Hybrid Cars and Fuel Savings - Feasible Options

As an engineer I have been studying and following the renewable energy debate and developments for well over 30 years and many useful as well as useless inventions/solutions have crossed my road of discovery.

One tendency, which always seems to stand out, is the all or nothing approach.

All wind power or all nuclear power or all wave, solar etc. and lately all hydrogen, rarely ever a composite/combination of current conventional and renewable energy resources.

The latest fads seem again all nuclear or all hydrogen and the most laughable of them all "Carbon Sequestration".

Compressing CO2 to pump it to the bottom of the oceans or into some geological cavity is as costly in energy consumption as the building, as well as decommissioning of nuclear power stations and the storage of radio active waste and equally hazardous.

Using Bio Fuels, with its current technology, is a bit like incinerating your breakfast, lunch & dinner to drive your car.

Even more fascinating is that all of these latest offerings are not feasible for another 10 to 30 years, requiring huge amounts of funding to prove or disprove their viability. So it seems that invariably concepts are being promoted which have no immediate application when there are ample and proven concepts that can be implemented now with considerable immediate benefits.

Methods such as co-generation (recovery of waste heat) or preheating by renewable resources rarely rate a mention. Both methods are only a few of the many options guaranteeing substantial reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Again the aspect of the hydrogen as fuel debate is the all or nothing approach. It is nothing new that cars (and planes) can run on hydrogen. The catch here is the, currently, enormous cost of the fuel storage and the non-existing infrastructure. It is even proposed to generate the hydrogen from, would you believe it, carbon based fuels or, lo and behold, nuclear power.

One can only wonder why the viable and relatively low cost conversion of existing means of transport is so rarely being considered as an option. For many years now the conversion of petrol powered vehicles to LNG/CNG was feasible, economical and aided the reduction of greenhouse gases.

Hybrid cars, powered by a combination of internal combustion engine, batteries and electric motor can be another, but still very expensive, option to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

So why not use hydrogen in combination with conventional fuel to reduce your fuel consumption and your environmental footprint? It is a proven technology. A low cost on-board hydrogen generator produces small quantities of hydrogen serving as a combustion enhancer. This hydrogen generator only operates while the engine is running making it perfectly safe, saves substantial amounts of fuel and does not require any hydrogen storage. In other words no hydrogen is produced when the engine is not running.

For more detailed information head over to this site Hybrid H2O2 Engine

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"Saving on Electricity Bills" System - It Really Works!

Having an independent power-supply doesn't have to be that expensive or complicated task anymore, simply because "Saving On Electricity Bills" System enable you to do that at minimal cost and effort. You may be surprised but this technique can easily operate refrigerators, w. machines, and other popular home-appliances. Read the following article to hear more about how this technology can help you to significantly cut your expenses.

Short background

The idea is quite simple yet a clever one - "Saving On Electricity Bills" System is based on a downloadable instructional guide that explains in simple words how to assemble Solar-Cells at ridiculous cost. It may sound obvious, but be sure to choose the right guide; make sure it provides detailed descriptions, diagrams, and support so you'll never get lost. In any case, here are just a few advantage & advices to help you better understand this topic.

Important benefits

Implementing this exciting solution definitely provides many benefits:

* Very quick return on investment (ROI).

* Rely only on your own energy-resources and not the ones supplied by governments or corporations.

* Can produce 1000 Watts +.

* Uses natural and clean resources.

* Increases the value of your home by thousands.

Advice

In many states you can sell your unused energy, give it a quick search on the Web to verify that you can benefit from that.

Conclusions

Many home-makers already recognized the fact that "Saving On Electricity Bills" System is a 'must have' for the simple reason that it truly works, and most importantly it saves up 80% on elect. expenses. Without any question - there are plenty other advantages provided by this one-of-a-kind 'machine', simply because it is innovative. The best advice would be to simply try it and experience how it takes just days to start enjoying from its benefits.

Learn how "Saving On Electricity Bills" System easily enables you to produce free and unlimited electricity in just few days.

Visit: http://www.EasyFreeEnergy.com

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10 Tips For Green Renovating

After price and location, surveys are now finding that energy efficient features are the next most important features to buyers. Even if you are not selling in the near future, improving your home's "green" ranking can save you money on energy costs and help save the planet.

There are many things you can do to increase your home's environmental friendliness. Some have small price tags and some are larger renos. Here are 5 small and 5 large projects to make your home more green.

Small Projects

1. Replace your thermostat with a programmable one. Preferably get one that has settings for the week and weekend -- known as 5-2 or 5-1-1 programs.
2. Replace old light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs. They come in a variety of sizes and styles for most applications.
3. Paint with low-VOC or no-VOC paints. Volatile Organic Compounds can be released into your home for years after painting. Eco-friendly products improves the air quality for everyone living in the home.
4. Get low flow taps or faucet aerators for your fixtures to reduce the water going down the drain.
5. Caulk and weather seal around doors and windows to reduce drafts. You can get specialty gaskets to install behind electrical outlet covers also.

Large Projects

1. If you are upgrading systems, go with Energy Star rated products. Appliances, heating and cooling systems, hot water tanks, windows, and more can be found that reduce energy loss and save you money.
2. Upgrade your heating and cooling using geothermal, solar, or wind power to run your system.
3. Replace toilets with dual flush or low-flow toilets (6L). These can save tens of thousands of litres of water per year per toilet.
4. Increase your insulation in areas like your attic, crawlspace, and basement.
5. Increase the insulation in your exterior walls. This is a major source of energy loss in older homes.

In Canada, you can get a pre-retrofit evaluation for your home from certain companies in order to qualify for the federal ecoENERGY grant. You will be provided with a report with recommendations for improving your home's energy rating. After performing the retrofits, you can get a post-retrofit evaluation, which will then determine what sort of rebate you are able to receive, up to $5,000. Most provinces are also offering other rebates or grants.

Rebecca Brooks is a founder of HotSpot Property, a property marketing company in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This article is adapted from her recent book, "Shakespeare for Sellers: A Complete Home Selling Manual." More selling, buying and marketing information can be found on the company website at http://www.hotspotproperty.ca

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Save Money on Air Conditioning Costs

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.

So 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 then 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 who works for Cool-N-Save(tm), an Energy Star Partner, in Huntington Beach, California. The Cool-N-Save can save you up to 30% each month on your AC electric bill.

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Video Clips on the the Secret Movie

the Movie the Secret Was a Big Success, Watch Some Clips from the Oprah Winfrey Show on This Video

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

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Room Acoustics & Home Cinema Rooms

Room acoustics play a huge role in creating a successful home cinema. The best home cinema hardware in the world will fail to perform at its best in a badly designed room.

The main issue in a home cinema tends to be excessive reverberation time - this is the time taken for a sound from a speaker to decay by 60dB below its original level - i.e. the amount of time it takes for a sound to dissipate in the room.

If you can imagine standing in a completely empty room with hard floors and ceilings and clapping your hands, the sound will echo for quite some time and therefore take a long time to decay (it reflects off the walls and floor). Now imagine standing in a carpeted bedroom and clapping your hands, the sound would not echo as much and disappear quite quickly (the bed and the carpet would absorb some of the sound). The bedroom has a lower reverberation time than the original room.

In a home cinema it is generally good to have a shorter reverberation time as if the reverberation time of one syllable overlaps the other it can be difficult to make out speech. The same thing happens with sound from the surround sound speakers - one effect overlaps another resulting in a muddle of sound.

Home Cinema Treatments

There are several ways to treat excessive reverberation time - changing the shape of the room is one. Imagine a square box, a wave comes out of the speaker hits the back wall and comes back 180 degrees on itself - muddled sound. Now imagine a complex shape like Octagon, some waves will still bounce back at 180 degrees but the majority will bounce off in different directions - the sound still exists but all the bouncing will reduce its energy quite quickly (and therefore volume) and keep the sounds distinct.

The other way to treat excessive reverberation is to absorb the wave - acoustic panels consist of acoustic substrate finished in fabric. This tends to be the most practical way to improve the sound in your room and the finishing fabric can be almost any design - improving aesthetics at the same time as the sound. Manufacturers such as Cineak and Cinematech have products available in a variety of sizes and shapes to cater for most situations.

Written by: Dave Chester

Custom Controls

http://www.CustomControls.co.uk

Custom Control & Entertainment Solutions - Home Cinema, Multi-Room Audio Video, Home Automation & Lighting Control. Premier Dealers for Crestron, Kaleidescape, Lutron and Bowers & Wilkins.

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Build New Or Remodel?

There are three possible scenarios involved in that question:

1. Stay where you are and renovate

2. Move to an existing house and renovate

3. Build a new house for you to move into

There are numerous considerations, not the least of which is how you feel about your existing location. That word - LOCATION - should be your primary focus. Do you prefer to remain where you are, or not? Is staying where you are an option, or are you forced to relocate due to a job change, or other issues?

If you wish to stay where you are, there's no reason to read this article. Remodeling and/or expanding the place where you now live is the least expensive alternative - by far.
Your aggravation levels will increase during the construction, but they will do that with either of the other choices as well. If it gets to be too much, you can move to a motel for 2 months, eat dinner out every night, and still come out cheaper than either option 2 or option 3. If you want to be in your present home, case closed.

So let's assume you have to move, and we'll concentrate on option 2 vs. option 3. There are two important aspects of this topic which apply to both.
In both cases you have to research the property with the building department to make sure you will be able to do what you wish. Verify zoning, lot size restrictions, and access to utilities.
You will have unknown costs (moving, insurance, taxes, financing costs, etc.) in either case.

Advantages of remodeling an existing house:
Fewer hidden (or unknown) costs. New homes often have impact fees, ground preparation fees, and higher permit fees than those imposed for remodeling.
Hard construction costs will be less (usually, but not always).
You can move into the house much sooner. If you have to leave your existing home quickly, you may not have the ability to wait for a new home to be built.

Advantages of building new:
Unrestricted design potential, allowing you to end up with a more modern, better insulated home, with better traffic flow than you would have in an older building. Also, older homes have less closet/storage space than new ones.
Your long term energy costs will be lower because all of your equipment will be running more efficiently.
Less disruption to family routine. While construction is happening, you're still living in your present house. Then you move into a finished product (possibly with some decorative items to complete).

I'm sure you noticed that I haven't listed costs in either list. The determining factor is going to be the extent of the renovation to the existing building. Depending upon the condition of the house, age, building codes and other factors, it can actually be more costly to remodel than to build new.

In either case, allow an extra 20% in your budget over and above any quoted costs you've obtained. 10% is for upgrades that you decide upon after initial pricing. The other 10% is for the rising costs of material and labor. If the price of oil goes through the roof again, 10% might not be enough.

If the older home was built between 1950 and 1978, there might be issues having to do with asbestos and lead paint. Make sure you get a professional inspection performed. You may also be required to bring the plumbing and electrical systems up to date.

In conclusion, renovating a home might be very rewarding, as well as the cheaper alternative. However, you have to do your homework before making the commitment, in order to insure that you're not stepping into a money pit. Every situation is different. Your decision will probably come down to what your sixth sense tells you. Regardless of how you choose, anticipate that moving into a new home will take more time and more money than expected.

Charles Gueli

Home Helper

http://www.continuous-home-improvement-help.com

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