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Thermal Image comparison of CFL vs Incandescent
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March 29th, 2009 No comments
Thernal Image of Standard and CFL
This is an image of an incandescent and a compact fluorescent bulb taken with a Testo 880 Infrared camera. The highlighted areas HS1 and HS2 are Hot Spots. HS1 measured 215.2 F and The Compact Fluorescent measured 191.4 F. Doesn’t seem like a lot however, the CFL only consumes 12 Watts and compared to 60 Watts. Using CFL’s will save you $35 over the lifespan of the bulb which is about 7 or 8 times that of incandescent bulbs.
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The Accidental Environmentalist
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March 21st, 2009 No commentsOk, I admit it, I’m obsessed. I can’t stop checking up on it. My charges keep racking up. No matter how hard I try, my family keeps working against me.The best I can do is tread water. It’s the wee hour of the morning, I’ve done all I can do.
What am I talking about? I just purchased TED. The Energy Detective. It’s a little device that wires into your circuit breaker panel that allows you to monitor your power consumption in real time.
As soon as I was able to install and configure it (without reading the manual of course), I noticed that we were consuming 2.6 kilowatts of energy and the Heat Pump was not even working. Ouch, that’s the equivalent of 26, 100 watt incandescent light bulbs burning in your house.I took immediate action. I whizzed around the house looking for anything that “glowed”. I unplugged the plethora of wall warts that have invaded my electrical outlets. I turned off lights, computers, unplugged coffee pots, printers, night lights. With each “Victory” I ran downstairs to see what effect I had. Just when I figured that I had done all I could do, I noticed a blue light behind a computer I had just turned off. It was the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which admittedly is a good idea, However this particular unit was drawing 200 watts without the computer even being turned on.
TED was still displaying 1.6 KW. The family was watching American Idol on our 50″ plasma TV. I refrained from turning it off immediately but later I found that it was drawing 800 Watts. My next investment is going to be a coin slot for the television so that we all understand what the real costs are.
I installed TED on one of our kitchen counters, the next day I noticed that my wife had been paying attention to it.
VICTORY!!!!, That’s it. I’m all in. Compact Fluorescent light bulbs, Energy Star rated appliances, High Efficiency Heating and Cooling equipment, whatever it takes. You can’t measure what you can’t see.
Every homeowner needs to invest in energy monitoring. It pays!
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Top 5 Energy Losers
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March 11th, 2008 No comments1. Incandescent lights - Some countries are actually outlawing them. Consider retrofitting with Compact Fluorescent. Write the installation date on the base with a permanent marker. Manufacturers are happy to replace them should they fail before their life expectancy. They might even send you 2
2. The refrigerator that you inherited from your parents - Old refrigerators never die they just retire to the garage to keep 1 six pack of beer. Consider upgrading to an Energy Star refrigerator and save up to 50% of the power consumption of that old beast.
3. A leaky drafty house - Leaks and openings to the outdoors from your building envelope are robbing you are your comfort and your hard earned cash. If you live in an 800 sq foot house and your utility bills are over $250 per month, you aren’t living in a home, you are camping out. A modest investment in spray foam and blown cellulose insulation will make you snug as a bug. And if bugs are a concern in your home I suggest that you purchase the Borate treated cellulose. Borate, Boric Acid is the same stuff that is in Borax. It’s fairly benign to humans but deadly to vermin.
4. Leaky ductwork - For some reason ductwork is never installed properly. There is a very good chance that your ducts are closely related to Swiss cheese. Leaky, improperly sized ducts are responsible for murdering many a compressor and disrespecting your pocketbook. Leaks cause your compressor to work overtime trying to keep up with a heating or cooling load that never gets satisfied. Most ductwork is undersized which is hard on the blower section of your furnace or air-handler.
5. The “They don’t make em like this anymore furnace” - There is a good reason they don’t make it anymore. A typical standing pilot furnace delivers 60% of its heating capacity to your home and donates a generous 40% of its heat to “Global Warming”, Literally. Today’s furnaces can deliver 90-96% efficiencies and they are much safer than the technologies of the past. However, Before you replace your furnace you need to determine whether or not it is operating properly. Your furnace and air conditioning system should each be serviced every year. If it is in good working order your money may be better spent insulating and sealing your home and your ductwork.
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