mapawatt » replace bulbs

Clean Energy Store – Northern Tool & Equipment

Chris — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:30:32 +0000

A few days ago I was out and about and I had some time to kill so I stopped by a Northern Tool and Equipment store because I noticed on their website that they have a pretty good alternative and renewable energy section. Below are some of my observations and pictures taken at the store. Overall I was pretty impressed with their clean energy equipment products. I wonder why stores like Lowes and Home Depot don’t also offer products to produce your own clean energy? (more…)

Sustainability in Austin

Chris — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:44:36 +0000

Beautiful View on Lake Austin!

Two weeks ago my wife and I travelled to Austin, TX to hang out with her parents for a weekend. It was only a 2-day trip, but we were able to get a great feel for the city. Austin is consistently ranked near the top in the most sustainable U.S. cities, so I knew it would be a good place to seek out sustainability. In any case, it had to be better than my sustainability experience in Las Vegas.

Aside from eating the 3 foods you must eat while in Austin (BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Chicken Fried Steak), checking out the bar scene and live music on 6th street, watching the sun sink over Lake Travis at The Oasis, driving through the campus at University of Texas, and checking out the beers on tap at Draught House, here are my sustainable observations: (more…)

How do I Buy and Install a New EV Charger?

pmapawatt — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:00:29 +0000

Leviton Evr-Green Products

So you’ve heard all of the buzz about the new Electric Vehicles coming from auto manufacturers and you’re ready to take the plunge? Before placing your order for the Volt or Leaf, there is some prep work you need to do. Buying a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV) requires doing research on how you plan to charge your new vehicle. As we covered in our post about preparing for the arrival of the electric car, you’re not going to find fast charging stations at every street corner yet. You’ll need to follow a few steps to get your home ready to take delivery of those shiny new wheels! (more…)

Renewable Energy Handbook

Chris — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:11:41 +0000

When I saw the Renewable Energy Handbook by William Kemp for sale in the OpenSky store I was a bit skeptical of its value. This is due entirely to my experience with a “free” book called Green Millionaire which has the sole purpose of taking people’s money by offering the most basic of “green” tips (you pay shipping and handling for the “free” book and then they hit your credit card up with huge fees for their newsletter). But after receiving a copy of the Renewable Energy Handbook I’m happy to say it provides extremely valuable information for those interested in off-grid living and residential renewable energy.

The book is written for those who have already mastered energy conservation steps (insulate, turn off lights, program thermostat, etc.) and are ready to start producing clean energy on their own. This isn’t meant to be a resource for renewable energy experts, but a guide for those interested in taking the next step and investing in a system that will produce clean energy. I think the most helpful part of the book are the pictures, case studies and diagrams that show how the pieces of a clean energy system come together. (more…)

What is an Evaporative Cooler (Swamp Cooler)?

Chris — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:35:36 +0000

An evaporative cooler uses a combination of a water source and a fan to blow air that has moisture (water that has evaporated) in it into an area. In order for water to evaporate, it needs a heat source. An evaporative cooler uses warm air as the heat source to evaporate the water. When the water evaporates, it sucks heat from the air…and just like that you have cooler air!

This is the same principle your body uses to keep yourself cool. Sweat on your skins sucks the heat away from your body in order to evaporate, thus leaving your body cooler (and some salt behind).

But there is one key thing to remember when analyzing evaporative coolers: They don’t work too well in humid environments! (more…)

Current Cost Envi better than TED 5000?

Chris — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:02:45 +0000

Recently there has been a commenter adding comments to our TED 5000 posts promoting a competing product: the Envi by Current Cost. The commenter links to a company that sells the Envi, so even though I assumed he works for the company that sells a product which he was promoting (and not disclosing that fact while he posted negative comments about a competitor), I allowed the comments to go through. Well, it turns out the same commenter may be going after all TED 5000 posts on the web! I subscribe to the comments on another blog post about the TED 5000, namely Tom Harrison’s 5 Percent blog on the TED 5000 which have received comments which look eerily similar to those appearing on Mapawatt Blog. (more…)

How much Energy does AC consume?

Chris — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:39:19 +0000

Stop that AC unit!

***Update – 8/20/2010 – The post below was originally posted in June of 2009 and has been incredibly popular. In that original post, I included a calculator to help people analyze how much electricity their AC unit consumes, but I’m not including it in this re-post because of some of the observations and updates I’ve made have added some uncertainty in the values given by the calculator. In any case, know that your AC unit is by far the biggest energy consumer in your home during the summer (if you live in a hot climate). I have a townhome with a split-level AC system, meaning I have 2 AC units: one for upstairs (2 ton) and one for downstairs (2.5 ton). For the purpose of estimation your AC electricity consumption in a central-AC configuration it seems that the tonnage is closely correlated to the kW consumption. So my 2 ton unit consumes a little more than 2 kW (including the AC unit and furnace fan). Bottom Line: Program and raise the temperature on your thermostat so your AC unit doesn’t come on as often or stay on as long! (more…)

Belkin Conserve Surge Strip: Tackle Vampires Wirelessly

Chris — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:45:56 +0000

We’ve written a few blogs now on Energy Vampire Loads, including The Biggest Vampire in Your Home – The Cable Box and How to use an Electronic Timer to control Vampire Loads. But one of the best products I’ve seen to control vampire loads in your home is the Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Surge Strip.

The surge protectors I have in my home have switches on them, but the surge protectors are usually hidden behind desks or entertainment centers. Not only do I have to fight an array of electronic equipment and cables to get to the switches, but you can’t imagine how inconvenient it is to plop down on the couch after a hard days work and turn on the TV…only to remember you forgot to turn the surge protector switch back on (it really is excruciating). The Belkin surge strip solves this problem by adding a wireless remote to turn the strip on and off. This way, if you have your TV plugged into the surge strip you can just use the Belkin remote to turn the surge strip on and “Eureka!”…you have moving pictures. (more…)