Learning Stuff About ‘Reducing Expenses’ Category


Reducing Electricity Costs – Making Use of Solar Power

Electricity usage is practically a necessity in this modern age. As such, you can be sure of a recurring electricity bill. It only makes sense therefore to reduce this expense as much as possible without having to necessarily deprive yourself of comforts you might have gotten used to. It may come as a surprise just how many ways there are to accomplish this. In this entry, we will consider the use of solar power.

Solar energy can be converted to electricity by means of photovoltaic cells. These cells produce electricity when sunlight makes contact with their surfaces. Deriving electricity through this means is desirable for two reasons. One, the source is sunlight, of which there is plenty to go around and is free. You could potentially eliminate your electricty bill, by going solar. The second reason one may find the solar option attractive, is that it is considered green. It does not cause any pollution, unlike fossil fuel usage.

The main deterrent to going solar though is the prohibitive costs. The panels can be quite expensive. (Don’t be fooled by earth4energy and other solar power scams). The cost has actually been significantly reduced if one compares the current cost with what it was about 20 years ago. Nevertheless, for most people, it would still be considered too expensive to go fully solar. You can expect to spend between $30,000 to $50,000 for equipment and installation, depending on your regular electricity usage. If you can reduce your regular electricity usage, then you can reduce this cost.

Another factor that restricts some from going the solar route is the lack of space. The solar panels need to be placed somewhere where sunlight is not impeded, usually on the roof, and there needs to be enough space. Not everyone has a roof that makes this a viable option.

As the cost of solar cells has gone down over the years while efficiency has improved, it is likely that technology will continue to advance to eventually make solar power feasible for all. But until then, is there anything to be done now, to take advantage of this means of reducing electricity costs?

Well it might not be practical for the average person to go completely solar now. But one can consider a partial solar solution. For example, one could look at using solar power for certain appliances, such as the air conditioner. But that’s not the only alternative. One can also try substituting electrical devices with solar powered versions of the same devices. For instance, solar patio lights or solar garden lights can be used instead of regular outdoor lights,  and solar water heaters instead of the regular electrical.

Solar Patio Lights -Your Learning Resource

Are solar patio lights worth buying or are they a waste of money as some say? Are they bright enough to light up your patio? How long do they last? Do they need to be placed in the sunlight to be effective? These questions regarding solar lights for the patio, and more will be addressed here.

How Solar Lights Work

Solar patio lights are essentially solar lights that are designed for the outdoors and more specifically for the patio. They are generally grouped together with solar lights for the deck, garden, steps and pathways.

On a basic level, solar lights work by converting sunlight into electricity which is used to power the light source, which in this case are Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Solar panels convert the light from the sun into energy that is stored in rechargeable batteries. At night, the battery is used to power the lights. The brightness of the lights will depend on the type and number of LEDs used. How long they will last will depend on the storage capacity of the batteries and how much they get to charge, which depend on the rate at which the solar panels can convert the sunlight, and of course, how much sunlight is actually impacting the panels during the day.

Benefits of Solar Patio Lights

Considering how solar lights in general work, we can see there are clear benefits to having solar patio lights. They will not contribute to your electricity bill. In fact, your bill stands to be reduced since most likely you would still have provided lighting for your patio or other outdoor areas like the garden. Solar lights derive energy in a clean way, so won’t impact negatively on the environment. Generally, solar lights for patios and gardens won’t be encumbered by the need for wires, which make them ideal for the outdoors, and for adding aesthetic value. Stainless steel solar garden lights can be quite attractive and classy.  In addition to these benefits, outdoor solar lights often come equipped to automatically switch on at night time and likewise switch off in the morning, so you need to not be concerned about remembering to turn on or off your lights.

There are of course several benefits to having patio or outdoor lights, whether solar or otherwise. There is the practicality of it, in that having outdoor lights will allow you to see what’s going on outside at night, which is good for security. They can be used to light up areas like garden paths or driveways and patio steps. Sometimes you may want to entertain guests out on the patio where lighting might be required. Then there is the aesthetic aspect of having patio or garden lights. As solar patio lights come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, with varying brightness, there is much that can be done to shape the decor and ambience of your patio and garden according to your own tastes.

Kinds of Solar Patio Lights

There are various kinds of solar lights available for your patio and garden. There are solar patio lamps designed in the fashion of the gas-light lamps of the old days. There are solar patio lamps or lanterns that flicker like candle light, such as the Faux Candle lanterns. Also, there are solar patio string lights, which can be used to decorate the patio and garden for festive occasions, like what is normally used at Christmas time. Some solar patio lights are just for the ambience, such as the soji solar lantern. Others are for more practical purposes, like the two piece Deluxe Europa Solar lights set, which are quite bright. Solar path lights are good to light up those dark paths. There are even solar kits with remote panels, so that you can have the light source in shaded areas while the solar panel is placed in a more efficient location. Solar umbrella lights are also available. These are good for lighting up your patio umbrella. Whatever your need is, you can be sure there are patio solar lights that will suffice nicely.

Costs of Patio Solar Lights

The cost of solar lights for the patio will vary according to the need you’re trying to fill. For the brighter and longer lasting lights, the price will be more expensive. Prices for solar patio and garden lights can range from $10 to a couple hundred bucks. Bear in mind that you won’t be paying for the electricity used to power these lights, so the added expense to having these lights may eventually pay for itself.

Is it worth the while to get Solar Patio Lights?

The answer to this question really depends on what your aim is. If you are looking for a practical solution to lighting up your outdoors, then obviously you wouldn’t want to get the dim patio solar lights that are really intended for aesthetics. You would want to check out what is available in the bright types of solar lights. Once you find something bright enough to satisfy your needs, then you will want to consider how long they will last. If they can last long enough for your purposes, then you will want to verify that the batteries can be charged fully on a regular day of sunlight. It would be to your advantage to also find out how well they charge during winter time. Chances are that you can find solar lights for your patio which can meet all these criteria. For there are different kinds of bright solar lights ideal for the outdoors like the patio, which can last 8 to 12 hours, and can charge to full capacity during a normal day of sunlight. Therefore, the next important consideration is the price. You will now need to decide whether the price you will pay is affordable, and whether it makes sense as an investment into reducing electricity costs. It is quite possible that depending on the cost, you might find it more practical to not go with solar patio lights.

If it is aesthetics and ambience you’re after, then solar patio lights are definitely recommended, since many are designed with this in mind, and they do not add to your electricity bill.

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DIY: Make Your Own Air Conditioner

An earlier post explored some ways to cool down your house during the summer without AC.  The problem with air conditioners, is that they tend to use a lot of electricity, thereby increasing the utility bill. I came across this video which shows how you can make your own air conditioner (AC), and so thought it would be a good addition to this section, as it might do the trick of providing the cooling you desire without incurring as much expense as having a real AC.

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The Solar power Michael Harvey/Earth4energy SCAM!

I was recently doing some investigating into how I could possibly reduce my electricity bill, and I decided to look into solar power. Now I had always heard that it takes an exorbitant amount of money to install a solar system that would be useful. So imagine my surprise when I came across the Michael Harvey (earth4energy) offer, where supposedly one can reduce their electricity bill by 80% by following Harvey’s do it yourself solar power setup, and for less than $250!

Reading the offer, with all the testimonials and the wild promises, made my mouth water. Of course anything sounding so good, sets off the scam alert warning in my head. So I decided to search for “michael harvey scam” and “earth4energy scam”. The interesting thing is, even in these results that came back, there was still a lot of positive things being said. Sites that supposedly were exposing it as a scam turned out to be endorsing it. However, a keen reader of these sites would realise that these folks are basically just trying to sell the product and benefit from some kind of affiliate or mlm system. It’s obvious. So many different sites pushing it, and people just giving these great testimonials where at the end they give you a link to purchase the manual.

The truth is, many if not most of those who are promoting earth4energy simply have not tried it themselves. They simply see a product that has high commission rates, and decide to get a piece of the pie. I have been learning a lot of stuff about internet marketing recently, and I participate in forums where people admit that they write reviews of products that they’ve never used. One person even gave tips on how to do that.

You should also be aware that one of the scammers set up a site with the url earth4energyscam, where they basically say it is not a scam. What a joke! Don’t believe it.

These crooks must be exposed. Here is one site that you should really check out if you still feel you might be missing out on something. Michael Harvey Scam

For those of you promoting this product without ever trying it out, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Put a stop to it, and do some honest business. It is time to put an end to this earth4energy scam.

If you genuinely feel or know that it is not a scam, then post your comments to that effect, either here or at the link above. It is time these people are exposed thoroughly!

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