Calculations

A year is about 8,766 hours long, so a month has an average duration of about 730.5 hours. This means you can multiply an appliance’s standby power in watts by 0.73 to obtain the kilowatts of energy it consumes each month, assuming it is always plugged in. A typical cost of electricity in the United States is 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. You can therefore estimate the standby cost of an appliance in dollars by multiplying its standby power consumption in watts by 0.0731.

Satellite Decoder

A satellite decoder draws about 12 watts in standby mode. It costs 12 x 0.0731 = $0.88 per month to keep a satellite decoder plugged in.

Cable TV Converter

A cable TV converter decoder draws about 11 watts in standby mode. It costs 11 x 0.0731 = $0.80 per month to keep a cable TV converter plugged in.

Compact Audio System

A compact audio system draws about 9 watts in standby mode. It costs 9 x 0.0731 = $0.66 per month to keep a compact audio system plugged in.

Video Recorder

A video recorder draws about 6 watts in standby mode. It costs 6 x 0.0731 = $0.44 per month to keep a video recorder plugged in.

Television Set

A television set draws about 5 watts in standby mode. It costs 5 x 0.0731 = $0.37 per month to keep a television set plugged in.

Inkjet Printer

An inkjet printer draws about 5 watts in standby mode. It costs 12 x 0.0731 = $0.37 per month to keep an inkjet printer plugged in.

DVD player

A DVD player draws about 4 watts in standby mode. It costs 4 x 0.0731 = $0.29 per month to keep a DVD player plugged in.

Microwave Oven

A microwave oven draws about 3 watts in standby mode. It costs 3 x 0.0731 = $0.22 per month to keep a microwave oven plugged in.

Power Tool

A power tool draws about 2 watts in standby mode. It costs 2 x 0.0731 = $0.15 per month to keep a power tool plugged in.

Video Game Console

A video game console draws about 1 watt in standby mode. It costs 1 x 0.0731 = $0.07 per month to keep a video game console plugged in.

This box controls the electrical flow to your home. In the event of an overload, the fuse attached to that circuit will blow. This will cut power to every device on that circuit in the house. Most boxes have a main switch that will control power to the entire house.

There are three important things that you need to know about your box. You need to know where it is, what type of fuses your box uses, and if your main switch works properly. You should test your main switch at least three times annually to make sure it works correctly.

The inside of your box has several threaded spaces that resemble light sockets. These are called Edison sockets, and your fuses screw into them. Some fuses have an adapter called a rejection base snapped inside of them. The rejection base will only allow an S type fuses to be placed in that spot, whereas the larger T type fuses are screwed into the non-adapted sockets.

The most common fuses in homes nowadays are fuse types SL and TL. The SL fuse is a fuse with a rejection base already installed. The TL type fuse is a fuse with a regular Edison base. These work well for home use because they are designed to handle momentary power overloads caused by turning on household appliances.

When you blow a fuse, you need to unplug everything connected to that circuit. Go to the box and place a dry rubber mat on the floor to stand on to create insulation for your body. Put on a pair of thick leather gloves to avoid possible electrocution, open the hinged door and turn off the main switch for the house.

Using a flashlight, examine the top of each fuse. The top is made of glass. A blown fuse will either have the metal wire broken in pieces inside the glass, or glass that appears cloudy so you can’t see in. Remove this fuse, being careful not to touch the metal parts with your bare hands. Replace this with a fuse of matching amps. Turn the main power switch back on.

If you don’t want to mess with fuses, you can install mini breakers into the box. These turn each fuse into its own circuit breaker with a button on top. When a fuse blows, push the button to reset it. Your other option is to have an electrician replace your box with a modern circuit breaker.

A significant enough “head” is necessary to produce a sufficiently useful flow of energy from the hydroelectric power source. This is why dams constructed for the purpose of creating hydroelectric power are built as high as is feasible. Within these dams there are turbines which receive the force of the water’s flow, and the turning of the blades of the turbines generates the electrical current which is transferred to long-distance power lines and transformed into electricity for use in homes and offices.

In addition to the dams there are some tidal harnesses which have been constructed. These draw electrical power from the flow of the tide along a coastal area. In the United States, there is a heightened interest in creating many more small, unobtrusive tidal flow hydroelectric power generators in rivers and large streams which would be used just for generating local electricity. In Canada, there is so much electricity generated by hydroelectric facilities that they simply say “hydro” to refer to any public electricity utility, even nuclear power. Norway and Iceland also generate nearly all of their citizens’ needed electricity by way of hydroelectric power.

North America has the greatest hydroelectric power capacity. Canada is the world’s leading nation in that regard, and the United States is the world’s second leading nation.

Practicalities of Hydroelectric Power

Except in nations that have a proportionate abundance of the right natural resources (i.e. a lot of water), hydroelectric power is used to handle the supplying of electricity during high peak loads. Today’s greatest single interest in harnessing more hydroelectric power resides in the fact that it is a renewable source, or “alternative source”, of electricity, since obviously the planet will never run out of water and it doesn’t matter if the water utilized is potable or not.

The big concern about using more hydroelectric power is that it may disrupt ecosystems too much if more facilities (especially dams) are installed. A secondary concern is that water demand for hydroelectric facilities sometimes conflicts with irrigation demands.

A Brief History

The Greeks were using hydroelectric power to turn water-wheels for the grinding of grain over 2,000 years ago. Hydroelectric power was “rediscovered” in the 18th century in the U.S. and western Europe.

The first modern hydroelectric dam was completed in 1882 on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin in the United States and could generate 12.5 kW of electrical power. It was based upon the ideas of American inventor Lester Allan Pelton, who invented a jet-free water turbine in 1880.

Your appliances will talk to each other and organize times of non-peak electrical usage for them to complete cycles that use a lot of energy. Your home will talk to you, letting you know if you’ve left your television running or if the light in the garage is still on.

On a national level, your home will be tied into the national grid like it is already, but two-way communication will happen with the power plant. If your home has solar panels installed by an electrician, any extra energy you produce will be sold to the power plant. The power company will be able to monitor your electrical usage too. They will use this information to create a picture of your neighborhood. This tells them exactly how much energy needs to be sent in your direction.

This system will be a replacement for our current power grid, and it will allow two-way communication between the power plant and your home. The meters for this system will report themselves. You won’t need a stranger tromping through your yard once a month to read your meter anymore.

This system will create a more efficient use of electricity by sending it where it needs to be. It will also report problems as soon as they happen. Before you could find a flashlight during a blackout, the power company will know exactly what wire went down and why. This will cut repair times. Since everything will operate more efficiently, there will be less cost to keep everything operating, which will translate into cheaper power prices for you.

Maintenance for your home will be easier. Having an electrician wire your house for this system will let you know exactly what your home is doing. If your water heater sees problems that could indicate a breakdown, you will get a text message alert. This will let you drain it before it turns your basement into a hot tub.

While you will need to replace your current electronics with applicances designed for this new grid, the cost will be worth it. The power grid will be more reliable, which means fewer blackouts. Your house can even report suspicious electrical activity to you, creating increased security. You may find yourself pressured to have an electrician install solar panels, but the power company will pay you for the extra energy. It will be an improvement for everyone involved.

If we are to protect the future of this planet then it is important that all of us start to look for ways that we can be more environmentally friendly.

One of the best green solutions to the problem of using up scarce resources is to find ways that we as individuals can minimise our carbon footprint.

So here are Five Environmentally Friendly Ways to a Smaller Carbon Footprint:

Ensure your energy use is as efficient as possible

One of the best ways to a smaller carbon footprint is to actually use less energy.

Here are some simple steps you can take to be more energy efficient in your home:

- Install loft insulation if you don’t have any.

- Install double glazed windows (and make sure the windows are shut, so that there is no energy leakage)

- Make sure that any appliances you buy are rated as an “A” for energy efficiency.

- Use your air conditioning less in the summer. Even cutting back by an hour a day is a notable reduction in your carbon footprint.

- Unplug any appliances that don’t need to be left on.

Take direct flights whenever possible

If you are a businessman it may be that you have to fly for business. One way that you can help to reduce the carbon emissions of these trips is to fly directly, rather than having multiple stop-over flights, as these can add considerably to the carbon footprint of any trips.

Keep your car for an extra year

New cars are great and invariably they guzzle less gas then older models. However, the carbon footprint that is required to build a new car (even an electric vehicle) is still considerably greater than the carbon footprint of keeping your old car for a little longer.

This ties in with the common sense notion that all resources are in fact limited, and that when we use some of those precious resources up, that there is a price to be paid in terms of the environment.

Keep your credit card in your wallet

At the heart of all debates about carbon emissions and being more environmentally friendly is when consumerism comes under scrutiny.

The less consumer items that you buy, the less items that need to be manufactured, and the less impact there will be on the environment.

So if you truly care about the environment, keep your money in your pocket and walk on by that tempting item in the shop window.

Walk More and Use a Bike instead of a Car

Whilst it may be more environmentally friendly to keep your old car for a while longer, it is even better if you can use it less, so take your bike and walk whenever possible.

Put these suggestions into practice and you will finally be helping to reduce your carbon footprint and ensure that the planet stays healthy for our children.

Thunderstorms pose a safety hazard in several ways. Lightning is the most dangerous part of a thunderstorm, and it kills more people than hurricanes and tornadoes combined. Thunderstorms produce heavy rain, which can cause flash flooding. The strong winds from a thunderstorm can also cause widespread damage. Each of these components requires specific precautions to minimize their danger.

A thunderstorm typically has a diameter of 15 miles and lasts for 30 minutes, which is much smaller than a hurricane or winter storm. The National Weather Service places specific criteria on a severe thunderstorm. These include thunderstorms that produce hail with a diameter of at least ¾ inch, wind gusts of at least 58 mph or a tornado. Severe thunderstorms comprise about 10 percent of all thunderstorms.

Lightning

Lightning from a thunderstorm can strike as far as 10 miles away in from any rain. This generally means that you are at risk from lightning. Lightning travels much faster than sound, which allows you to estimate your distance from the lightning. You can do this by measuring the number of seconds between the lightning and thunder. Divide this result by five to obtain the distance to the lightning in miles.

The NWS recommends that you stay indoors for 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder when you hear thunder less than 30 seconds after the lightning. This rule is known as the 30/30 lightning safety rule.

Emergency Shelter

You may need to take emergency shelter in a thunderstorm if you don’t have time to get back to your main residence before the thunderstorm hits. A shelter should generally be a sturdy structure that is closed on the top. It should also have some type of wiring or plumbing through the structure to ground it from the lightning. A vehicle with a hard top is better than no shelter at all.

Avoid taking emergency shelter in structures that are vulnerable to high winds, such as a mobile home. Outdoors shelters such as sheds, pavilions and golf’s typically will not protect you from flying debris and lightning. Avoid and report downed power lines. Bring pets and livestock under shelter to protect them during hailstorms.

Indoor Precautions

You must also take additional precautions once you are safely indoors. Unplug any electrical appliances that you don’t need immediately, since lightning can severely damage electrical appliances when they are plugged in. Refrain from activities that involve running water, such as taking a bath or shower. Running water can provide a conduit for lightning. Draw the blinds to protect yourself from broken windows.

Benefit #1 – Environmentally Friendly

One of the main benefits of going with an electric hybrid vehicle is that these vehicles are environmentally friendly. These vehicles produce no waste, eliminating problems like carbon monoxide pollution. Internal combustion engines allow waste to permeate the air by releasing chemicals through the vehicle’s tailpipe. Electric vehicles don’t even have a tailpipe and will not create pollution to the environment.

Benefit #2 – Energy Efficient

If you’re interested in energy conservation, you’ll find that an electric car has the benefit of being energy efficient. Energy is consumed in an efficient manner within these cars. Approximately 75% of the energy from the batteries is converted into energy. On the opposite side, traditional engines lose about 80% of the energy that comes from the fuel.

Benefit #3 – Reduces Dependence on Oil

You’ll also find that an electric car has the benefit of reducing dependence on oil as well. Much of the gasoline used for internal combustion engines is imported in from other countries, making these vehicles reliant on foreign oil. Many feel that dependence on foreign oil is a natural security problem, not just an environmental one. Cars that run on electricity get the electricity needed from the car’s batteries. While hybrids may use some gasoline, they are not fully dependent on the oil imported from other countries.

Benefit #4 – Provides Savings

Those who purchase and use an electric car can enjoy money saving benefits too. Although the initial investment may seem more expensive, tax credits and lowered long term expenses actually provide savings in the long run.

Benefit #5 – Great Performance

Electric vehicles today can offer great performance as well. Electric engines have fewer moving parts, which makes them less likely to have a problem. This lowers maintenance costs and provides users with a smooth and efficient driving experience.

It’s easy to see that the electric car provides some excellent benefits to consumers today. These benefits can be maximized by having an electrical charging station installed at your home as well. Professional electric companies install these charging stations, which make it easier to keep your electric vehicle charged. With installation of a quality charging station, you can enjoy faster and more efficient charge times, making the most of your hybrid vehicle.

Incandescent

Incandescent bulbs generally consist of a thin tungsten wire, or filament, suspended between two electrodes. This assembly is enclosed in a glass bulb with a vacuum. The filament glows white hot to produce light, but does not burn due to the lack of oxygen. Incandescent bulbs are the most common and least expensive type of lighting. They typically last between 700 and 1,000 hours, but are less energy efficient than other types of lighting. Incandescent lighting has a warm quality that looks flattering on the skin. An electrician often connects this type of lighting to a dimmer switch.

Fluorescent

Florescent bulbs contain a partial vacuum with mercury and phosphor vapor. Electricity excites the mercury vapor, causing it to produce ultraviolet light. The UV light causes the phosphor vapor to emit visible light. Fluorescent bulbs may use as little as a fourth of the energy of incandescent bulbs and can last up to 10 times longer. The light from these bulbs appears harsher than that from incandescent bulbs. An electrician typically installs this type of bulb in a large area that requires more lighting such as a kitchen or workshop.

Halogen

A halogen bulb is similar to an incandescent bulb except that except the bulb contains an inert gas and a halogen element such as iodine instead of a vacuum. This allows a halogen bulb to operate at a much higher temperature than an incandescent bulb. The light from a halogen bulb is whiter than that from an incandescent bulb. They are more expensive, but also more energy efficient. An electrician typically installs halogen bulbs under cabinets and other recessed areas where people cannot look at them directly.

LED

A light-emitting diode, or LED, uses a semiconductor to convert electricity into visible light. This lighting type has been developed relatively recently and has only been available since the 1960s. LEDs produce low levels of light that are extremely energy-efficient. They only produce directional light, so an electrician typically uses them under counters and for illuminating control displays. This type of lighting often consists of large numbers of individual LEDs clustered together in an array to increase the amount of light. LEDs are relatively expensive, and typically cost at least five times more than florescent bulbs.