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Humans have recognized and utilized the power of the sun for a long long time, but it is only in the last thirty years or so that solar energy has come to the forefront of the energy revolution. Now recognized as a totally viable source of energy across the globe, solar panels are big business. Whether powering huge industrial buildings or a humble two-up two-down residential property, solar panels take power directly from the sun to eliminate the need for the sourcing of energy from non-renewable sources. We all know that solar energy is a great solution to our energy needs going forward, but there are plenty of things most of us don’t know about this wonderful source of energy.

Solar Panel Price Drop

Although solar panels are becoming more popular, they still only make up a fraction of the generated energy in the world, with most energy still being sourced from fossil fuels. Thankfully, the price of having solar panels fitted has dropped dramatically over the last few years, so we can expect the trend to change dramatically in the future. In many European countries, including Britain, energy created from the use of solar panels can be sold back to the national grid. This, of course, means that owners of panels can earn an income from their panels, while generating free energy for themselves.

Solar Power

Solar panels have huge power. If the Sahara Desert were completely covered in solar panels, this dry, hot, and particularly sunny part of the world would generate enough energy to power everything in the whole world for 30 years! Just a kilowatt of solar energy also allows you to effectively avoid creating 300lbs of carbon through the use of normal energy sources. Carbon is the element which is said to cause the greenhouse effect. Energy experts have also surmised that if everyone the world over changed to using solar power, enough power would be created to fuel the world 5,000 times.

Creative Energy

Leonardo da Vinci is credited as being the first person to harness the power of the sun to effectively create solar panels. He successfully boiled water by reflecting rays of sunshine against concave mirrors. More recently, photovoltaic technology was first developed in America, but surprisingly, their limited use of the energy source accounts for just 6% of the world’s solar energy use. Surprisingly, Germany, with a fairly poor sunshine record, is known for being the largest producer of solar energy in the world.

Solar Effective

Solar power is the most effective form of energy in terms of actual yield, creating more than both fossil fuel and nuclear power. This is, of course, a massively important fact, and one that should persuade us all that it’s an extremely good and responsible idea to investigate the possibility of using solar power if it’s at all possible for us to do so. The cost of having solar panels is still high, but most people find that they make their money back in the long run. When you consider that solar power is the best thing for the environment and the best thing for your pocket, it should only be a matter of time before everyone is changing.

When the weather is warm we tend to spend time in our yards mowing the lawns, trimming the bushes, planting flowers. We all have a desire to want the outside of our houses look nice. Whereas this is often a worthy cause, are we putting as much diligence into making the outside of our homes cost efficient? We work hard to keep a roof over our heads thus why toss money away by permitting heat to escape?

The majority of the houses heat escapes in the course of drafts. Filling these drafts will save on the heating cost over time. Do a walkthrough around the exterior of you home to find what has to be improved. First you should examine all the areas where two different construction materials meet for example where the siding meets the chimney and where the foundation meets the exterior brick or siding. Examine all exterior corners as well. Youll need to fill any cracks or openings in the mortar, the foundation or the siding. Make sure to fill them with the suitable substance. If you are going to complete a job, do it right. And, it can last longer if its done the proper way with the correct material. You will also want to inspect where faucets or pipes extend from the exterior. Make certain there are not any holes around them as well. In your exterior inspection, dont miss the windows and doors. Make sure that theyre all properly caulked and that windows and doors seal tightly. Some people have air conditioners mounted directly into the wall rather than in a window throughout the summer months. While this might save on time of installing and un-installing the air conditioner each year, it is also a great way to let in drafts throughout the winter months. Make certain that the area round the air conditioner is properly sealed. If you dont have one by now, invest in a cover that may be placed over the unit in the winter. This can stop the unwanted cold air from getting in your home.

Also, make sure that your house is properly insulated. This will save you a large amount of money. In particular check the attic. Make certain that there is a steam barrier under the attic insulation. Water vapor will pass through the ceiling. With large amounts of moisture, the effectiveness of your insulation goes down and may cause structural damage. In order to prevent this, you should have a vapor barrier which may be tarpaper, Kraft paper attached to fiberglass batts, a plastic sheet or vapor barrier paint. Additionally make sure that any gaps round the pipes, ductwork or chimney is correctly sealed.

If youve got the funds, you might need to consider replacing recent doors or windows with new energy efficient ones. While this can be an improvement that will dip into your pocket, it will as well save you cash on heating. With the price of home heating, making sure that the exterior of your home is properly sealed is almost a necessity.

Environmental factors come into play when it comes to choosing the right replacement windows for Houston homes. The National Fenestration Council has a rating system that measures and compares the energy performance of windows. If youre in the process of choosing replacement windows in Houston and youre not sure what to ask your contractor, here are the numbers that you should look out for.

1. U-Factor
U-Factor indicates how fast a window assembly releases heat. The lower the U-Factor, the better the windows can help to insulate your home. Although the areas climate is usually warm, replacement windows in Houston are still recommended to have a low U-Factor in the event of cold winters. U-Factor rating is from .20 to 1.20.

2. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient determines the amount of heat from the sun that the window is able to block. The measurement is from 0 to 1. Lower SHGC means less solar heat entering through a window. This is a particularly useful rating to take note of for replacement windows in Houston as can get really hot during the summers.

3. Visible Transmittance
Visible Transmittance gauges the amount of light that enters through a window. To let more natural light into your house, opt for a window with a higher rating on a 0-1 scale. Higher visible transmittance for replacement windows in Houston can help you save more energy. Instead of leaving lights on, take advantage of natural light by having it brighten your home.

4. Air Leakage
Since heat loss and gain are affected by the cracks in the window installation, the Air Leakage rating measures the amount of air that goes through the assembly. You will want windows that have a rating of .3 or less. This is an important aspect for replacement windows in Houston when keeping your air conditioning on during the summers.

5. Condensation Resistance.
The rating for Condensation Resistance is from 1 to 100. The higher the number, the better the window is at resisting condensation from forming on its inside surface. Since Houston’s climate can be both hot and humid, having replacement windows in Houston that can resist condensation is a must.

Choosing energy efficient replacement windows for Houston homes is important if you’re planning on saving money. The National Fenestration Council’s rating system doesn’t just take into account the materials that you use, but also how the replacement windows are assembled. This is why a replacement windows project is better off left to a professional. You will want to make sure that your replacement windows are properly assembled. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.

When social tariffs were first proposed, they were not seen as being fair to everyone. The idea was to combat excess winter deaths by helping UK residents that were at risk of fuel poverty to pay their bills with a discounted rate. However, that discount would be heaped on the backs of wealthier customers who would then make up the difference. The effect was to be temporary as the Green Deal would then help more and more UK residents to adopt green technologies that would reduce the overall energy demands of the country via grants and other types of financial assistance. Now that the social energy tariffs are being replaced by the Warm Home Discount, the same question arises with respect to the most vulnerable groups in the UK. Is it fair to get rid of social tariffs that the broader group needs to keep heating their homes?

Low Income Group Has Green Options

The UKs energy strategy continues to evolve as it seeks to reduce its dependence on outside energy sources while maintaining social protections in place for its more vulnerable citizens. The social tariffs were never meant to be a permanent fixture, as the policy outline in 2009 indicated that the effect would be temporary based on the implementation of the Green Deal technologies. For that reason, numerous schemes were put in place to help low-income citizens improve the draughty homes so typical of Britain using insulation, window-glazing, and other services. Many of these services were provided for free to qualifying low-income households. Also, those who could afford to implement these technologies and pay for them were also helped to find ways to achieve these goals. None of these energy schemes are expected to last forever, however, and even the Warm Home Discount is to expire in March 2015.

Keep An Eye On Excess Winter Deaths

There is data to indicate that the social energy tariffs, along with other grants and energy improvement schemes, have helped to reduce the excess winter death rate in the UK. While there were 24,000 excess winter deaths for the winter of 2011/2012 in England and Wales, that figure represents an 8 per cent drop from the previous winter. The social tariffs are being slowly phased out, with many of them being replaced by the Warm Home Discount for the 2013/2014 winter seasons. Even though no one can tell how much warmer home are in the UK, if the schemes have done their job and the Warm Home Discount is doing a fair job of it, then this number should continue to decrease. If it goes up, it will be a huge indicator that more changes need to be made to the UK energy strategy, not just to make it fair, to avoid killing more residents.

Fair Deals Change With Government

A question of fairness is always going to be an issue with social reforms. However, political parties tend to see fairness in their own terms. This does lead to changes in how schemes are planned and implemented, or whether they are eliminated altogether. Some would suggest that the Winter Fuel Payment changes are unfair to expatriates who live in countries deemed “warmer than the UK” even though the winters may be equally harsh. These UK residents will no longer be eligible and may suffer undue hardship. However, with the change of government, comes a change in the ideals of fairness. The new government believes that it is not fair to continue to pay for heat subsidies that are going to people who arent even in as drastic a need of them as others. As policies change, so do social tariffs, with the eye towards creating reforms that hit realistic targets and that do good in the community of people it is meant to serve. None are meant to be permanent, nor are they meant to require no further changes once they are implemented. As the UK faces the harsh winter ahead, social tariffs may be a thing of the past, but the ideal to create a fair society where even the most vulnerable have a chance at being able to pay their bills has not. It is merely changing and adapting towards newer social reforms that meet the needs of the population as a whole.

New energy saving is one of the most sought after subjects in the world today! With the ever rising price of energy where do we turn? Magnetic generators are becoming a big point of interest!

With the changing times it has become a priority to look for methods of new energy saving and points of supply for generating energy. Discovering new ways of cheaper energy production is essential for us to become unconstrained of the power companies! Along with saving ourselves cash, we also help our environment. The production of free and low cost energy is a crucial requirement of our life. Energy cost are, and have been, skyrocketing!!

Producing electricity through magnetic generators is a technological breakthrough. There have been several studies made of the cheapest ways to produce energy. There is no energy generating source that is lower costing than power produced by magnetic generators. It doesn’t require a big budget to get started. Magnetic energy generators power themselves and create energy without requiring solar energy, heat, water, coal or any additional kind of resource. As I said, it powers itself and works indefinitely without stopping, thus creating a large amount of new energy saving.

Magnetic generators are not harmful to the environment because while they induce energy, they do it without yielding any harmful gases. Magnets use their opposing forces to induce perpetual motion to generate energy that is usable in any circumstance. Many people love the idea of generating their own electric power for free and have already started using this technology to power their household. At this time I would like to discuss the advantages of installation. With the magnetic generators there is no need to find a professional to apply this type of new energy saving! Additionally there will be no need for calling anyone for maintenance. You can maintain and build your own unit or units! This power supply is convenient and effective because it demands no other external energy source to provide you with uninterrupted energy.

What are magnets? Permanent magnets get their name for the following reason: (materials that can be magnetized by an external magnetic field and remain magnetized after the external field is removed)!! Only a few substances are ferromagnetic, the common ones are iron, nickel, cobalt and most of their alloys.

Generators that provide electricity by the use of magnets have been around for some time. The amount of revenue lost by the giants in energy would be devastating if the world was to apply new energy saving inventions that are available! The price of consumer products that are necessary for every day life would also be sliced!

Magnetic generators can be effective for us all if we can get past the belief that fossil fuel,coal and the rest of our natural resources are the only way to enjoy our current luxuries in life. New energy saving by way of secret inventions (subdued by our own governments because of fear) could be our answer to the struggles facing the world!!