Healthy Homes of Rochester

Even if you don’t use hot water to wash your clothes, your water heater still gets plenty of use but there are a couple of easy ways you can reduce energy consumption here. First, lower the heaters thermostat down to say a 120 degrees or the “vacation” setting.  Then, wherever you have access, insulate the hot water pipes that are going to your faucets inside the house with foam pipe insulation.  The foam pipe insulation is very reasonably priced. The pipe insulation also adds comfort to you when you need hot water in your shower or faucet, it will be available quickly.

Now these things alone can reduce your energy bill as much as 5% or more.  To make your water heater a little more efficient, two or three times a year, drain a bucket full of water from the drain valve at the bottom of the heater. You will be removing all of the sediment and hard water deposits that build up in the bottom of the tank which reduce the water heater’s efficiency and capacity.

just another simple DIY tip on saving energy and money by The Fixie Chick

I don’t care to be one of those consumers who has to have the latest toys and gadgets when they first come out. I am talking about LCD and Plasma Flat screen TV’s.
We have had the old tube style televisions which worked just fine for my family. Several years ago the large plasmas were very expensive and I could not justify the cost to upgrade. Since this site is all about Green Living and saving money I am writing this to explain what has changed lately.
I have read in several places that the large flat screen televisions were much more energy efficient and actually have the Energy Star rating so I kept that in the back of my head until last month. I notice the prices came down huge year after year. So we made the decision to upgrade two 10 year old televisions to two new ones. We purchased a 50” Panasonic Plasma for our family room and a 32” LCD for our bedroom.
The combined cost was about $1600.00 total. We thought that was a bargain. The pictures are beautiful compared to the old tube style and we do not have them hooked up to a High Definition signal yet(HD)! Needless to say, we are very pleased with the decision we have made and are saving electricity as we go.

-The Fixie chick

I have included the models that I have and recommend below.

What’s Green with the Fixie Chick

by Brenna Hartmann

We have all been learning about the need for energy independence and how solar energy plays an important roll in the sustainable and renewable energy market.

I once read an article about the country Germany, and how most residential buildings are solar powered.  Not only do these homeowners incur ZERO electricity costs, but they actually get paid by the utility for energy they  “over-produce” and sell. I thought that was pretty smart and I wanted to find out how I could pay zero dollars for electricity AND make money on excess energy the sun can produce and I can sell! 

That led me to have a certified renewable energy company come out to my home to perform what is called a “Solar Site Analysis”.

The whole process took about two hours. The first step was to set up a small device known as the “solar pathfinder” on the south side of my home.  This would be the most logical place to install a solar device on my home. A “solar pathfinder” is basically a high-tech sundial that the auditor carefully positioned outside my home.  The auditor then photographed the data presented on the pathfinder.  As I understand it, the pathfinder measures the shade in this particular area of my property. The shade will determine the ‘loss’ of solar power at different times of the day and months of the year.

Next, the photograph was digitally inserted into the auditors computer program, the data was processed and calculated, and turned into a “solar site analysis report”.

Once the report was completed, the auditor sent the report data  to a NYSERDA (New York State Energy And Research Development) program that is able to calculate a “solar electric system costs and savings” report.

This report features estimated annual results along with a net system cost.  Additionally, it calculates state and federal government incentives. Ultimately, the final printed report shows all of the above plus the total cost for the solar system and the estimated return on investment.

To learn how you can have your own Solar Site Analysis Performed and what government incentives are available, contact  NYSERDA (New York State Energy And Research Development) 1-866-NYSERDA.

For decades the choice came down to an incandescent bulb or a fluorescent. Even with the relatively recent introduction of CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), incandescents almost always won. CFLs are much more expensive and still don’t give off the same spectrum of natural-looking light that ‘ordinary’ bulbs come much closer to.

Enter LEDs.

Light emitting diodes have been used for over 40 years, first making their commercial appearance in watches and small clocks. But for almost that same length of time, they gave off too little light and of limited color to be useful for home illumination. No one could read or cook by a dim red light.

But LED bulbs have come a long way in recent years. While still much more expensive than an incandescent bulb, they have overcome many of the disadvantages of fluorescents. They produce bright, natural-spectrum white light that can illuminate a medium-sized area with one bulb. Actually the bulbs are made of multiple LEDs in one enclosure.

And, not the least consideration, they last practically forever. A LED bulb can burn for over 50,000 hours. Some are rated at 60,000 hours. Even if in use for as much as 10 hours per day (4 hours/day is closer to average), that works out to almost 14 years of use.

Add up all the money spent on incandescents – which last from 750-1,000 hours – and the total savings is substantial. If a 75-watt bulb costs $1 and an LED bulb costs $50, most will opt for the incandescent. But if the LED lasts 50 times longer, you break even. That doesn’t even include the time spent picking up bulbs, changing them and so forth.

Apart from the initial outlay costs, the difference in electricity use is equally dramatic, but in the LED’s favor. Keep in mind that the standard label on an incandescent is how much power it consumes, not how much light it puts out. A 60-watt incandescent bulb puts out somewhat less than 900 lumens.

A LED bulb costing roughly $50 is available that is the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent in terms of the light given off. Yet, it consumes only 2 watts of electricity. Multiply that electricity savings by 4 hours per day over 10 years and the cost savings will far outweigh the cost of the LED bulb. At 10 cents/kWh, the total savings over 10 years is about $350. So, the bulb will pay for itself in about 18 months.

At the same time, a LED bulb runs cooler so there’s no danger of burning as so often happens with incandescents. A 100-watt bulb placed in a socket designed for a 40-watt will burn the covering plastic shade in a matter of hours or less. Also, how many times have you singed your skin when touching an ordinary bulb? That doesn’t happen with LED bulbs.

The color spectrum of LED bulbs is also superior. While incandescents do a good job or providing a reasonable emulation of natural sunlight, LEDs are far better. Incandescents are somewhat yellow, LEDs are white and much closer to the color temperature of natural daylight. And, unlike fluorescent bulbs, LEDs contain no mercury, which is hazardous if the bulb breaks.

Still LEDs have some drawbacks, apart from the higher cost. They don’t currently put out as much light per bulb as a single incandescent so it may require more than one for particular lighting applications. They light a little less than CFL bulbs.

Since LEDs are more directional, they’ll do better in reading lamps, recessed ceiling lamps and other such applications than as general ambient light. But where a long-lasting and/or always-on bulb is needed they can be very cost-effective.

You can get a couple of popular types below if you would like to try the LED bulbs out.

So many people are used to thinking about wattage, they forget that word doesn’t measure brightness, but power consumption. They think of needing a brighter bulb, so they seek one that’s a higher number of watts. But that relationship only holds for incandescent bulbs (and, to a degree, halogens). When, as is more and more often the case today, fluorescents or LEDs enter the picture, the situation can become confusing.

A watt is a measure of power, the voltage (in volts) multiplied by the current (in amps). But because of the fact that a higher power consumption by an incandescent bulb causes the filament to become hotter, it glows brighter. That produces a brighter light.

To get a more useful comparison between incandescents and CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) or LEDs, consider instead the amount of lumens the bulb is rated for. A lumen is the amount of light intensity falling on one square foot of area measured one foot away. But don’t worry, you don’t have to get out a light meter and a ruler. That work has already been done for you by the manufacturer.

For example, a 100-watt incandescent bulb will produce about 1,600-1,750 lumens. They vary for many reasons, such as the type of coating on the inside of the bulb, the alloy used for the filament and other factors. By comparison, a CFL may consume only 20 watts, yet produce about the same amount of illumination.

Similarly, a LED bulb which is actually composed of many LEDs, or light emitting diodes, within one enclosure, that produces an equivalent quantity of light may well consume only a few watts of electrical power.

From these numbers it’s easy to see why CFLs and LEDs are becoming more popular. They do cost more up front. But they consume so much less power that, as the bulb prices go down and the cost of electricity rises, they become more attractive. Over 10 years, at 10 cents per kWhr, the savings is approximately $350 for a single LED over the power many incandescents would need.

But the comparisons don’t stop with the amount of electricity consumed and the cost. There are differences among the three in something called color temperature that can form a big part of the choice to go with one or the other.

Human eyes evolved to see in natural daylight and, to an extent, moonlight which is reflected sunlight. The surface temperature of the sun is about 6,000K. (K stands for Kelvin; K = 273 + C, where C is Celsius). Because of the relationship between the temperature of the sun’s gases and light wavelengths along with the effects of the Earth’s atmosphere, the sun produces light that is perceived as approximately white. That relationship between temperature and color gave rise to the term ‘color temperature’.

Incandescents range from a yellowish to a bluish-white, but all do a fairly good job of approximating what our eyes see as ‘natural’, even at the much lower color temperature of approximately 2,700K. Old style fluorescents, because they contain mercury vapor, give off a more greenish cast. But newer CFLs manage to produce a hue much closer to natural white light. LEDs are closer than either.

So, when comparing bulbs look also for the color temperature on the packaging. That hue plays a part in the ease of reading and other tasks that home lighting is designed for. It will affect eye fatigue, and hence the possibility of headaches. It influences the general efficiency with which you can perform those tasks.

Finally, look at the bulb life ratings.

An ordinary incandescent will last from 750-1,000 hours. At the higher number, used 4 hours/day it will last about two-thirds of a year. A good CFL may last between 6,000-15,000 hours, or about 10 years if used the same amount of time. The higher cost is beginning to look like a good deal. An average LED bulb is rated at 50,000-60,000 hours. At 4 hours per day that’s over 40 years of use.

Which is best depends on your budget, your cost of electricity and how often you want or need to buy bulbs. But, as the price of CFLs and LEDs continues to come down, they look better and better, especially for those long-term applications.

Dimmer switches are a great convenience. They help save electricity and allow you to adjust the atmosphere of a room. Sometimes you just don’t want to be blasted in a pool of light. But many people are intimidated away from installing one where a standard switch already resides. Others have fluorescents and worry the dimmer won’t operate properly. All those problems are easily solved.

Dimmer switches today come in a variety of styles, but two are still the most common: round and slide. They both work essentially the same way. They change the resistance of the circuit, altering the amount of current applied to the bulb.

That fact introduces the first possible problem. If the switch controls a fixture with a fluorescent bulb, ensure it’s the type that can be dimmed. In years past, no fluorescent was capable, but the situation has changed in recent years. Many CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), often used to replace incandescents today, can be dimmed within 80-20% of their normal output.

Once you’re ready to go, the process is usually simple.

First, TURN OFF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER that controls the electrical supply that includes that switch. Never rely only on using gloves or ‘being careful’ to change a switch, though those are both good habits. Make sure you have the right one. Then make doubly sure by using a volt-amp meter to test that there really is no current at the switch.

It only takes 2/10ths of an amp to kill or do serious harm. Moist or salty hands can easily lower the body’s resistance so that it takes only a few dozen volts to push it through you. Amps measure the amount of current, voltage is a measure of how ‘hard’ that current is pushed through the circuit. Watts = Volts x Amps.

From there on, the task is usually simplicity itself. Just unscrew the screws holding the faceplate on. Remove it and, with gloves on, pull the switch gently out of the hole. It will be attached by thick, difficult to move wires. Avoid yanking anything loose.

Then, unscrew the large wires from the old switch. Sometimes it’s possible to just unscrew a plastic cap holding two thick wires together. More often, the thick copper wire will be attached to the switch by being looped around a screw post. Loosen the screw and slide the loop off the post.

Be sure to keep straight which wire was attached to which post. In many homes, the color coding is non-standard. It may differ from house to house. Though red and green or white and black are common colors for ‘hot’ and ‘ground’ the scheme is not universally respected.

Examine your dimmer switch or the directions it came with. Put the appropriate wires onto the appropriate terminals on the back. Wiring the switch backwards may allow it to still work, but it generates confusion. Down is typically lower, or less current. Ditto counter-clockwise is usually off. Getting them backwards is inconvenient, even when it still works.

Ensure that the wires are well separated, then turn the circuit breaker back on to test the switch. Make sure to keep your hands away from the wires. When the test is successful, turn off the circuit breaker and replace the whole assembly. Make sure no bare piece of wire touches another.

Done!

I have the following dimmer switches in my home and love them! Try one.
Thanks for reading, the Fixie Chick