Below is a flashback of looking back to see how things were done, prior to all the high tech gadgetry ways to save time and money. So in the retro spirit let’s look at sure fire a no tech cost effective way to save money.

The clothesline

You may remember the visual to the right from your childhood days when your Mom hung out the clothes on one of these inverted umbrella type rigs or perhaps via stringing a line between the house and a nearby tree.

Well what is old is new again, at least when it comes to saving energy. We recently started doing for drying heavy things like towels, sweatshirts and jeans. The money we saved by using the dryer less often was measurable, almost 12-14% off each months electric bill. If you use a gas dryer you will get similar savings as well.

Environmental concerns and sky-rocketing energy costs have also prompted many state and local governments to pass “right-to-dry” laws allowing their use (check with you local ordinances before installing one).

Advantages of a clothes line

• Saves money
• Zero greenhouse gas emissions per load.
• Laundry smells “clothesline fresh” without using chemicals.
• Less wear and tear on your clothing fabrics.
• Laundry items tend to not shrink from the hot air of a clothes dryer.
• No static cling!!
• Your clothes are softer as dryers tend to remove short, soft, fine fibers.
• Possibly less ironing as items not immediately removed from dryer tend to get wrinkled.
• Items may dry more quickly on dry or sunny and windy days.
• Avoids airborne lint and reduced air quality.
• Eliminates heating up the inside of a house by a clothes dryer especially helpful during the summer months.
• Eliminates the internal house noise from the running clothes dryer.

Disadvantages of using a clothes line

• Laundry items need to be hung indoors during rainy weather.
• Neighbors may find it aesthetically unpleasant so it is best to erect it in an inconspicuous place.
• Laundry items may be more stiff which is easily remedied by giving them a short dryer spin.
• Wind, temperature, and humidity can vary the drying time^.
• Environmental contaminants such as soil, dust, smoke, pollen and animal droppings can come in contact with clothing.

Drying laundry indoors

Laundry may be dried indoors for a variety of reasons including:

• inclement weather
• physical disability
• lack of space for a line
• legal restrictions
• to raise the humidity level indoors
• to lower the air temperature indoors
• convenience
• to preserve privacy

Several types of devices are also available for indoor drying. A drying rack or clotheshorse can help save space in an apartment or clothes line can be strung in the basement during the winter. Small loads can simply be draped over furniture or a shower curtain pole. The drying time indoors will typically be longer than outdoor drying because of the lack of direct sun and wind.

To learn some other quick inexpensive ways to save money visit the SAVING $ tab above to start saving energy and money today!

Innovative Device which is Easy to Install for Energy Savings

The path to energy efficient lighting takes another step forward with the introduction of the Wireless Occupancy Sensor from Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
Providing a simple way to go green, the innovative sensor is specifically designed for easy installation in conference rooms, copy rooms, small offices, classrooms, living rooms, bedrooms, restrooms, and other spaces where automatic lighting shut-off is desirable.

It installs in minutes. Simply place the sensor on the ceiling and replace your standard light switch with a compatible Lutron dimmer or switch – no wiring is required to the sensor. The sensor contains front-accessible buttons for easy setup and an illuminating lens to verify ideal locations.

The sensor contains cutting-edge technology to detect fine motions and perform reliably. It has user-replaceable batteries, designed to last up to 10 years.

For flexible and scalable energy-saving retrofits, up to 10 dimmers or switches can communicate with a sensor via radio frequency, and users can add up to 3 sensors for superior coverage.

The sensor saves energy by turning lights off when a room is unoccupied. Each Lutron Wireless Occupancy Sensor can save up to $85.00 a year.* What’s more, using a compatible Lutron dimmer, with the sensor, allows you to automatically turn lights on to a dimmed level rather than to full-on, saving even more energy.

The Lutron Wireless Occupancy Sensor can be programmed to operate as an occupancy sensor (automatic-on and automatic-off functionality) or a vacancy sensor (manual-on and automatic-off functionality). A vacancy-only model is also available to meet the California Title 24 Energy Efficiency Standard requirements.

The Wireless Occupancy Sensor is compatible with the Lutron Maestro Wireless® dimmer (as well as with Maestro Wireless® switch); the Vierti® Wireless dimmer or switch; and GRAFIK Eye® QS Wireless light and shade control.

“We are very excited about this break-through product. Now homeowners, facility managers, and contractors can retrofit a space in minutes to save energy and money, without any rewiring,” says Eric Lind Director – Commercial Marketing for Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.

For more information about the new Lutron Wireless Occupancy Sensor, please visit www.lutron.com/occsensors.

*Actual savings may vary depending on use and application. Stated savings based on 1200W lighting load, 20% occupancy sensor savings, 14 operating hours per day for 250 days, and an average electricity cost of $0.102/kWh. Dimming adds additional savings.

Brochure

The K3 Wind and Solar Charger

A fully charged K3 charges a mobile phone over 5 times and charges an iPod/mp3 player over 10 times!*

Just one hour of sun & wind provides about 30 minutes of talk time and over 300 minutes of mp3 music!*

K3 FEATURES

• 2 in 1 dual charging ability for collecting sun, wind, or both
• The largest rechargable battery capacity of its group – ready to use over and over again
• USB port built in with available adapter tips to charge various devices
• Stand up, lay down, or hang the K3 – works in any charging environment
• Power status LED level indicators with the press of a button
• Durable, weatherproof design you can take anywhere
• Storage inside for multiple device adapter tips
• AC adapter included for pre-charging before you go

The product is great for camping, boating, to throw in your glove box or in your attache when traveling. This product is now available at many retail locations or via the companies website store at: http://www.kinesisindustries.com

*Performance figures will vary based on different mobile phone models and iPod/mp3 player models, as well as sunlight intensity and wind speed consistency.

I am back on the grid after 30 plus days. So how was it… to say the least it was enlightening and quite relaxing although I must admit it took a couple of days of withdrawal pains before I got to that point. I thought I had prepared enough before going off the grid by printing out my phone lists, calendars purging my name of e-mail lists, etc.  However, I must admit I did have to break a couple of times during the period out of economic necessity. The first time was to re-direct my VoIP phone after I found out that it could not be done via the phone only via their website as my wife who led me to this path practically begged me to get back on the grid as she ended up fielding my office calls at our home number, getting text messages to her mobile phone for her to tell me things and finally receiving e-mails addressed to her for her to read to me.

I did also have to answer a couple of business e-mails that needed to be tended to after a couple of terse phone calls about needing to respond to some proposals and business opportunities via electronic means only. Also at the end of the month I needed to take a business trip to California so I needed to turn my cell phone back on during the last week. I did also use the computer to access the web to get and print some photos for a memorial for our black lab, Pirate, who after  14 and a half years of loyal and unrelenting love was put to eternal rest. Sweet puppy dreams my friend may you rest in peace.

So what did I learn? First off I realized how time consuming e-mail has become on my daily regime. It seems I have conditioned people to expect immediate responses, even late at night and early in the morning. This will change as I realized there is really very little e-mail that you need to be that responsive to. When I do not respond immediately it seemed most of the things that needed response seem to have come to a rightful conclusion without my input and the ones that could not were solved via a simple telephone call versus a diatribe of e-mails! Also after receiving some 3,000 plus e-mails during the month I realized I need to further reduce the number of information and group mailing lists I am on as they suck up time and give you back little to nothing in return. The overall amount of time I saved was immense as it allowed to me to finish a couple of good books and catch up on many periodicals (all of which I recycled after reading). I also found that by calling people versus e-mailing them faster results occurred along with much better rapport being established with business associates and customers. All my personal friends also seemed much more responsive to a live conversation versus e-mail with many of them being downright surprised at how long it had been since we had actually spoken.

Another  lesson learned was that by using cash to purchase things versus using my credit card I was way more mindful of what I spent my money on and thus spent less. I did use my credit card for some business needs as it was a more efficient way for me to keep track of my expenses. However, for personal purchases moving forward, I will continue to use cash. My efforts at recycling and or fixing versus throwing it out were modestly successful as it entailed numerous written letters and a few phone calls where I was put on hold for an extended period before I reached a real person. I would say that the internet really can help out here as getting rid of many no longer needed items could have been much easier by placing an online ad on Craig’s list or FreeCycle with much better results. Also finding and procuring replacement parts would have been much easier and I put off doing many fixes until I was back on the grid.

Cycling and walking to work netted me a loss of 5 pounds of weight for the month. So I will continue to do this along with eating smarter and healthier. Imagine how much energy would be saved if everyone lost 5-10 pounds or more of weight in the next 30-60 days. Taking mass transit as much as possible also helped reduce my energy consumption and netted me a few new friends. However for a summer vacation trip, I did fire up the ole’ gas eating SUV to take a trip to Maine with the family. During this trip to Maine we stayed at the Attean Lake Lodge on one of the islands at Attean Lake which was only accessible by pontoon boat. It is a very unique family enriching vacation spot. I was truly off the grid then as there was no cell service, no TV, no newspapers and no electricity except in the main lodge where meals were prepared.  The rooms had a wood stove for some heat and kerosene lamps for light at night reminiscent of a bygone era I had only read about and have now experienced.

After this off the grid experience I have learned how to get my life back or at least more balanced. I now turn my Crackberry off at 7pm and back on at 7am during the week days (there is actually a way to program this to be done automatically). By not having this diversion device for the month, I realized how rude it is to be at meetings and events constantly checking it and not paying attention. So I will now make a habit of leaving it in the car or at my desk when going to meetings, out to dinner with family and friends, etc.

I must say that I did learn how useful the Internet can be and how it can save allot of time, however I also learned that you can equally waste allot of time on the Internet as well via the many social websites, and other non essential sites. As one friend put it when I announced I was back on the grid on my FaceBook page… “Welcome back… you didn’t miss much”.

I will close with an excerpt I read in USA today a couple of weeks ago by Captain James Kelly, an Army Chaplain at the Arlington National Cemetery, who wrote an article on the passing of 77 year old military spouse who understood what it meant to be a good neighbor. “Technology allows us, even encourages us to disconnect from our fellow man. Don’t believe me? Try riding a train in a major U.S. city. And neighborhoods? They are becoming a collection of individual houses rather than a community of people… we could use a little yesteryear today.”

I can now say that I can live with about 20% less technology and gain about 40% more productivity by not using it to save time… an interesting conundrum. With that I leave you to all re-think what you have been doing not only to make the world a better place for us all to live by saving some energy but to grab back a little of yesteryear when technology did not rule our lives.

Now back to work… more energy related posts to come so keep checking back.

For the past many years, as a technologist, I have allowed technology to manage my life. I sit back now and wonder how much of my life has passed me by.  How many special moments with my kids, my wife and friends have I missed.  My wife tells me that while I am here, I am not really here.  I am always plugged in. This opportunity to step off the grid, will allow me to reflect and truly evaluate how much technology I really need in my life.  How much I can live without and how it will affect my overall day to day living.  Can I be as productive without it? Can I break the “crackberry” habit?  Only 30 days will tell…

Therefore, I hereby declare August as Off The Grid Month (OTGM). During the month of August I will not be updating this Blog or the many social networks like LinkedIn or FaceBook. I will not be checking e-mail, using my computer, cell phone and or Blackberry. I will also not be using my ATM card or credit cards to withdraw money or buy things with… cash only will be used. In essence, I will be not leaving a digital footprint for the month of August (actually until after Labor Day).

Why you may ask? After having been in the high tech industry at the dawn of many of these now common place technologies that people take for granted, I have decided to go back to the way it was. To communicate on a more personal basis by using the phone, personally visiting them or hand writing a letter or card to send to friends and or business associates. So to get in touch with me you will have to visit me, write me or call me via a land line.  How many of you do this anymore or even remember how to?

Additionally, I will walk, bike or take mass transit to work as much as possible. I will make an effort not to turn on the TV but get my information via traditional methods like the radio or printed newspaper, or magazines (all of course recycled from others having read themfirst). Perhaps catch up on the many books I have not read but have wanted to and to read all the unread periodical magazines that keep building beneath my desk. I will also make an extra effort to fix things rather than replace them and be even more diligent about recycling and not wasting resources.

So what does this have to do with energy? By going off the grid I will save not only physical energy but mental energy as well by not doing the many things I outlined above. I encourage all of you reading this to try to do the same if not for the whole month perhaps a weekend or for a week or two. You may be surprised to see what you can really do without or at the very least learn what you really need.

I will post my experiences on this blog (and perhaps via a video journal) starting September 8^th.

Best wishes for a Happy, hopefully grid free, balance of Summer!,

The Editor

PS: If you opt to do this, feel free to write me a hand written note, about your experiences to NRGSPOT, 5 N. Main St, Rear Office, Manasquan, NJ 08736 USA or leave a comment that I will post after September 8th.

Promoting the widespread use of energy efficient lighting, along with conservation, is one of the best strategies available to increase our nations energy efficiency while also reducing our carbon footprint. Around 20-25% of the electricity we consume, based on various studies, is consumed to light our homes, offices and other commercial buildings. Both Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) use far less electricity per lumen than do incandescent bulbs

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)

CFLs are  cost effective lighting technology available today; they use around one quarter of the energy as an incandescent bulb does, and they last around 10 times as long as conventional bulbs do.  They do cost a bit more than incandescent bulbs of similar power however, they will pay for themselves many times over by lowering monthly electric bills and needing to replace them less often.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

LEDs are poised to become the lighting technology standard of tomorrow. LED lighting technology has been around for a while, but has been limited to niche markets because of its high manufacturing costs and poor color quality, but this is rapidly changing. New production technologies are poised to rapidly bring down costs. Engineers are also getting LEDs to emit a warmer white color than white LEDs have done in the past.

LED lights last even longer than CFLs. They will not need replacing for 10 to 30 years depending on their rating. They also do not suddenly fail like traditional bulbs do. They begin to gradually fade giving you a clue that they need to be replaced.

Even though they do still cost much more than incandescent and more than CFLs – LED lighting is already a money saver when the total life time costs of the various alternatives are considered.

LED lights also do not suffer from the Mercury environmental problem that has dogged CFL lighting technology amongst environmentally conscious consumers.

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University, which was published in the March 2009 edition of IEEE Spectrum Magazine, found that some LED technologies are already cheaper than most commonly used lighting technologies.

Lima Azevedo, one of the authors of the study said the following, “Lighting our houses, streets and commercial buildings constitutes more than 20 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption. Light emitting diodes (LED) can reduce consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases because of their high-efficiency conversion of electricity to visible light,”

The study also concluded that the move to this  energy efficient lighting technology will need policy interventions for the proper economic incentives and education has to be put in place to allow people the incentive and knowledge to move more rapidly to change the way they light their homes and offices.

“Even if the LED technology is cheaper on a life cycle basis, consumers are likely to stick to what they know,” Azevedo said. “We need the design of smart policies to make this transition.” President Obama recently took a bold step to practice what he preaches by ordering all government facilities to change their lighting to more efficient technologies… time will tell to see how fast this takes place.

An ultra compact, ultra lightweight durable solar charger made by PowerFilm, will charge most cell phones, pda, gps, iPhone, iPod that can charge via a standard USB port. The solar charger outputs 3.6V, 400mA and charges 2 AA NiMh batteries (included). Provides a full charge of the AA’s in about 4-6 hours. LED light on the side of the unit indicates charging status. Proprietary circuitry maximizes the charge into the batteries. It provides a full charge in four hours of sun. The charging light on the side of the enclosure indicates the charging status. Direct integration of the flexible solar panels allows for easy storage in your pocket. It is ideal for traveling, backpacking, business trips and boating. Best of all it is made in the USA!

Note: iGo USB cables with charging tip for your cell phone are available at most Radio Shack or electronic stores.

Technical Specifications:
Solar Voltage: 3.6V
Solar Current: 400mA
Weight(w/o batteries): 4.9 ounces
Dimensions(folded): 3.25″ X 5.5″ X 1.38″
Dimensions(unfolded): 24″ X 5.5″
USB Charging Voltage: 5V
USB Charging Current: up to 1 amp.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits incoherent monochromatic light when electrically biased in the forward direction. This effect is a form of electroluminescent. The color depends on the semiconducting material used, and can be near-ultraviolet, visible or infrared. LED bulbs use less energy than your standard incandescent bulb, a whopping savings of 96% energy means a very low electricity bill. LED bulbs are the safest and the most cost-effective artificial light source in the world.

Many LED bulbs now fit into standard sockets and they work well with all types of light.     Advances have been made to make the color temperature of LEDs more of a traditional warm white. Applications for use include shops, bars, offices, show rooms, homes and more.

The leading LED manufacturer is Long Life Lamp Company which has been around for more than 15 years. Its latest high power LED, the 3rd generation, is designed to become a replacement of fluorescent tubes and halogen lamps, which is the future direction of the lighting industry. Although the price of these products are higher than current lighting sources, LED is better than other available lighting technologies due to its dramatic energy savings of up to 96% with higher luminance, therefore, the overall cost of using LED is less than others. Keep in mind that LEDs last up to 60,000 hours and produce virtually no heat making them highly cost effective over the long term especially when you factor in additional labor costs needed to replace conventional bulbs more often.

For additional information on these products and where to buy them, see www.longlifelamps.co.uk .