So you are in the market for a Solar Panel System for your home? While it is pretty much everyone’s dream to take their house power off the grid, it is even more important to have an “Energy Savings Makeover” first before calling up the Solar Panel Contractor to assure you are needing as little electrical demand as possible (that you can live comfortably with that is). Here are some energy saving changes to make before taking the plunge into a costly solar panel system for your home.
1) Are you still using those energy draining incandescent light bulbs? Incandescent bulbs are old school and can consume from 60 watts up to 100 watts each in a typical household. Did you know that there are really great light bulb alternatives called LED Light Bulbs? There is a 7 Watt LED Light Bulb for example that is equivalent in brightness to a 60 watt incandescent light bulb and a 13 Watt LED Light Bulb that is equivalent in brightness to a 100 watt. So just think.. if you have 5 – 60 watt bulbs (total of 300 watts) and 5 – 100 watt bulbs (total of 500 watts) in your home that’s a total of 800 watts for the 10 light bulbs. Now let’s replace them with LED Light Bulbs and see what we get… 5 – 7 watt LED Bulbs (total of 35 Watts) and 5 – 13 Watt LED Bulbs (total of 65 watts) that’s a total of 100 watts compared to 800 watts! See where I’m going here? So as the very first step, I would recommend replacing all of your household light bulbs with LED Light Bulbs although the price may be higher than CFL’s and incandescent bulbs, some of the main benefits that out weight the cost difference are that LED’s have a life expectancy of 50,000 hours (approx 20 years), they have no harmful chemicals (CFL’s have mercury!), and they are cool to touch. Changing your bulbs is a must no matter if you are definitely getting a solar panel system or not.. who wouldn’t want to save on their electric bill?
2) The other thing that many do not realize is that there are a bunch of little energy draining devices around the home that are still draining electricity even when they are turned off while we are at work or sleeping! Electronic devices like DVD players, Game Consoles, TV’s, Home Theaters, Computer accessories such as printers, monitors etc draw what’s called “phantom power” which is usually for the purposes of keeping a clock going on a DVD player or providing a quick start up operation for a game console.. Not to worry, no need to throw your money down the drain paying for it on your electric bill. For the TV and it’s surrounding accessories (DVD Players etc..) there is a cool energy saving gadget called the TV Trickle Saver which turns all of your devices off automatically when you turn your TV off and vise versa. Here is a cool animation of how it works: How it works. There is another similar product but for a Computer and all of it’s accessories like the monitor, printer etc.. it’s called the PC Trickle Saver. Another cool energy saving gadget is the SensorPlug Motion Activated Electrical Outlet. It does pretty much what the name says.. you plug it into the wall, plug in a table lamp for example then as soon as the sensor on the outlet senses movement, the lamp will come on.. as soon as motion is no longer detected, the lamp goes off.. it’s as simple as that.. Just think about how often you and other family members leave certain things on that would better if turned off when not present in the room..
3) Other energy sopping culprits are heat and air conditioning. You turn your heat or a/c on and it slowly fills spaces throughout your house from room to room. Did you notice that I said “slowly” ? There is a solution though.. a few different air flow boosting products like the ThruWall Room to Room Fan or the EntreeAir Door Frame Fan. If you have the older floor registers then there is also a fan for you – the Equalizer EQ2 Register Booster Fan. All of these air circulating fans move tempered air to where you need it and faster than waiting for the air to just reach various rooms on its own. This means using less of your heat or a/c system which means less power consumption.
And just a suggestion to those who really want to see the how much difference making all of the above the changes effect their electric bill, there is a device called the Blueline Power Cost Monitor. The PowerCost Monitor is a wireless energy monitor for your home. It can tell you at a glance how much electricity your home is using from moment-to-moment and in total. Why wait for your electricity bill when you can see what you are spending on electricity as you spend it!
So these are just a few things to consider doing before getting an estimate on a solar panel system for your home. You will find by doing an ”Energy Saving Makeover” first, that a solar panel system will end up costing you significantly less money. (I doubt most Solar Panel Installers would tell you this). So there you have it folks. Don’t forget to checkout all of these and other energy saving products at EarthTechProducts.com that you could purchase for your home to make your move to a more energy efficient lifestyle easier. If you have any questions about any of these energy saving gadgets, contact an Earthtech Products Representative at 877-548-3387, they are always happy to help.
When we got a hold of this cool new ecofriendly electric scooter at Earthtech Products, no one could leave it alone! We had so much fun exploring the neighborhood with this awesome new eco-friendly scooter that we had to give it our own name here in house – The Earthtech Explorer Electric Scooter. It’s just a fun and addictive 3 wheel electric scooter that gets you from point A to B quickly and efficiently. At a nice cruising speed up to 16 mph, it’s definitely a fun ride. This electric scooter really rocks on distance too – it can travel up to 24 miles on a single charge! When it comes time for charging the unit up, it only takes about 4 – 8 hours to charge and will only cost you around 10 cents of electricity to charge it (we used our BlueLine Power Cost Monitor to verify that).
What a great idea! How come I didn’t think of this??? A Bluetooth Solar Speaker that you can play your music wirelessly from your Bluetooth music device or Bluetooth cell phone… I mean like WOW!
Solar Bluetooth Sound meets Earthtech Labs…
So I put this little bad boy to the test in my lab and boy did it meet my expectations and more! when I first unpackaged it I was very pleased with what was included from the snazzy little carrying case to the 3.5mm headphone retractable cable that allows you to plug any standard headphone jack into the speakers (good for people with iPods or other mp3 players. Not to mention the USB charging cord that allows you to use the included wall plug or you can charge it from your computer or in the car if you have a USB car charging thingy that goes into the car lighter.
So I grabbed the product out of the box (like a child on Christmas morning) because I couldn’t wait to check this thing out! I turned the power button on the Solar Sound Bluetooth Speakers, set the Bluetooth on my cell phone (Palm Pre) on and made it searchable then started my playlist and then music to my ears all in about 1-2 minutes! I couldn’t believe the sound quality and volume on this little thing! I mean it really rocked with a nice full sound that was quite surprising since the speakers on the side looked small. Pretty cool that it came charged already in the box too. One of the features I found the most appealing was that you can control the volume and flip through to the next song from controls right on the Bluetooth speakers. Oh and by the way.. in the middle of my experiment I received a phone call and there was a special ringing on the speakers and I actually took the call on the Bluetooth Speakers. Really cool.
A little on the battery…
I had Pandora playing from my Pre to the Solar Sound Speakers for the majority of the day on my desk at about medium volume (I was at work) and the battery life hung in there for pretty much that whole day and 3/4 of the next day. I started to wonder if this cool device was running on wireless power (hmmmm that would be cool). When the battery finally did die I wanted to test out how well the solar panel worked so I opened the window in my office and placed the unit out of the window ledge for a few hours and brought it back in. I put the music back on and got about 1-1/2 hours from the 2 hour sun charge (not bad at all). I also wanted to see if this thing would melt out in the sun since it was plastic but I guess the guys who made this cool rockin speaker thought of that because it was in just perfect condition when I brought her back inside.
Bottom line.
It’s sleek, sexy, made of great quality, sounds great and no one else has it. Definitely a unique gadget. It was really a big hit here around the office. Everyone was pretty jealous that I was going to be the lucky one to keep it :). All I can say is GET ONE for yourself or for that techie gadget loving person on your gift list they will be really pleased.
You can pick one of these awesome Solar Sound Bluetooth Speakers up online at Earthtech Products by clicking here
The new Kito Wind Up Flashlights are not only great for emergencies but now they’re really cool looking with the new available stylish colors such as Tangerine, Lime Green, Denim, Black Rubber and more! Makes the perfect eco friendly gift! And for under $30, how could you go wrong?
Recently, Nick Garbutt, an Award Winning Wildlife Photographer, took a 4 week long trip to Madagascar (an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa.). Nick took along the SolarGorilla & PowerGorilla Solar Laptop Charger Kit to keep his laptop charged and powered while in Madagascar’s remote areas where electricity was sporatic or even non-existent. Very pleased with the results, Nick stated, “My Work as a wildlife and environmental photographer takes me to some of the remoter parts of the world, places where electricity is often sporatic or non-existent. In today’s world of digital cameras, laptops and instant downloads, keeping equipment powered in the field is a consistant problem. Not any more. The combination of the Solar Gorilla / Power Gorilla is a compact, rugged and convenient solution that gives freedom and piece of mind. Recently, during 4 weeks in the field in Madagascar, I didn’t have to mains charge my Mac Book once!”
Nick Garbutt also sent some great photos of the Solar Gorilla and Power Gorilla in action while on his trip in Madagascar:
Thank you Nick for putting the Solar Gorilla and Power Gorilla to the test! We always appreciate great stories like yours. This really helps others feel confident that the this awesome solar laptop charger works great whether they’re just enjoying the great outdoors with it or if they are on a mission with their dedicated work on the other side of the world in Madagascar!
So you have a shed or a garage outback with no electricity and have been procrastinating about having electricity run to it because of many different reason. Let’s face it between it being a project in itself, running electricity to your shed or garage costs lots of money, adds to your electric bill.. and who wants to deal with a contractor anyway?
Well, with the new emerging solar techologies out there it’s now possible to have a nice functional situation for your shed or garage without the high costs for running electricity to it.
So if its lighting inside your shed or garage that you’re looking for then consider a Solar Shed Light which provides light inside your shed or garage with the convenience of a pull string. Basically the Solar Panel mount attaches to the outside and and the light gets mounted inside then walla your done! You can get a Solar Shed Light for under $120 at EarthtechProducts.com.
If you are looking for some light on the outside of your shed or garage on those nights where you need to run out there for a tool or something then check out the variety of Solar Powered Security Motion Lights that range from $65 – $114 depending on the brightness that you are looking for. These lights are triggered by motion and are completely solar so no maintenance is needed. You simply mount the light in the location of your choice and mount the solar panel in the best location of sun light. The solar panel comes with a nice length of cord so you have the ability to mount the panel in the right place.
If you need some power for running some tools, a radio, or charging other small electronic devices then you can take a look at the Solar Laptop Charger & Portable Power Kit 200 Watt. Despite it’s name Solar Laptop Charger Kit, It can actually do much more than that since it has a built in inverter that allows you to plug in any small 110 v appliance via the 110 v outlet. This unit comes with a foldable solar panel and a power pack 200. You can basically have the foldable panel outside and run the line from the solar panel inside your shed or garage and connect it to the power pack 200 and your all set. what’s great about this set up is that it is portable so you can take with you camping, fishing, hunting, or anywhere else that you need remote power. The Power Pack 200 comes with attached jumper cables and a 250 p.s.i. air compressor (those could be useful )
There are also great alternatives for venting your shed or garage with using Solar Shed Vents. Whether you need exhausting or intake these solar vents really work great. Prices for Solar Vents start at around $99.
So now you know that there are some great alternatives to running electricity to your shed or garage.. so what are you waiting for stop procrastinating!
There are many wind up radios available out there on the market but very few have such great quality as the Eyemax Wind-Up Radio. This crank radio has many nice features like am/fm radio, built-in led flashlight, small solar panel and crank handle. The solar panel is really amazing.. As soon as you put it out in the sun the music starts playing pretty much instantly and will continue playing while in the sun. This item though is most known for it’s crank handle that allows you to crank or wind it up.. A 30-second wind provides 35 minutes of play time. Pretty impressive. This was also the only wind up radio that I have seen with such a great manufacturer (FreePlay) backing it up. They literally replace the unit no questions asked if you experience any problems with it. But I would have to say it would be pretty unlikely that this item would have any defects because it is made with such great quality. I mean nice thick plastic and quality components.
So if you are looking for a great quality eco friendly type gift for the holidays, the Eyemax Wind Up Radio comes highly recommended. psssst it’s only $42.99.
When a home owner considers purchasing a solar panel system for their home there is usually some hesitation because of the high costs associated with having a solar panel system installed. There are more affordable solutions such as starting small with a easy expandable grid tie solar panel kit system.
Grid tie solar panels for the home generate energy from the sun and feed that electricity into your home, selling any excess back into the grid to offset your power bills. Grid tie solar panels for the home are the easiest renewable energy system to install, own and maintain. They have no moving parts, no regular service requirements and make no noise. Solar Grid Tie Solar Panel Kits come with everything you need to start generating your own energy; Solar Panel, mounting system, and built-in grid tie power inverter.
Everything with solar electric grid tie systems are plug and play, leaving lots of room for easy expansion. All you need is a 240 VAC power line run through a disconnect, then to the location where the panels are to be installed, and everything after that simply plugs in. If you ever want to add more power simply purchase additional kits, mount and simply plug them into your existing Solar Grid Tie Solar Panel Kit and your set to generate even more power.
If you are interested in starting a solar panel system for your home the Solar Grid Tie Residential Solar Panel Kit – SGT-160 at Earthtech Products is a great way to start. Whats cool about this grid tie solar panel kit is that it comes with everything you need to install it and has a inverter built-in to the panel.
The future of affordable, renewable residential energy is wind. You’ll be amazed by the wind power you can harness for your home or boat with the following wind generators and turbines. Wind is the future of tomorrow! Depending on the model, a small residential wind turbine with a rated capacity of 1.8 KW and a rotor of 12 feet has the ability to produce an estimated 400 KWh when the wind is breezing at a mere 12 mph. Wind generators and turbines are also designed to last, e.g. Southwest Wind provides estimates of 20 years on some of their products. Think of the favor you’ll be doing Mother Nature when you buy into wind!
The Air-X builds upon what has made AIR the world’s #1 selling small wind turbine. The new technology used in the Air-X was only previously found in mega-watt-class wind turbines.
The AIR-X is an ideal product for the person that needs a little power for basic appliances such as TV, radio and a few lights.
Our customers found this item to be most useful for applications such as alternate power for remote cabins, remote monitoring stations, telecommunication towers, and many more applications. The alternate power applications are endless. The AIR-X uses a new microprocessor based technology that results in an increase in performance, battery charging capability, and reliability. Additionally, “flutter” noise from the machine has been reduced.
The controller allows for peak-power tracking of the wind by optimizing the alternator’s output on all points of the cubic curve and efficiently delivers the energy to the battery. The turbine’s smart controller allows it to actually control blade rotation speed thus eliminating the buzzing noise commonly found with most small wind turbines.
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