Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadily but the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient.

In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to go primitive, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment.

Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers.

In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total green energy systems costs.

In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called net metering laws. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states. Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn’t really be a role for the federal government, the Energy Department’s Craig Stevens says.

And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it’s unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for … your electricity, according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric’s director of regulatory policy.

However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, It’s quality power that strengthens the grid.

You’ll cool off once inside and you shed the sweat soaked clothes. Just getting the house key in the hole makes you sweat. Then it hits you right in the face! A blast of hot air that has started your head pounding. No air conditioning!

OK, I know this has happened to at least 75% of the population. Especially if you live in the south, you know what I’m talking about. How can you prevent this from happening again? There are no absolute guarantees it won’t. No, you can’t be completely safe from this aggravating situation. But you can help your heating and cooling system just by reading your owner’s manual. I know, who reads these things? We do, the ones’ who have been in this same situation. Believe it or not, there are some good facts that you need to know to stay comfortable.

First and foremost: Learn how to operate your thermostat! I think about 10% do not know how to do this.

Second: Know where your filter is and replace it, or clean it, once a month, every 2 weeks if you have pets with hair. And I have to tell you, some people don’t even know they have filters for their units that must be cleaned or replaced some time. If this isn’t done you will have a very expensive repair bill.

Third: Locate all the electrical breakers, inside and out, to all your pieces of equipment. Some systems have electric air filters, or cleaners, or humidifiers, even other electrical components that could cause the system to stop. Know where the breakers are and how to turn them back on.
There aren’t that many parts of the system that a normal homeowner can deal with on the system. The first check point should be your thermostat. Be sure it is on, and the temperature is set at the correct temperature you want in the house. If this looks good, go to your filter and check it. If it looks like a rug, change it. If you’re not sure, change it anyway. Now give it about 15 minutes, put your hand as close to a vent in one of the rooms, and see if any cool air is coming out.

OK, so that didn’t work. Do you have any idea where the condensing unit is? It is usually somewhere along the back of the house, or on an end. Once you do find it, see if you can hear it running. Usually there is a fan close to the top which you may be able to see, hear, or feel hot air coming out the top. If this unit is not running there should be an electrical disconnect box on the wall within 3 feet of the unit. It only has one lever on the side which should say ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’.

Be sure the leaver is in the ON position. Your unit may have a delay on it which may not let it come on right away. Wait about 5 minutes, if it’s still not on you may have a problem.
You can go to your main electrical panel and be sure all breakers, at least one will be 110 v., and one will be a 230 v., going to your system, are not tripped off. Turn the breakers off and then back on kind of hard. Again, give the unit about 5 minutes. If nothing is happening, I suggest you call someone certified to work on your air conditioning system. If you are lucky enough to get the cool air on, you will have to be patient with it. Everything, walls, floors, furniture, ceilings, is at 96 + degrees. It will take a long time for everything to cool down to a tolerable temperature. It would probably be best to eat dinner out somewhere its cool. Let the unit try to catch up a little before you face that heat again.

These systems are pretty simple to operate. And after you read the maintenance and operation manual, you will be able to troubleshoot your problems, if they are minor, to keep from having another annoying and uncomfortable situation.

If you have to call a service technician to check your air conditioning, be sure he is certified and bonded. If he isn’t, find someone that is. This can save you time, money, and nerves. I was the customer service person for a fairly large heating and cooling contractor, I know what I’m talking about! There isn’t anything I haven’t heard from irate customers. Just keep your cool, read your manual, follow the directions, and hope for cooler weather.

If your room air conditioner that doesn’t cool then you may need to clean it or recharge it with refrigerant. You can clean an air conditioner yourself by disassembling the unit yourself or you can call a professional. But before doing the job yourself you need to read the system manual and make sure you have the right skills and tools to do the job. Here is what you may need to do:

1) Unplug the unit and remove it very carefully from the window or the wall and place it somewhere outdoors where you can work on it.
2) Remove the grille and filter and unscrew the metal case while making sure that you do not damage the coil’s fins.
3) Wash out the filter or replace it with a new filter.
4) Clean the inside coil’s fins by using a vacuum with a soft brush attachment.
5) From the fan side, spray water back through the fins. You will have to protect the wiring and motor with plastic.
6) Clean the unit up with a rag and allow the system to dry completely.
7) You can also lubricate the motor as per the “Repair and Care” manual’s instructions.
8) Then reassemble and reinstall the unit.
If that does not do the work then clean the evaporator and condenser coils. If it still doesn’t works then you may have to call some professional or call the company’s customer care.

There are several categories of green energy (GE). They are anaerobic digestion, wind power, geothermal power, hydropower on a small scale, biomass power, solar power and wave power. Waste incineration can even be a source of green energy.

Nuclear power plants claim that they produce green energy as well, though this source is fraught with controversy, as we all know. While nuclear energy may be sustainable, may be considered renewable and does not pollute the atmosphere while it is producing energy, its waste does pollute the biosphere as it is released.

The transport, mining and phases before and after production of nuclear energy does produce and release carbon dioxide and similar destructive greenhouse gases. When we read of green energy, therefore, we rarely see nuclear power included.

Those who support nuclear energy say that nuclear waste is not, in fact, released into our earths biosphere during its normal production cycle. They stress as well that the carbon dioxide that nuclear energy production releases is comparable, in terms of each kilowatt hour of electricity, to such sources of GE as wind power.

As an example of the GE production the average wind turbine, such as the one in Reading England, can produce enough energy daily to be the only energy source for 1000 households.

Many countries now offer household and commercial consumers to opt for total use of green energy. They do this one of two ways. Consumers can buy their electricity from a company that only uses renewable green energy technology, or they can buy from their general supplies such as the local utility company who then buys from GE resources only as much of a supply as consumers pay for.

The latter is generally a more cost – efficient way of supplying a home or office with GE, as the supplier can reap the economic benefits of a mass purchase. Green energy generally costs more per kilowatt hour than standard fossil fuel energy.

Consumers can also purchase green energy certificates, which are alternately referred to as green tags or green certificates. These are available in both Europe and the United States, and are the most convenient method for the average consumer to support green energy. More than 35 million European households and one million American households now buy these GE certificates.

While GE is a great step in the direction of keeping our environment healthy and our air as pollutant free as possible, it must be noted that no matter what the energy, it will negatively impact the environment to some extent.

Every energy source, green or otherwise, requires energy. The production of this energy will create pollution during its manufacture. Green energys impact is minimal, however.

One basic benefit of renewable energy, and the reason environmentalists all over the globe are advocate its use, is that it does give off greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants as do the by-products of burning fossil fuel for energy. Renewable energy such as solar power, water power and wind power, while the widespread discussion of which is new, are anything but new.

In both newly developing and highly developed countries wind, sun and water have long been used as power sources, though not to the extent of providing the primary energy source for large metropolitan communities.

The mass production of such renewable energy is become commonplace in recent years as more and more people come to realize how climate is changing due to the pollution of fossil fuel gases, due to the exhaustion of the availability of these fossil fuels and the political and social concerns of energy sources such as nuclear power.

Many countries and non-profit environmentally-conscious organizations are encouraging the use of renewable energy sources by passing legislation on tax incentives for their use and subsidies to offset the added expense of converting from fossil fuel to renewable energy.

The flow of renewable energy involves phenomena that occur naturally in our world. Tides, sunlight, wind and heat derived by geothermal occurrences all provide renewable energy. Each of these energy sources is unique both in where we can use them and how.

Most technology that converts renewable energy into power sources we can use are powered at least in part by the Sun if not directly at least indirectly. The earths atmospheric system stays in such equilibrium that the heat that it gives off radiates into space to an amount equal to the radiation that comes to earth from the sun.

The result of this energy level within the atmosphere is roughly translated to the climate of the earth. The water of the earth, also referred to its hydrosphere, absorbs a lot of the radiation that comes to us from the sun.

Most of the radiation gets absorbed at the lower latitudes of the earth that exist around the equator. This energy gets dissipated all around the globe, however, in the form of ocean and wind currents.

The motion of the ocean waves might have a role in transference of mechanical energy between the ocean and the earths atmosphere by way of wind stress. Solar energy also provides the means by which precipitations is distributed and then tapped by hydroelectric energy projects as well as plant growth that then creates biofuels.

Every time you buy a new air conditioning unit, a new washer or dryer, a new refrigerator, microwave, or piece of office equipment, you are affecting the environment, either positively or negatively depending on your choices. Smart choices of products designed for energy efficiency help the air we all breathe and reduce your energy bill each month.

Here is some basic information about how energy efficiency works and why its helpful. A great deal of the energy you consume in your home is produced by local power plants that must burn fossil fuel to create the energy. These fossil fuels might be natural gas, coal or oil.

These fossil fuels also create pollution. This pollution harms not only the environment but ultimately the people, as it causes smog, acid rain and respiratory diseases. Fossil fuel pollution is also a strong factor in changing the climate of the globe.

While we hear a lot about the harmful gas emissions that emanate from vehicles, what we dont hear much about is the fact that your home probably produces twice as much of these emissions as the average automobile.

Opting for energy efficiency through your choice of products that are energy efficient is one of the best ways you can reduce your consumption of energy and thus your distribution of harmful emissions of greenhouse gas. Any household that buys equipment designed for energy efficiency puts a big dent in harmful emissions of carbon dioxide.

In fact, over the lifetime of one of these energy efficient appliances or other products you will have reduced pollution the equivalent of what would be saved by one fewer vehicle for seven years. The use of energy efficient household products reduces nitrogen oxides too, which contribute extensively to acid rain and smog.

The average U.S. household spends about 1500 each year on energy. Energy-efficiency can reduce this bill by 400-450 annually. If youre concerned about energy efficiency and wish to not only save the environment but save yourself some money it will help to know which appliances account for what portion of your energy use and bill.

The biggest, which probably comes as no surprise, is your heat and air conditioning. This is a whopping 45 percent of your energy bill. Your water heater uses up 11 percent of your energy, and your washer and dryer 10 percent. The lighting for your home is seven percent of your energy costs, while your refrigerator is six percent of your bill.

Your dishwasher, computer, monitor, TV, VCR, DVD player and similar equipment each use up about two percent of your total energy consumption. Stoves, microwaves and other smaller appliances generally account for the rest, though at less than two percent of the total each.

The most common air conditioning repairs become necessary for solving such problems as the air conditioner not turning on, or not cooling efficiently, or there is a noticeable reduction in the airflow. Generally the things that need to be replaced in an air conditioner most frequently are a defective condenser, a faulty air-processing unit and a defective duct system unit. If an air conditioner refuses to start, start by checking the circuit breaker and the thermostat. Simply resetting the circuit breaker may solve your problem. If it still fails to start, check the air-processing unit. If the problem persists, check the duct system. It is important to regularly check such parts of an air conditioner as the supply and return ducts, and the filters. The blower unit also needs inspection if the air conditioner is not able to cool the room efficiently.

If you continue feeling uncomfortable even after turning on the air conditioner, it is probably because it’s not doing its job properly. Consider cleaning the machine before calling a technician. Sometimes, a simple round of cooling will solve your problem and will help the machine cool better and faster. The cooling power of an air conditioner may also be seriously affected if the drainage of condensation is not drained properly. Leakage in various forms remains a major problem with air conditioners. So, you should check for any possible leakage, too. Damage to the air ducts or to the refrigerant system can result in the loss of the coolant gas and cause the machine to work less efficiently. Regular cleaning of the front grill and the filter is necessary to keep your air conditioner working like new for years.

However, sometimes the problem could be a more serious one and would necessitate professional servicing by a qualified technician. A very old compressor may not be able to cool a room like a new one. You may have to consider replacing the compressor sometimes and that would call for the help of a trained professional. When you are carrying out an air conditioning repair by yourself, don’t forget to turn off the main before attempting any repair. Special care should be taken if the grill is attached to the fan so that no wires come loose at the time of removing the grill or disconnecting the fan.

Air conditioning repair is possible at home and with the help of the manual, you can troubleshoot many minor problems. However, you are well advised to leave major repairs to trained technicians only.

If your air conditioner doesn’t start, you have to look at the controls and the switches as most of the problems due to air condition repair are electrical repairs. You have to check whether the circuit breaker and the thermostat are properly functioning.

After that you need to check the air handling unit which comprises the return air plenum, air filter, blower fan, cooling and heating coil and the supply plenum. Next you need to check the circuit breakers for the compressors and the air handling units.

If the air conditioning problem is not resolved, then you need to check the duct system i.e. the return air ducts and the supply air ducts and the filters whether they carry air from the air handler to the different intended rooms in the building.

The other most common problem with air conditioners would be that the air conditioner doesn’t give good cooling effect. It so, you will need to check the blower unit.

If you find that it is dirty, you should clean it as it causes loss of cool air supply. The reduced cooling could also be due to old or aged air compressors which have to be replaced.

The air compressors are costly and this would be an expensive repair. Cooling effect is reduced even if the condensate from the air conditioner is not being drained properly or there are leaks in the air handler, or due to damaged air ducts or due to the problems in the air conditioner refrigerant system.

Q: Where can this loop be located?
A: That depends on land availability and terrain. Closed-loops are trenched horizontally in yards adjacent to the home if the yard is large enough. Or, for smaller yards, the loops can be installed vertically using a drill rig, much like a water well installation.

Q: How deep and long will my horizontal trenches be?
A: Trenches are normally four to six feet deep [1.2 1.8 meters]. One of the advantages of a horizontal loop system is being able to lay the trenches according to the shape of the land. As a rule of thumb, 125 – 300 feet of trench are required per ton of heat pump capacity [11 - 27 meters per kW of capacity].

Q: How many pipes are in a trench?
A: Anywhere from 1 to 6 pipes per trench may be used, depending upon the optimal design for the yard. More pipe per trench shortens the total amount of trench required.

Q: What if I don’t have enough room for a horizontal loop?
A: Closed-loop systems can also be vertical. Holes are bored to about 150 – 300 feet per ton of heat pump capacity [13 - 27 meters per kW of capacity]. U-shaped loops of pipe are inserted in the holes. The holes are then back-filled with a sealing solution (grouting material).

Q: How long will the loop pipe last?
A: Closed-loop systems should only be installed using the appropriate high-density polyethylene pipe. Properly installed, these pipes will last over 50 years. They are inert to chemicals normally found in soil and have good heat conducting properties. PVC pipe should not be used under any circumstances.

Q: How are the buried pipe sections of the loop joined?
A: The only acceptable method to connect pipe sections is by thermal fusion. Pipe connections are heated and fused together to form a joint stronger than the original pipe. Mechanical joining of pipe for an earth loop is never an accepted practice. The use of barbed fittings, clamps and glued joints is certain to result in loop failure due to leaks.

Q: Will an earth loop affect my lawn or landscape?
A: No. Research has proven that loops have no adverse effect on grass, trees or shrubs. Most horizontal loop installations use trenches about 3 feet [1 meter] or less wide. This, of course, will leave temporary bare areas that can be restored with grass seed or sod. Vertical loops require little space and result in minimal lawn damage.

Q: Can I reclaim heat from my septic system disposal field?
A: No. Depending upon your geographic location, an earth loop will reach temperatures below freezing during extreme conditions and may freeze your septic system. Such usage is banned in many areas.

Q: If the loop falls below freezing, will it hurt the system?
A: No. The antifreeze solution used in loops that operate at low temperatures will keep it from freezing down to about 15°F [-9°C] fluid temperature. In the U.S. and Canada, three types of antifreeze solution are acceptable: propylene glycol, methyl alcohol, and ethyl alcohol. Some states/ provinces may require one type over another.

Q: Can I install an earth loop myself?
A: It’s not recommended. In addition to thermal fusion of the pipe, good pipe-to-soil contact is very important for successful loop operation. Nonprofessional installations may result in less than optimum heat pump performance.

Q: I have a pond near my home. Can I put a loop in it?
A: Yes, if it’s deep enough and large enough. A minimum of 8 – 10 feet [2.5 - 3 meters] in depth at its lowest level during the year is needed for a pond to be considered. In pond loops, polyethylene pipe must be used. Generally, a minimum of 1/2 acre [0.2 hectare] pond is required to provide adequate surface area for heat transfer.

Geothermal Air Conditioning