Electricity Conservation News and Tips
from Please Conserve

Homeowners in the market for a new roof have always had a reason to consider metal roofing for its environmental benefits. Now, they have even greater incentive to choose a steel or aluminum roofing product to protect their home.

Metal roofing has long been a green product. Metal roofs, for the most part, are produced from steel or aluminum that has already been recycled. They last far longer than asphalt shingles or similar products. And when the time finally comes when a metal roof must be replaced, the material is 100 percent recyclable.

Now, recent innovations in paint chemistries have made the coatings applied to metal coils before they are made into roofing panels even more environmentally friendly. Several years ago, chemical company BASF led the paint industry in the development of new pigments with additional heat-reflective properties.

“They reflect off a significant amount of the heat that comes from the sun,” explains William Hippard, president of the Metal Roofing Alliance. “You can save anywhere from 25 to 45 percent off your air conditioning bills in the summertime, because that’s how significant it is to lower the amount of heat that comes into your attic.”

The reflective properties of the new paints aren’t limited to lighter colors. Cool metal roofs reflect sunlight even in the darker shades. And the benefits are not lost during the colder months. An air pocket forms between the decking and the metal that acts as an insulator to keep heat in during the winter, Hippard says.

Metal roofing has been widely used in nonresidential construction, where builders of commercial and office space had already accepted the life-cycle cost advantages of the product even before cool coatings were introduced. But converting homebuilders and homeowners to the benefits of metal roofing—buyers for whom short-term costs and aesthetics play a bigger role in purchasing decisions–has been a tougher sell. But progress has been made on both those fronts. The opportunities available for prepainted metal roofs go well beyond a simple array of colors.

“If you like Cedar Shakes, you can get a metal roof that looks like Cedar Shakes. If you like clay tile, you can get one that looks that way, or one that looks like asphalt shingles,” says Hippard.

Historically, converting residential buyers has been hampered by the upfront costs of metal roofs, which are about 40-60 percent higher than traditional roofing materials. But some of those short-term cost hurdles have been mitigated through a $1,500 tax rebate to homeowners who put a cool metal roof on their residences.

Strong winds have blown across Illinois’ prairies for hundreds of years, and the state’s residents have used that natural force to provide power in various ways.

But the modern-day windmill, known as a wind turbine, is getting a lot of attention in county boardrooms these days as elected officials contemplate the effectiveness, as well as the energy and cost savings of harnessing wind power to generate electricity.

Companies that specialize in wind turbines have been encouraging county officials throughout the state to consider the wind turbines, especially in light of the potential to capture some of the $80 billion that President Barack Obama had earmarked for clean energy and green infrastructure as part of the federal economic stimulus bills he signed early in 2009.

County politicians have been intrigued by the prospect of generating power in a less expensive manner, but many have been cautious as well and feel a need to obtain more information.

Companies like Chicago-based GSY Energy Inc. provide field tests to determine if the geography and wind flow through a region of a county would support the wind power. Those conducting the studies have told government officials that a wind resource (or how hard the wind is blowing without resistance) can change in as small an area as 100 feet. But they monitor entire corridor regions, which can be several miles in length, and sometimes represent a specific area of a county such as its far west side.

As the thought of 65- to 130-foot wind turbines dotting the countryside is being debated, individual landowners and homeowners have raised the question of whether a smaller model wind turbine could be purchased to power their own homes or businesses.

Interest in private wind turbines is increasing, and experts have noted that they are not a factor in either lowering or increasing property values. Despite some federal and state rebate programs that help pay for wind turbines, many counties are slowing down that process, wanting to make sure they have clear ordinances and guidelines in place for their installation and use.

It is widely known that Holland has long used windmills and wind turbines for power, but those in the industry also remind politicians contemplating their use that states like California and Kansas utilize wind turbines.

For now, it is clear that wind turbines are going to be getting much attention and study in the near future as states weigh the pros and cons of their effectiveness, while also wanting to be part of any federal funding that promotes green initiatives.

Small wind power, an often under appreciated segment of the broader renewable distributed energy generation industry, is finding an increasing number of niche applications in residential and commercial markets. According to a recent report from Pike Research, Boulder, Colo., the global small wind market is poised for strong growth in the next few years, with revenues forecast to expand from $203 million in 2009 to $412 in 2013, a compound annual growth rate of nearly 20 percent. During that same period, worldwide installed capacity of small wind turbines will increase from 49 to 115 megawatts.

“Small wind energy is less expensive than solar on a cost per watt basis,” says senior analyst David Link, “which is driving more and more businesses and rural consumers to give it a second look. In addition, we are seeing increasing government support for small wind.” Link adds that the applications for small wind include residential off-grid power, agricultural applications, community microgrids, schools and government buildings, and remote telecom network power, among others.

However, Link notes, key market barriers include intermittent reliability of power, permitting and siting challenges, and a general lack of suitability for off-grid applications. For these reasons, small wind turbines, using a variety of innovative designs, are most often used in conjunction with other energy sources including solar photovoltaics, diesel generation or battery backup power.

Pike Research’s study, “Small Wind Power,” analyzes the global opportunity for small wind power in the context of the broader renewable distributed energy generation market. The study covers key business issues and drivers of demand, including government-driven legislation and incentives as well as market-based factors. Forecasts include worldwide small wind generation capacity, system revenues, and installed prices through 2013. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website, www.pikeresearch.com.

The Sub-Saharan region in Africa is one of the world’s most sunshine-abundant places. Knowing this, it would be inefficient not to turn to solar power as an alternative energy especially since this region is also one of the most poorly lit areas in the world. That’s why two students at the Kansas State University are taking advantage of the sun in an attempt to ‘enlighten’ many villages.

Tai-Wen Ko and Justin Curry, electrical engineers at K-State, are designing a solar powered lamp that is efficient, eco-friendly, and cheap. Right now, most people in that region use kerosene lamps, which are the most affordable option, but not the most ‘green’ solution to their lighting needs because the lamps emit a hefty amount of carbon dioxide.

This is where Curry and Ko step in. Using their expertise in electrical engineering, the pair designed a lamp with three components: a solar panel, a battery, and a white light-emitting diode. They chose to use the diode instead of a fluorescent bulb because it’s cheaper, brighter, and lasts longer. The only ‘flaw’ of the design is the lead battery, which would have to be discarded after use, but the team is researching a recycling plan that can be implemented in the region.

Ko and Curry’s design and initiative shows how something so small, such as a solar powered lantern, could make such a great impact both on the environment and the people of an underdeveloped region. Not only will the cost of the lanterns enable more people to have light, the fact that the lanterns use such an abundant and renewable resource allows more lanterns to be distributed and produced. Using solar power in a region rich in sunshine sounds like a very ‘duh’ idea, but few people, if any, have actually attempted to provide light using the sun. It’s good to see such young individuals working to better the world using such a not tried (yet) but true method.

Higher prices create hesitation, for some, to invest in energy saving equipment, worried that they won’t see the payoff soon enough. But, U.S. energy news may provide the extra push to change their minds. Rebecca Smith of the Wall Street Journal reported that “Slack demand for electricity across the U.S. is leading to some of the sharpest reductions in power prices in recent years…” A drop in electricity demand has helped reduce daily market prices by 40% during the first half of the year.

For decades the demand for electricity has had steady growth. In fact, 45 of the last 58 years have seen growth exceeding 2% per year. The significant decrease in demand has come with the economic downturn, but there is at least one bright spot in the dark state of the economy: It has forced consumers – both commercial and private – to buckle down on their consumption.

It’s unfortunate that it takes a massive crisis to force us to make responsible changes. Reduced productivity, employee cutbacks and job losses have all contributed to the diminished demand. Whatever the stimulus, the result has been positive for power prices and energy conservation.

All consumers can’t expect to reap the benefits of energy price cuts right away as some people have locked-in price contracts. Over time, however, we expect to see a softening effect for everyone. For businesses, the savings could amount to just enough to keep them from making further cuts in employment and production. For private homes, reduced power prices will help take the edge off already overwhelming costs.

What does this mean? It means that the changes we’ve made since we’ve been forced to cut back have really worked. Not only are we saving by consuming less but we’ve actually lowered the price of the goods. Kudos to all who have contributed. Whether its switching to CFL bulbs, turning off the a/c or building a more energy-efficient home, everyone has come together to create change. For those of you who haven’t made the changes, this should sway you to consider the investment. Simple conservation can lead to a more universal form of savings.

The future looks bright, but it’s going to be expensive. In an effort to mitigate costs and cut emissions, many cities are switching to more eco-efficient methods of power to light streets and roadways. But this power isn’t coming in for cheap. As the city of San Jose, California, is learning, being nice to Mother Earth comes with a pretty hefty price tag.

An April 26, 2009, Wall Street Journal article details how officials in San Jose are experimenting with LED lights as a way of reducing their energy bill. Their target: street lamps. The city plans on installing 125 LED street lamps by this summer, which could save them 10-60% in utility payments. The main advantage of these lamps is that they can be set to certain conditions, producing fewer or more light on command. This means that at times when less light is needed, the lights can be dimmed. Although these energy savings sound like a sweet deal, are they worth the price? A single LED light costs $600, while a traditional sodium-vapor lamps cost $200; replacing thousands of street can cost millions of dollars. So what should eco-conscious cities do?

Turn to the sun. The use of solar panels has become an increasingly popular solution to sky rocketing energy bills. And with California averaging 160 days of sun a year, it may not be the “Sunshine State”, but I’m sure 50% sunshine year around will suffice. Although there is no guarantee that the installation cost solar power lights will be less expensive than LED lights, they will use solely renewable energy, which will reduce energy bills in the long run. Companies such as OK Solar and Solar Illuminations have a variety of solar street lights available for both residential and commercial purposes.

San Jose is definitely worthy of a high-five for looking for energy alternatives with LED lights in a time when we are ever more dependent on fossil fuels. But despite the LED efficiency appeal, the cost might not be an attractive part of this deal, especially with many cities tightening their wallets. Using solar panels might be a cheaper alternative and will be especially beneficial for sunny states such as California. So, when in doubt, look to the sun. Just don’t stare too hard…you might hurt your eyes.