Archive for June, 2014

Efficient Energy Use

Your car, your furnace, the air conditioner, even the lights all contribute to the amount of energy that you use in terms of electricity as well as a fuel that you burn in your furnace. By turning your temperature gauge up or down you can save significant amounts of energy and reduce the overall cost of heating and cooling.

Our natural gas supplier has recently announced a 40% increase in the cost of gas. This is what we use to heat our house in the wintertime! A 40% increase is huge and will add a great deal of cost to our annual budget. In addition our electricity provider has also increase the cost of electricity provided to us by 4% which is a lot smaller compared to what our natural gas supplier did. Still this is more money out of our wallets and on an annual basis we’ll probably add at least $100 to the cost of electricity that we use. This is why it is important to reduce the energy that we use to leave more money in our wallets!

Efficient Energy Use – Direct Savings

By simply turning down the thermostat by one or 2° in wintertime will save you at least 10% on your overall energy costs. You will use less fuel and less electricity on your furnace and electricity that you use to run the furnace. Turning off the lights will also save energy. Managing how often you drive your car and bunching together errands will reduce the amount of gasoline that you use. Gasoline recently increased by 20% so makes a lot of sense to be a smart driver. Reduce the amount of gasoline that you actually burn every day. These are direct savings that you can make simply by being smart about how you use electricity. Also fuel to heat your house and gasoline to drive your car.

Efficient Energy Use – Indirect savings

Believe it or not you can also be more efficient energy use indirectly as well. Purchasing larger quantities of food reduces the amount of overall packaging that you have to throw away. The energy that it took to produce packaging is reduced. This will save money in the long run for you in terms of your food costs. Also reduce the amount of shipping and manufacturing cost as well.

Another great example is our water bill. Our water costs are included in the taxes that we pay on our property. Since we don’t have a meter we tend to use a lot more water than we would if it was metered and we had to pay by the cubic meter. By reducing the amount of water that you use you can indirectly affect your tax bill and keep it as low as possible over the coming years.


Use an Electric Chainsaw

Use an Electric ChainsawIf you are going to use an electric chainsaw, it is important to understand that this tool like all other power tools needs to be operated in a safe manner to avoid injury to yourself and anyone neat where you are using it. Note also that we are not necessarily promoting the type of chain saw portrayed in the picture. It just happens to be the one we selected to add color to our post. This is an excellent chain saw. It will do just about anything the average home user will need for small trees and shrubs. A small chain saw for yard work trimming trees is an excellent tool to have. As long as you have electricity, you are good to go.

Use an Electric Chainsaw Safely

These are powerful tools and can rip through flesh in a second if not handled properly. We suggest that consumers purchase the most powerful electric chainsaw available when they are making their purchase. A more powerful chain saw will ensure that you can deal with just about any size tree or shrub that you may find on your property. It can be a bit tedious trying to saw through something when you do not have the power you need.

Also make sure that your electric extension cord delivers the maximum power to your chainsaw. Your manufacturer will state what kind of extension cord that is needed to operate your electric chainsaw properly.  Always wear safety glasses, a hard hat, leather gloves, and safety footwear to ensure that injuries are prevented or at least minimized.

Use an Electric Chainsaw for Small Trees

I have an electric chainsaw and it works very well for small trees. However I would never use it for a large tree on my property. The simple reason is that I would be concerned about the tree falling in the wrong direction. It could either hit my home or perhaps the fence or even my neighbors home. These are large trees that stand at least 50 feet high and could do a lot of damage if they fell on something they were not supposed to. This decision really has nothing to do with whether I have a gas-powered chainsaw or an electric one. I would just prefer to be safe, so I use my chainsaw on the smaller trees and the shrubs.

It is also very useful for trimming branches off the trees that are beginning to encroach on the yard, the fence, or even the house. Each year I cut some off in an effort to trim them and the electric chain saw is perfect for this job. It also means that I do not have to store gasoline at home for the chainsaw.


Reducing Energy Consumption

Many consumers do not correlate the energy they use with the money in their wallets. Over the next dozen years reducing energy consumption will become increasingly important. If if history can be relied on, the price of gasoline is going from $.26 a gallon, too over four dollars a gallon in the last 20 or 30 years. We can fully expect the cost of gasoline to continue to increase. That will drive everything higher including heating or homes, driving our cars, and even the price of our groceries that we purchase. They all take energy to produce and deliver to our homes and stores.

This will directly affect our wallets. So reducing energy consumption will definitely be a goal for governments, for cities. Also for the individuals over the next 10 to 15 years and even longer.

Reducing Energy Consumption – Where to Start

Many consumers wonder where they should start in terms of reducing energy consumption. It is pretty simple, just look at everything you do. Ask yourself am I using energy that I’m paying for out of my wallet.

This includes heating the house, leaving lights on, heating water for showers and baths, and the use of gasoline to drive cars. How many times have you made special trips for an item that could have waited until the next day when you’re driving past that store anyway?

Start by turning the air conditioning temperature higher, the heating temperature lower, turning lights off when you’re not in a room. Also turning the TV and other electronic Items off when you’re not using them. Avoid using your car when you could walk or ride a bicycle.

Look for energy reducing devices, such as LED lights or fluorescent lights and energy-efficient appliances. Also better gas mileage cars and so on. Everything you do and everything you purchase should have the idea of reducing energy consumption in mind.

Reducing Energy Consumption – Dollars Can Add up

It is amazing how quickly the dollars can add up when you’re saving or reducing your energy consumption. For example if you can turn the temperature on your furnace down by a couple of degrees at night you probably will save two or three dollars a day in reduced energy usage. Over the winter, let’s assume four months, or 120 days. That is close to $400-$500 in savings depending on how much you decrease the temperature and how large home you have.

This is just the start in terms of reducing energy consumption and putting more dollars in your wallet. Apply the same approach to turning lights off, washing dishes with a fully loaded dishwasher, washing clothes with a fully loaded wash machine and dryer, reducing your trips by car, walking instead of riding in a car, and combining errands to allow you to make one trip instead of several.

Analyze your savings to figure out how much you’re actually saving by reducing energy consumption in your daily life and that of your family. You may be surprised.


Electric Chain Saws

Electric Chain SawsElectric Chain Saws can be a great tool for many home owners. They will save you a lot of money and they are easy to use. Also do not require gasoline or oil to mix with the gasoline if it is a two-stroke engine. They are electric and all you need to do is plug them in and they are ready to use. They are also relatively easy to use as long as you have an electrical outlet. This can be a problem if you need to cut trees and small shrubs in the bush. We will discuss a few more items about electric chain saws. These issues may help you in your decision to purchase an electric-powered saw vs. a gas-powered saw.

Electric Chain Saws – Maintenance

Maintenance is pretty simple. Usually, all that is required is oil for the chain in the reservoir to keep it lubricated. Also the occasional sharpening of the links on the chain. There is not much else on a regular basis that you need to do with these saws. You do not need to mix gas and oil for two-stroke engines and there is no carburetor to tune up once and a while. Electric chain saws are really easy to use, just get a long extension cord of sufficient gauge and plug it in and you are ready to go.

You will need to make sure that you are using a heavy gauge electrical extension cord to ensure that sufficient power is delivered to the saw so that it will operate at peak efficiency. Review the manufacturer’s guidelines to make sure that you are using the correct extension cord. If you use to light a gauge chord, there is a risk of the motor not generating enough power and overheating due to the voltage drop over the length of the chord.

Electric Chain Saws – Safety

Just like the gas-powered versions, these are dangerous tools that can do a lot of damage if not handled properly. Always use the emergency shutoff to avoid kickbacks and damage to yourself. Make sure that your chain is always sharp. if you are falling a large tree, wear a hard hat to avoid being hit on the head by falling branches that might be dead and ready to fall. Make sure that the falling direction of the tree is free and clear of any people, pets, and buildings to avoid any potential damage.

Use gloves when handling and using any chain saw. Also wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris.

Review the manufacturer’s safety instructions to ensure that you are using this device safely.


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