jan

Nifty and Practical: 5 Smart Gadgets for Monitoring Your Home’s Energy Use

The use of smart gadgets is beneficial for your home. They can provide your house with more convenience and better security. They’re also necessary for monitoring your home’s energy consumption. Hence, utilizing smart home gadgets can help you save money by reducing your energy costs while helping protect the environment.

Utilizing smart monitors can provide you with energy usage reports from time to time. They can also help you become more aware of your energy use using your mobile phone. They can also give you a better illustration of how much you spend on energy. Utilizing them is an eco-friendly way to help reduce your home’s energy use.

The energy monitoring devices can help improve your home’s energy efficiency. It can also help you save money by reducing your home’s energy consumption. To give you more idea, catch a few of these smart home gadgets below for monitoring your energy use at home.

WiOn Smart Surge Protector

The WiOn Smart Surge Protector is an excellent tool you can use at home. It has six outlets on one power strip which enables you to plug in your home devices while allowing you to control them using the WiOn mobile app. You can utilize the smart surge protector to help provide you with more control over your plugged-in home devices.

The use of a smart surge protector is an ideal way to help protect your plugged in devices such as your laptop and mobile device. One of its primary jobs is to detect excess voltage and divert it into the grounding wire with the help of its grounding pin. You also need to properly plug it into a grounded outlet to make it work more efficiently.

The use of surge protector is necessary for your home devices that have intricate microprocessors such as televisions, stereo systems, computers, and media centers. Just like connecting into a clean and reliable energy provider such as  Astral Energy, using the device can also help reduce your energy consumption effectively.

CURB Energy Monitoring System

The CURB energy monitor allows you to measure your home’s energy use by connecting the smart system to your breaker panel. The product can act as your finance tracker that can help pinpoint your home’s wasted energy. It can also help remotely control your electricity use and help set up your energy budgets at home.

The CURB energy monitor can automatically measure each of your devices’ energy use with the help of a mobile app. The system can also monitor your home using the sensors installed in your circuit breaker. Thus, utilizing the product allows you to control the energy consumed by your clothes dryer and all the other outlets and lights in your home.

The system requires a licensed electrician to install a sensor on each of your breakers. It can monitor each of them from time to time. It can also display consumption information as well as how much your energy costs using a smartphone or iOS app. Hence, using the smart system will help improve your energy efficiency and save energy bills as well.

WeMo Insight Smart Plug

The WeMo Insight Smart Plug is a portable outlet that you can plug into a regular outlet. You can use the product by plugging in your home devices such as coffee maker, lamps, space heater, and TV. Utilizing the product can help track and measure how much energy your appliances use.

This smart tool can provide you with real-time energy usage reports with the help of WeMo mobile app. You may also control the product using the mobile app and automatically turn it on or off anywhere you are. Utilizing it can help you get more insights into your home’s energy use while helping you monitor them from time to time.

The smart tool also lets you set automatic schedules for any home device you plugged in like your fans, lamps, and space heaters. You can use the free WeMo app and keep your home comfortable by automatically turn on your fan at noon. You may also schedule your lamp to turn on when the sun sets so you’ll never come home with a dark house.

Sense Energy Monitor

Using the Sense Energy Monitor helps you automatically track which area in your  house has the largest energy consumption. You can connect it to your home’s breaker panel and help detect all the devices that use energy in your home. It can also track watts for each of your appliance which you can view its power usage using the Sense mobile app.

The tool can help detect your home’s devices while helping improve their energy use over time. If you use solar energy, you may also utilize the product to measure your home’s solar energy production efficiently. Hence, monitoring your electrical usage by using the product can help you save money by reducing your energy cost.

The smart product can also analyze the data it collects and sends it to Sense.com. The data is matched to the other information collected from the other devices with the help of machine learning algorithms. Apart from that, the sense app will also alert you regarding the statistics about your devices’ energy use.

Brultech GreenEye Monitor

The Brultech GreenEye Monitor is an ideal home device you can use to measure your home’s energy consumption up to 32 electrical circuits. It connects to your breaker panel and provides you with usage stats using a mobile app. The smart tool can also measure your water and gas consumption, and even your wind and solar power generation.

The use of Brultech GreenEye Monitor can also help monitor multiple dwelling establishments. One of its unique aspects is it can provide inputs for reading pulse outputs that you can tap into your gas, water, and motion detection systems. It can also provide data that can help you understand different kinds of temperature sensors.

Utilizing the product is a great way to enhance your home’s energy efficiency. It has a built-in self-contained website that has a breakdown of your home’s energy use. You may access its real-time data online via ZigBee hub, Ethernet, or WiFi. Hence, utilizing the product is an ideal way to help improve your home’s energy efficiency over time.

Takeaway

The use of smart monitors is a practical way to control your home’s energy use automatically. Utilizing tools such as those listed above can help improve your home’s energy efficiency over time. They can also help you save money by reducing your energy costs. Thus, using them can make your house more convenient and more comfortable.

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31Dec

6 Reasons Why Solar Power is an Excellent Alternative Energy Resource

Solar energy is one of the most abundant energy resources on Earth. It is a renewable energy resource that can provide suitable power for your home’s needs. It’s also continuously growing in popularity nowadays since it can provide significant benefits to human and environment. As a homeowner, the use of solar energy is a great way to contribute to a cleaner future. This renewable resource is a clean and safe alternative energy solution that can help reduce the production of harmful pollution. Hence, utilizing solar power can be an excellent way to fight climate change and help reduce your home’s carbon footprint. Apart from financial benefits, there are also other pertinent reasons why you can switch into utilizing renewables such as solar power. To give you more idea, here are a few reasons why solar power is an excellent alternative energy resource for your home.

It’s a Free Source of Energy

The sun is the largest source of free energy you can utilize on this planet. It can provide enough power in just one minute that can supply the world’s electricity needs for a year. The renewable energy resource like the sun is also a sustainable and inexhaustible resource. Just like biomass, wind, hydro, and other renewable resources, solar energy is also an alternative energy resource that occurs naturally. It can provide your home with clean electricity and help power the place efficiently. Your photovoltaic cells can also help save money right from the moment you turn them on. The benefits you can get from utilizing solar power are best visible during the long run. The longer you use your solar power system, the more you can save money by reducing your utility bills. Just like Astral Energy and other alternative energy providers, utilizing solar energy can also help make your place more energy efficient cost-effectively. Apart from electricity, you can also use solar energy for your home’s heating purposes. You can do the process by installing solar thermal systems and provide your house with free heated water. The system is also low maintenance which makes it an excellent investment for your home.

It Can Make Use of the Underutilized Land

With the increasing needs for solar power nowadays, the use of this renewable power resource can become more accessible for every homeowner. Apart from providing suitable power for your home, solar energy can also make use of the underutilized land and generate substantial value for the area. There are vast land areas from various countries across the globe that are far away from big capitals or cities. Most of these areas might not be used for anything at all. However, solar energy can make use of these underutilized land more conveniently by installing photovoltaic solar panels on the area. Also referred to as a photovoltaic power station, solar farms are a vast, decentralized solar array that supplies energy to the power grid. The primary idea of having solar farms is providing suitable electricity for every homeowner even without installing these solar panels on their roof.

It Can Cause Less Electricity Loss

Electricity is transported from big power plants to consumers via extensive networks. It also travels through the power lines where a proportion of energy may be lost due to these lines’ resistance. Hence, long-distance electric transmissions would result in power losses. However, utilizing solar energy as an alternative power resource can help reduce electricity loss. You can install photovoltaic panels on your roof to help generate suitable energy from the sun. Your rooftop solar power can also help increase electricity efficiency, especially on short distances. The energy generated from your panels can become domestic which helps you control your home’s utility bills and power usage effectively. Solar power systems are also durable, and reliable, so you can assure that they can provide enough energy to help power your home’s needs more conveniently.

It Can Make Your Home Go Off-the-Grid

Traditional electricity might rely heavily on fossil fuels such as coal. The power that they generate can be harmful to the environment since burning fossil fuels would emit the harmful greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. They also have limited resources which could result in a volatile market where energy prices become unpredictable. However, utilizing solar energy can help boost your electricity independence. You can invest in solar power systems to help make your home go off the grid. The sun can provide your home with enough electricity that doesn’t increase in rate. It can also help protect yourself against the unpredictability of the utility price increase. You can install solar panels on your roof and technically reach an energy-independent status. You can also invest in solar battery storage systems to help store extra solar energy for later use. These solar batteries can provide your home with enough power especially during nighttime and rainy days.

It’s Good for the Environment

One of the primary benefits of utilizing solar energy for your home is that it can provide a clean, green source of power. The use of solar power is an excellent way to help reduce your carbon footprint that’s harmful to the environment. It also doesn’t release any greenhouse gases and other toxic chemicals. Solar power is a self-sufficient renewable energy resource. Installing solar panels on your roof is a clean and safe way to help make the future more sustainable. Solar energy is also an excellent alternative energy solution that can efficiently power your home and help preserve the environment cost-effectively.

It Helps Improve Your Grid Security

The solar cells installed in your roof functioned as a small power plant that can generate enough energy for your home. As a homeowner, installing these panels can help provide your place with efficient electricity and improve your grid security as well. Moreover, utilizing renewables can help you save money by lowering your utility bills. It can also help avoid natural or human-caused disasters due to climate change. Since much of today’s energy providers can cause air pollution, then the use of solar power can be an ideal way to fight climate change and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Takeaway

Solar power is a powerful energy resource that can provide suitable electricity for your home. It’s the cleanest and most abundant renewable resource that can efficiently power your place cost-effectively. Hence, utilizing solar energy can provide you benefits such as those mentioned above and help preserve the Earth for the next generations to come.
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29Dec

6 Helpful Ways to Save on Energy Costs in Your Office

Conserving energy in your office is beneficial for your business. It can help your business run smoothly and improve its sustainability. One of the best ways to reduce energy costs in your office is to implement energy-efficient practices in the workplace. Doing so can help save energy and save money by reducing your company’s monthly energy bill. Running a business can be expensive from your employees’ salaries to maintaining your office building. Thus, conserving energy is a great way to reduce your company’s operating costs. It’s also an ideal way to help reduce your carbon footprint and other harmful greenhouse gas emissions. You can save electricity in your office in many ways. You can update your office equipment to more energy efficient tools or adjust your office environment. To give you further insights, here are six simple ways to help save on energy costs in your office and lower your business’s operational costs.

Consider the Renewable Energy Resources

Utilizing solar power and other renewable energy resources are one of the best ways to conserve energy in your office. The renewables are an excellent option to replace your local energy provider with a clean and energy efficient power resource. These renewable resources can provide your company with sustainable power that’s energy efficient. The use of renewables is an excellent energy alternative to help power your business more efficiently. You can invest in these renewables and get paid for every kilowatt-hour of clean energy they can generate. Utilizing these renewables can also help save about half a tonne of greenhouse gases per year. Utilizing wind energy, geothermal heat pumps, solar power, and other renewable power resources can help reduce your reliance on traditional energy. These renewables can make your company more sustainable. Going green can also help your company’s bottom line and help attract new customers or clients.

Upgrade Your Equipment Into Energy Efficient Models

Your heating and cooling systems, exhaust fans in your bathroom, refrigerator, and other old equipment might work inefficiently and require more energy to operate. So, it’s necessary to upgrade your office equipment into energy efficient models and help conserve energy in your workplace. Switching into more energy efficient equipment can help boost your company’s sustainability. These energy saving appliances can help save energy in your office by as much as 75 percent compared to similar products. Doing so can help save money by reducing the electricity bill in your office. Moreover, it’s also necessary to unplug these appliances when not in use or use a power strip to help reduce your power consumption. It can help avoid vampire loads and prevent your office equipment from consuming an amount of power continuously even when they’re switched off. Apart from switching into energy-efficient equipment, it’s also necessary to carefully manage them to help reduce the amount of energy they consume. Saving energy can provide significant benefits to your company such as greater mobility, longer working life for your devices, and lower temperature levels in your office.

Upgrade Into Energy Efficient Lights

The old versions of lights you use in your office might tend to be less energy efficient. As a businessman, upgrading into more energy efficient lights is necessary to help conserve power in your office. Energy efficient bulbs such as LEDs and CFLs can be better lighting options that can help you save money on your electricity bills. The energy efficient CFL or compact fluorescent lamp and LED or light emitting diode bulbs can help make your business more energy efficient. The LED bulbs can produce light that’s 90 percent more efficient compared to incandescent light bulbs. LED lighting can also last up to 50,000 hours which makes it a worthy investment for your business. On the other hand, CFLs are energy saving fluorescent lamp that can only consume up to 25 to 35 percent of the energy compared to incandescent bulbs. CFLs can help reduce your office’s energy consumption and help save a significant amount of your money. Utilizing CFL lighting is also an ideal way to help reduce the impact on the environment.

Make Your Faucets and toilets Energy Efficient

Leaking faucets, toilets, and other fixtures in your office can result in additional water bills every year. With that in mind, you can upgrade into energy efficient fixtures in your office building and help conserve water and reduce your utility bills. You can utilize touchless faucet that doesn’t have handles to turn them on and off. Instead, the product can sense when you place your hands underneath, and the water will automatically start to flow. The water flow would also automatically stops when you took your hands away and help reduce water waste. On the other hand, you can utilize HETs or high-efficiency toilets that allow you to use less water and help remove waste more effectively. The product can eliminate waste in just one flush to clear the toilet. Hence, it can be an excellent upgrade for your office’s bathroom and make the area more energy efficient.

Control the Sun’s Heat Through Solar Window Film

Your office might tend to have a lot of windows which require your air conditioning system to work extra harder. These windows can add more load on your cooling bills as well. To solve this problem, you can use a solar window film and help keep your office cool all the time. The solar window film is an effective alternative to help reduce your office rooms’ temperature cost effectively. It can help guard against 80 percent of solar heat and make your office more energy efficient.

Fix the Leaks on Your Doors and Windows

The drafts and air leaks from your windows and doors can lower the energy efficiency in your office. Your area might lose up to 30 percent of cooling and heating energy through air leaks. Hence, sealing the leaks around these areas is necessary. Doing so can help prevent wasting your office’s heating and cooling power that can cost you money. You can fix air leaks in your office’s doors and windows through caulking or weatherstripping. They are cost-effective ways to reduce air that leaks in these areas. They can also help reduce your company’s energy costs while increasing comfort, improve durability, and create a healthier workplace.

Takeaway

You can improve your office’s energy efficiency to help reduce your business’s operating costs. As a business owner, saving energy can make your business more sustainable and help increase its market value. You can also create significant energy conservation in your office such as those mentioned above and get higher profit in the future.
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15Dec

Conserve and Preserve: 6 Innovative Electricity-Saving Technologies

The advances in technology continuously gives an impact to the lives of people. Its purpose is to provide life experiences with ease, comfort, and convenience. There are new technologies intended for the food industry, fashion, education, as well as for the film and music industry. Technology is so dynamic; it always aims to respond to people’s needs. A concrete manifestation of technological advancement is the comfort and security you experience at home. You might have the latest entertainment appliances, a new model of kitchen equipment, or a modernized surveillance system to protect your home from intruders. All of these things undoubtedly make the most comfortable life. However, since this technological advancement requires electricity to function, Mother nature will consequently suffer. Excessive consumption of electricity results in negative consequences resulting in climate change. The technologies listed below are useful in helping you save electricity every day. Read on and choose some that will suit your home.

Motion Sensors

A motion sensor is a technology that is capable of detecting any physical movement within a particular environment. The device turns off lights in a room when not in use. It also switches off fans if the device doesn’t detect any motion in the surrounding. Business owners usually use this device and have it installed in their business premises. The motion sensor helps you save electricity consumption every day. It’s an electricity-saving device for your equipment and appliances at home like an electric fan, radio, home security system, and plenty more. If your goal is to lessen your bills the following month, you can buy one in your nearest store for your business and your home.

LED Lighting

Incandescent bulbs were the conventional sources of light in most houses in the 20th century. However, incandescent bulbs consumes a lot electricity. As a result, a lot of people have switched to LED (light emitting diodes) lighting. Making the switch will significantly help one save electricity consumption every month. The company and business owners have also switched to LED lighting like in the hotels, resorts, shopping malls as well as different well-known casinos around the world. The use of LED in saving electricity is beneficial and efficient in places where there’s a need to keep the lights turned on 24 hours a day.

Reflective Roofing

Another effective way to save electricity is to install reflective roofing on your roof. The reflective roofing has the materials with reflective pigments helping to absorb less heat than usual. If your roof doesn’t absorb much heat, you can keep your home cool in hot summer without turning your AC units to the highest coolness level. If winter is the time to use the heating system units, summer will make your electricity consumption increase with your air conditioning units at full blast every day. With the use of reflective roofing, you can lower down your bills for months. Contact an experienced person now to do the installation on your roof to ensure the quality of work.

Advanced Windows

Modern insulated windows have sensors and microprocessors which are responsible for automatic adjustment with the shading of your house. It’s based on the amount of sunlight from the outside as well as the time of the day whether it’s in the morning, noon, afternoon, or in the evening to make sure that your home has enough illumination.   These insulated windows help you save electricity consumption by reducing the amount of electricity-wasting air infiltration. If windows are not installed correctly, it will allow air to penetrate through defective seals. You have to design your windows that will give your home insulation for peak energy efficiency. You should always use your heating and cooling systems in cold winter and hot summer. Make it sure to use your electricity efficiently during that time by installing smart advanced windows for your home. Doing it is one of the best ways to conserve energy while helping you save money.

Magnetic Refrigerators

The traditional refrigerators have a system process called vapor compression. It uses coolants that are harmful to the environment. However, due to the technological advancement today, researchers invented the modernized refrigerator that has magnets to create cold. The magnetic refrigerator utilizes the magnetocaloric effect. The Magnetocaloric effect means that the low and high temperature will depend on the magnetic field. Moreover, this modernized model of refrigerator uses a water-based cooling fluid. Hence, it won’t harm the environment. Most importantly, you can save electricity consumption every day.

Smart Power Boards

The smart power board is essential for measuring the flow of electricity from an outlet that can help detect when your device is in use or a standby mode. Just like the multi-boards, smart power brands also allow you to make the most out of your limited power sockets. When the technology recognizes your device from its standby mode, the smart power board will help cut the flow of electricity more efficiently. It won’t compromise the energy flow of the other connected electronics from your device, so it can help commence energy flow from your device more effectively.

Takeaway

The advancement of technology plays a vital role in helping you be more effective in whatever you do and be efficient in your time. It’s not a good practice to move forward with your life and sacrifice nature. Living the most comfortable life while ruining your environment has never been a good idea. The technologies discussed above are just a few of those available in the market. You can search the internet to find more latest tech of your interest. Make it a practice of living your life today while you take good care of nature. Enjoy what the fast-paced world offers and help to preserve the world at the same time.
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