Not too long ago, a friend of mine was in need for a home rehab and I decided to throw in the towel and help. The house is 95-years-old and in the 1920's, the home was converted to electricity. It had four fuses, meaning there were two fuses for the upstairs area and two fuses for the downstairs area. The total capacity for amps was between 50 and 60; of course, this was dependent on those fuses.
While we were packing new electric hardware into the reusable bags, I marveled at the changes in power consumption. We were in the process of installing a 200-amp service with at least 15 breakers on each panel side. Bear in mind that's a ton of power coming from the electric company. Yet, does it have to be completely from them? Perhaps there is a more eco-friendly option that would power the home.
In the store where we had purchased the supplies, there was a display promoting solar electric panels from two different suppliers. If a person were to look hard at these brochures, perhaps some of those techniques could be used in the home, vacation home or a cabin.
These solar panels would provide 12 volts of DC current. In fact, a single panel supplies about 12-volts of power, enough to run landscape lighting that's got low voltage. All that's needed is a battery charger (or switch) and a 12-volt deep cycle battery. This kind of setup allows for low voltage lights that are bright and large, something generally not found with independent solar lights with one or two penlight size rechargeable batteries.
When I looked into the prospect a bit harder, I saw that the panels could actually be wired in series, giving 12-volt DC power at a higher temperature. Of course, to change this power into a 110/120 AC power, a power inverter would be necessary. This power could be used to give power to sump pumps, ventilation fans, appliances and televisions. It's still not total independence from electric companies but it does allow for a reduction. This isn't a dream; these kinds of things are actually for sale.
Something even more surprising caught my eye. A small windmill that had propellers just wider than a basketball backstop, mounted upon a pole (approximately the same size as a basketball pole). Just as I had with the solar panel brochures, I dived into these brochures as well. As I read further, I discovered that winds between 10 and 12 miles per hour provided nearly the same amount of power as solar panels provide. It's clean power from solar and wind energy that could potential replace the hundreds of amps that must be purchased from the local power company, most of which is eco-friendly.
When you're out shopping, you can be amazed by all the different energy source choices at your fingertips, just as if you were picking out reusable shopping bags. Maybe that comparison doesn't really match but the idea is that both things are healthy for the environment.
Eliza Reeder writes articles that deal with environmental concerns and eco-friendly living. She encourages everyone to help protect our planet's future by doing things like using reusable bags. You can find more eco-friendly living tips on her reusable grocery bags site.
