User manual FREE PHONE 4 ENERGY

[. . . ] 1 Phone 4 Energy 2 Copyright ©2009 by Phone4Energy. com All rights reserved. No part of this digital book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this digital book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Trademarks All terms mentioned in this digital book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. [. . . ] Shopping online can be a great way to find better deals than in stores. If you need to replace an old or broken-down appliance, going more efficient, even if it's a bit more expensive, will end up saving you money. You'll probably make up the difference in a few months to a year, and the rest will be savings. Some products, purchased in certain areas, can get you a rebate to further make up the price difference. Why energy-efficient appliances are good Not only are they good for your pocketbook, efficient appliances are good for the environment. According to the government's Energy Star website (it's a joint program of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy), one in ten homes using energyefficient appliances would equal the planting of 1. 7 million acres of trees. 42 Eligible Energy Star Appliances Refrigerators Freezers Dishwashers Clothes washers Air conditioners (room) Air cleaners (room) Dehumidifiers Water coolers Battery charging systems (for cordless phones, appliances, electric shavers . . . ) [Design note: can you put this factoid in a box?Cost per year = kWh (700) x utility rates (8. 4) = total costs for 1 year ($58. 80)] The EnergyGuide label The EnergyGuide label lists yearly average running costs and will likely display whether a product is Energy Star qualified. It also compares energy use to similar products using a bar scale with an arrow showing where the appliance sits. 43 Energy-efficient appliances will have lower kWh/year. If you can find that number for a current appliance, you'll be able to figure out the cost difference between old and new. Power use isn't the only efficiency measure though; some appliances will have their own factors for other savings, such as clothes washers and water usage. 44 Energy Efficient Light Bulbs CFL bulbs make sense and save cents Compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs as the often spiral-shaped bulbs are known, can work just as well as any incandescent bulb, while using less energy, lasting longer and providing increased safety. If you want to ease yourself into fluorescent lighting - because it does cost more initially - replace the most often-used bulbs. Those are usually the kitchen, living room, bathroom and outdoor porch lights. 45 CFLs Save money According to the government's Energy Star website, changing just five lights to efficient bulbs like CFLs would save $60 a year in energy costs. Although CFLs cost more, it's easy to find them on sale and they are often cheaper in large quantities. Buy enough to fit most of the fixtures in your home, even if you don't need to replace the bulbs yet. Almost an entire home can be lit by compact fluorescent light bulbs, meaning frequent light bulb changes will be a thing of the past and power consumption will be cut drastically. Some CFL facts Last up to 10 times longer than incandescent Use about 2/3 less energy Generate only 30 percent the heat, meaning safer operation (and less heat added to the home) Different types can fit most regular fixtures Can work indoors or out 46 To be qualified as Energy Star, the gold standard in energy efficiency, CFLs must give off the same amount of light as regular bulbs, turn on instantly, make no noise and provide light in the warm color range. If you have a specific fixture in mind for a CFL, like one attached to a dimmer switch, make sure to choose a bulb that is specified for that use. It's a good idea to read directions for any bulb you haven't used before to ensure you're not placing it in the wrong type of fixture. Although most CFLs are warm tones, you can purchase cool-tone bulbs for focused task lighting. [Design note: please put this in a box. Buy CFLs with lumen outputs consistent with those of incandescent bulbs. Forty watt incandescent bulbs put out 450 lumens, 60 watt bulbs put out 800 lumens and 100 watt bulbs put out 1, 600 lumens. ] Some think LED (light emitting diode) light bulbs are the future because they'll provide even more lighting power and less energy consumption than CFLs, as well as lasting longer. But until LEDs become more affordable and readily available, CFLs are still the best 47 bet for saving money and energy. Now if you could just get rid of that phantom power that's being drained from your home when you least expect it. 48 Reducing Wasted Energy Chapter 5 49 Reducing Wasted Energy Reduce Phantom Power Some people give it the more ominous name of "vampire load" and some tame it down with "idle current. " But however you refer to it, standby, sleep or phantom power is still just wasted energy. If your microwave oven displays the time when it's not nuking TV dinners, it's all thanks to electricity. It takes power to display the time 50 on some machines even more power than it takes to actually heat food. That's because while you only use the microwave for cooking about one percent of the time (power consumption during cooking is 100 times higher), the other 99 percent of the time the clock is the only thing running. It has been estimated that about 10 percent of total home energy use is due to appliances and electronic equipment in standby mode. Find phantom power and Kill-A-Watt This handy little device, and others like it, can be plugged in between an appliance and the wall, detecting just how much energy that appliance takes while in use or just waiting to be used. [. . . ] The bulb will light up and be very bright. 93 The Best Way of Collecting Electricity The best way of collecting electricity is as follows. This method should be performed at night or when the phone line is not in use. To get 1 ampere at 15 vdc use a 10 volt capacitor to step down the 50 vdc that is coming from the lines (this is a special capacitor). Photo capacitors are always the best. 94 High Voltage Care When working with electricity you must always be very careful. [. . . ]