How To Save On Electric Bill - Renewable Energy
Author: Gary Ashby
Renewable power sources have become an excellent replacement for our dwindling fossil fuel supplies. By turning to a source of energy that isn't finite, we've begun reducing the chance of a global electricity-shortage and the issues that would follow afterwards. For homeowners, they can begin their own trek into the renewable energy court by having their own systems installed. Here is how to save on electric bill with a couple of renewable energy power systems.
Simply miniature replicas of the giant wind turbines up on the hills, home turbines can produce a good deal of power, depending on the model. Roof-mounted turbines are less productive at a maximum of 2kW, whereas mast-mounted turbines can produce up to 6kW. This huge production of power in comparison to others, such as solar panels, is great and they can even be connected to the power grid so you can sell the electricity back to a electrical company.
However, there are a number of disadvantages. The first is that it has multiple moving parts and therefore requires regular maintenance. This means downtime and maybe a considerable amount if it breaks and needs replacement parts. Furthermore, there may be noise and for many homeowners, or their neighbors, turbines look unsightly. Permission of anyone affected might be necessary before having one installed.
Solar Panels
Utilizing the sun's rays, solar panels provide usable electricity without the hassle of moving parts or regular, expensive maintenance. It's completely silent and has a low profile, meaning there's very little in the way of aesthetic issues. Additionally, the lack of moving parts and with regular maintenance, solar panels can last for decades and are productive even on cloudy days.
However, they produce a lot less electricity than a wind turbine and can be very expensive towards the high-end and for larger panels. I have personally managed to build my own home DIY renewable energy system by following an online system which you can find out more about at my website link below.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/how-to-save-on-electric-bill-renewable-energy-3618293.html
About the Author
Do you want to save on your electric bill with Renewable Energy Systems? Do not do it because the author has found many useless guides online. Download the Best Step-By-Step Home Energy Guides at http://www.renewableenergysystemreview.com/download.htm!
The question to answer is:
Can you afford to be so generous and are your ideals worth this sacrifice?
Answer that and you have your answer.
Hey Christy, good question. We are big renewable energy people up here. Our home generates most of its own electricity from the wind and sun. It is heated primarly by wood and solar gain, and our hot water is about 50% solar. My short answer to your question is, “maybe.”
Like a lot of people where you live, you find yourself in a position of choosing where your energy comes from more daunting than you thought it would be. I like the idea of all our power coming from a renewable source, but I don’t think it is worth doing it at the expense of other areas of our lifestyle. Should kids spend all their time after school doing homework and reading, thereby making them smarter, or should they engage in sports the remainder of the day at the expense of school work to make them stronger? The correct answer is balance. They should spend some time outside each day if possible, and engage in some sports, while leaving adequate time for school work as well. The same is true for electricity. When a power company produces power with a wind turbine, that’s good. It is added to the power grid, and the coal or oil plant down the road can throttle back and save fuel, producing less pollution. But we can’t replace the coal plants entirely, or a calm day will certainly come along and we’d be in trouble. We have an option here where you can stipulate how much of your utility power comes from renewable sources, and we pay a small fee for each 10% we ask for. What little electricity we buy from the power company now has to be 50% based on renewable sources. This way we don’t have to pay the maximum amount for 100% renewable sources, but the power company has sufficient incentive to invest in renewable sources, it’s a win win for all of us.
You should look at the options and decide what is best for you. Which companies have the best track record or reputation, what are your neighbors doing and why, and so on. Here are a few sources if you’re interested in doing more research. Good luck Christy, take care, Rudydoo
Are you willing to pay an extra 30-40% on your electric bill if it’s 100% renewable energy?
I am moving to Dallas, and in Dallas they have like 20 different electric companies and some offer 100% renewable energy such as Green Mountain. I come to the conclusion that the cost is about 30-40% more than ones who don’t use renewable energy. Do you think paying the difference is worth it?
what is a better solution for global warming electric vehicles, renewable energy or stopping deforestation? y?
I have been in the Green energy program in my city for a couple years. The difference in my electric bill was very small. My utility has to buy from other sources, so it has made a commitment to purchase renewable energy in the amount equal to or greater to the amount all homes and businesses in the program use. Prgrams like this help build the renewable energy infastructure.
I put a link to our program in source.
—————
Switching to electric cars is the best choice because it can be done relatively quickly, and has economic and political benefits as well. Resistance from oil and automotive industries is the reason this hasn’t happened already.
*
The idea (spread by oil companies) that you see expressed here that electric cars pollute because of fossil-fuel-burning powerplants is bogus. Reasons:
*
Only half our power is currently made from coal and oil. The rest comes from cleaner sources.
*
Electric cars charge mostly at night, using excess capacity (electricity that would go to waste otherwise.)
*
Designs for new powerplants are high efficiency (80% or better.) So as the EV catches on and new plants are built, the efficiency of the grid goes up, and the pollution goes down.
*
Electric cars are far more efficient than gas vehicles:
- Gas engine, less than 25% efficient.
- Electric motor, more than 90% efficient.
- Distributing energy by wire (95% efficient) is also far more efficient than trucking gas to thousands of service stations.
*
The efficiency argument is easily proved by looking at fuel prices. The price of electricity to power an EV is only about a penny or two per mile. The price of gasoline for a conventional car – depending on gas prices and mileage – is 10, 20 or even 30 cents per mile. Efficiency is the reason.
*
Greater efficiency = more miles on less fuel = far less pollution per mile, regardless of what is burned by power plants. And that little bit of pollution made by EVs, and that low cost per mile can be reduced to almost ZERO by putting in an EV-sized solar panel for about $1000. And ZERO is an unbeatable number.
*
Next, for those who think the technology has never been ready, look at this ad for a 100-year old electric car – it could drive 125 miles on a charge:
*
http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/resource.asp?func=display&resid=1315&tree=651&id=675
*
And here’s a modern electric car – it gets 350 miles to the charge – 644 horsepower – 155mph top speed – 10 minute battery recharge – and 20 year battery life:
*
http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=4560
*
To close, I’ll show you how to find electric cars for as little as $5000:
*
http://squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car
*
If you’ve heard the anti-EV propaganda yourself, you may have a hard time believing me. Click on the links and see. And below is a collection of wheel-to-well studies, done by various organizations, that demonstrate how much cleaner EVs are over their lifetimes:
*
http://sherryboschert.com/Downloads/Emissions%5B9%5D.pdf
————
Do I want an electric provider that is 100% renewable energy?
Does it still work all the time? Are there any times that it goes out or doesn’t work? Are the outages the same as with traditional electric?
How to purchase and use Renewable Energy Certificates?
Can someone please explain if and how I can buy renewable energy certificates for my apartment electricity use. My local energy company does not currently provide renewable energy and I am under the impression I can buy certificates from renewable energy companies and use those certificates to pay for my current electric bill.
Can you please explain this process.
It’s a pointless exercise because all of the electricity comes from the same generators connected to the same grid.
my electric company is offering the chance to sign up for use of renewable energy, which would be tied in with
the electrical box. i would like to know if anyone out there has bought in to this kind of program and if it is worth the cost?
any answers are appreciated.
thank you in advance.