This BBC article discusses how the not only this initiative will provide jobs, but it will provide energy from the sun to power over 70,000 homes WHILE cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

Good news!

If you’re thinking solar, or renewable energy, be sure to give us a call at (239) 574-1500, or visit our Web Site at: www.FafcoSolar.com.

Enjoy!

- Dan

Special Thanks to Jason Szumlanski, our Operations Manager, for this blog post!

However, these terms represent very different, but related concepts.

Power is the rate at which energy is consumed, expressed in watts or kilowatts.

Energy is the amount of power consumed, expressed in watt-hours or kilowatt-hours (kWh).

To understand energy use, and consequently our utility bills, we must factor in the amount of power devices and appliances use and how long we use them.

Let’s look at the example of a typical light fixture outside your front door with a 60 watt light bulb. Sixty watts is the amount of power the lamp consumes, or the rate at which the lamp uses energy. If you run a 60 watt light bulb from dusk to dawn for 12 hours, you will consume 720 watt-hours of energy (or 0.72 kilowatt-hours).

In Southwest Florida we currently pay around 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, so that light bulb would cost 7.2 cents per night, or $26.28 annually.

If you look at your utility bill, you will see that you are charged for the number of kilowatt-hours (KWH) that you consume.

This is the amount of energy consumed between meter readings. To reduce the energy you use, you must either reduce the amount of power you use, or the amount of time you use that power (or both!)

Energy  =  Power  x Time

Going back to our light bulb example, you could install a light bulb that uses less power, or you could reduce the number of hours it runs. Both courses of action would reduce the energy used and save you money. Here are three different ideas to save energy and money.

1) Replace the bulb with a 13W compact fluorescent with equivalent light output (reduce power).

Energy Saved:                   0.56 kilowatt hours daily, or $20.58 saved annually

2) Put the light on a timer and run for just 6 hours nightly (reduce time).

Energy saved:                  0.36 kilowatt hours daily, or $13.14 saved annually

3) Do both of the above (reduce power and time).

Energy Saved:                   0.64 kilowatt hours daily, or $23.43 saved annually

While power and energy are intimately connected, they are not the same.

Understanding the difference can help you save money!

In my next article, I will take this concept one step further and explain why you think twice when trying to be “energy efficient.”

- Jason

PS – Be sure to check out our information on “TED – The Energy Detective” to monitor your energy usage!

Many are participating in the national Hands Across the Sand event which will be here tomorrow, June 26th at noon.

The regional “UGottaGoGreen.com” web site has a very convenient listing of all of the places you can participate in the event in Southwest Florida (simply visit this page, and scroll down).

If you’d like to learn more about Hands Across the Sand, be sure to visit their web site at www.HandsAcrosstheSand.com.

See you tomorrow at noon!

- Dan

…and I thought based on our previous posts “Buying Eight Track Tapes in an iPad World”, this would be a great follow-up for you to read.

It was created on May 12, 2010 by Janet Larsen for EarthPolicy.org, and it starts:

“The enormously devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is just one reminder that stretching out an addiction to a polluting and planet-warming fossil fuel poses risks to our health, our environment, and our economy. ”

“U.S. oil production peaked in 1970 at 9.6 million barrels per day. Since then production has dropped by almost half and now supplies less than 30 percent of domestic consumption. In 2009, the United States spent nearly $200 billion on oil imports to make up the difference.”

Continue reading this on the EarthPolicy web site…

…saving a LOT of money on your electric bill, then you’ll probably be very interested to hear about Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning .

Recently, John & Dominic, stopped by Fox4’s Morning Blend, and talked about our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning product, be sure to watch the video above to learn more.

Our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning system uses a roof mounted solar thermal collector panel to assist a high-efficiency compressor. By using the power of the sun, we can significantly reduce your electrical consumption.

Benefits:

• Reduce your electricity consumption
• Efficiently cool your home
• Enjoy the comfort of air conditioning at a lower cost

Different than solar electric systems, which produce electricity, hybrid solar air conditioning systems use evacuated tubes to heat a transfer fluid in the solar collector. This fluid superheats an environmentally friendly refrigerant to make the cooling process more efficient. The hybrid solar air conditioner reduces the amount of electricity required to cool your home.

Learn more about How Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning Works, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

Currently, our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning product is available in most of Southwest Florida.   Call us at (239) 574-1500 if you want to assure it’s available for you.

- Dan

Buying Eight Track Tapes in an IPad World” is a special blog series written by Melissa Upton, of our team here at Fafco Solar, reviewing four arguments against drilling for oil off of the coast of Florida.

…expensive way to produce energy – investing in clean energy would create four times as many jobs as investing the same amount of money in oil.

We need energy efficiency coupled with new, advanced, sophisticated, clean renewable energy technologies such as solar energy.

What we can do is thank Florida Senators Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson for their continued strong opposition to drilling and spilling oil on America’s best beaches, drilling that would ruin our state’s number one economic resource: our beach sand.

People in other states can help by getting their Senators to take Florida drilling out of the Senate’s energy bill.

Renewable energy technology works extremely well in an iPad world!

- Melissa

“Buying Eight Track Tapes in an IPad World” is a special blog series written by Melissa Upton, of our team here at Fafco Solar, reviewing four arguments against drilling for oil off of the coast of Florida.

Oil is increasingly plentiful on the upslope of the bell curve, increasingly scarce and expensive on the down slope.

The peak of the curve coincides with the point at which the oil has been 50 percent depleted.

Therefore, oil will not just “run out” immediately but will become increasingly scarce.

This is true whether we’re talking about an individual field, a country, or on the planet as a whole. Many projections of Peak Oil have it within the past five years and once the peak is passed, oil production begins to go down while cost begins to go up.

Currently demand for oil is lowered due to the worldwide economic downturn.

The issue is not one of “running out” but rather not having enough to keep our economy running. An oil based economy such as ours doesn’t need to deplete its entire reserve of oil before it begins to collapse.

A shortfall between demand and supply as little as 10 to 15 percent is enough to detrimentally impact an oil-dependent economy.

- Melissa

“Buying Eight Track Tapes in an IPad World” is a special blog series written by Melissa Upton, of our team here at Fafco Solar, reviewing four arguments against drilling for oil off of the coast of Florida.

Nearly every hurricane in recent memory has caused some type of oil spillage.

Does it make any sense to put rigs near Florida, a major “Hurricane Zone”?
Don’t we have enough to worry about when we get struck by a storm?

Case in point…Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, destroying 115 oil platforms, significantly damaging 52 more and setting adrift 19.

More than 7 million gallons of petroleum products spilled, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. When you consider the onshore spills into that estimate, then the combined total spillage is over 9 million gallons, as estimated by the Department of Homeland Security.

According to the oil industry’s own assessment, Hurricane Ivan caused oil pipelines to fail in the mud slide areas off the mouth of the Mississippi River, which would “take a significant effort to locate and repair.” Hurricane Ivan also destroyed a number of production platforms in the U.S. Gulf.

Hurricane Hugo, in 1989 caused damage to a refinery which led to a significant oil spill.

Hurricane Andrew damaged or destroyed nearly 300 manned and unmanned platforms due to the combined effects of wind and waves.

When Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc on the East Coast from the Carolinas to New York City, the US Coast Guard coordinated responses to the various disasters left in its wake – including an oil spill. The United States Coast Guard is the “first responder” when an oil spill endangers our environment.

Here in Florida, the Coast Guard is busy enough protecting our citizens and visitors from illegal activity. Why should we compromise the safety and security of our own state for the oil industry?

- Melissa

…you might find it interesting as well.

It’s the New York Times Concise History of Major Oil Spills, and includes:

• The most vivid examples of risks in both oil shipping & offshore drilling,
• Photos of the damages spills have caused, and
• Photos of the cleanup efforts of those spills.

What do you think of this?

- Dan

“Buying Eight Track Tapes in an IPad World” is a special blog series written by Melissa Upton, of our team here at Fafco Solar, reviewing four arguments against drilling for oil off of the coast of Florida.

Some of which have the finest, whitest sand and shells in the world.

The beaches attract tourists who spend billions of dollars here…tourism is how money is made in Florida.

Four out of five dollars are made on the beaches; for the experience of walking in the sand and looking out over a great and mystical expanse of clean water.  For that privilege Florida is the top destination in the world with over 80 million people per year traveling to the Sunshine State. Not to mention the 6 million people with jobs in tourism and their $226 billion in wages.

According 2004 data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida’s clear waters, world-class beaches and coral reefs support $53 billion tourism industry, a $14 billion marine industry, and a fishing industry that injects more than $6 billion a year to Florida’s communities. Florida’s tourism industry generated $65 billion in 2008, with $13.3 billion generated in payroll to more than a million Floridians directly employed in tourism. State sales tax related to Florida tourism was $3.9 billion in 2008 (21 percent of taxes collected).

Without such tourist-related revenues, how would we fund our already strapped governmental agencies, schools and infrastructure?

Oil cannot replace the revenue generated from Florida’s tourist based economy so we should not throw it all away on a promise of new jobs and tax revenue by allowing the business to start up here.

Oil will not replace the sales tax revenue lost when tourists stop coming here because the beaches have empty oil drums and tar balls from the gulf’s wells.

A 2007 University of Delaware study concluded that beach closures cost the City of Galveston, Texas over $171,000.00 per day in lost business revenue. And the study was done without consideration of the cost of lodging, as the study’s authors determined that Texas beachgoers primarily “day trip” to the beach.

In Florida, our vacationers stay for days, weeks, and even months at a time.

We have far more to lose than Texas.

Needless to say real estate values will drop even further when a major tourist destination is transformed into an industrial site. Imagine the market for a balcony view of pipelines, rigs, and refineries.

Keep an eye out for my next post in my series “Buying Eight Track Tapes in an iPad World”.

- Melissa

PS – Special Thanks to Charly Caldwell II of Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC for sharing his photo of Fort Myers Beach!