Pedaling to generate electricity and a shorter Prison Sentence
There is a new program that allows inmates at a prison in Minas Gerais, Brazil to reduce their sentences by generating electric power to help illuminate the town at night.
Courtesy of Santa Rita Do Sapucai Prison
Inmates charge a battery that is used to power street lamps along the town’s riverside promenade by pedaling stationary bikes. Three eight-hour pedaling shifts will reduce their sentence by one day.
This is an interesting concept; I wonder how it would work in American Prisons. Instead of using the generated electricity to power street lamps they could use it to power the prisons and reduce electricity costs.
Find the whole story here
Sources:
NBC News, Inmates at Brazil prison pedal for electricity – and their freedom
Where did electric vocabulary get its start?
Have you ever wondered where all the electric vocabulary terms we use today come from?
TED-ED, James Sheils and Biljana Labovic have created a very informative YouTube video titled Electric Vocabulary to help explain the history of our modern-day electric vocabulary.
The origin of many words in the electric vocabulary may surprise you. For example, Benjamin frankly coined the term “battery” in 1748 to describe the joining of multiple charged glass plates, similar to a battery of ship cannons. This video explains that, and more, and we think it is well worth watching.
Watch the Electric Vocabulary YouTube video here
Just one more reason to buy an iPad
The annual cost to charge an iPad is $1.36, according to the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit research and development group funded by electric utilities.
By comparison, a 60-watt compact fluorescent bulb costs $1.61, a desktop PC adds up to $28.21 and a refrigerator runs you $65.72.
These cost were calculated using the U.S. average residential price of 11.49 cents per kilowatt-hour.
In case you were wondering if you were a customer of Realgy Energy Services, charging your iPod would only cost you about $.96 annually at a rate of 8.1 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Check out the rest of the article to find out more Energy Costs of Ordinary Items
10 Reasons why you should not Budget Bill
Budget billing is a payment plan with your utility company to even out your monthly bills throughout the year. Although it sounds like a great idea, there are some disadvantages.
- Administrative fees – Some plans charge administrative fees which add to the total cost of your monthly bill.
- Fuel assistance – Low income customers who would normally qualify for fuel assistance to help with energy bills may not qualify if they use a budget billing plan.
- Balance due – If your energy bills for the year exceed your monthly payments, you will be required to pay the balance due. This defeats the purpose of budget billing and creates a real hardship for some customers on fixed incomes.
- May not be eligible – All budget billing plans are different but some may require a minimum 12 month billing history with the current utility company. If you recently moved to the area or have a bad credit history, you may not qualify.
- Strict payment rules – There is little patience for delinquent payments under most budget billing plans. Paying your bill late may result in being disqualified from the budget billing plan or having your power shut off.
- Quarterly adjustments – Some utility companies will adjust the monthly budget billing amount on a quarterly basis, so if you were planning your budget on a set amount for the full year be wary, it may change.
- May not get refunded – The hope is that if your payments exceed the amount of power used throughout the year that you will get a nice refund. Depending on your contract, that may not be the case.
- Moving – Depending on the timing and terms of your contract, there could be complications and extra fees if you plan on moving.
- Complicated contracts – Make sure you read the contract very carefully and understand all the terms and conditions.
- No Savings – While budget billing will even out your monthly bills you will still end up paying the same rate for your energy use as you would have if you were not signed up for budget billing.
The only way to truly lower your utility bills would be by enrolling with a Registered Energy Supplier like Realgy Energy Services. Check out Realgy Energy Services rates for June 2012 and see how much you could be saving www.realgyenergyservices.com
Legos in space are generating electricity
NASA Astronaut Don Pettit has generated electricity using a Lego kit aboard the International Space Station.
He used Legos and some tinfoil he scavenged from the space station to build a functional Van der Graaf generator that produces 30,000 volts.
Check out the YouTube video Science off the Sphere:1.21 Legowatts to learn more about the Lego generator
Have you ever wondered just how that electricity got to your light bulb or microwave?
The electricity powering your light bulb is produced in a power plant by generators. Energy cannot be created or destroyed just changed from one form to another. Newly generated electricity is then transported over the power grid to your electrical outlet.
The United States has three power grids that keep the lower 48 states powered:
- The Eastern Interconnected System east of the Rocky Mountains
- The Western Interconnected System from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains
- Texas Interconnected System
These three separate systems are interconnected and require constant oversight to ensure that all the components are linked together. Since large quantities of electricity cannot be stored effectively or efficiently, electricity must be produced as it is used, this increases the need to watch over the grid. Control centers are utilized to monitor the supply and demand to safeguard against blackouts. To avoid blackouts there must always be a perfect balance between supply and demand.
From the control centers electricity is constantly monitored as it travels from the power plants to high-voltage power lines that transport electricity throughout the three grids. The higher the voltage the more efficiently they transport electricity. In other words the higher the voltage the more electricity will get to the end point. However, there will always be losses as electricity flows through the power grid.
From the high voltage power lines the electricity is “stepped-down” to lower voltage power lines, utility poles and wires before it can be safely used in your home or office.
Do you know how much you are paying for the electricity you use?
Why not reduce your electricity rate with Realgy Energy Services. Give one of our Energy Brokers a call (877) 300-6747 or check out our website for more info www.realgyenergyservices.com
Source:
BoingBoing, Where electricity comes from
US Energy Information Administration, Energy In Brief, What is the electrical power grid, and what are some challenges it faces?
More Americans are concerned with reducing Energy Costs than going on vacation this summer
According to a poll by the AP -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research which surveyed 1,008 Americans nationwide, most Americans are more concerned with savings money on Energy Costs, than taking a summer vacation or having the latest electronic. In fact saving money on energy costs came in second only to having reliable transportation.
The most common ways American are choosing to reduce energy costs include turning off lights, turning down the heat, installing energy-saving appliances and driving less. While Americans are generally aware of the most effective ways to save energy, they report that many of these actions would be extremely or very difficult for them and their families to implement in the next year.
However, there is another way to cut energy costs that is very easy and requires just a phone call. Third party suppliers such as Realgy Energy Services supply the same energy at lower rates than your local utility. Check out Realgy Energy Services rates for June 2012 at www.realgyenergyservices.com or call one of our Energy Brokers 877-300-6747 to learn more.
Learn more about the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll on Energy Issues:
Associated Press – NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Energy Issues: How the Public Understands and Acts
Star Tribune, How the AP-NORC Center Poll on Americans’ energy priorities was conducted
What is budget billing?
Many utility companies offer a budget billing plan to their customers. This basically means that you will end up paying a set amount each month for your utility bill. Your utility company will generally take an average of your past energy usage and estimate future gas or electric costs to come up with your monthly set amount. While this may seem like a great idea, you should carefully consider several things before enrolling.
First you should find out if a refund or credit will be issued if less energy is used. Some utility companies may not issue a refund if less power is used than planned. Additionally you may need to set aside extra money to cover the cost after the settle-up if more energy was used than the utility planned for.
Second you should also look at administration fees associated with the service. Many will charge a monthly fee. The fees will vary from utility to utility, but anything more than two or three dollars a month is too much for this service.
Third you should consider the contract that you sign when enrolling for the budget plan offered by your utility. There may be penalties applied if you move or turn off the service. For example you may end up paying extra when you move if you have used more power than was budgeted.
Fourth if you are enrolled with a Registered Energy Supplier such as Realgy Energy Services, it is important to find out if all charges will be covered under the budgeted amount. Some utilities will not allow for budgeting if the customer is enrolled with a supplier.
It is important that you fully understand what you are signing up for, check out your local utilities website before signing up for a budget plan or request to see a copy of the contract.
However, the easiest way to reduce your monthly utility bill would be to enroll with a Registered Energy Supplier to lower your energy rates, check out Realgy Energy Services rates for June 2012 and see how much you could be saving www.realgyenergyservices.com.
Are vampires sucking your electricity?
Standby or vampire power as it is most commonly referred to, wastes $10 Billion of Electricity Annually in the United States alone. The average US household has about 40 electronic devices that constantly draw small amounts of power.
Top 10 Energy Vampires in Your home
- Laptop computer chargers
- answering and machines
- Computer printer
- TVs and cable boxes,
- VCRs, DVD players, DVD recorders, digital video recorders,
- phone and iPod chargers
- hubs and routers,
- video camera battery charger
- plugged-in electric toys
- night lights
Check out the Vampire Power Sucks website for tip on how to reduce vampire power.
Edit: January 2013 this website is no longer available. If you would like to learn more about Vampire Energy check out the Energy Star site:
Energy Star, Standby Power and Energy Vampires
Researchers are generating power using viruses
This might sound weird but researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a method to generate power using a virus.
The harmless M13 bacteriophage virus converts mechanical energy into electricity, and is the first generator to produce electricity by harnessing the piezoelectric properties of a biological material.
Testing the generator produced enough current to run a small liquid-crystal display. Image courtesy of Berkley Lab
This new technology will one day make it possible to charge your smartphone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator on the sole of your shoe. Can you imagine all the other great uses for this type of generator.
Learn more about this amazing technology and even watch a video on how it works at the Berkeley Labs website