Finding Sustainability With Energy Efficient Retractable Awnings

Cutting back on energy use is an admirable goal, but it’s difficult to not use air conditioning in humid summer heat or to keep blinds drawn (blocking your view) – on sunny spring days and all for a very minimal affect on actual energy costs.

Going green is an important consideration for homeowners (according to the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association, that’s important to 75% of homeowners) – but there are so many other maintenance demands on home budgets that going green needs to be a little bit easier. That’s the advantage of retractable awnings; they’re an easy first step towards efficiency:

• Lower the need for air conditioning, so you can lower usage without discomfort
• Don’t require a hefty financial investment, remodeling time, or difficulty
• Are an attractive enhancement to a home
• Have simple installation, low maintenance, and long lifetime

The largest expense in a home or business is controlling the temperature, so basic energy sustainability projects begin with maintaining home or business temperatures efficiently. Almost half of the heat that builds up in a home or business comes from sunlight. You may think that using blinds and shades to block a lot of sunlight is enough to block the heat energy, but according to Louisiana-based Claiborne Electric Cooperative, blinds only block the light from the sun. Once the energy reaches the window, the heat enters the room regardless of light, so the blinds don’t lower real air conditioning use.

Retractable awnings actually block solar energy from reaching the window, so it never enters the house. That’s a much more effective way of controlling air conditioning use; in fact, retractable awnings can cut the heat buildup in a room between 65% and 77%, according to the US Department of Energy.

So what effect does cutting down the solar heat in a room have on energy bills? In broad terms, it cuts air conditioning use around 25% and saves $100 on annual electric bills. The Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) commissioned a study covering twelve major cities across the United States, factoring in the window orientation (west, south, east, or equal), whether the awning was installed year-round or only in Summer, the type of glass (normal or solar-reflective), and how long the Summer seasons are.

The effect of awnings varies widely depending on where most of the windows face, the region, and local energy costs. Sunnier homes – with western-facing windows or in long sunny seasons – showed a marked improvement, though every home cut cooling energy use:

• Sacramento and Seattle by over 60%
• Minneapolis and Boston around 33%
• Washington, DC and Houston around 15%

The actual dollar amount that translates to can equal even more than the percentage sounds; for example, Phoenix homes cut air conditioning use by 25% by using awnings but realized savings totaling almost $250.

One significant finding in the PAMA study: the benefits of using an awning are only in the summer. Year-round awnings increase heating expenses, and that can actually raise annual bills. For example, houses in Atlanta with east-facing windows saved a moderate $50 per summer on electric bills – but lost $7 over the entire year. In Boston, the decline in cooling energy usage had a minor affect on air conditioning expenses ($1), but cost $65 because of increased heating expenses.

That’s why true energy efficiency comes through installing a retractable awning.

While air conditioning expenses are a significant amount of electricity usage, heating expenses account for almost half of all energy used in a home. Any efficiency solution that improves air conditioning. Retractable awnings do that: they can remain extended throughout the entire summer season, for the maximum reduction in air conditioning expenses. As fall and winter set in, they can be retracted, so solar heat enters and naturally warms the house, keeping heating expenses down. By staying open permanently, fixed awnings cut sunlight in winter months, significantly increase heating costs, and cancel out any summer utility bill savings.

In the Northeast, where energy prices are a big concern, the New Hampshire utilities system recommends integrating retractable awnings with your landscaping to increase energy efficiency. Other features – easy care, easy use, long lifetime (over 25 years, instead of about 5 years), and diverse solution dyed acrylic fabric selections – make retractable awnings an appealing energy efficiency option. The reason for retractable awnings increasing popularity in America – and their immense popularity in Europe – is because they provide a simple, relatively inexpensive, and attractive method to control energy use.

About the Author:

Retractable Awnings offers quality awnings and patio covers, which are both reliable and easy to use .http://www.retractableawnings.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Finding Sustainability With Energy-efficient Retractable Awnings

Green Hot Water - Add Convenience While Saving Both Water And Energy

Being green can be quite inconvenient. Saving water means low flow toilets, low flow water fixtures, and less greenery in the yard. These are all good proven methods of practicing water conservation, but sometimes human behavior can get in the way.

• Human behavior is a large part of the equation

Some of the research that was done for the California Energy Commission back in the 80s showed that many of the conservation methods were not effective due to how the occupants of a home behaved. The smart thermostats, loads of insulation, double pane windows, outlet gaskets, and air tight construction didn’t do a lot of good when the homeowner turned up the air conditioning and opened the windows.

• Wasting time, water, and energy

Another human thing to do is to run water down the drain while waiting for hot water. I’m not suggesting anyone jump into a cold shower. By all means, wait until the water is hot before you jump. But there are quite a few people who are simply not patient enough to stand there waiting for the hot water. These people turn on the hot water full-blast, and then go do something else while they wait. They shave, or brush their teeth, or start the coffee, and then return to the shower.

The problem with this behavior is that not only does it waste a whole lot of water unnecessarily, it also wastes energy. There is no telling how much HOT water was run down the rain. With a two gallon per minute shower head, running it for two minutes after the arrival of hot water would waste 4 gallons of hot water.

• Heating the water is much more expensive than the water being heated

The energy to heat water is much more expensive than the water itself. For example, let’s assume natural gas costs $1.37/Therm, an 80% efficient gas water heater, temperature rise of 90 degrees, and a cost of water of $.0002/gallon (national average). In this case, that 4 gallons of hot water cost 48 cents to heat, and the water cost less than a penny.

• Water conservation products – hot water demand systems

There are several water conservation products on the market that can eliminate both the wasted water and the wasted energy in these cases. The products are known as hot water demand systems. These devices not only eliminate running water down the drain, but get you your hot water faster than running the faucet.

The way these products work is to pump the water from the water heater to the fixtures at high speed, sending the cooled off hot water that was in the hot water pipes back to the water heater through the cold water line. When you want hot water you press a button, which starts the pump, and when hot water reaches the fixture, the pump shuts off. The pump is typically located at the furthest fixture from the heater, and can often supply fast waste-free hot water at more than one fixture.

• ACT Metlund and Chilipepper Sales Manufacture Hot Water Demand Systems

Chilipepper Sales model CP6000

Chilipepper Sales and ACT Metlund both manufacture hot water demand systems. The Chilipepper model CP6000 hot water demand system has a powerful 1/3 horsepower motor, hooks up to the plumbing with hoses by just turning off the shut-off valves under the sink, and retails for about $180. It’s powerful enough to handle pipe runs of up to about 400 feet, and will operate any tank type or tankless water heater. It comes with a 5 year warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee.

• Metlund D’mand Systems

The ACT Metlund D'mand S-50T-PF Kit re-circulating pump has a small 1/40 horsepower motor, has ½ inch sweat fittings, and needs to be plumbed in on the meter side of the shut-off valves, requiring shutting off the water to the house. It retails for about $340.00 and has a three year warranty. It cannot be used with a tankless water heater, and is recommended for pipe runs of less than 50 feet.

The ACT Metlund S-70T-PF Kit has a small 1/25 horsepower motor, installs with ½” threaded pipe fittings, needs the water to the house turned off for installation, and retails for about $440. It has a 5 year warranty, and is recommended for less than 100 foot pipe runs or less than 60 feet with a tankless water heater.

The ACT Metlund S-02T-PF Kit has a 1/8 horsepower motor, installs with ½” fittings, meter side of the shut-offs, and retails for about $750.00. This model is recommended for pipe runs under 300 feet and works with tankless water heaters. It has a 5 year warranty.

• In conclusion

Home owners can be green by adding the convenience of fast hot water while substantially reducing the wastage of water and even water heating energy. Just saving that one 4-gallon wastage a day, with an electric water heater, would more than pay for the less expensive demand systems in less than a year, and the CP6000 in months.

Some water companies offer rebates for hot water demand systems. A water company in Arizona is offering a $200 rebate for installing one of these systems. The rebate makes for a very short payback period indeed.

All of these systems have life expectancies of about 15 years…the same as the average water heater. Be green, install a hot water demand system in your home and start saving time water, energy, and money!

Two hot water demand systems compared Metlund vs Chilipepper: Metlund d mand System Info.

For more information about all kinds of water heaters: Hot Water Heaters Instant hot water systems.

Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Living Off The Grid By Harnessing The Power Of The Sun

With the world's continuing saga of economic crisis, diminishing non-renewable resources, and environmental degradation, it is but imperative to look for means to sustain life through more effective methods of acquiring energy. One such possibility is the utilization of solar/wind energy, aka off grid energy. Apart of being an essential component in the sustenance of life, solar energy refers to the light and radiant heat emitted by the sun. Forever present, that energy can be collected, converted and used to heat the water in your house as well as produce the light and all the electric power you need. Not only that, but by converting the power of the sun into energy we save a great amount of money and gradually get rid of our addiction to oil, coal and other substances that contaminate the environment. Now we live off the grid

Simply put, Living off the Grid means living in a house, or any other dwelling, that is not connected to the electricity grid. One can achieve that by simple means such as burning wood to heat and cook or by, as sophisticated as, producing one's own energy by harnessing the power of the sun and/or wind. The energy produced by the sun and/or wind can be then stored in batteries. The number of batteries is dependent on the amount of storage capacity that is needed. The more energy you consume the more batteries you will need to store the energy produced.

A number of technologies have benefited from the utilization of the solar energy and since it is one of the resources that account for most of the available flow of earth's renewable energy, solar energy technologies provide electrical generation by heat engine or photovoltaic means, space heating and cooling, potable water via distillation and disinfection, water heating, thermal energy for cooking and more. The use of solar energy has been proven extremely valuable not only for many industries, but also for use in our homes.

Living off grid is economical, practical and most of all it is the one thing most of us can do to help save the environment. Imagine how, even more, wonderful life will be if you could begin to produce your own energy.

There are different ways by which you can begin to do so: If you can afford it, you can hire a company to build for you a solar/wind System that will do the job. (Count on spending several thousands of dollars). A better, less expensive, way is to do what thousands of people from all over the globe have been doing lately...build your own. Yes, nowadays there are some excellent DIY, (Do-It-Yourself) kits that will guide you, step-by-step on how to build your own solar panels and how to build your own wind generators. And like a magic, in a matter of days, you will finally be able to actually fire your utility company and taste the sweetness of Living Off Grid.

You can learn about two of the best kits available by visiting: http://ProduceOwnEnergy.com/Review

About the Author:

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Living Off the Grid by Harnessing the Power of the Sun