Energy, energy conversation, and alternative energy is on everyone’s mind these days. The politicians are all over it with threats to tax us into oblivion, trying to force us to do something about our energy use. The environmentalists are convinced we need to revert to the stone-ages in order to save the planet.
On the other hand, I believe there is middle ground and it is in our best interest because it is good for our pocket books. We don’t have to get on the politicians band wagon nor do we have to start living in caves.
If the Cap and Trade bill passes the average American household can expect about a $3000 increase in their annual energy use cost.
You can, however, do something now to outfox them at their own game. It’s called home energy alternative and for the first time it can actually pay for itself.
The key is “alternative energy” or if you may like the term “green energy”. The thing I like about “green energy” is; it is cheaper than the power company’s energy. We get at least two benefits from it.
The first one, in my way of thinking, is: it saves us money.
The second is: it is good for the environment.
I don’t want you to think I am completely without scruples. My wife and I have been recycling long, long, before it was a convenient thing to do. So I don’t feel guilty when it appears I am not considering my fellow man as well as myself. We have been doing our part for a long time now with very little recognition and now that someone has made it politically correct we have to put up with threats from the government and the environmentalists.
I didn’t intend to write this to get on my own bandwagon about the two that will remain nameless from now on in this article.
Green energy or alternative energy is pretty cool because there is a lot of it you can do yourself, but if you are not a “do-it-yourselfer” there are systems you can purchase and install yourself or purchase with installation included.
Years ago I tried a heat pump water heater that was supposed to pay for itself in short order. The thing actually worked reasonably well but I soon found out it would probably wear out long before I ever broke even.
It was, however, a good learning experience. The main thing I learned was to research the viability of the device you are considering building or purchasing before you commit to it.
In the case of the heat pump water heater, the unit itself was not efficient enough. It could heat water fairly well but the electricity it took to run the heat exchanger, especially in the winter time, never made up for the energy I was saving over a conventional electric water heater. My point is viability; compare the efficiency of the system you are considering in relation to your geographical area against the cost of the system and how long it will take to earn back your investment.
Today there are two primary energy alternatives for your home. Namely, solar and wind power. In my research it appears solar is the more viable choice for most locations in the United States.
To harness wind energy you need a few things, the first being “wind”, imagine that. Next you need a converter of some sort. A combination of a wind mill and a generator or a turbine will suit this purpose. Then you need a scaffold of some sort to get the turbine high enough in the air to capture enough wind.
There are actually sites on the internet where you can gather the average wind velocities in your area and even at what altitudes. In my research I found you need an average wind velocity of 9 to 12 mph at a reasonable height for a wind generator to be efficient enough to do the job. On the other hand if the wind velocity gets too high you may find your system will get damaged if you do not have a high wind safety control of some sort.
Of course you also need a system to transport the energy (electricity) you generate to your home or to whatever device you are trying to run. Usually these systems consist of wiring, a battery bank, converters, meters and an array of items to store and deliver the electricity.
Solar energy is now more viable because of the photo-electric cell technology, PV Cells (photovoltaic cells) they are called. Interestingly PV cells are efficient enough to be viable in most areas of the US.
Previously solar energy was just large collection systems that heated water in a fairly cumbersome method on your roof. It was just the sun’s rays heating up black things to the point you couldn’t touch them and they could actually make steam in the water circulation systems. These systems could be quite dangerous if you didn’t have the proper gages etc. There is also considerable maintenance with solar heat collection systems.
I should also mention wind generators may require more maintenance then what you are prepared to deal with.
The cost of a PV cell system can be quite reasonable even if you are not a graduated do-it-yourselfer. It is fairly easy to compare the cost of a system to the potential savings over a given period of time.
If you are a DIY person it can be a lot of fun or at least personally rewarding to put a PV cell system together. It’s kind of like a large craft project, at least until you get to the electricity delivery system part. The power delivery system is basically the same between a wind generator and a PC Cell generator.
The other cool thing I have not mentioned is: “if you generate more electricity then what you can consume yourself you get to sell it back to your power company” and guess what? They are required by law to buy it from you. Basically you just run your electric power meter backward and it automatically reduces your billable consumption. Isn’t that great?
