All Blog Posts Tagged 'electricity' (10)

All homeowners are energy users. It is anticipated that if every household in America used only one incandescent light bulb, they would still be able to match the energy output of one whole nuclear power plant. Certainly, each family utilizes a lot more than just one  lamp , so you could imagine  the amount of energy that is needed just to illuminate  the house. But there is something  you can do about  this. You can start with appliances with low work load to reduce  the electric energy…

Three Devices That Will Get You Closer to Saving Energy Through Smart Home Automation

by Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com

I have been enjoying the advertisement on the radio that goes something like this, "If your home was built in the 1950's, why would you expect it to perform better than a T.V. built in the 1950's?"

The point is well taken if you are interested in energy conservation. Homes built in the 1950's do not perform…

Energy Audit: Now Recommendations for Energy Saving Up-dates

by Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com

Now that we have the hot tub and the hole-in-the-wall under control, it is time to go ahead…

Fuel poverty, that is to say people who can't afford to heat their homes, is at all time high levels in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. It causes at times a terrible human condition, death, which is estimated as 8,000 people per year in the U.K. There have been calls for immediate "super energy efficiency." No doubt the rest of the world is affected, also.

Heating oil prices in the U.S. are topping $4.11/gal(up), propane $2.90/gal(up), natural gas…

Congress has closed the books on a another dramatic year in American politics with no real accomplishments. Among many lingering questions is the future of wind power subsidies. Introduced in the early 1990’s, government subsidies for wind power have played a major role in the expansion of the young…

FIDO Says, "I will show you where to save energy."

by Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com

I have been spreading the news about a home energy monitoring system called FIDO by EcoDog Energy Monitoring. This is part three of a three article series. You may be interested in backtracking a little and checking out part one, 13 strong points to …

2011 was a challenging year for the operators of the Texas electricity grid.  2012, however, isn’t likely to be any easier. This according to ERCOT who holds the responsibility of insuring the reliability of the Texas grid. There are a large number of power plants that are scheduled to be decommissioned over the…

Few countries have been dealt such a tragic combination of natural and manmade disasters as Japan. The part of the disaster that I understand is the shortage of electricity. I wrote a book, Saving Electricity in a Hurry, in 2005 while working at the International Energy Agency.¹ In the book, I explained the measures that a government must take in order to quickly reduce electricity demand while protecting…

Have you noticed that there have been a lot of commercials about electric cars lately? Do you think that electric cars are really the answer to our energy issues and reliance on fossil fuels? I started to think about the process associated with electric vehicles and did some simple research. Following are some simple points to consider.



First let’s look at the manufacturing process. Vehicle parts are manufactured all over the world in…

It is commonly known that heat rises, if you need an example, open your freezer and see where the cold air goes. This same principle applies to hot air balloons; the hot air causes the balloon to rise. Many home performance professionals understand what this means for a home in the winter. Unfortunately, the average consumer may not understand how important this concept is. On average 60% of heat escapes through the roof of a house, attic or roof insulation can go a long way in reducing…