Month: May 2019

The Pros and Cons of an Energy Saving House

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Greenhouse effect, climate change and global warming. Undoubtedly, the single biggest and hottest issue nowadays. Did you know that your house contributes to global warming more than the average car? With global warming awareness and energy costs significantly rising, interest in energy saving house has dramatically risen, too. Energy saving house is cheaper to operate; you can save hundreds of dollars if you live in an energy saving house and in a way you can help reduce fuel consumption.

One factor that should be considered in planning an energy saving house is the material you will be using for your home’s foundation, walls, roof, windows, and doors. The quality of the material you will be using is very important because this will not only protect you and your family, but it also helps facilitate the indoor environment, and controls the flow of energy between the interior and exterior of your home. So the type of walls, roof, windows, and doors you choose play an important role to having an energy saving home. An energy saving home makes use of the solar energy, geothermal heating and cooling, and wind energy instead of fuel energy. Here are the advantages of living in an energy saving home:
Having an energy saving house can solve our energy crisis and they are becoming very attractive to many who want to help reduce global climate change.
Using solar and wind energy are reliable and efficient
Wind and solar energy are naturally produced; they are available without the need for fuel.
Energy saving houses use room fans to keep the environment Use room fans to keep the air moving and reduce the feeling of heat in your home and reduce the feeling of heat in your home
Homeowners of Energy saving house will definitely save around 30-60% of their total monthly power bill while living in comfort in their homes.
There are numerous energy saving products that will benefit you and the environment; it pays to check the tag of the appliances you are planning to bring in your home. Look for the energy star logoit means that the device is energy-efficient. Remember the little things your mother told you like turning off the lights when you go to bed and not leaving the air conditioning on when you leave your room?These are wise reminders which can save you 10 percent of your energy bill. Replacing all your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can save 75% on your lighting costs.

But nothing in this world is perfect, there are always drawbacks and for those living in energy saving house the biggest drawback of the homeowner is the cost of the equipments, materials especially the high cost of putting up solar or wind energy systems. It has been years when man first discovered the power of the sun and wind to bring comfort in our home and there have been innovations that increase their efficiency and lower their cost.

Hopefully, in the near future everyone can afford a best-efficient energy saving house for a greener environment, cleaner air and brighter future for the generations to come.

Potential Jobs in Creating a New Energy Infrastructure

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According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a total of 751,051 “green jobs” were created or maintained in 2006. Of those jobs, almost 127,500 of them related to renewable power generation. The majority of the jobs in question, approximately 85% were located within metropolitan areas. However, with the increasing popularity of renewable energy in today’s market, the potential for employment in these areas can increase greatly. Santa Cruz Ca, real estate benefits when people improve their home with energy efficient products.

Projected Renewable Energy Jobs and Industries

The Energy Information Administration estimates that the electric power sector generated just over 4 trillion kilowatt hours. Of that, just about 8% was generated from renewable sources. Hydroelectric power is perhaps the largest contributor to the generation of electricity, and has been a significant creator of jobs in both manufacturing and operation of various hydroelectric jobs around the country. Since hydroelectricity has been a part of the infrastructure for a number of decades, the workforce is becoming older, and the need for an influx of skilled workers will undoubtedly increase in the coming years.

One of the most promising sources for alternative energy is wind. Geographically speaking, the areas with the highest potential for employment generation with a new energy infrastructure are in the northern and western parts of the country. In considering Santa Cruz real estate for wind potential, a survey of the area winds is helpful to determine the suitability of the site. If wind energy is pursued, the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Texas would be the most likely places for wind energy generation farms, and the associated employment opportunities. They are estimated to have a total potential power generation of approximately 4,500 billion kilowatt hours, which is more then enough to power the entire United States for at least 9 months. In addition, states such as Maine, New York, and Michigan also provide many opportunities for wind generation. If wind is actively pursued as a source of alternative energy, a substantial amount of jobs can be created and maintained. Potential jobs could include construction and maintenance of the wind generation farms, construction and maintenance of new transformers for electricity transportation, and jobs to regulate the flow and amount of electricity geographically. The American Wind Energy Association is a great place to find more information at awea.org.

Another potential powerhouse when it comes to alternative energy is solar power. Solar power has the potential to generate a significant amount of jobs, as well as decrease our national reliance on fossil fuels. The basic technology has been around for years, but the widespread adoption has not occurred basically due to the higher cost of power generation compared to fossil fuels. However, with the increasing cost of using fossil fuels, as well as advancements in solar panel technology, the cost difference is becoming smaller everyday.

Cambridge Study into the Energy Saving Potential of SPD Glass

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The study of building physics is becoming an ever more popular and necessary direction for engineering research and development worldwide. This includes in particular the energy conditions and efficiency surrounding the usage and maintenance of everyday buildings. For the majority of commercial and domestic buildings worldwide it is a desirable requirement
to maintain a comfortable interior environment, and due to the extremes of external environmental conditions this requires energy.

Energy consumption and wastage is a worldwide concern with global warming caused by excessive greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as well as rapidly diminishing non-renewable resources. There are two important directions associated with tackling these problems; to convert energy generation to renewable ‘non-carbon’ resources and to reduce the amount of energy consumed by society.

The Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge recently released a paper outlining the results of a study into the energy saving potential of suspended particle devices for chromogenic switchable glazing (also known as “smart glass”) in comparison to regular clear glazing on glass.

This study focuses on such new ‘smart’ technologies that aim to reduce the high energy wastage in buildings. These ‘smart glasses’ have the ability to modulate optical and thermal properties, and therefore are able to adapt to prevent undesired energy flow through a glass faade.

While briefly looking at the various smart glass devices this project focused on the performance evaluation of electrotropic switchable technology, and more specifically, suspended particle device (SPD) glass. SPD glass is able to control its optical properties by the application of an electrical current to the glass, and holds great potential in being able to reject solar heat gain into an internal environment. A reduction in solar heat gain during summer months and hotter climates could result in significant energy saving in terms of
cooling and air conditioning.

Performance data was measured using SPD glass in an actual real-world environment and compared with measured data using clear float glazing. In addition to this, environmental modeling was carried out using computer software to analyze the energy performance of the SPD windows.

With such comparisons available, the performance conclusions between a real-world and virtual environment also allowed the research team to comment on the accuracy of such simulation modeling.

From the real-world performance data of the SPD windows it can be concluded that SPD glass is able to provide a much more uniform and comfortable internal room temperature than regular single float glazing. This was shown by data measurements detailing how the room temperature only fluctuated by 2C with SPD windows, in comparison to 8C in the reference office.

SPD windows were shown to be significantly more energy efficient than regular clear float glazing. The solar heat gain was reduced by 90% through SPD glass, which partially results in a 65% reduction in annual cooling loads.

This investigation into the performance of SPD glazing has shown that this switchable smart technology has important advantages over the use of regular clear float glazing. It was identified before experimental measurements that SPD glass had a lower visible light transmission, and similar solar heat transmission to other smart switchable glazing, such as thermotropic, gasotropic and electrochromic. All of which can be used to reduce energy consumption and wastage in buildings.