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Automobile:

Your fuel costs. Pollution. Our country's dependence on foreign oil. The vehicle you choose to drive

and how you drive it affect all of these issues. To minimize these effects, please look at these ways

to improve your vehicle's fuel efficiency.

        Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline.

• Consider buying a highly fuel-efficient vehicle. A fuel-efficient vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an alternative fuel vehicle could save you a lot at the gas pump and help the environment. See
• the Fuel Economy Guide for more on buying a new fuel-efficient car or truck.
• Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips, each one taken from a cold start, can use
• twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.
• Replace clogged air filters to improve gas mileage by as much as 10% and protect your engine.
• Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks to avoid fuel economy problems due
• to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or transmission problems.
• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
• Use the grade of motor oil recommended by your car's manufacturer. Using a different motor
• oil can lower your gasoline mileage by 1%-2%.
• Check into telecommuting, carpooling and public transit to cut mileage and car maintenance
• costs.
• Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. A roof rack or
• carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to buy a smaller car. However, a
• loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5%.
• Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.
• Use air conditioning only when necessary.
• Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases,
• will save gas.
• When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and
• reduces wear.
• Avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. The http://fueleconomy.gov/ 
• Web site shows how driving speed affects gas mileage.
• Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower
• your highway gas mileage 33% and city mileage 5%.
• Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more
• than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and
• increases emissions.

Ways to Save on Gas Consumption.

Cut out some waste and take advantage of a few overlooked deals, and you can rein in

your budget without feeling like a penny-pincher.

1. Gas - Conserve Fuel in Any Cars:

     5% of your household budget, up 21% from a year ago.

    Underinflated tires can cut your mileage per gallon by 5%, says Jesse Toprak of Edmunds.com.

     Check your tires once a month. And lose the lead foot: You can save up to 33% by maintaining

    steadier, slower speeds. Potential savings: About $800 a year - not to mention what you'll save

    in speeding tickets.

2. Gas - Take Advantage of Your Credit Card:

    If you pay in full each month, pick one, like Chase Freedom, that gives cash back on gas.

    Forget it if you carry a balance: Rewards cards usually charge higher rates.

    Potential savings: Up to $200 a year

3. Gas - Get Rid of the Guzzler:

    Making your next car a hybrid could triple your mileage per gallon. If gas stays above $3.60,

     a Toyota Camry hybrid makes up for its premium over the standard model in a year and a half.

    Even if you don't go hybrid, choosing the most fuel-efficient vehicle in your car class can still

    save $200 to $1,500 a year in fuel costs.

To compare the true fuel cost for all 2008 models, go to edmunds.com or fueleconomy.gov.

Potential savings: $2,400 a year if you trade an SUV for a hybrid

Change your Life Style to a Healthier One         Go Green Helps the Environment.

WHAT DOES GREEN MEAN?

GREEN is a term now widely used to describe buildings designed and constructed with minimal

negative impact to the environment and with an emphasis on conservation of resources,

energy efficiency, and healthful interior spaces.  

Lower the Thermostat:

Each degree you lower the thermostat on your heating system decreases your fuel bill by 3 percent.

Going from 72 degrees down to 68 degrees doesn't matter much in terms of comfort, but it can save

up to 12 percent on your heating bill. (All temperatures in this article are in degrees Fahrenheit.)

If you're using a coil-type thermostat, you'll get more accurate readings if you clean it. Pop off the thermostat cover and blow or gently swipe away the dust.

 

                                                                FOR HEAT                                 
  6 a.m. to 9 a.m. = 68 degrees
  9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. = 60 degrees
  5:30 to 11 p.m. = 68 degrees
  11 p.m. to 6 a.m. = 60 degrees

  FOR AIR CONDITIONING
  6 a.m. to 9 a.m. = 75 degrees
  9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. = 80 degrees
  5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. = 75 degrees
  11 p.m. to 6 a.m. = 80 degrees

Ceiling Fans:

Ceiling fans are everywhere in warm-weather climates. Spinning counterclockwise, they move air

around the room. Not all energy experts feel it's a good idea to use them in the heating season

(doubters says they cool the air too much), but the fans do help bring heated air down to earth

in rooms with cathedral or high-sloped ceilings. However, that's only if you slide the reversing

switch on the side of the motor housing to the winter (clockwise) position. Then run the fan at its

lowest speed. If you can't reverse the blade rotation or if you think the fan is cooling off the room

too much, leave it off.

 

Windows:

Heat lost or gain through windows accounts for 10 to 25 percent of your overall heating bill.

Window films can be retrofitted to existing windows to

reduce heat gain due to solar radiation and provide a

low-cost cooling load reduction. Window films are thin

layers of polyester, metallic coatings, and adhesives

that save energy by limiting both the amount of solar

radiation passing through the windows and the amount

of internal heat escaping through windows. They can be

applied directly to the interior surfaces of all types of

glass and generally last 7 to 12 years.

Typically, in the heating season, more heat escapes from

most windows than comes in from the sun (on a

24-hour basis); the extent depends on the local climate

and the R-value of the window.

Window films can help reduce this costly heat loss by

reflecting indoor radiant heat back into the room. In the

cooling season, even when drapes and blinds are closed,

much of the sun’s heat passes through the glass into the room. Window films address this problem

by reducing solar heat gain at the window. In short, window films save energy by reducing

radiation and other forms of heat transfer through windows, by allowing better balance in heating

and cooling systems and by providing opportunities for HVAC downsizing.

  There are several economic considerations in regard to window film   

  installations. For old, drafty, single-pane windows, complete window 

  replacement is another option. Although this option is more expensive

  than window film installation, it may be more appropriate depending on

  your window condition. It may be most cost effective to install window

  films only on the south and west sides of the building. Window films

  typically cost between $1.35 and $3 per square foot, installed.

  Improperly installed films can, however, bubble, crack, peel, or even

  cause the glass to crack, so it is worthwhile to buy films with a

  material and installation guarantee of 5 to 10 years.

Now, in houses with a south aspect, the sun’s rays penetrate into the porticoes in winter, but in summer, the path of the sun is right above the roof so that there is shade. If, then, this is the best arrangement, we should build the south side loftier to get the winter sun, and the north side lower to keep out the cold winds. Socrates, 360 B.C. Solar radiation can have an enormous influence on the heating and cooling required in a space. The sun often makes perimeter spaces uncomfortably hot, and it also creates glare and fades fabrics. Reducing solar gain (heating caused by solar radiation) offers very profitable opportunities for cooling-load reductions and energy savings. Heat can also be radiated out of the building through the windows in winter if outdoor temperatures are much lower than room temperature. Yet, the amount of heat lost through radiation is far less significant than that of other types of heat gain or loss.

Try do-it-yourself low-E windows. If your windows don't have a low-E coating, consider applying

a self-adhesive film on the glass. This treatment is a lot cheaper than replacing the units, and

better-quality films are quite durable.

Energy Saving Resource Information.

Black Water - Water containing human waste from toilets and urinals. Black water contains pathogens that must be neutralized before the water can be safely reused. Typically black water, after neutralization, is used for non-potable uses such as flushing or irrigation.

Energy Efficiency - Ratio of energy output of a conversion process or of a system to its energy input.

Fossil Fuels - Fuels found in the earths strata that are derived from the fossilized remains of animal and plant matter over millions of years. Fossil fuels include oil, natural gas, shale, and coal. Fossil fuels are considered to be non-renewable since they are consumed faster than their natural production.

Fritted Glass - A special type of glass that utilizes ceramic-enamel coatings in a visible pattern (dots, lines, etc.) to control solar heat gain. The pattern is created by opaque or transparent glass fused to the substrate glass material under high temperatures. The substrate is heat strengthened or tempered to prevent breakage due to thermal stresses.

Fuel Cell - An electrochemical device in which hydrogen is combined with oxygen to produce electricity with heat and water vapor as by products. Natural gas is often used as the source of hydrogen with air as the source of oxygen. Since electricity is produced by a chemical reaction and not by combustion, fuel cells are considered to be green power producers. Fuel cell technology is quite old, dating back to the early days of the space program. Commercial use of fuel cells has been sporadic, however, the use of fuel cells in automobiles and buildings is expected to increase in the next decade.

Global Warming - An increase in the global mean temperature of the Earth that is (or is thought to be) a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases that are trapped within the earth’s atmosphere. Global warming is believed to have adverse consequences such as climate change and a rise in sea levels. The scientific community is in general agreement that the Earth’s surface has warmed by about 1°F in the past 140 years.

Green - A term that is widely used to describe a building and site that is designed in an environmentally sensitive manner, i.e. with minimal impact to the environment.

Green Building - A building that minimizes impact on the environment through resource (energy, water, etc.) conservation and contributes to the health of its occupants. Comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and healthful environments characterize green buildings.

Greenhouse Effect - Greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere permit solar radiation to pass through but prevent most of the reflected infrared radiation from the earth’s surface and lower atmosphere from escaping into outer space. This process occurs naturally and has kept the earth’s average surface temperature at approximately 60°F. Life on earth would not be possible without the natural greenhouse effect, but environmental scientists are concerned about the increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, leading to climate change and its consequential adverse effects.

Greenhouse Gases - Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the earth’s atmosphere. Common greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), hydrofluoro-carbons (HFCs) and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6). Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxides are of particular concern due to their long residence time in the atmosphere.

Green Power - Electricity generated from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric).

LEED - An acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a point­based rating system developed by the US Green Building Council that evaluates the environmental performance from a “whole building” perspective over its life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a green building according to six categories:

• Sustainable sites
• Water efficiency
• Energy and atmosphere
• Materials and resources
• Indoor environmental quality
• Innovation and design process

Buildings evaluated by LEED are rated as certified, silver, gold, or platinum. There are a total of 69 LEED credits available in the six categories: 26 credits are required to attain the most basic level of LEED certification; 33 to 38 credits are needed for Silver; 39 to 51 credits for Gold; 52 to 69 credits for the Platinum rating.

Low-e Glass - Low-e (Low emissivity) glass has an invisible thin-film metallic or oxide coating which allows the passage of short-wave solar energy into a building but prevents long-wave energy produced by heating systems and lighting from escaping outside.

Non-renewable Energy Resources - Energy resources that cannot be restored or replenished by natural processes and therefore are depleted through use. Commonly used non-renewable energy resources include coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium.

Ozone (O3) - Ozone is a greenhouse gas present in the stratosphere and the troposphere. In the stratosphere, ozone provides a protective layer shielding the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the lower atmosphere ozone is a pollutant that causes respiratory problems and is an ingredient of smog.

R-Value - A unit of thermal resistance. A material’s R-value is a measure of the effectiveness of the material in stopping the flow of heat through it. The higher a material’s R-value, the greater its insulating properties and the slower the heat flow through it.

Renewable Energy Sources - Energy sources that replenish themselves naturally within a short period of time. Sources of renewable energy include solar energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, wind power, ocean thermal energy, wave power, wind power and fuel wood.

Solar Collector - A device used to absorb heat from the sun. In the context of buildings, the absorbed energy typically heats water, which is then used for space heating and/or domestic hot water.

Spectrally Selective Glazing – Glazing that has a high transmittance of visible light but low transmittance of solar heat gain.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) - Organic compounds that evaporate at room temperatures and are often hazardous to human health, causing poor indoor air quality. Sources of VOC’s include solvents and paints. Many materials commonly used in building construction such as carpets, furniture and paints emit VOC’s

Wind Turbine - A device that converts the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy that can be used to drive equipment such as pumps. The addition of a generator allows the wind’s kinetic energy to be converted into electricity. There are two types of wind turbines, namely: horizontal axis turbines - blades rotate about a horizontal axis; and vertical axis turbines - blades rotate about a vertical axis.

 

 

10 ways to keep cool as the mercury rises this summer. From Amazon.com

10 Ways to Keep Cool

1.		Hunter Ceiling Fan ► Chill out beneath a WhisperWind-powered ceiling fan
2.		Pattern Master Impulse Sprinkler ► Run through the sprinkler--still one of the most fun ways to cool down
3.		Honeywell Programmable Thermostat ► Keep cool, around the clock, with a programmable thermostat
4.		Fresh Fog Misting System ► Tame the heat with an outdoor misting system
5.		Sidewinder Outdoor Misting System ► Get a cooling spray from the flexible Sidewinder
6.		Glare Control Window Film ► Apply energy film to windows to help block solar heat and save up to 18% on annual energy costs
7.		Monte Carlo Outdoor Ceiling Fan ► Generate a cool breeze through your cabana with an outdoor ceiling fan
8.		InSinkErator Instant Hot & Cold ► Have cold delicious water on tap with an InSinkErator
9.		All-Climate Weatherstrip ► Seal in cold air and keep the hot out with weatherstripping around windows and doors
10.		Gladiator Freezerator Convertible    Refrigerator/Freezer ► Stash Popsicles and other icy treats in a Freezerat