How Can I Be More Energy Efficient?

Between computers, data centers, lighting, appliances, heating and air conditioning, businesses require a high amount of energy to function. This can lead to steep energy bills from the electric company and a significant environmental footprint. Energy saving technology and techniques can curb this cost, leading to a greener, more energy efficient home and workplace. Follow these simple tips to save energy in your business and home.

Schedule an energy audit. An assessment of your current energy consumption is a great place to start, as it will point to your specific problem areas. Depending on the nature of your business, you might only need to update specific aspects of your space to be more efficient. Be sure to take the energy professional's advice seriously.

Use natural light. By installing skylights and windows, you can rely on sunlight rather than electricity to light your office or commercial space. Reducing energy costs and consumption, natural light will also create a more pleasant working and living environment.

Control air leaks. If you have skylights and windows, be sure to check them for air leaks. You might find that inefficient seals are causing you to waste heating and air conditioning energy. Basic window repair and inspection can keep as much air inside of your home/building as possible.

Switch to solar energy. In addition to providing natural light, the sun is also a great renewable energy source. By installing solar panels, your home and business can cut down on energy costs significantly. This will make the initial investment worth it.

Install energy efficient appliances. By switching to energy star rated appliances, your home and business' savings will add up over time. Consider switching your traditional light bulbs for halogen incandescents, as these can reduce energy use by a third to 80%. When making the choices about which appliances to install, be sure to keep your energy audit in mind.

By making small changes to the way your home and business consumes energy, you will notice lower electric bills overall. Being mindful of your energy use will lead to a more energy efficient home and workplace.

Keep the Energy in! Three Different Types of Energy Saving Windows

We're always looking for ways to conserve energy and lower utility costs in our homes. Not only that, but we want every dollar to go towards keeping us warm and cozy in the winter and cool in the summer. One of the solutions we don't typically consider has to do with our windows. We know we can shut them and keep the heat in, but not many of us know there's a way to go beyond that to save on energy costs even more.

It was easy about 150 years ago for wood to supply nearly 90% of the nation's energy, keeping costs down nice and low. In the modern age, that just isn't feasible. However, when you consider switching to energy saving windows, you may be able to cut down your personal energy costs. Here are three treatments you can give to your windows to save on your next energy bill.

Triple Glazed Vinyl
Using triple glazed vinyl windows is an excellent way to save energy inside your home. Not only do they keep the heat in, but they actually draw in solar energy from outside to lock into your house as well. These energy saving windows are well-made and strong, keeping your house warm during cold weather and cool during hot weather. They provide top of the line energy conservation for your home.

Gas-Filled Windows
While this concept of gas trapped between glass panel windows may seem odd to people, these treatments make energy savings go through the roof. The gases used are either argon, xenon, or krypton, and they are sealed between the panes to prevent condensation. These windows are excellent when it comes to storing energy, though their costs might vary depending on what type of gas is used.

Triple Glazed Wood Frame
Similar to triple glazed vinyl and gas-filled windows, the wood is treated to prevent any excess energy from leaving the house and costing you more money. Also, wood frames tend to have a lot more character, and you can never go wrong with an attractive wooden frame.

No one wants to find out their well-earned cash is flying out the window. If you're trying to find some new ways to save a couple extra bucks this season, give energy saving windows a shot and see if you like them.

Follow These Tips to Conserve Energy at Your School Today

Every day, we are looking for more ways to save energy to help our environment. We turn off lights when we're not in the room, shut off faucets when we don't need water, and recycle things for various uses so they don't go to waste in landfills. About 10% of the total energy consumption in the U.S. was from renewable energy in 2015. That may seem acceptable, but there is definitely room for improvement. So, if you are a teacher, school administrator, or even a student, simply follow these tips to help conserve energy in your school today.

Electricity

The most obvious thing you can do when it comes to electricity conservation is to turn off all lights when they're not in use. As a reminder to turn off the lights, try hanging up little signs next to light switches. Use energy efficient or LED bulbs instead of the traditional bulbs. Run lessons and experiments on energy conservation in your classroom, so all your students and colleagues can understand it better. The more people understand its importance, the more serious they'll take turning off the lights.

Heating and Cooling

Set the thermostat to a reasonable temperature to ensure a level of comfort for both teachers and students. Fans can also help cool a room down. This way, you are saving energy by not relying on air conditioning. Programmable thermostats can also help you keep track of a temperature in a room.

Tech and Computers

Assure your computers are able to go into sleep mode when not in use.  Turn off monitors if the computers are not going to be used again for a while. And always check to be sure all the computers are off at the end of the school day. Computers take up a lot of energy, so limiting their energy use anyway you can is good.

Schools are a powerhouse of energy usage, from lights to heating to the various tools of the trade used to teach a child. It can be difficult sometimes to figure out how to reduce energy costs, but many energy saving ideas, even as insignificant as they may seem, can help make your school and the environment more energy efficient.

10 Ways to Reduce Your Energy Consumption at Work

Energy conservation is a very important thing in today's world. We are getting smarter as we realize how much energy we actually need to support our daily lives and are becoming more concerned about conserving energy we don't need. Nowhere is energy consumption bigger than in the world of business.

Here are 10 energy saving tips that can help make a dent in energy conservation at work.

Switch Bulbs: LED and CFL lights last longer and consume less power than commercial light bulbs.

Use Sleep Mode: Computers use a lot of energy and sleep mode allows you the freedom of not needing to completely shut down your computer while saving energy at the same time.

Get Programmable Thermostat: You can save 6% of CO2 related heating emissions by just turning your thermostat own two degrees.

Use Lighting Wisely: Keep a close eye on how long lights in hallways, bathrooms, and meeting rooms are left on. Use as much natural sunlight for as long a possible.

Host Virtual Meetings: Choosing instead to host virtual meetings instead of using gas from cars or planes works in reducing energy.

Plant Trees: Trees can protect your building from hot sunlight in the summer and cold, icy winds in the winter.

Consider Renewable Energy: A lot more options exist out there to help power a business with renewable energy. Solar panels, for instance, can really make a huge difference.

Invest in Skylights: Skylights allow natural light open to your business. Allowing it, the sun can be the ideal lighting for your office.

Monitor Drafts: Having a lot of drafts occur in your business could mean your hard earned cash is flying right out the window.

Lower Paper Uses: Only print something out if you need it. Otherwise, you're just wasting paper.

There are many more things in the office you can do that can help you with reducing energy. These are just some of them. For more ideas, get a team together and brainstorm.

Corporations Go Green, Rural Communities Stay Clean

According to a recent article by Forbes, corporations are increasing their investments on renewable energy sources and the benefits are mostly going to small, rural communities. Despite the government continuing to heavily rely on fossil fuels, many governors and corporate America, in general, are looking towards the future, towards sustainable energy.

The cost of investing in green energy, such as wind and solar power, has decreased incredibly, leading to an uptick in businesses using them instead of fossil fuels. This not only is incredibly beneficial to their businesses but, according to Forbes, the ones really profiting are rural communities.

To just give a few examples, it has been stated that around 70% of the United States' wind farms are located in low-income areas, with wind energy companies employing 100,000 workers across the U.S. last year.

Solar energy has seen its fair share of positives around the country as well. It's estimated that around 75 billion oil barrels are being saved each year by solar energy users. And solar energy companies have employed double the number of people that wind energy companies have over this past year.

More big businesses are getting into energy conservation each day. Places like Walmart and GM, two giants in the world of industry, are actively searching for ways to reduce their emissions and invest in safer ways to find their energy. It is an encouraging sign to see big businesses begin to take responsibility for the future of energy across the nation.

Going forward, we can only hope this sets precedents for an ongoing forward momentum for research into energy conservation for the whole nation. We hope to see big businesses continue to invest more in renewable and safe energy choices in our country and around the world.

Five Easy Ways to Reduce Energy Use In Your Home

The energy we use in our own homes can easily turn into one of our biggest monthly expenses. That's why we are always looking for ways to save on energy costs, whether that means obsessively turning off lights or lowering the thermostat no matter the temperature outside. If you're interested in saving on your electricity bill, then keep reading to learn about five ways to save on energy costs. And for certain areas of the country, these tips are also great opportunities to build up your Reduce Your Use Rewards and save even more!

Check Your Windows

During the winter months, you may not even realize that your windows are a huge source of energy loss. They are one of the most common places for air to leak out, and if left unsealed these air leaks can cost you 20% more on heating and cooling bills. Choosing to change out your windows for energy saving windows, like vinyl framed or tinted windows, can drastically save you money through energy reduction over time.

Update Appliances

Many new appliances were designed to conserve energy. Though they tend to initially cost a bit more, they will ultimately save you more money in the long run than the alternative, while also increasing your Reduce Your Use Rewards at the same time. Be sure to check to see if the next appliance you are thinking about buying can save energy, because that also means it can save you money.

The Great Outdoors

Planting just a couple trees in your yard can actually result in saving money on energy costs. A tree's branches and leaves can shade your home from the hot sun during summer months and break up the wind and snow during winter. While it may seem small, even two or three trees can actually make quite an amount of difference.

Thermostat

Installing a programmable thermostat can pay for itself in a couple months time. While you're away from the house, you can set the temperature to a lower degree that can save you a lot on energy costs in just those few hours that you'll be away. They are relatively inexpensive and provide a huge return on investment by saving you money.

Gadgets

Nearly every gadget in your home runs on direct current. This means, even when not plugged in, their charger is still consuming electricity. It is a good idea to not only turn off all laptops, printers, and coffee makers when not in use, but to completely unplug them and their chargers from the wall. This can save you a lot on energy costs.

Saving energy is often easier than we realize, especially in the home. We hope these little-known tips helped you find new ways to lower your energy costs and save you money.
For more information about your energy options, please visit starionenergy.com.

3 Pieces of Energy Saving Technology You Need in Your Home and Office Right Now

Conserving energy is a conversation that many people in the U.S. and around the world are currently having, and for good reason. Something as simple as a programmable thermostat could save up to 10% on your heating and cooling costs.

Sometimes, energy conservation is as simple at investing in the right pieces of energy saving technology. If you're having trouble deciding which pieces of this technology are best for you, here's a short list of energy saving devices to put in your home or office today.

Solar Chargers
Instead of using outlets or your computer terminal to charge your phone, you should invest in a solar charger. Leave it out in the sun to power up and then boom! You've got a green energy supply for your phone, tablet, or laptop. But before you go out and buy a solar charger, make sure you've got the right cables to charge all of your different devices.

Smart Plugs
Not into solar power? No worries. If you're still into charging your phone the old fashioned way, you probably know how little time it takes to actually charge a phone to 100%. With a smart plug, you no longer need to worry about draining excess energy from your home after your phone or computer is done charging. Once a device's battery hits 100%, the smart plug attachment will cut off power, effectively saving you energy.

Rechargeable Batteries
This is probably one of the simplest fixes you can make if your goal is to save energy and the environment. When a camera or a flashlight runs out of battery life, you're probably used to throwing away the old batteries and opening a new package. But with rechargeable batteries, you no longer need to worry about constantly having new batteries on hand or disposing of old ones. Simply pop the dead batteries into a charging station and then put them back in your device once charging has completed. This is an excellent way to save energy and reduce waste in your home and office.

These pieces of energy saving technology are simple solutions that can make a big difference in your energy consumption. What are you waiting for? Get out there and save some energy.