Credit: striatic

There is a new trend growing in the green community - "bicycle valets" or "bike valets." While bicycle valets vary from area to area in design, personal, equipment and execution, they all share one common element - they create a bicycle friendly destination.

Bicycles are far more energy efficient than automobiles. You can travel further with less fuel and less pollution using a bicycle than any car. It's easy to see the dramatic difference if we compare the CO2/Mile of a few common modes of transportation.

The following are averages of CO2/Mile pollution by vehicle with a single passenger:

• 1.57 lbs of CO2/Mile in a "Sport Utility Vehicle" - 15 MPG
• 1.10 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Average car" - 21.5 MPG
• 0.59 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Economy car" - 40 MPG
• 0.00 lbs of CO2/Mile on a "Bicycle"

Reviewing the pollution each vehicle produces, it's easy to see why environmentalist like to encourage bicycle friendly destinations whenever possible.

What is a "Bicycle Valet?"

A bicycle valet is an organized valet and/or parking service for bicycles - imagine a coat check for bicycles. Each area has it's own execution but the goal of the service is to encourage visitors to arrive on their bicycles and to offer large scale, short term, bicycle parking.

In Santa Monica, California, you can find one variation of the bicycle valet. The City of Santa Monica offers free bicycle parking for both the Summer Twilight Dance Series (a free summer concert series) and the Sunday Farmers Market. In this case the city provides staff and similar to a traditional valet, the staff provide a ticket and take your vehicle. You are required to pick up your vehicle before the end of the event but there is no service fee, tipping is at your discretion.

Further north in San Jose, California, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition offers similarly designed bicycle valet services at many locations including Stanford home football games, the San Jose Blues Festival, Moffett Field Airshows and numerous Civic Art and Wine Festivals.

San Francisco, California, offers a free valet bicycle parking at a number events including all the San Francisco Giants home games, the Movie in the Park series, Tour de Fat and Winterfest. San Francisco is unique from many other cities in that as of January 1,1999, the city requires bicycle parking for all major outdoor events.

In Fairfax, California, you can find a more grassroots effort. The Marin County Bicycle Coalition loans PVC bike racks to "Green Wednesdays" who in turn use them to offer free, secure, bicycle parking. "Green Wednesdays" offers bicycle parking at the Wednesday Farmers Market. While not exactly a bicycle valet service, "Green Wednesdays," is offering large scale temporary secure bicycle parking. This in turn makes their local Farmers Market a bicycle friendly destination.

The Benefits of Bicycle Valets

Bicycle valets can offer benefits to both event holders and event locations while creating a more bicycle friendly destination, here are just a few of the benefits:

• Maintain clear driveways and walkways. Without a bicycle valet or any other form of large scale bicycle parking, cyclist are forced to lock their bikes to whatever, wherever they find it. A bicycle valet provides a central location for large scale bicycle storage and keeps driveways and sidewalks clear.
• Reduce local traffic congestion. Each person riding a bicycle is potentially one less car. Bicycle valets reduce traffic by reducing the number of people who arrive by car.
• Encourage attendance. Many people avoid events due to parking hassles. Bicycles are fast and easy to check-in and with less cars parking is sure to be a breeze.

Riding a bicycle is not only good for your health, it's also good for the planet. Each mile you ride on your bike instead of in your car reduces your carbon footprint. In this ever changing environment, it's important for us to each do our part, so I encourage you to find your local bicycle group or coalition, and if you don't have a local bicycle valet in service then why not start your own program?

Labels: article, bicycle, bicycle valet, bike, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, earth, fitness, green, health

¶ 6:05 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Credit: Gary J. Wood

In the United States, we live in an automobile based culture. Many people don't think twice about driving their vehicle short distances to run errands - a mile here, a mile there. What many people don't realize or choose to ignore is that driving alone is one of the least climate-friendly forms of transportation.

Driving Alone

How bad is driving alone relative to other forms of transportation? According to the Sightline Institute with a single driver, you can expect an average of:

• 1.57 lbs of CO2/Mile in a "Sport Utility Vehicle" (15 MPG)
• 1.10 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Average car" (21.5 MPG)
• 0.59 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Economy car" (40 MPG)

Obviously filling your vehicle to capacity helps, just consider this:

• 0.37 lbs of CO2/Mile in an "Average car" (21.5 MPG) when Carpooling with three people

While filling to capacity can help for short errands it isn't always an option. So what can you do?

Credit: jpctalbot

Riding a Bicycle

Riding a bicycle isn't just good for the environment with a net 0 lbs of CO2/Mile, but it's good for you too. Short errands are just one of many uses you'll find for your bicycle - once you start riding again. While you may miss your trunk space at first a quality bicycle grocery bag, panniers or even a basket can reduce this stress. Which one you choose is up to you based on your own personal needs but for the average grocery hauler I would recommend one the following three products:

• Jandd Grocery Bag Pannier
• REI Grocery BagREI Novara 'Round Town panniers
• Cobbworks Oyster Bucket Panniers

If you expect to be hauling lighter loads then you may be a good candidate for a removable handlebar mounted basket - these can often double as a "reusable shopping bag" too.

How Energy Efficient is a Bicycle?

Did you know calories are actually a unit of measurement for the amount of energy that your body can extract from foods . With many new biofuel technologies available today, many of the foods we eat can also be converted into fuel for our vehicles.

According to World Watch Magazine the average automobile burns 1,860 calories per mile per passenger. How does that compare to the average bicycle? The average bicycle and rider burns 35 calories per mile.

Why are bicycles so much more efficient? The key to the energy efficiency of the bicycle is simple - a bicycle and rider are extremely light compared the average car. In a 2 ton vehicle with a 170 lbs driver the driver is only 4% of the total weight. On a heavier 30 lbs bicycle that same driver will be 85% of the total weight. In a vehicle 96% of the energy used each mile is used moving the vehicle itself - not the drive. On a bicycle only 15% of the energy used moving the bicycle itself.

Bicycles are so efficient in fact that under the right conditions a rider can ride faster then a cheetah. In 2002, Canadian rider Sam Whittingham reached 81 mph using a recumbent bike called the Varna Diablo II. That is 11 mph faster than a cheetah which over short distances can attain a top speed of 70 mph.

It's often said you never forget how to ride a bike so why not take advantage it. Riding a bike is not only one of the most energy efficient modes of transportation, it is also one of the most relatively inexpensive. Do you part to fight global warming by taking your bicycle out for a ride.

Labels: article, automobile, bicycle, bike, calories, car, earth, energy efficiency, environment, exercise, green, health, transportation

¶ 9:59 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

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According to the April 2008 edition of PC Magazine flaws in Windows XP's sleep mode may have added up to $5 billion a year to power bills worldwide. Unless you purchased a special energy efficient model, have used third party applications to manage your power management setting or have manually adjusted your power management settings then your current computer is most likely not as energy efficient as it could be.

What can I do to improve my existing computers energy efficiency?

Unless you are a computer expert, managing your system configuration for optimal energy efficiency may be a bit daunting. For the sake of simplicity to optimize the power management settings in Windows machines I recommend free software such as the CO2 Saver from Snap.com.

The CO2 Saver

This lightweight computer program manages your computer's power setting when it is idle. By managing your idle power setting the CO2 Saver can save you energy and in turn reduce harmful CO2 emissions and more. As an added benefit of the CO2 Saver clearly shows you what your personal CO2 reduction has been as well as total CO2 reduced by everyone using the program.

How effective is it?

To date Snap's CO2 Saver has prevented 607,206 lbs or 303.6 tons of CO2 emissions. To put that into perspective the total savings provided by this software is equivalent to:

• Not driving a vehicle for 552,005 miles. Why? The average car with a single driver emits 1.10 lbs of CO2 per mile.
• Planting 60,720 trees. Why? On average a tree absorbs 10 lbs of pollutants from the air each year.

Downloading Snap's CO2 Saver

You can download Snap's CO2 Saver free of charge at:

• Download Snap's CO2 Saver
  

Even though this application is currently only available for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista based computers it has already shown significant environmental benefits. It's easy to install, is free of any malware or spyware and gives you a constant reminder on your desktop of your personal environmental responsibility.

Labels: article, co2, computer, computers, desktop, earth, energy, energy efficiency, environment, green, laptop, technology

¶ 5:19 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Credit: richard winchell

Today people feel more comfortable behind the wheel of a car, a van, maybe even a large sport utility vehicle. For many people what they find comfortable is what they teach to their children. These patterns that are passed to the next generation have a negative impact on not only their health but also the health of our planet.

Consider the following example:

• In 1969, about 50% of all students walked or bicycled to school
• In 2008, about 15% of all students walked or bicycled to school

How do we account for the remaining 85%? The remaining 85% of children get to school in the following ways:

• 25% of all students take the school bus
• 60% of all students arrive at school in private automobiles

For most parents the safety of their children is their primary concern. They would rather guarantee the safety of their children by driving them to school instead of letting them walk or bicycle. When safety is the primate concern, the potential exercise their child could have and the amount of CO2 emissions they could reduce simply aren't deciding factors.

What may come as a surprise to many parents is that the Federal Highway Administration has a program designed to specifically address these safety concerns, it's called Safe Routes to Schools.

Credit: madmetal

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), "This decline in walking and bicycling has had an adverse effect on traffic congestion and air quality around schools, as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety. In addition, a growing body of evidence has shown that children who lead sedentary lifestyles are at risk for a variety of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Safety issues are a big concern for parents, who consistently cite traffic danger as a reason why their children are unable to bicycle or walk to school."

The Safe Routes to Schools or SRTS Program started in August 2005 is a Federal-Aid program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). According to the FHWA, the goal of the program is to enable:

• To both enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school
• To make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age
• To facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity (approximately 2 miles) of primary and middle schools (Grades K-8).

Under the SRTS Program, each state bears responsibility for its own program. You can find more information on your local Safe Routes to Schools program at:

• http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfm

• http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/getting_started/

The Safe Routes to Schools program works. According to Laura Kelley, the new Project Coordinators for the Safe Routes to Schools program in Fairfax, California, she has "observed a significant increase in bikers/walkers in Fairfax, and a decrease in motor traffic, as the Safe Routes program has grown."

Think back to your childhood, can you remember a time when walking and bicycling was part of your everyday life? Isn't that something you'd like to share with your children? The Safe Routes to Schools program let's you do just that and best of all you are promoting the health of your children and the health of the planet with one simple action.

Labels: article, bicycle, bike, biking, earth, exercise, pollution, safe route, safe routes, safe routes to school, safety, srts, walk, walking

¶ 10:20 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

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Everyone loves to travel. It's a gift we give ourselves, and it offers us all an opportunity to visit new places and expand our horizons. As an environmentally aware traveler one must eventually take responsibility for his or her carbon footprint as it applies to their travel. While many people opt to simply offset the carbon they generate traveling by purchasing carbon credits that isn't the only way to travel green.

Travel Green without Flying

When traveling long distances most people opt for air travel due to its speed and convenience, but is that the only route to your destination? When traveling less then 300 miles, consider alternate modes of traveling such as trains or buses. If you consider all the time you spend getting to the airport, checking in, passing security and picking up your luggage you might be surprised to find that in some cases you total time will exceed or at least equal the time invested in train or bus travel.

Why is it important to consider alternates to airline travel?

• Flying is one of the most fuel intensive modes of travel, it only because efficient when planes are filled to total capacity
• Airplanes emit more than just CO2, other dangerous emissions such as NO2s can double the short term effects of CO2 emissions
• Airplane contrails have been shown to play a role in climate change
• Airports are major polluters of local air - many airports are among the top ten point-source polluters in their cities

Traveling by Train

Credit: reivax

Traveling by train you can find a variety of seating options from coach to private sleeping suites. While the amenities vary, traveling by train can be a very relaxing and even luxurious experience. The biggest limitation you'll encounter with train travel is scheduling and destination availability. As our nation focused more development on freeways and highways, our railways have stayed largely stagnant.

Traveling by Bus

Bus travel offers better scheduling and destination availability but for some people it lacks prerequisite amenities. Buses are a good way to extend the locations you can access via train. For example while you can't take a train all the way from Boston, Massachusetts to Montreal, Quebec - you can take a train 80% of the way and then transfer to to a bus for the remainder of your journey.

Staying Green in the Air

It's not always possible to avoid airline travel, but you can make smart choices that help keep you airline travel green.

• Fly economy class to maximize the number of people on the airplane. Consider using economy class only airlines and use your dollars to support a more environmental sound choice
• Since a large portion of airline pollution occurs during takeoff and landing always remember to fly direct.
• Bring your own snacks in a reusable container. This is an easy way you can reduce packaging and waste

While each step may seem small, together all our efforts can make a difference. Traveling is something we all enjoy but since we share this planet we all need to do our part. Remember, regardless of your mode of travel; train, bus, airplane or car, smart decisions can reduce your impact on the environment and let your travel guilt free.

Labels: airline, article, bus, carbon footprint, earth, flying, green, green travel, metro, public transit, public transportation, train, travel

¶ 10:06 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Credit: azrainman

While most people assume becoming green means making major changes in their own life this isn't always the case. It doesn't have to be disruptive or difficult. To many peoples surprise becoming green is easier than they might expect.

The longer humans repeat a pattern the more we are locked into it - on some levels it simply becomes automatic. To start your own greening, you must become aware of these human patterns. Just because something feels automatic does not mean it is - it can be changed. You can always make the conscious decision to change for the better. This applies to even the most deep-rooted patterns.

For many people where and what they purchase has already become fairly automatic. It's easy to make small changes in this particular pattern to benefit the earth. By choosing to make green purchases you can reduce your impact on the environment.

What may surprise some people is the large volume of green products that are already on the market today . Some common misconceptions are that green products will be hard to find and always expensive. The green industry is already estimated to be a $230 billion dollar market - and growing between 20-30% annually. For consumers this means they can find more retailers and more products at competitive prices. It is estimated that over 13,000 green only retailers already exist today.

Shopping Green

Shopping green can happen anywhere. Many traditional retailers have begun to tap the green market by integrating safer, natural and sustainable alternatives into their more traditional product offerings. If your only option is to shop at conventional retailers then try to focus on lower impact product choices. If your favorite retailer has joined in the green movement they may already have a green section waiting for you to discover. If not then the easiest way is to focus on products that are locally produced, from renewable materials and can easily be recycled at the end of their life span. If that seems confusing then keep it simple and try to look for products marked with the blue Energy Star logo.

When shopping green at more conventional retailers it's important to be wary of greenwashed products. Conventional retailers are more susceptible to greenwashing. Many companies try to represent their products as "Earth Friendly" or greenwash for marketing purposes only. Always stay vigilant for greenwashing because many of the terms used to market products are undefined and unregulated.

Here is a short list of undefined and unregulated words that are sometimes used by greenwashers:

• Chemical Free
• Clean
• Green
• Renewable

Some common words that are defined but are still unregulated are:

• Biodegradable
• Recyclable
• Recycled

There may be a period of adjustment for some, but the good news is we already have many green products and technologies that can provide benefit the earth while still providing the same quality of life. By taking your own personal greening in steps you can minimize any stress and make manageable adjustments.

Labels: article, earth, environment, green, green purchasing, green shopping, habits, planet

¶ 4:18 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Credit: Law Keven

Energy Star is a United States government program to promote energy efficient consumer products. Most consumers are familiar with the bright blue logo that appears on numerous computer products and home appliances.

Originally created in 1992 by the US Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. It was created as an attempt to reduce energy consumption and as a function greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. John S. Hoffman, inventor of the Green Programs at the US EPA, is credited with it's development.

Why does generating electricity cause greenhouse gases?

While it's possible to generate electricity in many "green" ways the number one source of US electricity is coal. In 2006, nearly half (49%) of the country's 4.1 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity used coal as its source of energy. Coal-fired power plants are the primary source of the principal global warming pollutant, carbon dioxide.

History

Starting with computer products in 1992, it began as a voluntary labeling program. The goal being to allow consumers to easily identify energy efficient products.

In 1995, the program was expanded significantly. The expansion included labels for residential heating and cooling system as well as new homes. Today, Energy Star has grown to include more than 40,000 products in 50 product categories.

Energy Star has grown into more than just a voluntary labeling system. The program has partnered with and provides technical information and tools to more than 9,000 private and public sector organizations. It also encourages more than just energy-efficient solutions, they also offer best management practices.

In the US, Energy Star, has become very common in our society. It has been the driving force behind such new technologies as LED traffic lights, efficient fluorescent lighting, power management systems for office equipment, and low standby energy use.

As our technologies evolve, so does the program. As an example, recently Energy Star has grown to include specifications for commercial griddles, decorative light strings, enterprise servers and solid state lighting. In November 2007 its television specification was expanded to include standby power use.

Does it really help?

Yes - in 2006 alone Energy Star saved consumers over $14 billion on their utility bills. Translated into greenhouse gas emissions, in 2006 greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million cars were prevented. An Energy Star rated device can save between 15-75% over comparable devices.

Energy Star for the Home

The US-GBC estimates just a 2-7% increase in materials cost to build "green" when compared to traditional options. Energy efficient choices help families save about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining style and comfort. Energy Star helps consumers quickly and easily identify the energy efficient choices they have when purchasing. Consumers can trust products rated by Energy Star deliver the same or better performance as comparable models while using less energy and also saving money.

Key Product Specifications

• Appliances: Energy Star refrigerators need 15% over minimum standards, Dishwashers 41%. Look for the yellow EnergyGuide label that shows the annual cost of operation.
  
• Heating and Cooling Systems: Generally the source of the lions share of your energy consumption (in some cases up to 90%), Energy Star, covers heat pumps, boilers, air conditioning systems, and furnaces.
  
• Home Electronics: Energy Star home electronics generally use 30% less energy then minimum standards.
  
• Lighting: Energy Star lighting uses 75% less energy and last up to ten times longer then incandescent lights.
  
• Buildings: Energy Star rates complete buildings - these buildings use at least 15% less energy than standard buildings.
  

Is it the only standard?

On an international scale Energy Star is similar to the TCO Certification. The TCO Certification combines both energy rating and ergonomic rations from the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO). The TCO Certification is generally associated with computer monitors but in more recent years has grown to include computers, keyboards, printers, mobile phones and office furniture.

Labels: article, doe, earth, efficiency, efficient, energy efficiency, energy star, go green, save money, save the planet, saving

¶ 5:12 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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There is a big difference between knowing how to live green and actually living green. Being green isn't always easy and it isn't always cheap but the world you live in becomes a better place for your efforts.

"Greening" your own life starts with a single step. If you are ready to take that first step then consider the following 10 simple actions that you can apply in your own life to reduce your impact on the environment.

1. Support local green businesses. Do you have a local Co-op or Farmer's Market you could be shopping at?
2. Install Energy Star products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or a Cool-N-Save(tm) Air Conditioning Pre-Cooling System. Doing this can provide a 30-75% energy savings.
3. Always remember to check and maintain your tire pressure at least once a month. Doing this can save you about $840 a year on gas and reduce approximately 250 lbs of carbon dioxide.
4. Add low-flow aerators to any sink you have that may have been manufactured before 1994. In 1994 the government mandated that sinks could have no more then 2.2 gallons per minute of flow, before 1994 sinks could use between 3-4 gallons of water per minute.
5. Purchase green power from your electric company. This reduces demand for fossil fuel based power.
6. Plant a tree. Tree's offer shade and reduce CO2 from the environment.
7. Bring your own utensils into work - it's an easy way to avoid throwaway plastic ones.
8. Bring your own coffee mug to coffee shops - it's an easy way to avoid disposable coffee cups.
9. Reduce the amount of red meat you eat. Why? The production of animal-products has an expensive environmental cost, so the less you eat, the less the environment incurs.
10. Unplug power adapters, like your cell phone charger and MP3 player charger, when not in use. These chargers use energy 24/7 even when your item is not charging.

While this is far from a comprehensive list I hope these tips help you become a bit more "green" in your own life. As the world keeps getting bigger it's more and more important we each do our part.

Labels: article, diy, earth, earth friendly, environmental impact, green, home, recycle, reduce, reuse

¶ 1:59 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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Green, green, green - today green is the new "black." Are you interested in participating in the green movement but are restricted because of financial limitations? While the US-GBC estimates a 2-7% increase in materials costs on average for "building green" there are lots and lots of ways to be green either completely free of charge or very, very cheaply.

Let's Focus on Free

Here are some 100% free tips to help you get green.

• Have an extra 1 gallon milk container you plan on recycling soon? Why not fill it with water and place it in the tank of your toilet. Doing this will stop 1 gallon of water from being wasted with each flush of your toilet.
• Reduce your driving. If you have a bike then why not ride your bike instead of driving? If you don't have a bike then why not walk? Riding a bike and/or walking is not only good for the environment its good for your health too.
• Keep some key drapes closed. Which ones? Close drapes on the sunny side of your house.
• Keep room's you aren't using closed off and seal up an un-used heating/cooling vents. This should help reduce your heating/cooling costs.
• Turn off lights when not in use - because lights produce heat they make your AC system work harder (and cost more).
• Turn off your computer and other home office equipment - because they generate heat as well.
• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying heat cycles. If you are feeling extra earthy why not give your dishwasher a break. (If you stop using your dishwasher you can turn your water heater down to 120 degrees.)
• Dry your clothes outside on a line instead of using your clothes dryer. If you need fluffing user your dryer but without heat.

Let's Focus on Cheap

Here are some very inexpensive ways to help you get green.

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs/compact fluorescent lamps or LED based light bulbs. CFLs and LEDs use less power to supply the same amount of light as an incandescent lamp of the same lumen rating. Remember you don't have to replace all your light bulbs at once!
• Install low-flow shower heads and faucets. This will help you use less water. (Make sure you have aerators in every sink, too.)
• Plant shade trees around your house. This will help absorb CO2 and reduce your AC bills.
• Add energy efficiency devices such as the Cool-N-Save(tm) Air Conditioner Pre-Cooling system. This device can improve your AC units efficiency by up to 30%. (Make sure your energy efficiency devices are Energy Star rated, Cool-N-Save(tm) is an Energy Star Partner.)

In the words of Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green," but the world and everyone sharing it will appreciate your effort.

Labels: article, diy, earth, free, green, help, inexpensive, save money, save the planet, tips, tricks

¶ 8:31 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

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Many people don't realize that their cooling system is one of the biggest energy guzzlers in their home (second only to their heating system, depending on where their live). If you have an old air conditioning system with a SEER rating of less than 8, it may be worthwhile to consider replacing it with a more energy efficient system. Generally speaking you should be able to recoup the cost in just a few years.

What exactly is SEER? SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and is a measure of the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump. The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the system is at converting electricity into cooling power.

Matching your AC unit size to your needs is important, too. An air conditioning unit that is too big for the room will work harder and cost you more.

It's also important to remember that because your AC unit can be such an energy guzzler reducing your AC bill helps more than just you and your checking account - it also helps the environment. When the average US household uses 9,000 killowatt hours a year any reduction in power usage helps the environment. Consider this - generating 9,000 killowatt hours of electricity generates as much pollution as driving 13,392 miles in a car.

Here are some more fast, free and easy ways to lower your air conditioning bill.

• Close drapes on the sunny side of your house.
• Close off rooms that you aren't using and the cooling ducts to those rooms.
• Turn off lights when not in use - because lights produce heat they make your air conditioning system work harder (and cost more).
• Turn off your computer and other home office equipment - because they generate heat as well.

If you can afford to invest a little money into your AC existing system you have a few more options. You can:

• Install a programmable thermostat (preferably one that offers zone control)
• Check and replace your filters regularly, a dirty filter can actually cost be costing you money each month.
• Install aftermarket energy saving devices such as a Cool-N-Save(tm)

Remember because your AC unit has the potential to draw so much electricity by maintaining and optimizing your current system you can reap substantial financial benefits.

Sam Greyhawk is an energy efficiency evangelist working with Cool-N-Save(tm), an Energy Star Partner, in Huntington Beach, California. The Cool-N-Save(tm) can save you up to 30% each month on your AC electric bill by improving air conditioner efficiency.

Article Source: Sam Greyhawk

Labels: ac, air conditioner, air conditioner efficiency, article, earth, energy efficiency, green, hvac

¶ 8:31 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Credit: SqueakyMarmot

Did you know? During the hottest months, your AC can account for up to 90% of your total monthly electric bill. When 1/7th of the energy produced in the United States is used to air condition buildings its important to understand how they work and their impact on the environment.

The typical air conditioning system consists of evaporator coils, a fan inside, a compressor, compressor coils and a fan outside. The unit cools by using the refrigerant (usually Freon) to transport the heat from inside the space to the outside air. The heat is expelled into the outside air by the action of the fan pulling air over the coils and the heat contained in the Freon is transferred to the air.

The problem with the AC system is that in extreme heat, many conventional air conditioners are unable to effectively transfer their stored heat into the surrounding air. They are forced to work harder and longer to cool the air in your home, shortening their life and producing unreasonably high electric bills.

This problem can be further compounded if the AC system is incorrectly sized for the application. Contractors often install oversized AC units in order to avoid complaints, allow for future expansion, enable quicker cooling down of homes, and to allow for lower cooling set points by homeowners.

Thanks to SEER, identifying the efficiency of your AC unit has become very easy. SEER is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This measures the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump. The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the system is at converting electricity into cooling power.

If you are like many people, and you have an older, less efficient model such as one with a SEER rating lower than 8 then it may be time to start shopping for a new AC unit. When purchasing a new AC unit make sure to purchase the highest SEER rating you can afford. Furthermore, make sure the unit you purchase is Energy Star rated too.

If purchasing a new AC unit is a bit cost prohibitive then consider improving the efficiency of your existing AC unit with Cool-N-Save(tm). The Cool-N-Save(tm) has been proven by Tulane University to improve the efficiency of your AC unit - in some cases up to 30%. This improvement in efficiency translates into real savings each month.

Sam Greyhawk is an energy efficiency evangelist who works for Cool-N-Save(tm) in Huntington Beach, California.

Article Source: Sam Greyhawk

Labels: ac, air conditioner, air conditioner efficiency, article, earth, energy efficiency, green, hvac

¶ 7:03 PM 0 Comments Links to this post