Savings 101: Save water, save money

By making just a few small changes to your daily routine, you can cut down on your utilities bills and your carbon footprint. The average American household uses over 900 kWh of electricity every month, so even simple modifications can make a big difference over time.

Start by washing your clothes in cool water. According to the California Energy Commission, almost 90 percent of the cost of washing clothes comes from heating the water that fills the washing machine. As long as clothes don't have grease stains, they will generally come out as clean in cool water as they would in hot water.

A major cost of running the dishwasher is the energy needed to heat the water to dry the dishes. If you turn off the steam dry feature on your dishwasher, you'll save a significant portion of the cost that it would typically take to run each cycle. By keeping the door of the dishwasher closed tightly for about 20 minutes after the cycle stops, the heat generated by washing the dishes will continue to dry them even though the dishwasher is no longer running. Before putting the dishes away, lightly dry them with a towel or let the dishwasher door stand open and allow the dishes to air dry.

Click here for more savings tips.

New equipment provides heat and electricity

With winter right around the corner, many homeowners are looking for ways to lower their energy bills. At Boston's recent Greenbuild 2008 conference, the American Honda Motor Company unveiled an energy-efficient heat and power generator.

The machine can provide savings of up to $1000 when installed with a furnace system because it provides additional "free-watt" electricity.

The generator has been in existence for several years, but it did not arrive in the United States until 2007. Since it was introduced in Asia in 2003, however, Honda has sold more than 50,000 units.

"Across all markets in which we sell products, the Honda mission is to bring advanced, innovative and environmentally responsible products to our customers," Steve Bailey, vice president of power equipment forAmerican Honda, tells Green Building Elements."

Bailey continues: "The Honda MCHP systems fulfill this mission by helping homeowners save energy, reduce greenhouse gasses and save money ontheir home heating while enjoying the high level of comfort and performance they have come to expect."

By offering the combination of home or water heating and power generation during outages, the Micro-Sized Combined Heat and Powergenerator, or the MCHP, offers homeowners another resource to reduce their heating costs and make their homes more environmentally friendly.

Click here for the complete article.

--Bridget O'Sullivan

Home lighting could go wireless

Scientists at Boston University are working on a new, energy-efficient way to deliver your home’s wireless internet access. By transmitting information from a router through power lines straight to household lamps, LED bulbs could transmit connection information using patterns of light that people cannot see.

In the same way that remote controls also use undetectable patterns of light, LiveScience reports that LED bulbs could communicate wireless connection information. One of the challenges, however, is that LED bulbs have not completely replaced incandescent bulbs in many households. Though they last longer and are more energy efficient, the price of one LED bulb is considerably higher than a regular light bulb.

Traditional wireless connections currently use radio waves to communicate, but as more and more people use the internet constantly, the radio frequency, or bandwith, becomes crowded and slow. Communicating with light could provide a speedy alternative.

Researchers are also seeking to apply the principles of communicating with light to other fields. Using LED brake lights, it could be possible for cars to “talk” to each other. If one car hits a serious pothole and registers the jolt, it would send out a signal and the cars behind it would know to be on the lookout. In addition, LED traffic lights could inform drivers of how many seconds they have before a light turns green.

Both the computer and automotive industries are hoping to see products using LED technology on the market in the next few years.

Thomas Little, a computer engineer at Boston University, tells LiveScience that “an aggressive partner could have something out on market within a year."

Click here for the complete article.

--Bridget O'Sullivan

MIT students harness smokestack heat

GMZ Energy, a company formed by researchers from BC and MIT, are hoping to harness clean energy from a very unlikely place: commercial smokestacks and furnaces.

"Eventually, we're going to see a tremendous amount of waste heat recovery applications, but that's 5 to 10 years off," Mike Clary, the company’s CEO, said to CNET News. "We have to get to that 10 percent efficiency threshold to start making it viable."

It works by converting exhaust heat, or waste heat, into electricity instead of releasing that heat into the air. The company claims that at ten percent efficiency, the average home could power itself by keeping the heat on.

Car companies such as BMW are also trying to develop similar technology. They plan to create attachments that will harness power that would otherwise be lost through the exhaust pipe.

The major appeal of this technology is that this energy already exists, but it is not being utilized. As a result, scientists only need to capture it effectively as opposed to developing any new methods for producing energy.

A senior vice president at Recycled Energy Development, Dick Munson, said to CNET News that the amount of energy wasted by the creation of exhaust heat is “a problem and an embarrassment.”

The Boston-based team at GMZ Energy is hoping to make that a thing of the past. To read the full text, click here.

--Bridget O'Sullivan

Gas prices and electric bike sales climb

You are environmentally friendly, and you are about to go out with your friends. You're not about to sweat it up on your bicycle.

Alternative? Grab your electric bike.

The Associated Press shows that with the rising cost of gas, and more people wanting to go green, people are looking towards electric bikes as a step in the right direction.

Electric bikes act as a two wheeler with a battery powered assist, combining old-fashioned pedaling with a battery powered motor. You don't need a license or registration, so long as you don't ride more than 20mph. Most models can ride for at least 20 miles before they need to be recharged.

Gluskin-Townley Group does market research for the national bike dealers association, and estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2007, up from 6,000 in 2006. "The electric bikes are the next big thing," says Frank Jamerson, a former GM corp exec turned electric vehicle guru.

Tax-free weekend in Massachusetts

This year, a two-day summer sales tax holiday is in effect for Saturday, Aug. 16 to Sunday, Aug. 17 in Massachusetts.

The tax holiday will apply to items costing $2,500 or less. This is the fifth year in a row for the tax-exempt holiday. Supporters for the weekend are hoping it stimulates the economy a time of year that's normally slow.

Senate president Therese Murray tells the Associated Press: "“A sales-tax-free weekend will be welcomed more than ever in this tough economy, especially with the high prices of food and fuel. The relatively small sacrifice in state revenue is worthwhile when you consider the positive impact on consumer confidence and taxpayers’ wallets.”

The tax exemption doesn't apply to all sales of motor vehicles, motorboats, meals, telecommunications services, gas, steam, electricity, tobacco products and any single item whose price is over $2500.

Click here for more information.

Corporate giants go solar for savings

The biggest store chains in the U.S. are now seeing solar panels as a huge way to save energy and money.

According to The New York Times article, Stores such as Wal Mart, Kohls, Safeway and Wholefoods Market have installed solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity.

At this point, around 10 percent of each chain has solar coverage, but a large increase can be expected. There is a race in place, to beat the Dec. 31 deadline to gain tax advantages for these projects. Although coal is less expensive, companies believe they can save money by economies of scale.

Cutting back on coal and going solar will save these companies a lot of money and help the environment by using renewable resources.

"It's very clear that green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector," says Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley. "Not only will you see panels on the roofs of your local stores, but I suspect very soon retailers will have stickers in their windows saying, "This is a green energy store."

Most companies buy their own solar power systems up front, which may cost between $4 and $6 million dollars for a large store. Agreements can be made as well, where the utility company pays the up-front costs and gives stores a break on the high solar power bills.

Corporations are also looking to other forms of renewable energy, such as wind turbines, sky lights and white roofs that help to save money on cooling. Bernard Sosnick, an analyst with Gilford Securities believes, “It’s not as over the horizon as it might seem."

Click here for the complete article.

Mass. heating oil jumps $1,300 higher this winter

According to Mass AREA (Mass. Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance), those who use oil to heat their homes can expect to pay $1,300 more than last year to heat their home.

Here are a few low-cost tips from the group to save:

*Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F).

*Clean or replace furnace and heat-pump filters regularly

*Install low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators

*Change the five most-used lights in your home to compact fluorescent lamps and you’ll save more than $60 every year in energy costs

*Unplug that second, old refrigerator! Today’s models use at least 40% less energy than even the conventional models sold in 2001.

*Lower your thermostat – for every degree you save about 2 percent off your heating bill.

*Weather strip doors and windows – properly air sealing cracks and openings in your home can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment

*Use Power Strips – plug your electronics into power strips – especially televisions and computers. When you’re done using them, turn the power strip off to prevent the stand-by mode that draws unnecessary electricity

*Use the air dry setting on your dishwasher

*Keep shades and curtains open during the day on the south side of your home to allow solar heating. Close them at night to retain heat.