We started the blog writing in “we”, and have not distinguished between the two of us.  Well, now we are ready for a little more personalization.  We want the people that are coming to our site to feel like they have a connection with us.  We reached our first goal with the blog a few days ago, and for that, we thank you, the readers.  We thought that our first goal would take a few weeks, and it happened in less that two weeks. While we are being honest, that goal was 100 visits in a single day.  That happened September 8th, and we hit 129.  We have no one else to thank but you, so again…Thank You for your interest, and if you like what you see, please let us know, or give us ideas for improvements.  Let’s get into the nuts and bolts:

L.J.

I am a California native, who currently resides in North Dakota, with a background in linguistics from the United States Air Force. I started off my college career to be an architect, but quickly learned that was not the path for me. I went back to school after the 6 years in the military and got my Business Management Degree. I plan on getting an M.B.A with a concentration in marketing. I love to think idealistic when it comes to Alternative Energy. I see a future filled with cars that are not constrained by the dirty word…”oil”. Not that I am against oil, but I am against the idea that a company has designed an infrustrucutre that makes us dependent on a commodity which continues to raise in price. I do understand that people need to make a living, but at what cost? Do they get to continue to receive a profit in the billions while you and I(the average American) pays the price. They say that supply and demand drives the cost up, but they continue to pad their wallets. This is the fundamental reason I am against oil and petroleum. To top it all off, we continue to ruin the place we live because…we are unsure of which alternative energy is going to take off? This is not the VCR and BETA race ladies and gentlemen, this is a race to find a solution to help the planet we live on.

Take a Stand

…topic

Let see and hear what she has to say.

1/2 hour interview by IDB on energy

Is Drilling the answer?

Take a Stand

Make a Difference

This article will be mostly about Compact Flourescent bulbs or “CFLs”.   Here are some common tips that we got from “The Family Handyman.”

CFLs have come a long way.  They used to be almost $15 dollars a piece with many problems.  That is the past, and now you can buy a CFL for as little as $3 a piece and is the easiest way to save money on energy.  These bulbs are still hard to understand at times when you are purchasing, so here are a few buying guides.

First, how to chooce a bulb:

When purchasing bulbs, typically we as consumers refer to the wattage of the bulb.  You typically look at 60-watt or 100-watt bulbs.  This can be confusing when purchasing CFL bulbs.  You should look more at the lumens when purchasing CFL bubls.  Typically, you should buy a CFL with 20% more lumens than that of your standard bulb.   As an example, to replace a 60-watt bulb that has 870 lumens, you you should but a bulb with 1050 lumens.  That should give you the same output you are looking for.

Best (and worst) place to use:

CFLs can last up to 10 times as long as a typical incandescent bulb, so you may want to consider putting CFLs in places that are hard to reach.  You may only have to get in the rafters once every five years instead of every year.  Also, they do well in a place that is constantly on more than 3 hours a day.

CFLs don’t do as well in on-off switching, excessive vibration near doors or stairways,  or high-humidity.  The things may shorten the life span of the CFL.

These are just some simple things that you can do to cut-back on energy useage.  Next time you go buy light bulbs, which we all do, and sometimes often, think twice before you pick up those incandescent bulbs.

Take a small stand…

We personally want to share this video with you again because this plan is phenomenal.

This gentleman has the same thoughts that we do.  The main being collaboration.  We as a society can do anything, if we were all on the same page.  We want to personally thank Mitch Miller for the insight and reference for this video for a second post.  Take the next 5 minutes and do yourself and our country a favor and watch the video.

T. Boone Pickens

Together…we can take a stand to make a difference!!

Check it out….   Now you can subscribe to our feed, and you can get an email notification everytime we post a new blog.  Look up on the top toolbar, and click on Subscribe.

Don’t miss out how to Take a Stand…

Don’t miss out how to Make a Difference

Earning the ENERGY STAR means products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

• ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pumps use about 30% less energy than a standard heat pump.
• They are quieter than conventional systems.

Geothermal heat pumps (sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps) have been in use since the late 1940s. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.

As with any heat pump, geothermal and water-source heat pumps are able to heat, cool, and, if so equipped, supply the house with hot water. Some models of geothermal systems are available with two-speed compressors and variable fans for more comfort and energy savings. Relative to air-source heat pumps, they are quieter, last longer, need little maintenance, and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air.

A dual-source heat pump combines an air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump. These appliances combine the best of both systems. Dual-source heat pumps have higher efficiency ratings than air-source units, but are not as efficient as geothermal units. The main advantage of dual-source systems is that they cost much less to install than a single geothermal unit, and work almost as well.

Even though the installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop. There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year.

Take a Stand, Make a Differnce

As previously stated, with the high cost of natural gas this winter, let’s start cutting back on energy. HERE is a good article on how much electricity your stuff uses.   Also, let’s break down how much your gas bill will be.  To estimate how much it will cost you to operate a natural gas appliance or piece of equipment each month, you need to do three things:

Determine how many therms that appliance or piece of equipment uses each month.
Determine your cost per therm rate. Your cost per therm rate can be found on your paper bill.
Calculate the natural gas usage and expense. (Remember, your calculations will be approximate.)

A average water heater uses about 18 therms a month. Multiply that by $1.67 (estimated average across the USA) per therm = 30.06 estimated monthly cost of natural gas to operate your water heater.  This is an old estimate, but it gives you an idea of how to figure it out.

We want to first discuss Tankless Water Heaters.  This is something that companies are pushing because they are supposed to “save energy”.  This is done by only taking water when you “need” it.  They are also called an “on-demand” water heater.  These seem to be what everyone is talking about right now.  Let us first tell you, we commend you on trying to conserve energy, if you have looked into these, or already have one.  Now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about the biggest downfall there is.  Natural Gas is going through the roof, and if you are looking at a nat gas tankless water heater, you are looking at a hefty gas bill every month.  For more in depth information, “Ask the Builder” has done a lot of research, check it out.

Solar Power Water Heater:  Having half of all households use solar water heaters might not be such a tall order. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), there are 1.5 million solar water heaters already in use in U.S. homes and businesses. Solar water heater systems can work in any climate and EESI estimates that 40 percent of all U.S. homes have sufficient access to sunlight such that 29 million additional solar water heaters could be installed right now.  According to the EESI, residential solar water heater systems cost between $1,500 and $3,500, compared to $150 to $450 for electric and gas heaters. With savings in electricity or natural gas, solar water heaters pay for themselves within four to eight years. And solar water heaters last between 15 and 40 years–the same as conventional systems–so after that initial payback period is up, zero energy cost essentially means having free hot water for years to come.  What’s more, in 2005 the U.S. began offering homeowners tax credits of up to 30 percent (capped at $2,000) of the cost of installing a solar water heater. The credit is not available for swimming pool or hot tub heaters, and the system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation.

HERE is a good starting article about Solar Water Heaters, and information to get you started

THIS is a great link of more information.

Hopefully this post empowers you to Take a Stand against the high energy costs.

If you have done a water heater, shopped for a water heater, or in general have some insight on water heaters and saving energy, let us know.

Take a Stand, Make a difference

First and foremost, we are not out to shift voters.  This post is not about who the better candidate is, but rather how important Energy is to our nation.  This post in no way reflects our own political views.

That being said, let’s dig into the Energy.  As we have posted previously, energy is an enormous problem that needs to be solved.  Relating back to a previous post, what happened to the days where Americans raced with Russia to get to the moon?  What happend to the United States being a head of the game?  Most of this has to do with we are losing Math and Science specialists.

So, the coin flip goes up on which candidate goes first, and it is tails, which was Obama.

On cars and driving:

Obama: Would provide $4 billion in loans and tax credits to American auto plants and manufacturers so that they can retool factories and build fuel-efficient cars; would put 1 million 150-mpg, plug-in hybrids on U.S. roads within six years and would give consumers a $7,000 tax credit to buy fuel-efficient cars.

McCain: Proposed a $300 million award for “the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.” Called for the suspension of the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal gas tax and 24.4-cent-a-gallon diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Says the lost revenue would be paid for by money from the general fund.

Both of their ideas and plans are solid.  The break at the pump would sure be nice, but as we have stated before, it isn’t just about cutting the cost, we need to find alternatives.  Obama’s idea would be phenomenal, but is it obtainable?  McCain has a good idea, because in order for the electric car to flourish, the battery needs to be improved….In your opinion…who wins on this topic?

Renewable energy

McCain: Would commit $2 billion annually to advance clean coal technologies.  Calls for a permanent tax credit, which he says will “simplify the tax code, reward activity in the U.S., and make us more competitive with other countries,” according to his campaign Web site.  Encourages development of low-carbon fuels — wind, hydro and solar power.

Obama: Would require 10 percent of U.S. energy come from renewable sources by the end of his first presidential term. The plan would extend the Production Tax Credit for five years to encourage the production of renewable energy.  Create five first-of-a-kind, coal-fired demonstration plants that would capture and store carbon dioxide emissions and invest in technology that will allow for more coal use.

Very good debate material.  As before they both have very good ideas, with the same common goal.  In this topic Obama basically wants to improve the usage of coal for power.  He wants to make it cleaner and more effective.  Mccain advocates the usage of alternative energy, giving better incentives to the people who do use it.  Who wins this topic?

Climate change

McCain: Proposes a bipartisan plan to address the problem of climate change and stimulate the development and use of advanced technologies.  It is a market-based approach that would set caps on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and provide industries with tradable credits.

Obama: Calls for a reduction of carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 by using a market-based cap-and-trade system. Would create what his campaign calls a “Global Energy Forum” and re-engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

This is proof once again of similar outcomes, different approaches.  Which one has the better approach?

Nuclear energy

McCain: Calls for building new nuclear reactors, saying barriers to nuclear energy are political, not technological. Would put a plan in place to build 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030 — with the ultimate goal of 100 new plants. Would provide for safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and give host states or localities a proprietary interest so when advanced recycling technologies turn used fuel into a valuable commodity, the public would share in the economic benefits.

Obama: Says he’ll find safer ways to use nuclear power and store nuclear waste.  In Democratic debate earlier this year, he said, “We should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix.”

Could nuclear Energy be the future?  What do you think?

Offshore drilling

McCain: Proposed lifting the ban on offshore drilling as part of his plan to reduce dependence on foreign oil and help combat rising gas prices.  Would let individual states decide whether to explore drilling possibilities.   Opposes drilling in some wilderness areas — including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — and said those places must be left undisturbed.

Obama: Opposed new offshore drilling, but later shifted to say that he would consider it if it were part of a larger strategy to lower energy costs.  Supports bipartisan energy plan from the Senate that combines alternative energy innovation, financial, nuclear energy and drilling proposals. Effort by five Democrats and five Republicans to break Congress’ energy impasse would allow expanded offshore oil exploration and embrace ambitious energy efficiency and efforts to develop alternative fuels.   Believes oil companies should drill on the 68 million acres they have access to but haven’t used and would require oil companies that will not drill to give up their leases.

Is offshore drilling going to lower the cost of fuel in the next 5-10 years?  It is said that the drilling off-shore could take up to 10 years to enter production.  What do you think?

We think this is proof that no matter who you vote for, there is a problem, and we as a society need to

Take a Stand…

Help Make a Difference

Cold weather is right around the corner, and it has been said that Natural Gas prices could rise an average of 50% this winter. Most people have not seen this information, because unlike filling up your vehicle every week at the pump, most people won’t see the high cost until they start heating their home.

Here are some tips to help your wallet this winter:

• Turn your water heater to the warm setting (120 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Make sure your water heater has an insulating blanket.
• Consider replacing incandescent lights with compact fluorescents (CFLs), which can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents.
• Check the age and condition of your major appliances, especially the refrigerator. You may want to replace it with a more energy-efficient model before it dies.
• Clean or replace furnace, air-conditioner, and heat-pump filters.
• Rope caulk very leaky windows.
• Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the biggest bill for energy conservation remedies.
• Insulate hot water pipes and ducts wherever they run through unheated areas.
• Seal up the largest air leaks in your house — the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors. They’re utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys, gaps around recessed lights in insulated ceilings or unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.
• Install a clock thermostat thermostat to lower the heat automatically at night.
• Schedule an energy audit (ask your utility company or state energy office) for more expert advice on your home as a whole.

If the prices of Natural Gas and Gasoline does not make you want to learn to be indepedent, we don’t know what will. Why should we as American’s continue to pay in order to live? These large companies have made millions of dollars while the Average American sweats everytime they fill up at the gas station and when their energy bill comes for their homes.

If you are ready to Make a Stand, look for future articles, titled “Projects you can do to Make a Stand” which we will provide How Tos in order for YOU to be able to start Making a Difference.

God Bless you!  we know, it sounds like a bodily function, but according to Wiki it’s not.  This is a way to conserve gas consumption.  You will see in the Wiki page, that Wayne Gerdes coined the phrase, so I want to make sure to give him credit where credit is due.

Hypermiling is the idea that no matter what type of vehicle you drive, you can get better fuel economy.  If you take the time to read the Wiki page, there are some dangerous ways to do it, and they are against the law, which we don’t condone, but, the thing we are focusing on is the idea.   Dare to be different.  Why let a large company control what and where you go.  We are so used to just following the herd, the large companies look at us as cattle.

Stand up for yourself and what you believe in!

Don’t be a part of the herd