www.segra.org

If you’re ’suffering’ from high monthly household payments and you’re surfing the internet looking for material on tips to reduce electric costs take a look at the following information – you may find it ’shocking.’ First of all, how about being able to produce more than enough electrical power to run every appliance in your home, without outside assistance, and without spending a fortune – sound a bit unlikely? I suggest you read on and get the full story.

The situation is that people generally obtain their power from the electric company; they pay their bills month-by-month and say good-bye to the hard-earned money they spend on this essential need. But then there are those who found another way of doing things, since they were fed up with expensive and unnecessary power bills – they simply wanted access to free, limitless, and earth-friendly energy to supply their entire family’s needs.

As you proceed with your research in the area of tips to reduce electric costs be sure to consider the real possibility of starting your own energy generating system; with very little time and effort, you can be using your own free, green energy – does free, clean energy sound appealing to you? I guess that by now you are already full of curiosity on what this is really all about; all that’s involved is a solution for converting renewable energy sources that are right ‘under our nose’ into free electricity. No matter who it is, would you believe that they can make a windmill and/or solar energy system to create their own electricity with little time or effort without even leaving their property?

Even if you are only interested about tips to reduce electric costs i hope you see how simple it is to make a system for solar and/or wind power that can drop down your electric bills down to $0 per month. Perhaps this sounds like too much to take on all by yourself; well, it used to be that way, but not anymore – on our side we have a leading professional in the area of solar and wind technology who has found a way for the average person to get in on it.

VMware Virtual Infrastructure from STL Technologies will significantly reduce your business’s IT costs – and improve performance at the same time.

Cost cutting through server consolidation

VMware Virtual Infrastructure ensures your costs are cut through server consolidation. In other words a reduction in physical servers brings you:

Lower support costs and lower energy costs Quick, reliable and affordable disaster recovery across all your applications Dramatically-reduced hardware costs through better utilisation of servers and desktops … resulting in a return on your investment within just 12 months Significant ‘green’ energy savings – and, therefore, even greater cost reductions Better desktop management

STL Technologies specialises in designing software systems for public and private sector organisations.

Our clients include:

The Ministry of Justice – we wrote the integrated case management system for magistrates courts across England May Gurney, the construction services specialists – we provide a comprehensive consultancy service for the company covering the future direction of their IT system, business analysis and process change, plus software support and maintenance The Police – we provide case management and custody applications, with software and services that integrate with different business applications

Among our many other clients are primary schools, solicitors and doctors’ surgeries – while industries include agriculture, financial services, pharmaceuticals, housing and utilities.

Remarkably, over the past five years STL Technologies has doubled in size, with staff numbers up from 75 to160 and annual turnover now at over £14 million.

The reason? In fact, there are several, but we find it is the way we work that appeals to our clients. For example:

We take a partnership approach – everything we do has our clients’ business objectives in mind. We have considerable expertise in secure systems – derived from delivering high profile systems for government. We ensure an account manager is always assigned to each client Our highly skilled technical staff has wide product knowledge and expertise Our Advanced Technology Centre offers the industry’s latest technology within a high-tech lab environment Our knowledge and experience of virtualisation, telephony, voice over IP, case management and CRM, and unified communications are unsurpassed.

With concerns about global climate change and rising energy costs, saving electricity is a big deal. Most people are trying to find ways to reduce their energy consumption without significantly changing their lifestyles. Fortunately, there are a lot of simple steps that can be taken to use less energy. Here are just a few ways to reduce your power consumption and your global footprint.

The biggest culprit in most homes when it comes to excess energy use is the heating and cooling system. Out of date furnaces and air conditioners use more electricity than they should. Replacing them with more efficient models can make a big difference. If you can’t replace your heating and cooling appliances, be sure to have them services regularly and keep filters clean.

If you’ve got an efficient heating and cooling system, keeping that comfortable air from escaping is your next job. Drafts, leaks, and cracks in your home can let heat enter and leave your home when you’d prefer it didn’t. Try holding a lit stick of incense or a candle next to windows and doors to detect leaks. If the smoke or flame moves erratically, you may need to seal the area. Check the attic, too.

Turn the thermostat up a few degrees in the summer and down in the winter. You could save as much as ten percent for a change of five degrees. Most people don’t even notice a small change in temperature. Use fans to move air throughout the home in the summer, and you won’t have to sacrifice comfort for energy savings.

How long have you had your appliances? Refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and other major appliances may be big energy hogs. Now that Energy Star rate appliances are available, consider replacing your old ones with new, more efficient models. Be sure to dispose of your old ones responsibly, though.

Turn down the temperature on your water heater. Most water heaters are set above the recommended temperature of 120 degrees. By turning them down, you’ll save money and reduce the risk of burns. This is an especially big concern if you have young children.

Turn off your computer and other electronics when they’re not in use. Keeping them on doesn’t actually make them last longer, and it can cost you a lot of money over time. If you have electronics with Energy Star features, make sure they’re enabled, or you won’t see the benefits.

Replace light bulbs with new compact fluorescents. These are a little more expensive per bulb, but use a lot less electricity and last a lot longer, so in the end, they’ll cost you less. When disposing of compact fluorescent bulbs, be sure to take appropriate measures, as all fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury.

Installing a patio awning for shade and protection is almost as good as adding a room to your home. When you have installed your awnings, you will find that your patio really is what you intended it to be when you dreamed about the idyllic spot. An awning prevents the sun hit that certain spot in the sky and flood the patio in bright, brilliant , yet unpleasant sunlight for it to remain comfortable. This is really where a patio awning comes in. You can also enjoy the comforts of having a unique patio and lights that let you sit outside after dark.

Protection

Some awning fabrics are made with as many as five layers of material, meaning more durability, strength, and protection from the sun, rain, snow, and wind. A great benefit to a door awning is the protection from rain. Another not so obvious benefit for a door awning is the indoor protection. A minor but important benefit is reduced utility bills.

If you plan for an awning, the main objective is more protection from outdoor elements so you can enjoy privacy and protection in the spring, summer, fall, and even winter months. A deck awning still provides protection from the elements but it is primarily designed to block out solar heat. Awnings are great, whether for a business, your home, or some other use, to enhance appearance while providing protection from outside elements.

Retractable

The retractable type of awning is the most versatile of all awnings. When choosing an awning, you can go with a design whereby the awning is out all the time or if you can choose a retractable awning that can be pulled back when you want to enjoy sunlight and open air. A great benefit of both the standard and retractable awning is that they can enhance the design of any architectural building. A retractable awning is not limiting your opportunities and makes entertainment with family and friends far more successful,

Aluminum

You would expect to find a caravan awning made with a steel or aluminum frame, which provides strength and durability. Another advantage with aluminum is that it can be painted, providing you a chance to show your personality and creativity. Professionals agree that if you want the best for your money when it comes to a metal awning, aluminum wins. An aluminum awning will also help increase the value of your home as the aluminum awning is rust-proof and is suitable even for light snow-loads.

Wind power is an excellent weapon for fighting climate change because wind generation produces no carbon emissions at all. When you consider that every unit of energy generated by wind, is a unit of energy free of carbon pollution, wind makes sense. Producing just 10 per cent of electricity from renewables could cut carbon emissions by 2.5 million tonnes a year.

Small wind-electric systems can provide electricity to remote sites, or to houses that are also connected to the utility grid. But the prices! A small turbine can cost $US 2,000! A medium turbine $3,000! A large one can cost $8,500 – and that’s without the rest of the equipment you will need, and installation costs! Although wind systems require some attention, if you build a strong system, following a proven design, wind-electric systems make great economic and environmental sense.

How much FREE electricity will I get? There seems to be a myth that wind power produces little power. Strange, when a 1.8-megawatt turbine produces enough power for 1,000 homes.

More realistically for the DIY wind turbine maker, a small wind turbine, with a rotor diameter of 7 feet (2.1 m), and a swept area of 38.5 square feet (3.6 m2) will produce, per month, at average wind speeds of 10 mph – 80 KWH! This is enough power for a low-energy home, yacht, or business. A medium sized wind turbine with a rotor diameter of 10 feet (3 m) and a swept area of 79 square feet (7.3 m2) will produce, per month, at average wind speeds of 10 mph – 130 KWH! This would be suitable for a medium-energy home, business, or school. A large wind turbine with a rotor diameter of 12.5 feet (3.8 m), and a swept area of 120 square feet (11.2 m2), will produce, per month, at average wind speeds of 10 mph – 230 KWH! This is for big energy consumers. A huge wind turbine with a rotor diameter of 56 feet (17 m), and a swept area of 2,462 square feet (229 m2) will produce, per month, at average wind speeds of 10 mph – 5,060 KWH! These power large farms, very high-energy businesses, villages, islands, and massive heating projects.

Smaller turbines can be built for boats, caravans, cabins, or where only a small amount of electricity is needed. But for significant amounts of energy, you need a large enough rotor, as this is the wind turbine’s ‘energy collector’. When sizing a wind-electric system, you don’t add windmills in as you need them, as you can with solar panels. Because wind is more cost effective as you increase in system size, most people put up only one wind turbine, big enough to significantly slash their electric bills, or to fulfill all of their energy requirements for the foreseeable future.

System Components: The turbine is only one component of a wind-electric system, and very often is not even the most expensive component. You need all of the necessary components to have a functional system. Plan ahead to buy quality components properly matched to each other and to your energy use.

A complete wind-electric system includes: • Turbine—blades + hub = “rotor,” which is the “collector” of the system. • Tower—supports the turbine, getting it up out of the turbulent zone created by trees and buildings, and exposes the turbine to more wind • Wiring and conduit—carries the electricity down the tower and to power-conditioning equipment • Controller/Electronics—controls charging of battery or input to inverter • Batteries—used for storage in off-grid systems or grid-tied systems with battery backup • Inverter—converts direct current (DC) electricity from batteries or rectifier to alternating current (AC) for home use or “storage” on the utility grid • Metering—allows user to understand and manage system operation.
Small wind turbine: needs a controller or inverter, and is suitable for battery less grid-tie or 12, 24, 48 VDC battery charging
Medium sized: needs a controller or inverter, and is used for charging 12, 24, 48 VDC batteries Large: needs controller, dump load, and inverter. Suitable for battery less grid-tie or charging 48 VDC battery.
Huge: suitable for battery less grid-tie

How does a wind turbine actually produce electricity? The rotating blades convert the wind’s kinetic energy into rotation in a shaft. The rotating shaft turns an alternator, which makes electricity. The electricity is transmitted through wiring, down the tower, to batteries, or an inverter. The blades are designed to intercept wind and capture its energy. Most modern wind generators have three blades, to compromise between the highest efficiency possible (one blade) and balance (multiple blades). The blades must turn to face the wind, so a yaw bearing allows the wind turbine to track the winds as they shift direction. A tail directs the rotor into the wind. In small-scale designs, the rotor is connected directly to the shaft of a permanent magnet alternator, which creates Alternating Current. This wild, three-phase electricity means that the voltage and frequency vary continuously with the wind speed. The AC output is used to either charge batteries or feed a grid-synchronous inverter, which turns it to steady, usable Direct Current. In small designs, the rotor is connected to the alternator, eliminating the need for gears. In larger systems, a gearbox is used to increase alternator speed from a slower turning rotor. A governing system limits the rotor rpm and generator output to protect the turbine from high winds. A shutdown mechanism is also useful to stop the machine during an extreme storm, or when you want to service the system. Understanding the Ratings Wind turbine rating is difficult because rated output is pegged to a particular wind speed, and different manufacturers compare different wind speeds to better promote their particular model. To understand the real power of wind, cube its speed. For example, 10 kph of wind, gives 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000 watts. Or, a 10% increase in speed gives a 33% increase in power. This means that very small increases in wind speed create huge increases in power. This also means that a turbine that produces 1,000 watts at a wind speed of 28 mph, might produce only 125 watts at a wind speed of 14 mph – so half the wind produces 1/8 of the power. So ignore the rated peak output of a turbine, and look for the monthly (or annual) energy production you require (from your energy audit), estimated for the average wind speed at your site. After all, long-term energy is what you’re after, not peak output! If, for example, you know your home has 10 mph winds, and you need 400 KWH per month, you know what turbine to build. Knowing a turbine’s swept area may also help you calculate the annual energy output for the wind turbine. Jim Green at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) developed a formula: annual energy output (AEO) in KWH = 0.01328 x rotor diameter (ft.) squared x average wind speed (mph) cubed. Easy!

Getting Started: Consider: Is it your aim to slash your bills, or to be completely independent? Are you going to be stand-alone, or will you still be connected to (and adding into/taking from) the grid? If you’re staying connected to the grid, will your local power company pay you for the electricity you generate?

First you need an energy audit of your home. Go to www.njcleanenergy.com for an accurate home energy audit, and great ideas on saving electricity and money. Sit down with your family, work out how many kilowatt-hours you all use, and find out where the waste is. But be realistic, reasonable, and think laterally. Just because you are now horrified at how much electricity your plasma TV uses, doesn’t mean the kids are never allowed to watch it. You may consider a smaller, more efficient TV for weekly use, and save the plasma for the weekend family movie.

Next, work out your location’s average wind speed, at a website like www.awea.org for the USA. When you know how much energy you need, and how much your wind will provide, you will be able to see the size of turbine you will need.

Now that you have a good idea of what you’re after, check out the DIY Wind Power Kits at EarthEnergyPlus.Com These kits have been selected with the DIY novice in mind, and include all the information you will need to build your own electricity-producing windmill! Detailed lists of the tools, parts, and where to get them. Video instructions you can play over and over. Great back-up from dedicated designers! Build your own wind power system this weekend, then sit back and watch your home-built wind generator turn a summer breeze into FREE electricity!

A Permanent Magnetic Generator is something that we can all use to reduce our energy costs and eventually power our homes for minimal costs compared to what we pay today.

With the energy crisis deepening and the cost of fuel rising all the time it is becoming increasingly important that we begin to depend less and less on non-renewable energy sources.

 Although it sounds quite complicated a permanent magnetic generator can actually, with proper step by step instructions, be built by anybody for the small price of materials needed. These materials which can be sourced anywhere in the world are going to be the only costs incurred.

Once you’ve built your permanent magnetic generator it will run indefinitely, stopping only for maintenance and the great thing is, it doesn’t have any running costs. Once it’s up and running it is completely self sustainable, it creates energy for your home without exhausting any resources.

This system, once set up, could be an answer to the world’s energy crisis, it’s that groundbreaking and here are some reasons why: 

It is 100% environmentally friendly as it is self sustaining and does not require fuel. 
It is 100% free to run once you’ve set it up
It is small enough to be discreetly placed in your backyard
It requires very little maintenance once you’ve fine tuned it to meet your needs
It removes your dependence on, “the grid” as in your local power supply company
It can also be easily duplicated and should the government get involved could be used on a larger scale

In these days of energy efficiency, recycling and greater environmental awareness, we are all becoming more conscious of our impact on the planet we live on. Politicians may struggle to agree on anything, but you can make a difference now by reducing your ‘Carbon Footprint’.

What is a ‘Carbon Footprint’?
This is the amount of the greenhouse gas, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), that you release into the atmosphere as a result of your daily activities from, for example:Heating and lighting power stations release CO2 from burning fuel to provide the electricity you use.

• Installing Double Glazing can cut heat loss through windows by half. If you can’t afford to replace all the windows, why not choose the rooms that cost you the most to heat?
• Travelling transport, cars and aeroplanes release CO2 by burning fossil fuels – oil, petrol, diesel and gas.
• Waste the energy used to produce paper and packaging, and the cutting down of trees, releases and increases CO2

Save energy and reduce your ‘Carbon Footprint’?
There are many ways, such as driving smaller-engined cars, using energy-saving lightbulbs, recycling rubbish and making greener choices when you’re shopping. But there are a few ways to make a big impact straight away, whilst also reducing your utility bills:

• Double glazing save on energy wastage by reducing heat loss
• Loft and wall insulation as much as 60p in every £1 spent on heating could be wasted without insulation
• Boiler upgrade a modern A-rated boiler uses less energy but produces the same heat and could save you up to 40% off your bills.

Research has shown that uPVC double glazing halves heat loss through windows and doors and can save between £80 and £100 on the average heating bill. Professionally fitted double glazing increases a homes energy efficiency which in turn increases the value of the property, a worthy consideration bearing in mind the current instability in the UK’s housing market.

Thousands of British homes still have poor insulation and inadequate heating. This sad fact coupled with the potential rise of gas and electricity bills by up to 40% this winter means having double glazed doors and windows fitted is now more important than ever.

Approximately half of the UK’s CO2 emissions come from the energy we use every day in our homes, so cutting down on domestic energy usage not only saves the average household up to £100 on their energy bills, but also contributes significantly to cutting CO2 emissions in the UK.

Replacing all of a household’s windows and doors with double glazed units may be an unrealistic concept, especially if you’re on a tight budget, however, replacing only the windows in the rooms which get the most use and the front door will still help reduce your annual heating bills by a significant amount.

Today’s uPVC windows and doors live up to the highest standards and surpass rigorous wind speed and snow load tests.

A spokes person for the Conservatory Outlet Dealerships a leading supplier of Double Glazing commented on the current energy saving initiative;
“We’ve seen a steady increase in trade and enquiries over the last few years which shows the British public are keen to increase the energy efficiency of their homes and protect themselves against future rises in energy costs.”

For further details on the latest energy effecient double glazing windows visit:
or http://www.westyorkshirewindows.co.uk
or http://www.planeteast.co.uk
or http://www.planetsouthlakes.com

If you’re feeling the economic pinch and you want to know more about how to reduce the electricity costs just read on for the real scoop – you may find it ’shocking.’ Let’s start with the fact that you can create plenty of clean, green energy for everyone in your entire household, all alone, at almost no cost to you – does this sound unbelievable? Just listen to the facts and you can decide for yourself.

You see, most people get their power supply from the power company; they proceed to dutifully pay unreasonable bills while carefully counting each and every cent they spend on something like electricity. Alternatively, some former customers of the electric company went a different route since they didn’t want to be saddled with all those bills – they discovered a way of generating their own power – as much as they want – to supply their entire family’s needs.

While you continue looking into the topic of how to reduce the electricity costs be sure to consider the real possibility of starting your own energy generating system; with very little time and effort, you can be using your own free, green energy – it mostly requires your motivation to do so. I guess that by now you are already full of curiosity as to what this all entails; let me explain – it’s just a technique for transforming the energy that is found all around is into free and usable electricity. Can you imagine that virtually anyone can create a solar and wind energy generating system of their own with little time or effort in their own backyard?

Even if it happens to be that you are in the middle of a web research on how to reduce the electricity costs i hope you see how simple it is to construct your own solar panels or windmill – a system that can actually decrease your electric bills by as much as 100%! This might sound like a very difficult and very costly process; well, it used to be that way, but not anymore – it seems that there is one renewable energy expert and a pioneer in this field who shares his knowledge so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of free electricity.

If you’re feeling the economic pinch and you search the web for information about how to reduce electricity costs just read on for the real scoop – you are sure to find it of interest. What if you were to learn that you can generate all the electricity your family could ever need, with very little investment, and with no help – sounds impossible? Take a look at the following paragraphs and discover the amazing possibilities.

The situation is that people generally obtain their power from the electric company; they are then burdened by bills and at the same time watch their bank account decreasing for this essential need. Alternatively, some former customers of the electric company went a different route since they were tired of spending their income on a natural resource – they realized they could use green technology to generate infinite free energy for the rest of their lives.

Therefore, if you are intrigues about how to reduce electricity costs take into consideration the fact that anyone can easily get set up with this; actually you can enjoy this $0 cost power supply in just few days from now – does free, clean energy sound appealing to you? Perhaps this has intrigued you and now you want some facts as to what is involved here; to put it simply, you’ll just be creating electricity out of ‘thin air’ or ‘out of the blue’ through the power of the wind and the sun. Did you know that almost anyone can build their own solar and wind power supply system in a matter of days without needing outside help?

Although you might just be starting to look into how to reduce electricity costs you now know what a real possibility it is to make a system for solar and/or wind power which can let you do away with the monthly electric bills once and for all. This might sound like a very difficult and very costly process; times have changed and the whole process has been simplified – it seems that there is one renewable energy expert and a pioneer in this field who shares his knowledge so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of free electricity.

There has been no other time in history when so many people have been so dedicated to conserving energy and reducing their utility bills. With rising energy costs and global warming, conserving energy has never been so important in most of our lives. If you are dedicated to cultivating a greener lifestyle and lowering your utility bills in the process, here are some helpful tips and bits of advice that can help you cut down on your energy use.

Dial down your thermostat in winter

What does it mean to dial down your thermostat? Dialing down your thermostat in winter refers to the act of reducing the temperature in your home in order to conserve heating fuel. This concept is simple enough: the best way to conserve energy is simply by not using so much of it. You would probably be surprised how much you can save simply by dialing your thermostat two or three degrees from your normal temperature. Simply dialing down your thermostat one degree makes a difference. If you dial down one degree in winter, this will generally result in about one to three percent less fuel use, which corresponds to about one to three percent less fuel use which is reflected on your utility bill. In order to stay comfortably cool in the winter, slip on a sweater. At night, cover up with more blankets. This form of personal insulation is a great and efficient way to retain your personal body heat.

Come Summer, Dial Up

Just as you might dial down during the winter, the concept of dialing down can be simply reversed for the summer months. Dialing up is a great way to help conserve energy and reduce the cost of cooling your home during the hot summer months. As with the cold winter months, you want to dial up a few degrees and adjust your clothing for the warmer weather. Make sure to dial up your thermostat for when you plan to be away from the house.

For larger homes, make sure to close empty rooms

If you occupy a larger home or there are many rooms in your house that aren’t currently being used, make sure to shut the doors to rooms. This can help reduce the demand on your heating and cooling system and help keep the rest of the house at a moderate and comfortable temperature. Remember that the less space that needs to be supplied with cool or warm air, the less you will need to spend on energy costs.

Check that your home is well-insulated

You would be surprised what lurks in your home. If your home is not well-insulated, you may easily be losing hundreds of dollars or more each year on keeping your home warm or cool. Check for cracks in the foundation, thin walls or other features that may be keeping your home from staying cool or warm. You can have an expert perform an energy audit on your apartment or home and give you tips on how your specific living area can be better insulated for retaining a comfortable temperature.

Switch to energy efficient lighting fixtures

Most of us already know about the benefits of switching to fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs are long-lasting and can save you hundreds of dollars on your electricity bill over a year. Another great option that you can take advantage of is solar lighting. If you like to keep your house or yard lit throughout the night, consider switching to solar lighting. These lights use the sun’s warmth and energy to stay lit for several hours and can help save you money on your energy bill.