You can start by thinking about the type of light bulbs you are using. We can really reduce here and be more friendly to the environment as well. You can buy more energy efficient ones in any size you need for all the rooms in your home. They have really come down in price and what you spend on them you will save with a lower electricity bill each month.

It is simple to even cut back on the amount of lighting you use all together. Try opening curtains during the day to allow the natural sunlight to shine through. This way you will only need to turn your lights on at night when the sun goes down or on cloudy days.

Sky lights are an amazing light source. They have become very popular for businesses and even in newer homes. They allow even more sunlight to shine into a room and so you reduce your use of electricity. Some of the larger retail stores such as Wal-Mart use this as much as possible.

You can also use alternative energy sources to generate electricity. Installing solar panels on your roof which will collect electricity is a great choice. You can use this source for all your home needs when you do need to turn something on. If you run out of the solar power energy you have collected it will immediately kick over to the regular electricity without any interruption to you at all.

There is also the use of wind and water power in some areas. Take a look at these alternative methods and see what you can do with them for your own home.

One of the biggest wasters of electricity is leaving the lights burning when you are away from home. Here again there are some great alternatives to consider.

You can use decorative solar lights along your driveway. There are many styles to choose from. Some of them are very short while others are tall lantern style. The look is completely up to you which would look best for the landscaping of your home. Since you don’t need to plug them in they can be placed anywhere you would like to be.

They collect power from the sun during the day time and as soon as it gets dark they will illuminate your yard. When they run out of energy they simply turn off. When the sun comes up they start collecting energy for use all over again.

Another alternative is installing motion lights. These lights don’t have to be left on when you leave home. They will come on automatically when you pull into your driveway, based on the movement that is detected. They will remain on for a short period of time which allows you to get safely into your home with the light you need.

The use of windmills is also being looked at in many areas to create energy. Sometimes water known as hydropower is also available.

However, the light bulbs you use will help you get the most out of these benefits.

If you are using your electricity in an eco-friendly way from start to finish you won’t feel bad about consuming what you need, to operate lights and the electronics that you use in your home and business.

The problem with solar panel systems is they are bulky and unattractive. New solar technology is making such criticisms a thing of the past.

Everyone agrees solar energy is clean, and is becoming a cost-effective energy source. The problem is solar panel systems are large and rather bulky. And even though solar panel designs have improved over the years they don’t add to the beauty of your home.

New solar technology involving shingles is getting a lot of attention. These new Photovoltaic shingles are a major design breakthrough. Especially for those of you who have distaste for the large solar panel systems. These shingles give you the physical appearance of a regular shingle roof and simply replace the regular shingles on your roof. They look like a regular roof and many people cannot tell the difference because they do not standout from the roof in the same way as panels. Though they only come in black. Obviously, this gives you a much more appealing look than the bulky designs of adding on panel systems.

The invention of a thin film photovoltaic cell was the technological breakthrough that made this new technology possible. It is known as “amorphous silicon thin alloy technology”. After the designers stepped back from the present solar panel designs and did some creative thinking they discovered that the materials used in panels were not the only ones that could be used. The solution was more efficient cells that could be built on a steel substrate. Each of these super thin cells was tailored to capture different spectrums of the sunlight. They were then layered on top of each other thus becoming extremely efficient at producing power.

These cells are more efficient than regular solar panel cells and far more normal and appealing from a visual perspective. So if your excuse for not using solar in the past was the bulky system, you need to check into this new solar technology.

Will this new technology become the breakthrough we have been waiting for in solar power? Well it already is proving to be significant if you consider the following.

1. Habitat for Humanity is using the system on many of the homes it builds.
2. Lockheed Martin is experimenting with the technology as a power source for high altitude flights.
3. The United States Army is building a solar powered community using it.
4. Museums in Beijing, China are converting to it.

This new solar technology represents a major breakthrough in the industry in the opinion of many experts. Solar energy represents one of the best solutions for decreasing our dependence on our non renewable resources such as oil and natural gas. And with energy prices on our non renewable resources exploding solar is also becoming cost effective. Just think we’ll never have to worry about the sun giving us free power for the foreseeable future.

Maintaining our homes has many benefits though.
It helps our home retain its value.
It actually saves us work in the long run.
It often makes our home more functional.
Most of all it usually saves us money.

One of the most important parts of our homes is its windows and doors. Many people understand this as they are one of the most demanded products at the present time. Double glazed windows and doors are extremely efficient, attractive and contribute to the security of the home. They can also drastically improve the look of your home.

Double glazing means two panes of glass placed several millimeters apart in order to form the window having air trapped within. They are highly efficient, in general terms. They are very efficient in cutting your heat loss. They also decrease the noise level from outside your home and eliminate internal condensation.

But before buying any double glazing we should always research the marketplace both to know what you’re buying and to get the best value for your money.

What you should always keep in mind when looking for a double glazing company:

1) Find out what services they offer.

2) Are they an authorized dealer of the products they’re selling?

3) There is a fair amount of technical information involved in the manufacture of these windows (space between the glass; low E, argon gas, frame construction, etc.) Though you may not understand everything about them the values of these things you certainly can compare.

4) Find out who will be installing and maintaining the products.

5) Get a couple of their satisfied customer names with their phone numbers.

6) Ensure that they are a member of the Better Business Bureau, which will give you some further input on their business.

Before buying new windows, you should request quotes from two or three different companies. This will allow you to compare the different aspects of each quote. (price difference, quality, maintenance and services issues). This will enable you to get the best overall price and job.

When deciding which company to use, you should also get clear answers from them related to the price and payment.

You should ask for a detailed price description, detailing the product cost along with maintenance and installation cost. Also when the job will start and an end date of the work, along with the payment terms and conditions. You need to be clear about the payment terms and conditions, how the payment is to be made, either as one payment or on installment.

New double glazed windows and doors are a great investment both for the present (saving heating costs, and your comfort) and the future life of your home.

The predicted consequences are predicted to be quite severe.

1. They include major changes in climate which will have impact on food production.
2. The sea levels will rise because of the melting polar caps which could submerge coastal and other low lying communities.

We have recently discovered that our near neighbor, the planet Venus has what some have described as having runaway greenhouse effect, Because of its dense atmospheric gases. This is giving it surface temperatures of about 8000F. Now you may love the warm summer weather, but that would be a little too hot for anyone. These facts are lurking in the background giving us much concern, will that happen here?

The villains in our greenhouse effect are gases in our atmosphere such as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide by the way is the gas we all exhale as we breathe, has an unusual habit. Its habit is to absorb infra-red radiation. Infra-red radiation is actually heat radiating away from a warm object for those of you who might need a little refresher on their science.

So it works like this. During the day the sunlight warms the earth and during the night the Earth cools. This happens by it radiating heat into space in the form of infra-red radiation. Carbon dioxide, with a little help from some other gases, absorbs this radiation, not allowing it to exit out into space. Thus limiting the earth’s natural ability to cool itself.

One of the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is exhaust for cars and industrial plants etc. Some people may think it would be better to have no greenhouse effect at all. But that is not what we want either.

Water vapor is another member of the heat absorbing group. There is a large amount of water vapor in our atmosphere all the time. This is why it rains. This water vapor absorbs heat and keeps the Earth comfortable and warm. Without this warming ability the planet would freeze, and the earth would not be able to support life as we know it. We therefore do need some greenhouse effect, just not too much and not in ever increasing amounts no matter how small those increases may be.

Mother Nature tells us that both extremes (extreme hot or cold) are harmful. Our atmosphere is what makes our planet earth different than any other known planet. It moderates the temperature so that we can survive temperature wise and it gives us air to breathe. That is why it is so important to protect and pressure what we have.

Going green to protect our planet is not an option in my opinion. I trust you feel the same way so let’s do what we can before it’s too late.

At the present time the US military has a working relationship with their allies and local countries sympathetic to them to help their forces get energy they need and clean water when deployed in that foreign military endeavor. This however is not always very reliable, as they may find themselves in a situation where the resources needed to fully sustain the troops and their needs are not able to be provided.

As a result the US military is very interested in developing alternative energies that can be researched and developed to make them energy independent in the field. Or at least allow it to be a great deal more so, in the field.

One of the things that interest the military a lot is to be able to develop a small nuclear reactor that is portable for producing electricity. The military is impressed with how energy efficient they are and how clean-burning nuclear reactors are. They are researching how to make them small and portable for the highly mobile, small-scaled military operations that they are typically involved in today.

One of the major things that the US military thinks these small nuclear reactors would be useful for is the removal of hydrogen from seawater (for fuel cell). It thinks that converting seawater to hydrogen fuel in this way would also have less negative impact on the environment than their present practices.

Using ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), seawater can also be endlessly converted into desalinated drinkable water and energy. Seawater can be endlessly used in this way for capturing hydrogen, which in turn powers advanced fuel cells. Seawater is, in fact, one of the military’s highest interests when it comes to the matter of alternative energy supply. Drinkable water and hydrogen for power are two of the things that a near-future deployed military force will need most of all.

This technology works because in the cores of nuclear reactors encounter temperatures greater than 1000 degrees Celsius. When this level of temperature is reached, we have on our hands the most efficient means of breaking down water into its component parts, which are. The seawater would have to go through a desalination process to extract the minerals and salts before its components (hydrogen and oxygen) could be extracted. The minerals and salts could then be utilized for things such as vitamins or in salt shakers, or simply sent back to the ocean (recycling).

Using small portable nuclear reactors to extract hydrogen from the sea is clearly high on the militaries research and development priorities. This hydrogen will be used in fuel cells used to power next generation airplanes, tanks, ground vehicles, and many other things.

These technologies will then be developed for use by the general population. You may disagree on the reasons for developing new technologies but none of us can argue with the results. Just think of what we wouldn’t have today if the space programs R & D didn’t develop many of the technologies we use in our everyday lives today.

There is something about bamboo floors that gives a room a great esthetic and earthy feel. Hardwoods like oak can be rather dark which makes them look heavy while using bamboo as your flooring can make your space appear lighter and airier.

Installing bamboo flooring does not require any special and specific technique. In fact, it is installed in the same ways as hardwood flooring is. You can float them, nail them down, or glue them down.

One of the things that make Bamboo green is that it only takes around 3 years for it to mature. This is much different than oak. An oak tree can take up to a hundred years to be fully mature. So Bamboo is very sustainable.

The cost of bamboo flooring is also very much in line with many types of wood flooring. For instance it averages at between $2 and $4 for every square foot, which is just about the same price as oak. This is a fair price considering the many benefits it offers.

To make a solid slab Bamboo floor, the bamboo tubes are cut into strips. These are then boiled to strip the starch away. The boiled strips proceed to the drying and lamination process, and then are milled to become strip floor boards. This is a very similar process to what hardwoods like maple or oak go through. Finally, the strips are treated using a preservative to slow down decay and give it a protective coating.

Perhaps one of the best things about bamboo floors is that it is easy to find. Bamboo floor strips are sold at all building materials stores. You don’t have to search far and wide to get your hands on some.

Not only that; but shopping for bamboo floors can be a fun and exciting experience. Don’t let the various bamboo types, finish options, and accessories overwhelm you.
Bamboo floors are a popular choice, and for many good reasons. This unique type of flooring is environmentally friendly, durable, attractive and hypoallergenic. Prefinished bamboo flooring is an environmentally–friendly ways to add beauty and value to your home.

Bamboo flooring has become known as the “going green flooring” and has been proven to outperform traditional hardwood flooring in many different aspects. Bamboo flooring has become the choice for many who are remodeling their homes. Bamboo floors are ideal for allergy sufferers and are very easy to clean.

If you’ve decided that a part of your living space could be greatly enhanced with bamboo flooring, good choice! Prices of this environment friendly floor covering are currently very attractive and some good deals can be had if you look around a bit.

Pull weeds. Yes I know we are all naturally lazy and are looking for the quickest and easiest way to safely get rid of weeds without chemicals. But the good old fashioned way is still one of the most effective ways. Just take a little time every day to pull some weeds, that way it doesn’t seem like a lot of work. You might even get the kids involved, just be careful how you do it so you don’t spread the seeds around.

Plant some natural repelling plants. You don’t need to rely on poisons to keep away garden ruining pests. Many plants produce chemicals that repel these critters naturally. By planting them around in your garden, you can control pests with little effort and no chemicals. You can also use these plants to make products to keep pests away from you too.

If you don’t have room to plant these natural repellent plants in your garden, you can use them to make sprays you can use on your plants without harming them or adding artificial chemicals to your garden. Herbs like vanilla, hot pepper and lavender can help repel insects from your garden.

Pick appropriate plants. Not all plants are appropriate for the area you live in. While we would like to we can’t control the temperature, humidity, and rain conditions in our garden. Don’t get me wrong we sure try but If you pick appropriate plants for your area, you may be able to avoid using fertilizers and saving on water too. We all try to expand our environment as much as we can, don’t we? But if we research which plants are native to our surrounding area and plant them in our own garden then they will be much more tolerant and grow without all the chemicals.

Crop rotation. Farmers all over the world use crop rotation as a way of naturally fertilizing. The idea is to change what you’re growing in a certain field each year. You see plants use different nutrients and put other nutrients back into the soil. When you rotate crops that replaces the nutrients the other plants used. This way you will have to fertilize less. This same concept can be used in your garden by rotating where you put specific plants in the garden or planting different plants every year.

After you’ve made all these changes of using less water and being chemical free the next important thing is to pass it on! Yes one garden can make a difference, but more can make an even bigger difference. So help your friends and neighbors to make the same changes. Teach your kids, and teach your kids friends! Every little bit will help make this a better world.

So why should you use Solar Lighting for your pool?

You may not know but solar energy has been used by man almost since the beginning of time. One recorded early user was John Herschel, a British explorer, who in the 1830′s used the first modified solar collector to cook food on an African expedition. Since that time man has come a long way in figuring out ways to harness the sun’s power in both big and small ways.

One smaller way that the average person can use solar power in a cost effective way is for solar pool lighting .

Many homeowners who have a pool take advantage of the use of pool lighting so that they can enhance the look of their backyard. They also use pool lights at night for safety and atmosphere. Unfortunately, traditional lighting can be a real drag on your electric bill.

If you go the battery route it can a real pain in the derriere. If you are using floating pool lights with batteries you will find out that these batteries are not cheap and the lights can be actually quite costly to run. These batteries are also harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly.

A question you might be asking yourself is if there are any other options for illuminating your pool. These options need to be both cost effective and easy to work with. The option that really solves all the problems is solar pool lighting .

These lights float on the surface of the water. They collect the sun’s energy all day via the solar collectors they have on the top of their waterproof case. This collected solar energy is stored in a rechargeable battery located within the light.
The solar pool lights are turned on automatically with a light sensor as night falls. The power stored in the battery powers a small LED light which is very energy efficient. This allows the stored energy to power the pool lights for eight to ten hours at a stretch.

Though using solar pool lights may seem very small in the battle both against the utility bills and fossil fuel usage, you need to appreciate that every little step helps. Even changing one light bulb in your house to an energy efficient light bulb will save you money. Not only that but it is a part of saving thousands of tons of pollutant from fossil fuel energy production. If we each did our part it would make a big difference given the sheer numbers.

So if you have a pool you should consider converting your pool lighting to solar and help the green revolution.

Apart from cooling a room, a good air conditioner should also filter the air coming out of it. A quality air conditioner will be made so that it thoroughly filters the outside air and allows only clean air to enter your home.

What you need, is an air conditioner that comes with an inbuilt air filter. Not all air conditioners available on the market are capable of filtering the outside air to the same extent. So if you are really concerned about the quality of air you are breathing or if you have problems breathing because of dust, fumes and smoke, allergies or chronic breathing problems you should go for a high quality air conditioner, which has a proper air cleaner built into it.

To make sure your air conditioner has a good long life and your air filtration set up functions properly, you will need to give it regular attention and maintenance. Don’t wait until your air conditioner stops cooling properly or the inside air isn’t as clean as it should be before you give it maintenance. In fact, experts suggest you change or clean the filter every month to ensure the best air quality and for it to continue cooling properly. Some people may think they only have to look at it once a year but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Few routine chores will pay off more handsomely, both in comfort and in dollars saved, than a simple air conditioner cleaning. You can bet that it doesn’t take long for dirt and debris to clog the cooling fins and lower the unit’s efficiency. Dirty air conditioners will even stop cooling altogether. Contractors estimate that more than 90 percent of air-conditioner failures were the result of the owner’s failing to clean them!

Also if your air conditioner is not properly maintained, and operated, the components can become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris. If moisture is present (and it is), the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is increased and spores from such growth may be released into the home’s living space.

Start by removing the filter from the front grille. If it is a disposable type simply replace it with a new one. Other types are made in a plastic frame and can be cleaned and reused. To clean a reusable type filter lay it flat in the sink and sprinkle the surface with laundry detergent. Then cover with about one inch of hot water, just enough so the filter is submerged. Soak for 15 minutes. Remove from water and rinse with warm water then hang it up to dry before reinstalling it.

Homeowners can also keep the condenser and evaporator coils clean which will help the unit run longer and more efficiently. When cleaning the coils of a window air conditioner, use a low-foaming cleaner. You can also purchase coil cleaner in an aerosol can which is quite convenient and simple to use.

Indoor air quality may be invisible, but it still has an impact on your family’s health and the health of your home. Levels of many pollutants can be far higher indoors than they are outdoors and indoor pollutants can seriously affect your health. Having a good air conditioner is not enough, so remember to open your doors and windows from time to time to flush the impure air out of your home. Your house keeping style can also have a big impact on the health of your home.

I am going to try to answer some of your questions and give you some understanding of what these terms mean so that you can make an informed decision on purchasing the right product for your home.

HEPA

HEPA filters are High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance and were originated during the Second World War. Originally designed to prevent radioactive particles from entering the respiratory system, today they are the best air cleaners in the market. Their filtration rate is slightly below 100%. They can remove all particles of size 0.3 microns from the air.

OEM

OEM is the Original Equipment Manufacturer who not only sells you the product but also provides spare parts made by the same manufacturer when the parts in the product need replacing. You might be able to get generic parts in the market, which can be cheaper but they are often not of the same quality. Buying your product from the OEM, you can be confident of a good quality not only on the product but also on the spare parts you might need. Besides, the OEM will also take the responsibility for maintaining your air cleaner. This ensures that you get the best quality service for all your equipment.

MERV

MERV or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value tells you the efficiency of the air filters. This is the ability of your filter to remove particles from the air. You should be looking for values in the range of 12 to 16. Lower values tell you that the filter is not very efficient at removing particles. Values of 12 to 16 tell you that the filter is highly efficient at removing particles. This is a standard measurement used by all the air cleaner manufacturers. It makes comparing the different products on the market very easy.

CADR

CADR or Clean Air Delivery Rate is the rate at which air is filtered and free from three major problems (dust, pollen and cigarette smoke). The higher the number the higher the rate of filtration and thus both the efficiency and the quality filter. You really need to buy an air cleaner whose CADR is around two third of the area of the room that you want to filter. You should be able to find these numbers are marked on the box or in the information on the air filters. Note that they indicate how the filter will perform when it is brand new and when you are using parts supplied by OEM and not by the generic manufacturers.

For a healthier future consider using a HEPA filter in your home and let your whole family breath easier.