Archives: 2010 February

When many people see the term solar power home, they automatically think of a home where the owner has installed solar panels and produces their own electricity. While that is certainly a possibility, there are other ways to harness the power of the sun without the expense of solar cells.

One way that we often waste energy is in cleaning our clothing. Even if you have an energy star rated dryer, it is likely to be one of the largest energy consumers in the home. Even if you had solar cells, it is likely that you would not produce enough electricity to operate an electric dryer. You might get by with a natural gas or propane dryer since you only would have to produce enough energy to operate the motor that tumbles the clothing.

For a very small investment you can dry your laundry in such a way that you will not add to your energy consumption. This initial investment is much less than an electric clothes dryer and does not cost anything after the investment. You can start to line dry your clothing. If you purchase a compact clothes line, it will fit in almost any yard and can dry one or more loads of clothing at no cost. Consider installing a line in the garage for wintertime drying of your clothing.

Another way to take advantage of the natural energy from the sun is to open blinds and drapes on the southerly walls of your home when the sun is shining on winter days. This allows the warmth of the sun to come into your home and is an excellent way to use passive solar energy. If you have hard surfaced floors, they can absorb the heat to keep your home warm longer during after the sun goes down. Just be sure to close the curtains at night to help keep heat inside.

California and New Mexico among other locations are considering significant solar power plants to take advantage of their regular weather patterns of sun. It is fair game to inquire, then, on the overall effectiveness and practicality of solar power systems on the large scale. How much can solar power be used to provide for America’s energy base?

The answer proposed is fairly simple. Dollar for dollar solar power plants can’t compete with the raw power output of a combustion based power facility. The energy trapped in coal, natural gas, and diesel fuel is very concentrated and very potent. As long as these fuels can be obtained for a reasonable price, they will outperform the renewables market for many years to come.

Combustible fuels are simply solar energy stored up millenia before so you don’t have to think of them as unnatural or bad. Without fossil fuels we would have no way to support our industrial base and would be without out many of our modern technologies.

Most of our comforts and commercial activities are founded on several industries. This foundation includes the mining of ores from the Earth, and the manufacturing of raw materials such as aluminum, iron, steel, copper, and more. It includes manufacturing plants for automobiles, airplanes, tools, machinery, advanced electronics, and just about every other gizmo we use on a regular basis. It also includes large machinery required for harvesting lumber and other agricultural products.

Simply put we use a lot of electricity in our regular daily lives. This energy is embedded in the infrastructure around us, our industries, and is most easily supported by combustive energy.

Professional chefs have a lot going for them in the kitchen. For one thing, they are professionally trained, but they also use professional equipment and gadgets to simplify their tasks and provide them with excellent results.

Let’s take the cookware that they use as an example. They are solid heavy pieces, and in many cases are larger than what we would have at home, as they are cooking for crowds. But they also have nonstick surfaces that don’t really compare to the ones we have in our homes. But that is all in the past. Now, the regular population has a choice to pick from an anodized cookware set.

The nonstick surfaces of the past would scrape off very easily when being cleaned or if used with metal utensils. Additionally, they were damaged with the heating levels that we cooked with, being damaged each time we used and cleaned them.

That’s simply because of the way they were created. The food won’t stick to the surface regardless of the temperature. Their durability is second to none. In fact, it is twice as hard as regular stainless steel. You won’t even damage them during any cleaning, not even the nonstick surface.

This is definitely an item that smart consumers are going after. They see the benefits, they see the quality, and they know that they will save money down the line by using and purchasing good quality products.

They buy things like small appliances that will make a difference in their lives. Things like a portable space heater. They produce the same heat they would normally get by cranking up their central heating systems, but they don’t have to. Instead, they turned down their thermostats, reduce their energy consumption and save money, all the while still staying warm in the room they are in.