Clean energy technology is an industry that has demonstrated growth in recent years. Learn from successful cleantech entrepreneurs about opportunities in this growing field and what the government is doing to support US-based development. Speakers: Samir Kaul, Founding General Partner, Khosla Ventures Evelyn Lim, Senior Vice President, Legal, Element Power, former Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for First Wind Steve Spinner, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, Advisor, Silver Lake Sumeru and other cleantech and Internet companies, former loan programs advisor for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Department of Energy Frank Yang, Senior Director of Business Development, Stion Corporation
This family of five had purchased a piece of property planning for a future energy-efficient, solar home. When they came to SunTerra Homes, I reviewed their site with them, discovering their site choice was excellent. Their budget was limited, but their needs were many. Because their children are home-schooled and two offices were required for home businesses, this home was a challenge to design and build within their buget. This home has all of our recommended conservation features including an air-to-water heat pump with radiant floor heating and a forced-air cooling system plus energy recovery ventilation. Their site allowed us to design a home with the optimal shape for sun tempering, passive solar, and economical construction. This home did not omit unique design and features. It has a two-story vaulted ceiling in the great room flowing up to the open study loft above. The entry includes a covered porch and a two-story foyer with an open staircase. The master bedroom suite has his and hers closets with a soaking tub, private shower, two vanities, and exit to a future hot tub on the patio. The upper level is designed for their three children with a bath that all three can use at the same time in privacy. This plan is one of our best cost-effective, energy-efficient, solar designs. Video Rating: 0 / 5
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Home Lighting is an area where we can really make a difference as far as energy conservation goes. A few simple technological advances have given us options to make our Residential lighting more energy efficient and thus, more cost effective as well. If you don’t yet have energy efficient lighting in your home then it’s time to get started. The best route is to take one room at a time and figure out how many lights you have and which energy efficient bulbs you need to buy. Write down which bulbs you currently use and their wattage.
The most effective strategy for improving household energy efficiency is to first target your home’s envelope walls, attic, windows, and doors. Then improve the energy efficiency of systems, such as heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances. Finally, consider clean energy generation such as solar panels, geothermal etc.
Make sure your walls and attic are well insulated
Effective insulation slows the rate that heat flows out of the house in winter or into the house in summer, so less energy is required to heat or cool the house. If your house has more-or-less continuous wall cavities such as conventional stud walls, blown-in insulation can greatly improve your comfort and save enough energy to be very cost-effective .It rarely pays to blow additional insulation into already insulated walls. If your attic is unfinished, it often pays to upgrade its insulation.
Plant shade trees and shrubs around your house If your house is older, with relatively poor insulation and windows, good landscaping particularly deciduous trees can save energy, especially if planted on the house’s west side. In summer, the foliage blocks infrared radiation that would warm the house, while in winter the bare branches let this radiation come through. If your house has very good insulation or better windows, the building shell blocks almost all the heat gain.
Replace an older furnace with a high-efficiency system For houses with boilers and hot-water heat distribution, the savings from a modern condensing boiler with outdoor reset or equivalent feedback controls can be substantially larger, since the condensing boilers allow reducing the circulating loop temperature almost all the time.
Improve the efficiency of your hot water system First, turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). Second, insulate your hot water lines so they don’t cool off as quickly between uses. Third, use low-flow fixtures for showers and baths.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) CFLs can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. Most people don’t think about the fact that the electricity to run a light bulb costs much more than the bulb itself. The lighting cost of the fluorescent light bulbs is less than one-third of the cost for the incandescent. The best targets for replacement are 60- to 100-watt bulbs used several hours a day, because usage affects how long it takes to recover the investment.
Take advantage of new tax incentives to improve your home Federal tax incentives are available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Energy efficiency incentives are available for upgrades to existing homes .These incentives now cover from $500 up to $1,500, based on 30 percent of the cost of the improvement. Improvements can include building-envelope improvements such as windows, insulation and heating/air-conditioning upgrades.
Schedule an energy audit for more expert advice on your home as a whole Energy auditors and raters use specialized tools and skills to evaluate your home and recommend the most cost-effective measures to improve its comfort and efficiency. In some regions, there is Home Performance with Energy Star programs, too. Most of these programs include low-cost home assessment and strong quality assurance practices and inspections.
One simple action we can all take to contribute to a cleaner future is instituting energy efficient solutions for home lighting. Using smart, energy efficient lighting in your home will save more than money. By consuming less energy, you will reduce the amount of harmful carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nuclear waste that you would otherwise contribute to the atmosphere. Regardless of the extent of modifications you undertake in your home, every small effort will enable us to leave behind a cleaner, safer environment for future generations. So choose the most suitable energy efficient lighting and ensure your home is as efficient as possible.
About Estelles Lighting: Estelles Lighting, Inc. is acknowledged in the market for our professional approach in the supply of Light fixtures. We supply all kind of lamps, ballasts, tubes, and nearly all types of associated accessories. For more information visit http://www.estelleslighting.com
Archive Systems’ Go Green Initiative Saves over 2.9 Million Pounds of Fiber through Recycling Efforts
Fairfield, NJ – Archive Systems, a leading provider of records and document management services, today announced the company’s Go Green recycling efforts have saved over 2.9 million pounds of fiber in 2010.
“As a leader in the records management industry, we are focused on storing our clients’ business records today as we help them transition to a paperless environment tomorrow. Based on these efforts, we researched new ways to improve our community and developed our Go Green Records Management in 2007. I’m very proud of the significant results we achieved and the positive impact we’re making on the environment,” explained Gordon Rapkin, CEO of Archive Systems.
The Go Green Records Management initiative has also been significantly enhanced by our ASPEN product line, which enables companies to go paperless and access business-critical information online. Because the files are available online, there’s no need to make copies to distribute. Clients can also request the virtual file delivery of documents, eliminating driving emissions.
As part of this initiative, Archive Systems is now utilizing solar power in its Franklin, NJ locations, generating 300,000 kWh annually. By relying on solar energy, the company is estimated to avoid creating over 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 35,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, 57,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 27,000 pounds of mercury. In addition, Archive Systems also selected a facility in Portland that was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certification.
Since the Go Green initiative started, Archive Systems has recycled over 3,700 tons of packaging and raw materials. This conserved 88,850 mature trees, 2,423,000 gallons of oil, 125,500 gallons of gasoline, 21,470,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, 36,656,000 gallons of water, and 18,100 cubic yards of landfill according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.
About Archive Systems, Inc. Archive Systems delivers products and services that enable organizations to manage paper and digital documents on-site and off-site throughout their lifecycle. The company provides a bridge to a paperless future by uniting traditional records management services with cloud-based Virtual File Room technology.
Records management services range from physical records storage and secure document shredding to digital document conversion services and on-demand virtual file delivery. Archive Systems’ flagship document management platform, ASPEN, automates and optimizes complex document-based processes.
ASPEN Virtual File Room applications support document centric areas such as human resources, vendor management, and contract and lease management. These technologies, combined with Archive Systems’ document services, capture, store, route, and archive documents online – improving efficiency and accuracy while lowering costs. Archive Systems’ Records & Information Management software solutions help companies manage the increasing volumes of their records while controlling and gaining strategic value from them.
Archive Systems is changing the way the world manages documents. For more information, please visit www.archivesystems.com.
