Efficient things
Efficient things
The Staber Washer is good washer if you are interested in saving electricity, water and detergent. It is the only top loading, horizontal-axis clothes washer made in the U.S. It operates in a similar way to an efficient front load washer, but you get top loading convenience. Compared to conventional vertical-axis agitator washers, the Staber […]
Staber Washer: Highly Efficient Read More »
LED grow lights are a good choice if you are interested in growing indoors without a lot of hassle. Traditional grow lights generate a lot of heat and use large amounts of electricity, which raises your monthly electric bill by noticeable amounts. These LED grow lights stay cool, and use only a minuscule amount of
LED Lights: Efficient Indoor Growing Read More »
Inhabitat reports on the iT House — a prefabricated housing system that uses glass and aluminum frames as its basis. Created by Bosch, the house is only 1000 square feet, and is designed to be constructed in 8 weeks. It makes use of radiant heat flooring and solar panels on the roof. Homeowners can customize
Takagi water heaters do not have tanks, instead they heat water instanteously using a gas burner. They are efficient and powerful — even the smallest heater, the Takagi T-KJr., can produces 180 gallons of hot water in an hour, but weighs only 30 pounds and is 20 inches high. They run on propane or natural
Endless Hot Water: Takagi Heaters Read More »
By using ultraminimalist electrical configurations, you can lighten your housing arrangements and make them more portable too. Ultraminimalist lighting is straightforward. The most efficient way of lighting a house is to use lamps with compact fluorescent bulbs inside. For example, a 27W compact fluorescent is equivalent to a 100W incandescent bulb. Use LED lights for
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In terms of quality, cost and energy efficiency, Kenmore refrigerators get high ratings from Good Housekeeping and Consumer Reports. They make many “no-frills” refrigerators which are Energy Star compliant. Kenmore fridges have factory-installed ice makers, which are less prone to break down than those built into the door. For example, a reasonably priced, mid-sized Kenmore
Top Rated, Energy Efficient Refrigerators Read More »
An off-grid experimenter in Australia, Tom Chalko, has retrofitted a chest freezer to create a fridge that uses only 100 watt-hours (0.1 kWh) per day! Why a chest freezer? Tom points out that vertical door refrigerators are inherently inefficient. As soon as you open a vertical fridge door the cold air escapes, simply because it
Man Retrofits Freezer to Make an Ultra-Efficient Fridge Read More »
If you own property that has access to a stream or river, and want to produce your own electricity, then Hydropower should be your first choice. The cost of equipment is lower, and the kilowatt per dollar return is much better than any other alternative energy source. The most important element to have when producing
Micro and Pico Hydropower Read More »
Energy Consumption: 18 or 24W DC Dimensions: 12" H x 12" L x 9" Weight: 2 lbs. Best Price: $202 (Alternative Energy Store) or $259 (Southwest Solar) Notes from Manufacturer: World’s lowest energy using cooler. Evaporative cooling for RVs, boats, cars, tents and small rooms at a fraction of typical air conditioning energy costs. Cools
Kar Kool – Portable DC Evaporative Cooler Read More »
Wet Lead Acid batteries are the most common batteries used in energy systems because of their price, local availability, and ease of recycling. A properly maintained lead acid cell will last about ten years. This type of battery will deliver about 1000 full charge-discharge cycles. The drawbacks of Wet Lead Acid Batteries include the following:
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