4 Effective Tips for Reducing Your Electricity Bill

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

These days it's way too easy for the typical American household to have an enormous electricity bill. Between home appliances, televisions, video game systems, computers, and phone chargers we consume a lot of electricity. 

Thankfully, it is entirely possible and actually very simple to live a comfortable life without a huge electricity bill. Here are four simple tips that will help lower your electricity bill. 

1. Use Your Air Conditioner Wisely

Using an air conditioner can add a lot to your electric bill. Instead of turning up your air conditioner and wondering why your energy bill is so high, try keeping it at 78 degrees when you're home. If that isn't cool enough for you, there are other things you can do to keep your home comfortable in the summer. Ceiling fans can help a home feel cooler even if they don't actually cool the surrounding air, and closing the blinds on your windows can give your home some much-needed shade. 

Using an air conditioner wisely also means keeping it in working order. Check the filters at least every thirty days, and clean or replace them as needed. Schedule a maintenance check with an air conditioner repair specialist every season. A good central air conditioning system will last for years, but if it isn't maintained it will be forced to work harder and cost you extra on your energy bill.

2. Invest in Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Fluorescent light bulbs may be initially more expensive than incandescent light bulbs, but they last about ten times longer and are much more energy efficient. Overall, a single incandescent light bulb costs as much to operate as six fluorescent light bulbs. With this type of inefficient light bulb Invest in fluorescent if you really want to save money on your electricity bill.

3. Pick the Right Oven

Microwaves consume 90 percent less energy than an electric oven, so you should be using your microwave more often if you are trying to save money on your electric bill. If you would rather not use a microwave for your cooking, there are other energy-efficient options available. For example, a toaster oven is perfect for baking or roasting smaller items, and it still uses less energy than a conventional oven. A convection oven also cooks food 35 percent faster than a conventional oven. 

4. Make Sure Things are Turned Off

Turning off the lights in a room before you leave should be a no-brainer, but these days people leave their computers and video game systems on all the time, even when they aren't using them. Even in standby or sleep mode, electronics are still using electricity. Many of these devices require an extra step to actually shut them down completely. If you're not going to use them anytime soon, take that extra step to make sure they aren't wasting electricity.

For your needs we recommend to seek a professional help from a home renovator or a DIY specialist who can offer you specific energy efficient solutions. Let us know about the details and we'll guide you step by step how to achieve it.

*by andreascy*

The Importance Of Energy Monitoring

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Every home, every business office, and every factory depends on energy, so knowing how much it costs is extremely relevant to balance finances and to respect the environment too. 

In order to know how much energy is being spent and where it is being spent, you need an energy monitoring system.

How Does M&T Actually Work

Often referred to as Energy Monitoring and Targeting (M&T), this is a technical service provided by external companies that analyse and compile information regarding all aspects of energy usage, mainly in a business, company, or organisation. Once the request for an intervention has been sent, the energy monitoring specialists will consider the business production systems, the equipment and machinery being used, the behaviour of employees and co-workers and the place in which the building or office is located in order to fully comprehend factors like daylight availability, common climate in the area and humidity and heat characteristics.

This is the base line from which relevant information may be retrieved. Businesses and organisations may learn where and when they can apply energy savings, explain over the top wastes, detect consumption trends and finally develop a strategy to encourage energy savings and set targets. The analysis will also point out any possible malfunctions or maintenance errors that may have been harming the business’ energy consumption rates and immediately observe if any of those out of the chart abnormalities occur.

The way this specific reading is accomplished is by installing several meters that provide data on energy spending according to the desired time set and that can be as fast as 30 seconds. Data from meters allied to the information gathered from the analysed variables will be integrated into a chart or graph that defines a baseline and that sums up all of the necessary spending and wasting, and that also offers a comprehensive consumption scenario that indicates the actual energy performance of the business or organization.

All meter readings and evaluation reports are delivered to management in order to set targets and define strategies to generate a more effective energy consumption plan. These actions are then subject to further evaluation and permanent monitoring to ensure their effectiveness. Once the complete energy plan generated by the monitoring is integrated into the regular procedures of companies and organisations, energy cost savings will be constant. There is also a significant diminishing in the carbon footprint and lower GHG emissions.

M&T And Public Feedback

For some businesses, this may represent a better public opinion feedback as well as financial incentives and grants for energy efficiency. In the industry, a complete understanding of energy costs may provide to a division the total energy bill between different segments of production or by product stages, and this will lead to a comprehensive understanding of production costs. From this point onwards, changes and adaptations are encouraged in order to set a better average and promote efficiency in all energy related consumptions. 

Industrial companies that require the use of various processes including the use of fume abatement, offer technology which can monitor the energy usage, highlighting areas that can be improved.

*by andreascy*

Tips On Making Your Office Greener

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

As we are all members of this planet, it is our duty to do our part to keep it looking beautiful. In an office setting, it could be difficult to keep this in mind while completing your daily tasks.

License: Creative Commons

But being a little bit greener is not difficult and should not have to inconvenience you or your workers at all. Simple changes, like conserving electricity, using recycled office supplies, and cutting waste, are just a few ways you can do your part in healing the Earth.

Conserve Energy When Possible

One way to make an office greener is to conserve the use of energy when possible. Obviously, with computers as part of our every day lives, electricity is vital, but it can be minimized. Installing motion sensors on the lights in offices is a great way to cut electricity uses. This way, if someone forgets to turn off a light in their office, after a while, it will automatically shut off. Furthermore, urging everyone to turn off their computers at night could drastically reduce energy consumption. If possible, installing solar panels will substantially reduce energy use and also save money.

Use Recycled Office Supplies

As the world has yet to go completely paperless, it's impossible to stop your office from using natural resources, but things can be done to reduce the collective carbon footprint of the office. The easiest way is to use recycled office products, namely, recycled printer paper. But it does not have to stop there. There are other recyclable office materials that can not only save you money, but also, help save Mother Earth. For example, aftermarket toner is a recycled form of toner that is cheaper and greener, and it is an easy change to implement in your office.

Cut Waste

Cutting waste is an important part of going green, but sometimes waste can sneak up on you in aspects that you wouldn’t think about. Does your company have a water cooler? If it does, consider making the switch away from disposable cups. Instead, persuade your employees to switch to refillable plastic or metal bottles, maybe even hand them out as a gift. It would also be helpful to educate them on what can and cannot be recycled. Some times, the greatest ally you can have in trying to be conservative is knowledge, so a quick seminar about where to put certain materials could save time, money, and especially, the environment in the long run.

Check us out on Twitter (@andreaschriscy, #officialandreascy) to see what else we have to say!

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Introducing BodyCom Technology

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Microchip Technology introduced the BodyCom system, a new short-range wireless connectivity technology that uses the capability of the human body to transport a few signals, providing intuitive, simple, and safe communication between two electronically compatible devices. 

Communication between BodyCom system devices occurs when they are within a few centimeters of the human body: a simple proximity or touch detection can establish a BodyCom system connection.

The BodyCom system was implemented with the following priorities:

     • Very low consumption, especially for the Mobile Unit

     • Fast system response

     • Stable and Robust communication with Fault detection

     • Limited field of action (as little as a few centimeters) to allow an identification when the
        touch action takes place from whoever wears the Mobile Unit

     • Low cost and complexity

The signal transmission uses capacitive coupling between the human body, the Base Unit and the Mobile Unit (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1: BodyCom System Working Principle

Because of this, the signals are more attenuated at low frequencies than at high frequencies, requiring the signals that are transmitted to have higher amplitude for lower frequencies. The Mobile Unit is a battery-powered portable device, and power consumption is a priority, while the Base Unit can deliver more power.

On the video, Applications Engineer Chris Tucker, makes an introduction to BodyCom Technology utilizing the BodyCom Development Kit demonstration.

For more details check out the AppNotes. 
Subscribe on our RSS feed and Daily Newsletter for more updates straight to your inbox. Discover also other related articles on this section.

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Create the Future with SunSaluter and Galaxy Note 10.1

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

The SunSaluter is a technology that enables the automatic rotation of solar panels to follow the sun throughout the day (just like a sunflower) to increase their energy generation - without using any electricity to do so. 

The technology was created by Eden Full and is being developed by her company Roseicollis Technologies.

It has been deployed in two pilot projects in Kenya. Fascinated by biomimicry, Eden Full aims to power a whole village on SunSaluters in Peru and southern India -- by 2013.

The SunSaluter won the Mashable/UN Foundation Startups for Social Good Challenge and was awarded the runner-up prize at the 2011 Postcode Lottery Green Challenge.

"Good technology is something that is simple, something that anyone whether you are 5 years old, a university professor or a farmer in Tanzania, you'd be able to look at it and get it."

Currently in active development, the Roseicollis Technologies website claims that the SunSaluter is :

• Cheaper: It is constructed from locally-sourced and recyclable materials rather than electronic components.

• Simpler: Almost anyone can assemble and maintain it because of its intuitive design.

• Flexible: It can be installed underneath any existing solar panel with a few minor adjustments.

Watch on the video below how the Galaxy Note 10.1 plays a part in creating the future with Eden from SunSaluter.

In order to preserve our planet and encourage societies to adopt renewable energy resources, we need to lower the cost of solar energy so it is more affordable for individual families and their homes and villages. The SunSaluter is a contribution to tackling energy infrastructure growth and climate change.
Read also: Robots Pivot Solar Panels to face the Sun by QBotix
Learn more about Galaxy Note 10.1 and discover other interesting Solar related topics. Subscribe for straight updates to your inbox or your favourite feed reader.

*by andreascy*

GPS Fleet Management - What Are Its Environmental Benefits

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Everybody wants to be a green citizen today. Being eco-friendly has gone from being a fashion statement to a necessity. More and more clients ask for products that are the result of green manufacturing processes and businesses therefore have been encouraged to go in for sustainable practices. This eco-conscience is also applicable for an owner of a fleet.

Fleet management has its own complexities and challenges but you can make it as green and environmentally friendly as possible by going in for GPS fleet management. Using a GPS vehicle tracking system for your fleet has plenty of benefits including financial. So let us take a look at the environmental benefits of GPS fleet management:

1. Optimizing fuel consumption 

By going in for a GPS fleet management system you can make every gallon of fuel count. This makes both environmental and financial sense since fuel prices are rising everywhere and is probably one of the largest expense areas for you as well. Therefore you should be able to monitor how the driver is driving in terms of speed of vehicle and route. For instance, if your vehicle has been left idling for too long or if the driver is showing erratic speeds while he is driving this could be draining revenues from your business by way of fuel wastage. Figuring out the best possible route is also useful when using GPS fleet management. It may not always be about the shortest route. It can also be a route which allows for uninterrupted driving and ergo lesser need for braking! 

2. Getting the drivers to invest in green policies

With GPS fleet management system you can familiarize your drivers with environmental principles that you would like to follow. Therefore they become more invested in reducing carbon footprint. Rather than simply dictating routes you can explain to the drivers why it is important that the driver adhere to a particular speed and go through a particular route so that they too are familiar with the higher purpose of eco-consciousness. You can also demonstrate why careful driving at a particular speed will help keep the drivers safe too. 

3. Government compliance

Depending on the country that you are in, you would be needed by the government to comply with emissions standards or carbon footprint laws. One of the ways in which you can meet these compliance frameworks is to use GPS fleet management. By reducing speed to optimum levels and by extending the life of the vehicle you can get some major “brownie points” in terms of carbon credits and certifications from government agencies as well. 

GPS fleet management system can also help manage your fleet in terms of age of vehicles. By looking at the driving history of each vehicle you can find out whether they have been performing better over a period of time or whether the time has come to trade them for newer vehicles. Tracking aspects like service history and routine maintenance for your fleet is critical to ensure that you put safe and low polluting vehicles on the road.

SUGGESTED: 5 Top Tech Toys For Your Car

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Atmel SAM4L Microcontrollers : Redefining Low Power

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

How much better would your designs be if power consumption was no longer a concern? Find out today with the SAM4L family of ARM® Cortex™-M4 processor-based microcontrollers (MCUs), which consume just one-third the power of currently available solutions. 

SAM4L MCUs redefine the power benchmark, delivering the lowest power in both active (90µA/MHz) and sleep modes (1.5µA with full random access memory (RAM) retention and 700nA in back-up mode). 

They are the most efficient MCUs available today, achieving up to 28 CoreMark™/mA using the IAR Embedded Workbench, version 6.40. In SAM4L MCUs, you also get the industry's shortest wake-up time at 1.5µs from deep-sleep mode. Just what you need for portable and battery-powered consumer, industrial and medical applications.

Bringing Atmel picoPower Technology to the ARM Platform :

The SAM4L family integrates Atmel's proprietary picoPower® technology, which is used in hundreds of millions of Atmel® AVR® MCUs in the market today. This patented picoPower ultra-low power technology ensures that devices are developed from the ground up - from transistor design to clocking options - to consume as little power as possible.

Fast wakeup and innovative power-saving features such as multiple regulators reduce the overall consumption even further. In addition, Atmel's SleepWalking technology allows the peripherals to make intelligent decisions and wake up the system upon qualifying events at the peripheral level. It's all about system intelligence and conserving energy. Simply put, the SAM4L MCU is your choice if you're looking for long battery life, without sacrificing performance.

Read the SAM4L Datasheet and check also other interesting topics from Atmel.

*by andreascy*

Microchip Technology : Get ready to see a new world of 8-bit PIC MCUs

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

PIC microcontrollers are finding their way into new applications like Smartphones, Audio Accessories, Video Gaming Peripherals and Advanced Medical Devices. 

Microchip provides solutions for the entire performance range of 8-bit microcontrollers, with easy-to-use development tools, complete technical documentation and post design-in support through a global sales and distribution network.

PIC16F1512/13 MCUs (28-Pin Flash Microcontrollers with XLP Technology) combine eXtreme low-power technology and high digital & analog peripheral integration for use in a wide variety of applications. Check the short presentation below by Primo Castro (Product Marketing Manager at Microchip) and learn about the details on this Data Sheet. 

If you like this article you can discover more about MCUs and DSCs and Microchip Technology.

*by andreascy*

Sharp HEMS: Next Generation Home Energy Visualization System

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Sharp is developing a next generation Home Energy Management System to manage and control consumer electronics (01/03/2012 on PV EXPO). 

The system provides a visualization of the amount of power consumed by devices individually and the home as a whole, and each device can be controlled via a tablet or smartphone.

Sharp plans to release the Wi-Fi module used in this concept demonstration later in the year. 

"As you can see on the wall, there's a white box plugged into the socket, which measures power consumption. For example, over there, the TV's power consumption is being measured, and the measured data is sent by wireless connection to this tablet, so you can see how many watts the TV is using. This is the system we've developed, and we're now working on a commercial version."

The commercial version of this system will include five units and a router as a set, and the system will support up to 30 units simultaneously.

"This demonstration includes not just visualization, but also control. For example, if you select "LED" like this, you can adjust the tone and brightness of the LED lighting. At the same time you can also check on the tablet how the adjustment changes the power consumption."

As a part of the concept demonstration, the devices controlled include a Sharp TV, air-conditioner and refrigerator as well as the LED lighting. To actually utilize this system, each device needs to have a built-in receiver for remote control commands.

"Thinking about this from a customers perspective, we'd definitely like this to be able to control products made by manufacturers other than Sharp. We're currently discussing the unification of control protocols with the Government. It'll take another one or two years, but we think it will become possible to use, for example, a Sharp tablet to control products from other manufacturers."

This system can also be used to manage total energy consumption in the home, by connecting it to solar generation systems and electric vehicles as well.

Great video! I'm surprized they didn't use powerline as well. I guess Wi-Fi supports more devices. That idea would take decades before it can accomodate for a large population. At least, proof of concept is there, because that's what's most important. 

Did you like this post? Let us know what you think.

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Sony: New Concept Envisions in 2030 With Pay As You Go Power

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Sony is looking to revolutionize the inefficient way in which we consume power.

A new concept video from the electronics giant shows how we could use power more efficiently in the year 2030 by switching to smart outlets with authentication and wireless charging on a broad scale, assuming we survive the Zombie Mayan Apocalypse.

The prototype power outlet, integrated with a short-range wireless FeliCa transmitter (and a new RFID over power line technology), allows the user to swipe a pay card across the faceplate and pay for energy on the spot. What makes it truly interesting is if humankind keeps progressing towards alternative energies (such as wind, solar, and biomass), then our outlets could give us options as to what source from which we obtain our power.

The video description below notes that with this outlet, "the user can actively control and manage power consumption on a user basis as well as on a device basis."

Imagine not having to use power from the electric company for a TV-viewing session, instead drawing from a battery in your house that contains stored power from your solar- and wind-power generation sources. These outlets, if available all over a city, can offer people with electric cars the ability to charge up and pay for that energy easily.

The proposed power control center app (for tablet or smartphone) would enable consumers to observe how much power is available from various power sources in the home. With the app, one could check how much juice the electric car in the garage contains, enable or disable outlets in various areas of the house, or remotely control devices connected to a power outlet.

In a recent press conference in Tokyo, reps at Sony spoke about the developments, says AV Watch (check out their hands-on pics, too). A timetable for commercializing these smart outlets seems "ten years away," according to Taro Tadano from Sony Japan's business development department. Admittedly, he wants to speed up the process of development and integration, but reliability, safety, and patent battles present several roadblocks.

While the overall idea seems grand, one must also wonder about cost.

Regardless, he and many others at Sony are working hard to strengthen relationships with various Japanese companies related to this field with hope of moving this past the concept stage and into reality. 

One cannot help but admire the craveworthy Sony concept products (from 2030) also shown in the video, such as: a TV that you turn on by facing a wall and drawing a rectangle with your hand, a flexible tablet, and easy wireless charging.

ARTICLE OF THE DAY: Some Emergent Internet Applications

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Wars for Oil

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

We all know by now that the world is running out of fossil fuels. In particular the oil that provides energy for all our transportation, most of our food production and a lot of our electricity is being consumed quicker than we can replace it with any other source of energy. The Western powers have embarked on a campaign to effectively control the remaining reserves that are not already in the power of Russia, China, Brazil and Venezuela. The result is we have perpetual wars in the Middle East and now moving into Africa via Libya.

There is a significant problem with the use of war as a means of controlling the oil distribution and extraction process. The main problem being that wars create unbalanced societies. They also destroy infrastructure and tend to result in a lot of violence and human carnage. These issues are long term and are not easily or quickly solved. They also happen to be the last thing that a rampaging Army has on it’s mind once the action is over. They are not actually interested in creating balanced peaceful societies. That is like asking an addict to take care of your drug supply. It’s just not going to result in a positive outcome for anyone involved. 

One of the core ideas behind controlling the supply of oil is that the people in power i.e the Banksters printing the money to fund the war machine, can control the energy supply in the coming years as the competition for the remaining oil causes massive spikes in prices and only the uber wealthy, Governments and Mega Corporations are in a position financially to justify the expense of using up the remaining energy for their business and personal use. 

However this idea falters when war is used to secure the supply as they effectively decrease the supply of oil to the market by destroying infrastructure and creating unstable environments where no one with the expertise and experience to rebuild the infrastructure is prepared to put their lives on the line in order to fulfill the original plan of controlling the supply. So the end result is that the oil wars create a net loss in terms of available supply of oil to the Market and considering that we are running out at an exponential rate anyway this only serves to drive up prices faster and further unbalance the global economy. 

Hence the desire to remove from the consumption process a large number of oil consumers who would otherwise be competing for the remaining reserves. Otherwise known as the Bilderberg Plan for reducing the population of the world to 500 million people. This is a negative, self destructive cycle that we are now being subjected to by the Banksters and their Corporate and Governmental cronies. The outcome of such a cycle is only a negative result. However it is often found that once an addict hits rock bottom and there is no where else to go they have to face the hard truths about their situation and make some changes for the better. Either that or they die and everyone that is affected by their actions can get on with their lives. 

In this regard, we are at a crucial point in the history of modern civilisation. Do we sink or swim? Who gets to loose out or is it a case of everyone looses permanently?

*by andreascy* 

Researchers reduce smart phones power consumption up to 74%

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have designed a network proxy that can cut the power consumption of 3G smart phones up to 74 percent. This device enhances performance and significantly reduces power usage by serving as a middleman for mobile devices to connect to the Internet and handling the majority of the data transfer for the smart phone. Historically, the high energy requirements of mobile phones have slowed the adoption of mobile Internet services in developing countries. 

"This new solution is particularly valuable in developing countries because it provides significantly more effective Internet access to a much larger number of people. At the moment, only a small percent can access the Internet from a wired connection, but 90 percent of the African population lives in areas with mobile phone network coverage. Mobile phone usage is increasing rapidly, however the use of mobile Internet services is hindered by users not having access to the power grid to recharge their phones", says Professor Jukka Manner from Aalto University. 

The case study conducted at Aalto University examined Internet usage in three East African countries: Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. Researchers developed energy-saving solutions for smart phones that could be easily deployed across a mobile network and in particular in areas without reliable sources of electricity. 

In addition to the new, optimized proxy solution, the researchers found that the power consumption of smart phones could also be significantly reduced by mobile optimized websites, HTTP compression and more efficient use of data caching. 

The study is published today at the scientific conference Africomm 2011. The research began in the Future Internet research program of TIVIT and funded by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. The work has been continued in the ECEWA project funded by Tekes, with partners from European Communications Engineering Ltd, Efore Plc, Ericsson, Aalto University and Tampere University of Technology. 

More information : 

Professor Jukka Manner

Aalto University, Department of Communications and Networking (Comnet) 

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Turn a hot idea into a cool solution during the DesignSpark chipKIT Challenge‏

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Think you have what it takes to turn a hot idea into a cool solution? Then Circuit Cellar and Elektor, in association with DesignSpark, would like to cordially invite you to participate in the DesignSpark chipKITTM Challenge! 

Starting November 28, engineers from around the world are challenged to develop an energy-efficient and eco-friendly design solution using DesignSpark’s free PCB software and Microchip Technology’s chipKITTMMax32TM development board. Achieve the most energy-efficient solution and you could win share of $10,000! Maximize your design power while reducing your environmental and energy footprint. 

Entries must : 

• Be developed using the Microchip chipKITTM development board

• Include an extension card developed using DesignSpark's PCB tools

• Compile using Microchip's MPIDE software 

Your prize-winning, efficient application can be anything that reduces the energy footprint of a system -a controller for a windmill, an energy-efficient battery charger or even a piece of hardware that lets you drive your e-bike miles farther! Entries will be judged on their level of energy efficiency and the quality of the extension card's PCB design. 

Plus, keep the DesignSpark community regularly informed through posts on the DesignSpark Project Pages and your updates will make you eligible for Community Choice Awards and random prize drawings! Win $100 vouchers for Allied Electronics and RS Components as well as free subscriptions to Circuit Cellar and Elektor magazines. 

DesignSpark, in participation with Microchip Technology, has made 1000 sample kits available for the competition. Sign up now to see if you qualify for a free chipKITTM Max32TM development board. All chipKITM Max32TM users are encouraged to participate. 

The deadline for submission is 13.00 EST / 19.00 CET, March 27, 2012. 

Good luck everyone!

*by andreascy*