Easy Eco Blog » Sustainability

Picking Solar Panels – Finding the Best Solar Panels

easy eco blog — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:34 +0000

The Earth receives more energy from the Sun in one hour than the whole World uses in a whole year. Time to tap into that. Solar power is used to power everything from calculators to Coast Guard buoys to highway signs to the International Space Station.

You have read Are Solar Panels for me? and Solar Panel Installation – Planning and are ready for more details. Photovoltaic Solar panels were invented at Bell Labs in 1953. They have evolved over the years and several different types of solar panels exist, and choosing between then is confusing. No one vendor will have access to all products, so you will have to do some shopping around to find the best solar panels.

Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline Panels

These solar panels are made either from single crystal cells or stringing ribbon of multiple crystals. They are the classic version of solar panels and are rated for good efficiency, around 12-13% power conversion, and a Long lifespan, possibly 30 years+? Sunpower has a model with a very high 19.3% efficiency. Monocrystalline panels are less efficient in hotter climates and work best in unobstructed sun. A panel’s power will drop by 50% if a even one cell on the panel is half shaded. Temperatures typically above 75 degrees F cause most solar panel power generation to decrease. Solar panel suppliers include: Sharp, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Kyocera, Schott, SolarWorld, SunTech, Sunpower, bp solar, Mitsubishi electric, Evergreen solar.

Thin Film Panels

Less efficient than the Crystal Panels, but they much thinner and easier to make. Less efficient than monocrystalline, at 10-12% efficiency. They work better when you have slight shading and are not affected by hot weather as much as monocrystalline. Major Drawback of performance degradation over time. Possible lifespans of 10 years. Suppliers include: Nanosolar, Unisolar

Hybrid Panels

Hybrids of single crystalline silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. Produces 10% or more electricity (kWh) than conventional crystalline silicon solar panels at the same temperature. Good efficiency levels of 16%. Hybrid Solar Panel Suppliers include: Sanyo

Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on GeoThermal Heat Pump

easy eco blog — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:00:10 +0000

A reminder that there is a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Qualifying GeoThermal Heat Pumps, with no cap. If you have been thinking about replacing these items, you might as well upgrade now and save some money.

For 2012, the Federal Tax Credit for energy efficiency for GeoThermal heat pumps is 30% of the cost (including installation/labor costs), with no upper limit . (2010 Federal Tax Credit information)

Existing home and principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify.

Units must be placed into service by December 31, 2016.

Geo-thermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water. Because they use the earth’s natural constant heat, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.

Units can cost from $5,000 to $10,000 installed and take about 5-10 years for payback.

All ENERGY STAR geo-thermal heat pumpsqualify for the tax credit.

Criteria for heat pumps:

Water-to-Air

· Closed Loop: >=17.1 EER; >=3.6 COP

· Open Loop: >=21.1 EER; >=4.1 COP

Water-to-Water

· Closed Loop: >=16.1 EER; >=3.1 COP

· Open Loop: >=20.1 EER; >=3.5 COP

· Direct Geoexchange (DGX): >=16 EER; >= 3.6 COP

Energy Star has a store location finder to help you find local dealers.

The 2011 tax credit reverted to 2005-2008 levels. Anyone who previously took advantage of the program can’t apply for incentives that exceed $500. IE If you claimed $500 between 2005 – 2008 on a previous energy efficiency project, or at least $500 tax credit from 2009 – 2010, you are ineligible for the 2011 energy efficiency tax credit.

If you used say $200 of the $500 energy efficiency tax credit from 2005 – 2008, and did not utilize the 2009 – 2010 energy efficiency tax credit, you would still have a $300 credit available.

Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit on Qualifying biomass fuel stoves or Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts. There is also a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Water Heaters, Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Furnaces and Boilers, Geo-Thermal Heat Pumps, Windows, Doors, and Skylights.

Double dip! Local utilities like PG&E have their own rebates for Energy Efficient Appliances. To find out if rebates or other incentives are available in your area, visit the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder.

See: Weatherize your home – Fix Leaky Ducts – Reducing Air Leaks

Eco Friendly or Green Kitchen Cabinets

easy eco blog — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:24 +0000

Here are some of the attributes we looked for when selecting eco friend kitchen cabinets earlier this year:

FSC certified Wood or wood from a responsibly farm source. I actually spoke to the wood mill to understand where our wood was coming from. Lyptus and Bamboo are rapidly making in roads.
Water based finish to minimize VOC emissions. There were issues on finish durability in the past, but quality seems to have improved.
Water based glues to minimize VOC emissions.
Marine grade plywood or non MDF Medium Density Fiberboard particle board cabinet box. Also to prevent off-gassing emissions from formaldehyde, etc. Interlam and Topan make MDF without formaldehyde.
As local as possible a supplier to minimize transport costs and fuel use.

We also relocated many of our old cabinets to our kitchen and donated everything else for use in a local church.

Some cabinets including mines are KCMA certified, but frankly their rules are not very aggressive in the area of eco friendliness. (Emissions etc) It is more of a cabinet industry association.

When we began our search in early 2007, we were educating stores on what green cabinetry was. The main sources used to be boutique local small craftsmen shops. Today, we see firms advertising ‘Green’ cabinets. HGTV has a video on this are.

Also considered cabinet refacing. You replace the doors and a veneer is placed over your existing cabinets. This is much cheaper than replacing the cabinets. New drawer pulls and handles will also update your kitchen’s look. You will reuse the ‘guts’ of your cabinets, so they need to be in good shape for this option. Some companies have options to also replace drawers.

Eco Friendly, Green Coconut Palm Wood

Coconut Palm wood is an eco friendly and green flooring alternative to bamboo. It is a by product of coconut production and has even received FSC certification.

Smith and Fong makes palmwood flooring and palmwood plywood. We have flooring from this company and find it top rate.

When installing flooring, try to avoid gluing it down if possible. If you need to use glue, use a low or no VOC glue.

Growing Bamboo

Wouldn’t it be interesting to have bamboo in your backyard? It is environmentally friendly, grows fast, and can make for a nice property line wall. You can also use it for other projects. I did some research that made me realize that it is more than most people can handle.

The problem is that bamboo spreads relentlessly, is almost indestructible, and its roots are like steel. People have to setup physical barriers like metal flashing to prevent its spread. I think I’ll stick to bamboo flooring..

Fireclay Tile – Recycled materials and Sustainable manufacturing

Fireclay Tile is a tile company that utilizes Recycled materials and Sustainable manufacturing to produce high-quality ceramic and glass tile. They are based in based in San Jose, CA and make most products in the USA.

They recycle everything from glass bottles to porcelain toilets, vanities, and bathtubs are recycled into beautiful ceramic tile. They use a lead-free glaze and proved that recycled does not mean you have to compromise on aesthetics.

What to Compost, How to Compost, and Why Compost

easy eco blog — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:00:03 +0000

100 billion pounds of food waste are discarded every year, that is almost 25% of all our food. Additional waste is created at processing plants and farms. Rotting food creates methane, a terrible greenhouse gas. Someday trash dumps will recover all this gas. Right now, you can turn food scraps into useful matter by composting. Most local recycling programs do not support composting. Most are located in California. If your local sanitation department does not have a composting program, you can do it yourself.

What is Composting?

Composting is utilizing mother nature in turning food scraps and yard trimmings into super nutrient rich soil. It helps reduce waste and produces the best growing soil around. Backyard composting is good for gardeners and those who have lots of yard trimmings and some produce scraps.

You know composting is going mainstream when you see Costco is selling several composters. Even Amazon has a bunch of low-cost composters.

How to compost?

Here is a good guide to composting. We find it a great way to reduce the amount of trash put out and a great way to make some valuable rocket soil for growing plants.

We put a container by the sink to collect compostables and later move them to our compost bin.

What to compost?

You can easily compost food scraps, vegetable and fruits. Also consider composting coffee grounds, tea bags, and the like.

Bones, bread, grains, pasta
Dairy products
Eggshells, fish, shellfish
Meat, Poultry
Paperbags, paper cups, paper cups, paper napkins, paper plates,Pizza box containers
Paper fast food burger containers, paper takeout boxes
wine corks
paper coffee cups
Yard clippings including branches, brush, flowers, lawn clippings, leaves, and weeds

Our local trash company, Recology finally got with the program in 2011 and is now composting food scraps. Line the inside with newspaper or biodegradable bags. Do not use plastic bags. Sprinkle baking soda if it begins to smell. Flies can be prevented with essential oils such as citrus, eucalyptus, lavender, or lemongrass dripped on the inside lid.

What Not to Compost

Aluminum or Metal
Animal waste
Construction waste including concrete, asphalt, stones, bricks, wood
Cooking Oil
Condiment packets such as ketchup, mustard
Diapers
Garbage
Glass or ceramics
Hazardous waste including chemicals, cleaners, batteries
Juice, soy milk, or soup boxes with foil liners
Liquids or ice
Plastics or plastic bags
Sod, dirt
Any Styrofoam

Here is our big compost bin. It works but is not built very well. The plastic parts come apart forcing us to relatch it every couple months.

This compost is the final result of our efforts.

Why Compost?

Composting allows us to turn organic trash into super soil. Although composting requires a lot of effort and time, the benefits far outweigh additional trash in a landfill.

CNBC’s Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Garbage helped remind us that garbage is everyone’s problem and needs us to be more responsible. New York City garbage gets hauled several states away to get dumped!

Nontoxic or Green Mosquito Control

easy eco blog — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:00:12 +0000

photo credit: joannapoe

Nontoxic or Green Mosquito Control is a goal that most consumers have. No one would like to use dangerous, harmful and toxic chemicals to control mosquitoes.

We saw an for the Dynatrap, that kills mosquitoes and other flying insects without added chemicals and decided to investigate. This device lures mosquitoes with Carbon Dioxide and then sucks them in with a powerful vacuum fan. This sounds like a great idea but looking at the reviews on Amazon, it doesn’t appear to work very well. It must be used in a covered area to keep the rain out. Some of the reviews ran into bulb and motor problems, while others simply didn’t catch mosquitoes and ended up catching other insects.

Ways to Save Energy, Money on your Energy Bill

easy eco blog — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:00:54 +0000

Housing accounts for 20% of total US energy use with heating and cooling consuming a whopping 44% of residential energy use. US Energy Information Administration predicts heating oil, electricity, and natural gas will cost 2% to 10% more this winter.

Brought about by high fuel costs, single-family homes built with environmentally friendly features surged to 16% last year from 2% in 2006 according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a market research firm in New York. The cost of green homes are approximately 2% to 10% higher than a typical home.

Your Energy Bill arrived and it is way to high. You can start by asking your energy provider to check your meters accuracy, but you will have to do detective work to really save money. Our local utility, PG&E, just announced another energy rate increase for 2010. You can go green and save money by following our energy saving tips. This is an overview of the many energy saving tips we have covered over the years along with links to detailed articles.

In the San Francisco Bay Area most PG&E customers have tiered energy pricing (E1 Residential Pricing plan) that starts at 12 cents, but jumps to 14, 29.4 cents, 40.4 cents and 40.4 cents as you use more power. An average home in PG&E’s territory ends up paying 29-40.4 cents/KWHr for more than half of their electricity usage. This type of pricing encourages energy conservation. Baseline quantities are set within a range specified by state law and approved by California Public Utilities Commission. This figure can vary by geographic location. Over the last 25 years, PG&E rates have increased by 4% a year. This makes saving energy much more important to reducing your energy bill.

Energy Monitoring

How can you save energy without knowing you have reduced usage? The Kill a watt or Killawatt is a low cost energy meter that can show you how much energy your appliances use. For serious energy savers, the TED 5000 Energy monitor also helps to measure energy use. It is very advanced featuring connectivity to Google’s new PowerMeter tools and even an iPhone app. Power company Wireless Smart Meters have extended some of these power measuring capability to more folks. Microsoft’s Hohm ties into this capability to help you save energy.

Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency

Take advantage of the Federal Tax Credit for Energy efficiency and install Energy efficient items such as solar panels, windows, doors, skylights, water heaters, furnaces, boilers, pellet stoves, etc at a nice discount. This tax credit expires 12/31.

Heating & Cooling

Weatherize your home, Caulking, weather striping, thermostats, fixing any air duct leaks are easy to do. Window treatments and Window UV Films help prevent heat loss and buildup. Set your thermostat to come on before you get home and before you wake up. Set heat to off when you are gone. Be careful when using your fireplace because they can be polluting. Keep your furnace maintained and replace any dirty filters. Closing off more than 10% of vents in unused areas wastes energy because it causes your furnace to run inefficiently. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that most U.S. homes have over-sized HVAC systems, so make sure you buy the right size unit.

Seal up your light switches and outlets to prevent drafts.

Get a home energy audit to help find your problems. They use blowers that will detect areas causing heat loss.

Lighting

Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs or CFLs to save a bundle. Even more efficient LED Lighting is coming on strong.

Light up for the holidays with Eco Friendly Holiday Lighting – LED Holiday Lights

Appliances

Refrigerators and washing machines / clothes dryers use the most power in most homes. Reduce Refrigerator Energy Use by setting them correctly.

Wash Clothes in Cold Water to save energy. Optimize your Energy Efficient Dishwasher. Avoid pre-rinsing dishes. Energy rates are lowest between midnight and 7 AM in most areas, try to use your appliances during those early hours.

Computers

Set your Mac – PC to sleep or hibernate after of inactivity. There are tutorials on how to do this and free software. Use a smart power strip as wall warts draw power even when nothing is on. No need to buy a new PC or operating system to save power. Also consider installing a Digital Timer to control the smart power strip. These work well with your Cable/DSL modem, router, and wireless networking equipment.

For Notebooks and Cell phones: Extend Battery Life, Laptop Battery Life, iPhone Battery Life

TVs

People are realizing their TVs eat a ton of power. California’s CEC is proposing new power rules for TVs. When purchasing, try to buy a green LCD TV. You can optimize your TV set’s power use by making sure all energy saving options are on and that the picture is not set to the energy draining “Torch mode” setting used in stores to show off the brightest of pictures. Also use a smart power strip as wall warts draw power even when nothing is on.

Water

Water rates are sky rocketing. Save water in your bathroom and kitchen. Check your sprinkler system for leaks. Buy an advanced sprinkler controller that uses weather or soil information to adjust watering times. Switch to native drought tolerant plants.

Solar

It is a great time to go solar. The Federal 30% Tax Credit is now uncapped. Panels are more efficient than ever. A solar system can pay itself back in 7-10 years. There are no money down leasing options that drop your monthly bill and require no large initial outlay. Solar Panels require a little Maintenance and cleaning.

Swimming Pools

Pool and spa pumps and heaters use the most energy in homes, making them a critical area for saving energy. Cover your pool with a vinyl cover, not a solar blanket. You’ll reduce the water evaporation, chemical usage, and lower the time you need to run the pool pump. Newer variable speed pumps run longer but at slower speeds, reducing power use. Upgrade to one when your current one fails. Install a solar pool heater system, they work great.

Green Online shopping and Electronic Transactions and Documents

easy eco blog — Mon, 23 May 2011 07:00:02 +0000

World Wildlife Fund had a recent study states that a big increase in online shopping, and the use of electronic transactions and documents to replace paper billing, magazines, and publications could eliminate nearly a billion tons of greenhouse gases a year.

Some easy changes to become paperless:

Buy more products online and spend less time driving
Setup electronic monthly bill pay and set up online statements
Save statements on your hard drive proof of deductible expenses, major purchases, end of your statements
Set up e-mail alerts notifying you when a bill or statement is available
Use Online banking, direct deposit rather than driving to the bank
Receive bills by email rather than physical mail
Read books and newspaper via e-readers such as the Kindle

Because you are relying more on your computer, make sure you back up your information regularly and have secured your computer by keeping it up-to-date and installing antivirus and anti-spyware software.

Eco-friendly, Green Wine – Biodynamic Wine – Organic Wine

easy eco blog — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:00:16 +0000

Eco-friendly in the green movement has hit the wine industry. Wine is a product of nature and careful nurture. The San Francisco area is ground zero for several large movements in wine.

Wine by the tap

Many are used to getting soda and beer from the tap. Be prepared to have wine from a tap after local restaurant. We have been to several restaurants offering wine this way, and found the results satisfying. While each restaurant only had a handful of wines by the tap, the wines available should satisfy many consumers.

By utilizing this methodology. Less wine is wasted, quality can be more consistent, glassed in Cork are not needed, and wine prices can be more affordable. Ask your local restaurant or bar to support this new wave. Frances and Locanda in San Francisco, are two top-notch restaurants serving wine this way.

Biodynamic wine

We saw Biodynamic wines listed on a restaurant’s wine menu and wondered what it meant. With the holiday season in full swing, a lot of wine is going to be bought, gifted and consumed. Folks want to be green so they are paying more attention to labels.

Biodynamic wines are wines made with grapes farmed without chemical fertilizers, genetic modification, animal by products, and pesticides. They view farming as a an ecosystem and contribute natural resources into it, rather than depleating it. Some farmers time the sun and moon phases to grow biodynamic crops. They allow only sulfides to be added to the wine. They are grown with Organic Fertilizers. This type of wine is popular in Europe as the movement started there in 1924.

Organic wine

Organic wine is made from organically grown grapes and made without added sulfites. No Synthetic pesticides are used, and no petroleum rich sewage sludge-based fertilizers, genetic modification, or radiation is used. Certified Organic Wines will have the USDA organic logo emblazon on them. If you get headaches after drinking wine and cannot tolerate sulfites, try an Organic wine.

You will also find Wines labeled made with Organic Grapes but not labeled USDA Organic. These probably have sulfites.

Be sure to recycle your wine corks and wine bottles.

Check out our post on what fruits and vegetables to buy organic.

Recycle Gift Cards

easy eco blog — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:00:17 +0000

Gift cards made from the toxic plastic PVC are used all over the place, and are now filling up our landfill. It is time that more people recycled them. Refill gift cards if possible. Look for gift cards made from biodegradable materials such as corn. Support businesses that use these eco-friendly, green gift cards.

Earthworks will take your old cards and recycle then. Collect a big batch and sending them to:

Earthworks c/o Halprin Ind.
25840 Miles Rd.
Bedford, Oh 44146

San Jose Discount Solar Group Buy – SunShares

easy eco blog — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:13 +0000

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