NewNergy

NewNergy discusses the latest inventions, innovations and breakthroughs in the energy & environmental sciences.

Energy Detective Tool for Home Energy Efficiency

Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:28 PM

In a public bid for transparency and awareness in home electrical consumption, a Maine family of four is broadcasting their electricity use live via the web and a Twitter feed.

Peter Troast found that by simply measuring the family’s energy use, they created an awareness of it which resulted in an almost immediate 15% reduction in use, and he believes it can work for anyone.Troast has connected an electricity usage monitoring device called The Energy Detective (TED) to the junction box in his basement and rigged it to transmit the data to the internet. Viewers can watch the Troast family’s electrical use at any time via their website at Energy Circle TED display.

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Labels: efficiency, electricity, energy, homes

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LPG Optimum Burning System: An Indian Invention for Home Energy Efficiency

Posted on Monday, March 2, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:05 PM

A device called electronic ‘LPG optimum burning system' invented by Tarak Nath Choudhury, a civil engineer with Eastern Railway, promises to help you save Rs 110 per cylinder. If a LPG cylinder lasts 30 days now, Choudhury's device will make it last another 14 days and reduce harmful emission. He has already won the Earth Care Award 2008 for his invention

The existing cooking gas burner (IS 4246) has 64 % thermal efficiency. So everytime you cook, you waste 36% energy. One can achieve up to 92% thermal efficiency using this machine. The normal consumption of LPG through big burners is 189 gm per hour. This device can bring down the consumption to 131 gm per hour without changing the quantum of thermal energy or heat. So it increases thermal efficiency.

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Labels: efficiency, energy, homes

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Coolerado Claims Solar Powered Air Conditioner for Power Conservation

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 7:53 PM

Coolerado, a Colorado-based company, is pushing its namesake air conditioning unit, a novel device that cools air by using water instead of chemical refrigerants and a compressor. Its developers believe it’s the greatest thing for warm climates since the automatic ice maker.

The company’s claims are impressive on multiple fronts. Most important is the power consumption of the unit on display in the video: 600 watts, or “one third the amount of power of a standard hair dryer” and a tenth of what a similarly sized traditional A/C unit would use. Spokesman Rick Gillan says the unit is large enough to cool 3,000 square feet occupied by about 20 people — the size of a small business — and can be powered completely by a small array of four photovoltaic panels.

Also appealing is the idea that the air conditioner itself can help boost the output of the solar panels powering it: In the heat of summer, when solar panels operate at lower efficiency, ducts from the A/C route exhaust air their way. The exhaust air is warmer than that being delivered to the rooms below, but cooler than the untreated outside air, so it helps the solar cells operate closer to their maximum efficiency.

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Labels: conservation, energy, homes, solar

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Natural Gas Fuel Cells Could Power Homes?

Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 7:58 PM

National Wind Solutions, Inc has announced a breakthrough new fuel cell technology developed by one of America's major research universities. The acquisition of this technology is expected to be completed in about 30 days, and will be the cornerstone of NWND's recently formed subsidiary, Zero Emissions Fuel Cell, Inc.

NWND's technology will be aimed at delivering power to homes and businesses. The technology will allow users to meet their complete electrical needs using natural gas to drive the fuel cell. Natural gas is a readily available, environmentally friendly domestic fuel source which will be an integral part of weaning the United States from our addiction to foreign oil. More than 65 million residences and businesses in the United States already have natural gas service. These factors will allow for rapid adoption of this breakthrough green energy technology.

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Labels: fuel-cells, homes

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Rice Husk To Energy With Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Posted on Monday, January 26, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:23 PM

One invention that has helped Filipino families is Professor Alexis Belonio's stove powered by rice husks. He literally turned agricultural waste into purified gas in a top-lit, updraft and biomass gas stove.

A ton of rice husks contains the same energy as 415 liters of petrol, or 378 liters of kerosene. A few handfuls of rice husks can boil water in six to nine minutes. Best of all, the rice husks are usually free--from farms or waste dumps that surround rice mills--and it is more efficient than ordinary cookers. Belonio's stove reduces greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate toxic fumes inside the houses. Even the char left after burning can be recycled to use as fertilizers or bio-coal briquettes.

Get the Full Story Here

Labels: energy, homes, waste

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Wireless thermostat- A new product to cut down current energy bills

Posted on Thursday, January 8, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:39 AM

Jonathan Froggatt, director of Housetech Solutions,has designed wireless thermostat, which regulates the amount of time a household radiator is on. The device can be controlled by a computer.The thermostat would allow home owners to regulate which radiators in the house are on and can turn others off to save energy.

The idea has been patented and has been passed on to secretary of state for energy and climate change.Jonathan said: “We have worked out that the device, which is really simple, will save people up to 35 per cent on their current energy bills.”The idea was thought up in Denmark by Lars Jensen, the brother of Jonathan’s business partner, and was trialed in Scandinavia for 18 months before being brought to England.Energy firm EDF is one of those interested in the thermostats, which are individually charged at £69.

Labels: electricity, homes

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Honda MCHP (Micro-CHP) - A Breakthrough in Home Energy Conservation

Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:56 AM

Pretty soon, though, the biggest contribution we can make as individuals to reducing carbon footprint may not be a Prius in the driveway. Instead, it’ll be a Honda in the basement.

Last year Climate Energy in Medfield ran a demonstration project in sixteen Massachusetts homes, replacing their gas-fired forced-hot-air heating systems with a new high-efficiency “freewatt” system featuring a Honda MCHP (Micro-CHP) unit. CHP stands for “Combined Heat and Power.” The unit is a small generator that takes advantage of heat thrown off generating electricity to provide a second home heating source.

The results were impressive. Using the same amount of gas (or in some cases a bit less), the homeowners were able to both heat their homes and dramatically cut their electrical bills. When home electrical use was low, the owners had the pleasure of actually seeing the electrical meter run backwards.

Labels: electricity, homes

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Toyota Home-Use Fuel Cell Cogeneration Project

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:54 AM

Toyota Motor Corp plans to provide, for the third year in a row, home-use fuel cell cogeneration units as part of a government project to verify the practical use of CO2-reducing stationary fuel cells.

The municipal-gas-fueled 1-kW home-use fuel cell cogeneration units—which generate electricity and capture waste heat for household heating—are to play a role in the continuing Large-Scale Stationary Fuel Cell Demonstration Project of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Twenty-four of the units will be provided to project participant Toho Gas Co., Ltd. (Toho), which will install them in homes in three central-Japan prefectures (Aichi, Gifu and Mie) to collect data toward commercialization. The government project, which was originally scheduled to conclude on March 31, 2008, is now expected to run until the end of March 2009.

Full report here - Home-Use Fuel Cell Cogeneration Project

Labels: co2, electricity, homes

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Echelon Technology Chosen To Help Reduce Energy Usage in Appliances

Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2007 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 9:14 PM

Echelon Technology To Help Reduce Energy Use in Home Appliances

(WebWire) 3/8/2007

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Echelon Corporation, a global networking company providing technology and solutions for controls, smart metering, and energy and environment management, and LonMark® International, a non-profit trade association, announced that CECED, the European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, has adopted Echelon’s technology as part of its Household Appliances Control and Monitoring – Application Interworking Specification (AIS) standard. The CECED AIS standard defines Echelon’s control networking technology platform as one of the technologies for communication among household white goods such as ovens, washers and dryers.

The combined solution with Echelon’s standard will support the growing demand for intelligent home appliances that are more energy efficient, user friendly and convenient.

Read more from this press release here @ WebWire

Labels: conservation, efficiency, homes

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Consumers attracted to energy savings of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL)

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 8:56 PM

Bright idea: Consumers attracted to energy savings of compact fluorescent lamps

ERIC SHACKLETON
March 10, 2007

Excerpts:

1. Compact fluorescents provide high energy efficiency
2. Nova Scotia's energy minister says the province plans to give retailers four or five years to prepare for a ban on incandescent light bulbs
3. Project Porchlight, a campaign organized by a not-for-profit energy conservation group, is working to deliver one CFL bulb to every household in Canada.
4. the PL bulbs, also called CFLs, have a longer life and will save the buyer money.
5. CFLs are also environmentally friendly because less energy is used.

More from this news report @ Brooks Alberta Business News

Labels: conservation, efficiency, electricity, environment, homes, lighting

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