Unlike the old traditional meters which were only able to track the amount of energy consumed, the new smart meters will be able to measure not only how much electricity is being used, but also when it is used. It is hoped that this will allow electricity companies to set different rates according to the times when the most energy is being consumed and as such, it may help to encourage people to use electricity during off peak hours in order to take advantage of reduced rates.

Italy’s dominant utility is currently serving over twenty-seven million customers with fully electronic smart meters capable of measuring and managing power, and which have a software controlled disconnect switch. They’re solid state, and communicate via low voltage power lines. These systems offer more features to utilities, allowing remote changing of billing plans, the ability to detect outages and unauthorized use, and the ability to turn power on and off remotely.

Smart meters have also been implemented in Turkey, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Australia. In the United states, a number of jurisdictions are actively pursuing smart meter technology, such as Northen California, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. Implementation is imminent in the UK and in Ireland. Energy experts have noted that it’s important for meters to allow homeowners to make choices such as buying their power when it’s cheapest and selling wind turbine and solar panel electricity to utilities when they choose to.

The biggest problem with smart meter technologies is generally communication, since each meter must be able to securely and reliably communicate the information to a central point. This can be tricky, given the range of locations and environments in which these meters are located. Some solutions that have been proposed include cellular networks, radio, and power line communications.

Interestingly enough, the U.S. president has just recently called for 40 million smart meters to be installed, including 3,000 miles of transmission lines. As many have pointed out, this will be the first real upgrade to America’s electrical grid in more than 40 years. Many also believe that such changes will be so significant; it could be compared to the Internet, the telephone, and the country’s railroad. Of course it should be mentioned that one of the main reasons this project is being supported, is because it promises to be able to utilize electricity which has been generated from renewable resources. Additionally, it is also believed that this project will effectively reduce the need for any new power production facilities.

Smart meters can cost anywhere from a hundred to three hundred dollars to install – each. The amount depends on the quality of the smart meter in question, but it will be a significant investment. However, venture capitalists have been investing in this technology recently, so it may be possible. Soon, you could be choosing when you use power based on the price, and possibly saving money and energy.

About the author: Jerry Dyess has been specializing in the Commercial Energy market segment for many years and written articles on Business Electric prices.

- Taking advantage of the heat given off by the sun to regulate home temperature (passive solar energy)

- With the help of mirrors, thermal solar collectors can amplify the heat of the sun and pass it on to water or other substances

- The light emitted by the sun can be converted into electricity with photovoltaic cells

When done effectively, taking advantage of the heat and light energy displaced by the sun can have a substantial impact on your monthly bills. Harnessing the suns power in this sense is known as Passive Solar Power. A few ideas to help you take advantage of the suns passive energy include:

- Insulation! This is probably the most important step in taking advantage of passive solar energy. Make sure that your walls, ceilings, and floors are appropriately insulated. Also check around windows, doors, and electrical outlets. Proper insulation in a house should result in an inside temperature that stays relatively constant

- Another effective technique for keeping warm air in or cold air out is using curtains. Similarly, window shutters or clear insulating strips can also do a good job at regulating inside temperatures.

- Strategically placed vegetation, both inside and outside can help prevent heat from entering your home. When placed around windows or door ways, plants serve as a sort of heat barrier and can surprisingly keep a house quite cool in the summer. In addition to this, plants also provide fresh air, which is a nice thing to have!

Solar Power to Heat Water: since the sun is the hottest thing around, it makes sense to use its tremendous temperature output to heat your home. By concentrating this heat output, one can easily warm water or a space (temperatures can reach up to boiling point!).

With the help of a device known as a thermal collector, it is possible to use the suns high temperature output to heat water or air. A thermal collector essentially houses metal plates covered by a sheet of glass. The warmth is absorbed by these plates and then transferred to the substance that needs to be heated. This substance can then be collected in a well insulated storage tank or used immediately.

The Basic Explanation of Light for Electricity: the lights energy is captured by photovoltaic panels, and is then converted to electricity by the said panels. As soon as the suns rays are turned to electricity, it can be used just as we normally use grid supplied electric.

About the author: Miles Novak is a writer and enthusiast of home energy. Check out his site for a guide to Do it Yourself products and Home Energy Solutions.

The use of sustainable materials is one important characteristic of a green building design. Materials that qualify as sustainable include those that are available locally or those that are recyclable. Non-toxic materials as well as those that are reusable or renewable are often chosen as well. Orientation of the building on a site is another common characteristic of a green design. Building orientation can minimize unfavorable local weather conditions or take advantage of the sun to save a considerable amount of energy over the lifetime of the building.

Construction methods and techniques are chosen to minimize environmental disruption of the building site and reduce construction waste. Renewable energy sources such as active or passive solar or wind power may be included in the building design. High efficiency water, energy and waste systems are often included to reduce the long-term operating costs.

The global economic crisis has not reduced the trend towards sustainable building. Public demand and government initiatives have lead to a projected increase in green building. More than ever before, the public expects that products, services and even companies will be sustainable.

Many other countries have also implemented green building design initiatives, among them Canada, Israel, India, South Africa, the U.K., Mexico and Malaysia. Green building design standards or initiatives have been considered, recommended or begun.

The unprecedented public demand for all things “green” has spurred a bevy of competing green building standards. The best known is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System created by the US Green Building Council. Dozens of others exist, yet there is no national green building standard.

The lack of a national standard combined with increasing public demand has led some companies to falsely claim their buildings are green. In some cases the building designer has not considered sustainability at all. These companies may believe they cannot adequately compete in the marketplace without some claim to one green building standard or another.

The future of green building design and practices looks bright. Many believe this trend will only grow. Some say these green design and building practices will become much less discretionary and much more the industry standard. We’re not yet there, but every indication is that we’re moving quickly in that direction.

High construction costs and tight deadlines are common on commercial building design projects. Florida Engineering Solutions delivers quality service, quick turnaround and innovative thinking. Contact us for your next commercial project.

The majority of homes which have a residential wind power system use power from the local utility company in addition to their wind turbines. The reason for this is that most wind turbines have a cut-in speed (usually 7 to ten mph). If the wind speed falls below this, then power must be drawn from the local grid. When the wind is moving faster than the cut-in speed, then the turbines begin supplying electricity to the home, reducing the need for electricity from the utility company. If you generate more power than you use, it can be fed back into the power grid – and your utility company will pay you for it!

In general, a wind turbine can lower a homeowner’s electric bills by around 50% and up, depending on the exact wind power system and number of turbines used. How much a smaller wind turbine will save exactly all depends on the power usage of the home and the average wind speeds in the area, among other factors.[youtube:UQWf_-OEHOw;[link:DIY Wind Power Generator];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQWf_-OEHOw&feature=related]

Wind systems are very sensitive to the average wind speed in the area, so if it were a concern, a turbine owner should have at least an average wind speed of 10 miles per hour and be paying at a lesser fee for electricity.

For most residential wind power systems, the charge of taking wind measurements is not warranted to predict wind turbine performance. However, in some mountainous areas, it may be best to score wind data before securing a system. If a person lives in a place that has sufficient breeze and wind patterns, then producing extra power from a residential wind turbine and supplying electricity to the grid will be fast and easy.

A residential wind system does not interfere with television signals or electronic communications and operates quietly. They’re also fairly easy to install, provided you have a small amount of technical skill; the average do-it-yourselfer can install a wind turbine system with ease. Your electricity supplier may install a second electrical meter to track the amount of electricity which you sell back to them.

Complete, ready to install wind turbine systems are readily available, though homeowners can also choose to buy the necessary parts and install it themselves. Purchasing a ready to install system costs a bit more but comes with more comprehensive support if needed. Installing a wind turbine on one’s own requires a little more technical know-how, but also a significant savings over a ready to install system. People interested in a residential wind power system should look into the pros and cons of each option for themselves to choose which is best for their needs.

A home wind power generator can save homeowners a considerable amount of money as well as being environmentally sound. A wind turbine creates no pollutants and reduce your reliance on greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels; it’s good for the Earth and great for your pocketbook.

See how to build a wind turbine for your house and keep money on your electric bill. Find out how to build a homemade wind generator and you can save 1000s on of purchasing one and still make lots of power.

Who in the entire world does not wish to have their energy bills reduced by 80% or more? Many of us would jump at the chance to take advantage of such a great deal. You can make your own homemade solar panels and install a system for less than $200. Earth4Energy sells a step by step guide that shows you how to do it.

The Earth4Energy guide has: quick and easy instructions, what parts to buy and where to find them, a bonus section on how to build a homemade wind generator to save more money off your energy bill, and a 60 day guarantee that if you are not saving hundreds of dollars a month off your monthly power bill you get all your money back, no questions asked.

There are videos as well for those of us who learn better by seeing.

It still seems incredible to me that anyone can follow this guide and build a homemade solar panels and wind power system and save 80% off their monthly energy bill. I think the reason we do not hear about this in mainstream media more is because of special interests blocking this kind of technology. Think about it. The big energy companies hate you for producing your own energy and the government hates you because they can not tax it.

I built my own homemade solar panel system and am saving about 40% off my monthly power bill. The reason I am saving only 40% is that I’m starting off small, with only a few panels and a very small battery bank. I plan on expanding my solar power system when I get more money.

Do not give more of your dwindling cash to the large power corporations, you need to look at Lance Jensen’s incredible free blog on making homemade solar panels and how to make a solar panel

Wind power and solar power, through the use of a battery bank, reduces your electricity bills, saves the planet, and is a superior supply of energy during power outages.

If you are thinking about making a home wind power turbine then here are a few things you should consider first.

Farmhouses and houses that are spread over an acre achieve the greatest cost savings from a wind power turbine. Less homes and buildings are present to block the flow of wind.

Take a moment to think about the amount of wind in your area. If you do not have much wind flow, then a wind power generator will save you little. Ideally, you want to live in an area that has an average wind speed of 11 miles per hour.

One of the best things about solar and wind power generation at home is that you are no longer at the mercy of power companies and their power outages that routinely effect us all. By producing your own electricity, black outs are a thing of the past. Plus there is nothing like seeing the look on your neighbors faces when they are standing outside because their power is out and they see your power on.

A typical wind power system comprises of a tower and five blades to churn out wind energy. The length of the wind tower varies depending on the location of your house. You may need a longer tower if you are in low-wind zone; you can work with a shorter tower if you live by the beach. Using a wind generator, this wind energy can be converted into useful electrical energy to be employed at home for running various electrical appliances. You can even store the power generated for later use, making wind generators more efficient than convention power systems.

If you are confused with the wind power terminology, this bit of information will help you. The terms, wind power generator, wind mills, wind turbines, and wind generators are all used to refer to the same machine.

If you are ready to take the next step in lowering your monthly power costs then you must see Lance Jensen’s awesome free blueprint for making a homemade wind generator. Go to home wind power

An ordinary citizen, albeit brilliant, has solved the energy crisis and our dependency on oil. He has created a 6 kwh solar system one can make at home for under $5,500. If a 6 kwh system was build with PV panels, it would cost about $80,000 to install.

What really gets my goat is that the powers that be in the United States want us all to think that after 15 years, and hundreds of millions of dollars in “government grants” to big oil companies to develop alternative energy projects, they could not come up with a system with this much yield for so cheap. Whatever! Chevron, Exxon, and the U.S. Department of Energy are not interested in these kinds of DIY homemade solar systems because they can’t make money off it. Big oil wants an alternative solution that keeps you as a paying customer while the U.S. government wants to be able to tax the solution. If everyone could pull as much energy as they needed completely from the air, the government could not get tax revenues with such a system, unless they taxed sunlight. Both big oil and the U.S. government only want an alternative energy solution that enriches them.

The billionaire oil executives in America will not let a DIY homemade solution hit mainstream America. They do not want you empowered and able to produce your own electricity simply by pulling it from free light.

The truth gets much darker than this. The oil trade is killing average people in Nigeria, Burma, and other countries. Nigeria and Burma are just two countries in which big oil has brought great harm and death to average people. Big oil is telling the Nigerian government where they want their luxury houses to be built. The government is sending in bulldozers to remove entire neighborhoods of poor people. They are even destroying churches. You can find videos of what is happening in Nigeria courtesy of YouTube.

Nigeria is only a portion of the cruelty to people in the name of profits for big oil. The U.N. Security Council has condemned the Burmese military junta for its treatment of its people. All companies have left the region except for Chevron. While the pipe line was being built, supervised by oil executives, the Burmese military junta forced villagers along the pipeline into slavery. Here are a Burmese citizens own words, “When there was no pipeline, there were no problems with soldiers. No soldiers came to this area. The soldiers came when we were harvesting rice. After the pipeline reached our village, we were told we had to work for the white people at gun point. We were forced by the soldiers into slavery. If we said we had to plant rice and would not do work for the white people, they said they would kill us and all our children. Because of the white people, our home was destroyed and the men had to run into the jungle or be killed. Many were killed. My husband escaped into the jungle. I waited for him to come back. While I was waiting, a soldier walked up to me and hit me with his rifle. I hit my head on a stone when I fell and lost consciousness. When I awoke, my baby had been burned alive in a fire. She did not cry. Her body was burned and all black.”

Now keep in mind that an average, ordinary American, albeit very intelligent, created an affordable DIY solar power system. The U.S. Department of Energy has been giving big oil companies like Chevron millions of dollars each year of tax payers money to create an alternative energy solution to break us from our dependency on oil. It sounds like big oil has been running a tax payers scam using the U.S. Department of Energy as the vehicle. During the Bush Administration and Republican control, the Department of Energy was staffed with pro big oil corporate executives and lobbyists. They have come up with very little and yet here is an ordinary citizen without any kind of multi-million dollar tax payer funded research budget, and he has created an affordable solar energy solution.

Here is the video. Prepared to be blown away. [youtube:fApJNTtb8Xw;[link:your keyword here];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fApJNTtb8Xw&feature=related]

Written by Lance Jensen. For free plans to build your own solar power system and other ways you can stick it to the big oil companies go to diy homemade solar panels

Most homes which use residential wind power also draw electricity from their local utility company as well. If wind speeds are below the turbine’s cut in speed (typically 7-10 mph), then the turbine will produce no power and all of the home’s energy needs will be met by the utility company. However, when wind speeds are above the turbine’s cut in speed, then the turbine generates power, lessening the amount drawn from the power grid. Any electricity produced which is above and beyond that needed for the home may be sold back to the local electricity supplier.

Small-scale wind systems for remote applications function rather differently. The wind turbine normally lessens electricity bills by half and it’s not unusual for wind turbine owners with total-electric homes to have lesser monthly utility bills. The amount of money a small wind turbine will depend upon its cost, the chunk of electricity used, the average wind speed at the site, and other factors pertaining to its usage.[youtube:UQWf_-OEHOw;[link:DIY Wind Power Generator];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQWf_-OEHOw&feature=related]

Wind systems are very sensitive to the average wind speed in the area, so if it were a concern, a turbine owner should have at least an average wind speed of 10 miles per hour and be paying at a lesser fee for electricity.

For most residential wind power systems, the charge of taking wind measurements is not warranted to predict wind turbine performance. However, in some mountainous areas, it may be best to score wind data before securing a system. If a person lives in a place that has sufficient breeze and wind patterns, then producing extra power from a residential wind turbine and supplying electricity to the grid will be fast and easy.

A residential wind system does not interfere with television signals or electronic communications and operates quietly. They’re also fairly easy to install, provided you have a small amount of technical skill; the average do-it-yourselfer can install a wind turbine system with ease. Your electricity supplier may install a second electrical meter to track the amount of electricity which you sell back to them.

Most wind turbine system dealers provide either complete ready-to-install applications or the option to buy directly from a store and let a would-be turbine owner do the installation instead. While the first option offers more customer support from the company, self-installation offers considerable savings and a technical understanding of the turbine. Soon-to-be owners can discuss the choices available with manufacturers to settle on which method best suits their financial accounts and skills.

Homeowners can save a lot of money by installing a home wind power generator. These alternative energy technologies have the additional advantage of being environmentally friendly. A wind turbine doesn’t produce any pollution and greatly reduces the amount of fossil fuels needed to power your home.

Want to find out how to build a wind turbine for your backyard and save your hard earned money on your electric bill. Find out how to build a homemade wind generator and you can save 1000s on of purchasing one and still make lots of power.

Well, we asked our server what was going on. She told us that “corporate” had put a new rule in place at all the restaurants instead of investing in green products. The rule was that no spoons were to be placed on any place setting. I grew up in an environment where a full place setting was always set before a hungry customer, consisting of a fork, knife and spoon. Now, “corporate” in its wisdom has said that only if a customer ordered coffee was a spoon to be given to the customer. I have a six year-old that uses a spoon for her fruit bowl; we had to ask for a spoon.

After inquiring why this had occurred, I was informed that “corporate” believed that there would be an energy savings and yet not a single CFL bulb was in use. I asked how that was possible; I was told that if an unused spoon was rewashed it was costing the company money and energy. So to prevent this energy loss it was better to not put the spoon on the table. The customer would just have to wait as their coffee or hot cereal got cold or until the overworked and over utilized server was done handling the other customers who needed spoons (more likely food).

I find it hard to believe that the amount of money saved would be significant as opposed to using CFL bulbs to save money. I seem to remember, just after high school, I worked in fast-paced restaurant chain. Everyday practice was to wash the plates, pot, pans and miscellaneous items in one or two baskets, followed by the glassware, and then wash the silverware in the last basket. So, where would the energy savings be if dishes are washed this way?

While pondering this, I happened to look up. Having written a few articles on energy savings, I noticed that they were still using incandescent bulbs. From where I sat I could count more than fifty bulbs burning energy as I waited for my order, and no green products like CFL bulbs in sight. Everywhere I looked and in every room that a customer had access, there were no green products in use. If they were trying to save money, you would think some green products like energy saving CFL bulbs would be used.

It looked like each incandescent light bulb was running around 75 watts. I inquired as to the hours of this store and was told they were open 138 hours a week.

So I did a little comparison; incandescent vs. green products like CFL bulbs. Using a little math: 50 incandescent bulbs * 75 watts = 3750 watts per hour. To figure the total watts per week for the store, take the watts per hour 3750 watts * 138 hours the store is open per week = 517,500 watt hours per week. The grand total for one year would be 517,500 * 52 weeks = 26,910,000 or 26 megawatts for this store alone so I wondered what the saving would be using green products like CFL bulbs.

Being of a curious nature, I looked up the restaurant on the Internet and found 88 stores in the chain. So if I multiply the 27 megawatts by the 88 stores, I get around 2,368 megawatt hours per year.

Now, what if we replaced all the incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs? Well, a replacement for a 75 watts bulb runs 18 watts. So 50 bulbs times 18 watts would equal 900 per hour. Then we multiple 900 watts times 138 store hours and we get 124,200 watt hours per week. Then multiply 124,200 * 52 week we would get or 6.46 megawatt hours per year. Now, take the megawatt hours per year (6.46) times the number of stores (88) and we get around 568 megawatt hours per year for the whole chain using green products. If we do a little subtraction, we would get around 2,368 minus 568 = 1800 megawatt hours savings. I would say that they would be saving more than pennies if they were using green products like CFL bulbs.

Michael Edwards has more interesting article on going green, checkout his green energy

The United States does not have a home solar incentive near as good as Australia. For the last 8 years, Republicans have blocked solar incentives at the request of big oil. It is sad that the United States is who invented solar panels and yet we have lost our first advantage and continue to fall further behind the world.

But I digress. This article is about new legislation in Australia that gives a big boost to the home solar industry there.

A $7,000 discount will be given to anyone who installs a 1.5 kW (9 panel) solar system thanks to the Australian passed legislation called RET (Renewable Energy Target).

The Coalition and business and green lobby groups pressured the Australian government to split the RET portion of the bill from the disputed Emissions Trading (ETS) bill. Previously they had both been one bill but as the fighting heated up over the ETS bill, it was clear that it was better to split the RET and the ETS into two separate bills and so that the RET portion of the bill could be passed.

The $7,000 home solar discount is for all grid connected structures. It can be an owner occupied home, a renter occupied home, a vacation home, or even commercial buildings. The rebate threshold in earlier home solar discount programs of a taxable income of $100,000 has been eliminated.

The home solar credits scheme is ingenious in that it assigns a value of 500% the market value of what are know as RECs or Renewable Energy Certificates.

RECs or Renewable Energy Certificates were introduced in Australia at the end of 2001. Renewable Energy Certificates are what places a measurable value on the displacement of greenhouse gases. A single Renewable Energy Certificate is the equivalent of 1 mega Watt hour of electricity produced. This, in turn, is equal to about one ton of prevented greenhouse emissions. Renewable Energy Certificates provide a financial incentive to burn less fossil fuel.

It depends on where you live and how many hours of sunshine you receive on an annual basis but there are about 33 RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) given for a 1.5 kW solar energy install. The value of a REC is subject to market variation but they are currently trading around $37. This translates into 33 x $37 = $1,221. You now multiply this by 500%, which is the amount set in this new home solar credit, $1,221 x 500% = $6,105.

The first 1.5kW of solar panels installed get the discount. For higher output solar panel installs, the usually 1:1 rate of Renewable Energy Certificates applies. The ORER (Office Of Renewable Energy Regulator) will issue the discounts. People having solar panels installed can decide if they want to use the Renewable Energy Certificates to pay the solar power installer in order to lower upfront costs, or they can hold on to their certificates like a stock with the idea of selling it in the future when they increase in value.

Now why can not something like this be done in the United States of America were solar panels were first invented. I guess in America it is all about money and the big oil and energy companies do not want you producing your own energy, even if it is better for the environment. They would rather destroy all life on the planet rather than lose you as a paying energy customer.