This post was originally published on CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org On those summer days that are particularly hot and sticky, the use of a ceiling fan in conjunction with air conditioning or natural ventilation may be your best choice to cool things down. The wind chill effect that increased air movement creates on … [continued]
I love Nest. I don’t even use the revolutionary thermostat, and I love them. Whenever their stories come up, my editor throws them my way, and the latest news from Nest is that their first test results from ‘Rush Hour Rewards’ has worked, cutting air-conditioner runtime during the hottest part … [continued]
A new programmable Honeywell thermostat with Wi-Fi was designed to help power companies reduce brownouts and blackouts when electricity demand surges due to hot weather. The new programmable thermostat uses Honeywell’s Total Connect Comfort app. Air conditioners draw an enormous current when running (500 to 2,400 watts per room unit). … [continued]
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released a new ‘Today in Energy’ article today looking at the adoption of ENERGY STAR equipment and how adoption varies between appliances. Today in Energy are “topical, timely, short articles with energy news and information you can understand and use,” and the most recent … [continued]
The future is cool, but not too cool. Mitsubishi has developed an air conditioner that can sense if there’s a human body in the room, turning off if there’s no one around. The ZW series has two sensors that can switch between low-consumption mode if a human body hasn’t … [continued]
Painting roofs white in order to reduce energy consumption is hardly a new concept, but adding his name to the list of those who endorse the idea is sure to give it a boost.
Nearly all of the globe’s top 30 mega-cities are in the tropics, in developing nations. As they develop – while simultaneously, over the coming decades; the climate heats further, the demand for air conditioning in these gigantic mega-cities (in India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria) is going … [continued]
As part of the new ARPA-E program designed to bring “game-changing” technologies to market, one of the 43 breakthroughs the Department of Energy has funded is the invention of a metal alloy for use instead of refrigerant in air conditioners and advanced refrigeration systems. The completely new thermally elastic metal … [continued]
To wrap up my ode to John Henry (and a more sustainable lifestyle) I am going to cover a few more everyday household plug-ins by giving the current ON the grid offering, it’s OFF the grid alternative, and weigh in on whether a switch is warranted. ON The Fridge: We … [continued]
