Author Archives: blogger

Outbound Continuous Insulation Is Key To Energy Efficiency

Typical insulation in commercial and residential building over the past 60 years or so has been insulation placed in the wall between studs or in interior cavities. However, studies are now showing that the best insulation strategy is to place it outbound or outside the wall. This design offers a continuous blanket of protection that does not allow energy to be lost at wall and studs joints where interior insulation does not exist.

Currently continuous insulation of the building enclosure is considered to be the best insulation strategy. Continuous Insulation is defined by ASHRAE 90.1-2004 as “insulation that is continuous across all structural members without thermal bridges”” The most commonly used insulation in buildings today is called cavity insulation, which is not considered to be continuous insulation due to the thermal breaks in the insulation caused by the wall studs.
As more focus is put on increasing the energy efficiency of the built environment, many recent updates to the model energy and building codes as well as voluntary sustainable building programs emphasize the need for continuous insulation and high effective R-values across the building envelope as a means to achieving the best insulation strategy for energy efficiency.

Exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) are the best continuous insulation systems available today. Introduced in the 1960″s and currently being used worldwide, they have been proven to be both effective and durable. EIFS provide a continuous insulation layer across the exterior wall surface. It is the best insulation as it provides 100% coverage of the walls, eliminating thermal bridging that can occur through the wall studs. Traditional insulation cannot provide continuous insulation as it is between-the-stud insulation, effective only where it is present.

In addition, EIFS can be used for energy efficient retrofits of existing building stock, with minimal disturbance to the building occupants. An EIFS retrofit provides continuous insulation to the existing building, vastly improving energy performance.

With rising energy demands, the need for effective products cannot be understated. An airtight building enclosure that incorporates exterior continuous insulation in addition to cavity insulation is the best insulation strategy for energy efficiency. As such the choice of an exterior insulation and finish system can help provide the best insulation for energy efficient structures.

China Household Appliance Industry Will Promote The Application Of Energy-saving Technology And…

China Household Appliance Industry Will Promote The Application of Energy-saving Technology and New Materials

As reported, the Twelfth Five-Year Plan scheme draft of GPS Antenna industry has been finished, and it also has asked for advices from enterprises level, it is expected to be reported to the relevant departments in recent period. The applications on energy efficiency, major technologies and new materials will have relative quantitative task indicators. The first draft put forward that China will become a powerful country of making solar panel with 10 years of efforts, and according to this objective, it also has proposed specific economic indicators, technological innovation indicators, quality indicators, energy saving and environmental protection home appliances indicators and international indicators for the Twelfth Five-Year Plan.

In order to lay the foundation for kitchen utensil power, the main task during the Twelfth Five-Year period is to guide the household appliance industry to develop toward the connotative direction through restructuring product structure, industry structure and market structure, as well as distributing the industry reasonably, and achieve the transformation of structural adjustment, industrial restructuring and upgrading and the development digital electronic products mode. As for the main objectives and tasks, the discussion draft also proposed specific measures and policy recommendations.

The person who approach drafting the plan disclosed that, at present Chinese home appliances industry must recognize the status that under the fully competitive environment, more companies are repeating the old way–foreign guidance and domestic follow on the one hand, on the other hand, they are reducing cost and achieving profit through scale management. Therefore, the importance of changing ideas and growth mode must be realized first of all. Many companies appeal to that the relevant departments should increase the policy support on developing digital electronic technology, key parts and components, and change the current situation that some key components of home appliance are controlled by others.

However, according to the draftsman, in the current complete draft, energy saving and environmental protection will be an important theme, at the same time it also has put forward relative quantifiable indicators for the specific tasks of household appliance industry development, such as how much the average energy efficiency is hoped to increase, what kind of core technology will be developed and so on; it is also hoped to increase the speaking right of Chinese home appliance standard system in the international world through guiding the technological innovation, and increase the proportion of world-class appliance brand in the industry. The draftsman also stressed that the plan also has proposed requirements for new materials application, it will encourage people to use more appropriate materials under the consideration of energy saving and environmental protection. The reporters also learned that the major technology research project that related to household appliances industry development is expected to get key support from authority department.

Analysts pointed out that it means some enterprises that take the lead in working hard in energy-saving home appliances technology and participating in researching core technology, upstream materials and components will get greater support. Except paying attention to Haier, Chigo and other whole machine manufacturers, which are innovative on energy efficiency, the compressor equipment manufacturing, new materials and other upstream companies also are worth concerning specially by investors, such as Shuangliang energy-saving, Hesheng new materials and so on.

Above provided by SelectChina.com, and find more information on China Consumer Electronics Manufacturers / China Consumer Electronics Products.

The Myth Of The Oil Crisis

There are some things most people today know about oil.

* Global oil output is going to plummet
* Prices are going to rise forever
* The transition to alternative energy will be long and painful
* There will be more oil wars and industrial civilization may collapse
* Oil and gas will cause catastrophic climate change

The problem is that these ideas are wrong. Oil ran out first in 1885, and perhaps another five times since then. Every time, new finds, new technologies and changes in oil use confounded the pessimists.

Oil prices above $140 per barrel seem to encourage the growing belief that we are approaching peak oil and that supply cannot increase any more. But what has changed since 1998 when oil cost $10 a barrel? Just that a long period of under-investment in new energy supplies collided with rapid growth in Asia (and, easily forgotten, the USA). It takes years to turn the energy super-tanker around, to develop new oil fields, even though there is plenty in the ground.

There is a real debate over how much oil the world holds. But ideas of a vast conspiracy involving some mix of OPEC, the US government and Big Oil to exaggerate oil reserves are fantasy. Official figures are, if anything, somewhat under-stated, and, as recent massive finds in deep water offshore Brazil show, new exploration frontiers still exist. Out-dated environmental moratoria in the USA could be lifted to yield more domestic hydrocarbons. New technologies continue to wring more out of old fields. Most importantly, unconventional oil sources hold many times the volumes of conventional oil – from the famous Albertan oil sands, to fuels from natural gas, coal and plants, to cooking oil out of shales that hold trillions of barrels in the USA alone.

So there is no need to fight resource wars to secure oil. Invading oil-rich countries is vastly expensive and makes oil supplies less, not more, secure. The Middle East is a growing part of the world economy, not a nest of terrorists, desperate to cut off oil supplies in order to bankrupt themselves and invite vengeance. Propping up dictators in return for energy favours is not a valid long-term strategy either. The West, China, India and the oil exporters will gain far more from co-operating on energy, than following the mirage of energy independence.

Should we invest massively to move to a renewable energy system? Well, we already are — $100 billion in 2006 alone, and not only in the West, but in China, India, Brazil and other rising powers. Its hard to grow renewable energy any faster. Renewables are clearly a key part of powering the future, and of fighting global warming, but oil (and gas, and coal) are going to be the main sources of energy for decades to come. Capturing the carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, and storing it underground, is entirely practical and should be a major part of climate change policy. renewable energy and hydrocarbons are not enemies — we need to use them both.

So the end of oil is not imminent — neither is the collapse of industrial civilization. Even if oil supplies started declining, we could fill the gap with improved efficiency and new energy sources. Its neither necessary nor desirable for us to go back to some Year Zero of pre-modern society. Oil will never run out; it will be replaced, probably decades hence, by something better. That is the best and most positive reply to fears about the end of oil.

2008 Robin M. Mills

Author Bio
Robin M. Mills is an oil industry professional with a background in both geology and economics. Currently, he is Senior Evaluation Manager for Dubai Energy. Previously, he worked for Shell. Mills is a member of the International Association for Energy Economics and Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. He holds a Master’s Degree in Geological Sciences from Cambridge University. His book, The Myth of the Oil Crisis: Overcoming the Challenges of Depletion, Geopolitics, and Global Warning, is available August 2008 from Praeger Publishers.

Energy Efficiency Is The Only Way To Reduce Fuel Bills

With an average energy bill set to climb to 1406 in 2009 (from 676 in 2005), the Government has given a commitment to help consumers improve household energy efficiency and permanently bring down energy bills.

As the nation waits for confirmation of where Government support will be given, many organisations are offering advice and guidance into where and how families can make changes that will cut their household energy costs.

Figures from the Energy Savings Trust suggest that if everyone undertook a number of simple measures including: Fitting energy saving light bulbs, double glazed windows, installing a condensing boiler, cavity wall and loft insulation and jackets for hot water tanks, UK households could reduce energy bills by over 270 a year and save over 1.9bn in fuel costs*.

Paul Kellett, Technical Director at Anglian Home Improvements, an Energy Savings Trust recommended supplier said: It is increasingly becoming apparent that current fuel price increases are set to have dramatic effects on many peoples household bills.

But making energy efficient changes, ahead of the winter months, could lead to savings of thousands of pound on future fuel bills – as well as adding to a houses value. If people are considering making improvements we would urge them to look at the most energy efficient options.

Installing double glazing for example, cuts heat lost through windows by half. At Anglian we fit B-rated energy saving double glazing as standard, which offers potential savings of over 110 per year per household.

Further estimations on savings to be gained from implementing energy efficiency measures in the home include*:
Around a third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is lost through the walls. Fitting cavity wall insulation could save up to 120 on an annual fuel bill
Insulating an uninsulated loft can save around 155 a year If everyone in the UK topped up their loft insulation to 270mm, around 560m would be saved each year. That’s enough money to pay the annual fuel bills of around 530,000 families.
An ultra efficient condensing boiler will be 20% more efficient and could save up to 130 on heating bills.
Fitting an insulating jacket to the hot water cylinder could save around 30 per year
Setting hot water cylinder thermostats to 60C/140F could save up to 10 over the year
Using low energy light bulbs to save 10 on electricity bills each year.
By installing draught proofing you could save around 25 a year on your heating bills

Financial help may be available if you’re planning to make energy saving improvements to your home

*Figures are from www.energysavingstrust.org.uk

Use Deck Lights To Improve The Look And Feel Of Your Deck

The type of lighting you use for your deck can play an important role in shaping the utility of this area. Without the right amount or use of lighting your deck will not be as easy, fun or safe to use after the sun sets. The deck is an extension of your home and to get the best use out of it you need both a nice seating area and enough illumination to make this area both appealing and functional.

Types of Deck Lighting

There are a lot of options available when it comes to outdoor lighting, so you can get creative and come up with a unique design that fits your needs best, but there are a few basic types of deck lights you may want to consider.

Post cap lights are a great choice because they look somewhat like part of the deck. You can either go with a very basic style that blends in or with something more decorative to fit the decorating style of your outdoor area.

Rope and string lights can be used in a variety of ways. They can either be used to add a festive vibe or they can be hung beneath the railing so you only see the glow and not the lights themselves.

Step lights are a good idea if you have stairs on your deck. Not only do they create an attractive glow, they also make the stairs safer to use at night.

Wall and recessed lighting can provide a functional, easy to use light to help you see when you are taking dinner out to the deck or cleaning up after eating. By adding lower watt bulbs you can create a softer glow if you don’t want something too bright.

Energy-Efficiency

Before you buy anything consider energy-efficient lighting which is better for the environment and your pocket book. Low voltage lighting is a good choice because it can provide a reliable power source, but it is a more affordable option. If possible you may also want to consider mixing in solar lights where possible.

Installation

If you want to do the installation yourself make sure it is something you can handle, if you are unsure hire a professional. Low voltage lighting is relatively easy to install and solar is even easier because it doesn’t have to be wired to an electrical source. Another option for easy installation is battery-powered LEDs which can be installed anywhere.

With a little thought and the right use of deck lighting you can make this extension of your home a functional and cozy place to spend your evenings.