Can we afford not to go Green

Existing type of alternative energy

The sun is the most powerful natural energy source on the planet. Every day, 365 days per year The sun gives us energy in the form of light and heat all year long. But most of the energy it supplies goes unused, while instead we burn carbon fuels, which in trun is become scarce and therefore more expensive to provide. The situation will only worsen for those who persist to rely on fossil fuels, and the time to use solar energy to power our homes is now.

Solar Heating

Typically you will get about 80% saving of that electricity that your electric geyser is going to use from your solar water heater. Unfortunately only few people can currently buy a solar solution.

An renewable that most consumers have hardly heard about is a heat pump. Its biggest selling point is that it costs you much less upfront. With the heat pump you have a payback period of less than two years. With the solar panel you get a payback of in the region of about four years and with the cheap solar panel in the area of about six years.

Buying a solar system may take about 5-8 years to pay itself, but benifiting of federal tax credits and state, it may be paid much quicker. Solar water heaters also last much longer than gas or electric water heaters. Until your have fully paid your system, you are also investing in your environment and the planet.

Wind Turbine

Probably the second most fashionable residential source of energy efficient is the home wind turbine. Wind energy, like solar, rely on nature to produce energy efficient, with few costs after the initial installation.

Green Energy Lighting

To some, the phase out of the humble incandescent light bulb that has served us so well since almost the dawn of the electrical age is nothing but an inconvenience. To others, it is a long overdue and necessary action promoting the reduction of fosils emissions and slowing the pace of global warming. To the electrical wholesaler it could be either of the above. There is one certaintiy, everyone will soon buy energy efficient lighting.

The commonly used metric for comparing energy efficient lighting is lumens of output per watt of electrical input. This method is appropriate for omni-directional bulbs such as traditional A-shape lamps and spiral CFLs.

What will happen. I think green energy may create some jobs in the short term. However, I understand that these jobs would be temporary, that once the windmills or solar panels or whatever they come up with are installed, theres little or no maintenance on them, there will be no reason to retain all employees. I do think we should develop green energy in more efficient ways than we have, and for that, there would need to be a reasonable expectation of profit for those who would invest the assets for research.

Energy saving is probably looking at making up 10 per cent or so, maybe a little less than that, of our energy mix over time.