Cool ideas for an energy-saving summer - and future

With summer heat around the corner, some consumers came to the South Florida Ideas Exchange on Saturday looking for simple ways to save energy and save money on their home electric bills.

[Bill]

Yep, save all the energy you can this summer as the price will increase soon. FP&L will be marching to the PSC and demand another fuel surcharge increase.

As for saving electricity forget this mickey mouse stuff about changing light bulbs, running ceiling fans, and setting the thermostat to 78 degrees. The best investment you can make is going solar and installing panels if you can. You will cut the cord with FP&L, save electricity and will not contribute to the problems of the environment. But the politicos will not cooperate with the average homeowner by giving them tax incentives neither will homeowners associations agree to change their rules.

Now, I'm not a greenie or such, but I think if we will get some of the breaks offered to business, we will be able to conserve and convert to solar powered homes. Another thing, along with hurricane upgrades and solar panels, maybe the value of homes will increase slightly.

[RED BARON]

Bill wrote:

Yep, save all the energy you can this summer as the price will increase soon. FP&L will be marching to the PSC and demand another fuel surcharge increase.
As for saving electricity forget this mickey mouse stuff about changing light bulbs, running ceiling fans, and setting the thermostat to 78 degrees. The best investment you can make is going solar and installing panels if you can. You will cut the cord with FP&L, save electricity and will not contribute to the problems of the environment. But the politicos will not cooperate with the average homeowner by giving them tax incentives neither will homeowners associations agree to change their rules.
Now, I'm not a greenie or such, but I think if we will get some of the breaks offered to business, we will be able to conserve and convert to solar powered homes. Another thing, along with hurricane upgrades and solar panels, maybe the value of homes will increase slightly.

I hear what you are saying, but don't solar panels today only provide electrical help with saving money on water heaters? I haven't seen any residential installations yet that actually provide raw electrical power to a home. I've heard that German scientists have developed solar panels with an 80% efficiency rate (today they around 15%), but supposedly these "power panels" are extremely expensive and they aren't commercially available yet. Living in Florida, I would love to power my whole house or at least augment FPL power on solar energy if I could, but so far that just doesn't seem like a viable or affordable option yet without going through major hassles. That includes bossy homeowner's associations that don't want to allow them even if they are hidden from street view.

[Buckeye]

Your "carbon footprint" is like a BB in a box car. The florescent lights are POISONOUS and you can't dispose of them without polluting. The advice about turning off lights is sound, but if you want to eliminate Carbon Dioxide...stop breathing. That will suit these idiots just fine.

[What if]

Barry Heimlich, president of Florida Energy Imperative, cited global warming as the most critical threat to future generations.

"The evidence is compelling," Heimlich said, adding, "the single most important thing" an individual can do to reduce their carbon footprint is to buy a more fuel-efficient automobile. "Unless we change the way we use our energy, we're going to pass a far less inhabitable world to our grandchildren."

What evidence? Someone please give me concrete evidence? These people are going to make our lives miserable. They will get your liberties kicked out all in the name of a great hoax called Global Warming.

[Seen this before]

you know...we went thru this in the late 70's....fuel blew up past $1.00, there were gas shortages, and we were told to drive gas saving cars and turn up the thermostats...oh and to recycle...

.....nobody STOPPED making plastic bottles of water, we lost muscle cars and went to SUVs (why does mommy NEED a SUBURBAN for one kid in a baby seat?)

....nobody "went back" to paper bags and even less bought reusable grocery totes...

SSDD! Except this time, we can "buy" carbon credits to reduce our "carbon footprint"....yeah right

The REAL powers that be have yanked our chains again, by raising fuel prices (Bush, Big Oil and OPEC)...look at history to predict the future..

They have again heightened the big divide between rich and poor...raised housing prices (then turned the market upside down...anyone remember RTC and the S&L scandals) raised fuel and food prices....and everything else will follow....it will be interesting to see if our next "elected" President follows the paths of HIS predecessors

[DAS]

Just shut all power down if you leave for work....The fridge will stay good for at least 12 Hours,and Turn down your water heater...........Lets Help FPL lose a little Money.........

[What if]

Seen this before wrote:

you know...we went thru this in the late 70's....fuel blew up past $1.00, there were gas shortages, and we were told to drive gas saving cars and turn up the thermostats...oh and to recycle...
.....nobody STOPPED making plastic bottles of water, we lost muscle cars and went to SUVs (why does mommy NEED a SUBURBAN for one kid in a baby seat?)
....nobody "went back" to paper bags and even less bought reusable grocery totes...
SSDD! Except this time, we can "buy" carbon credits to reduce our "carbon footprint"....yeah right
The REAL powers that be have yanked our chains again, by raising fuel prices (Bush, Big Oil and OPEC)...look at history to predict the future..
They have again heightened the big divide between rich and poor...raised housing prices (then turned the market upside down...anyone remember RTC and the S&L scandals) raised fuel and food prices....and everything else will follow....it will be interesting to see if our next "elected" President follows the paths of HIS predecessors

I remember that too. You forgot the part about Carter as president and a Lib Majority government in power at the time of that mess. Like they say, everything is cyclical.

[Mangler]

Try this; forget global warming and just look at pollution. There are no factories to speak of in South Florida, but you have smog ... from cars. And where there are smoke stacks (power plants), would you want to live near them? Probably not. So look at it from that point of view.

We're already failing pollution standards here. Last Thursday you could not only see the brown in the aur, but you could taste it.

What if wrote:

Barry Heimlich, president of Florida Energy Imperative, cited global warming as the most critical threat to future generations.
"The evidence is compelling," Heimlich said, adding, "the single most important thing" an individual can do to reduce their carbon footprint is to buy a more fuel-efficient automobile. "Unless we change the way we use our energy, we're going to pass a far less inhabitable world to our grandchildren."
What evidence? Someone please give me concrete evidence? These people are going to make our lives miserable. They will get your liberties kicked out all in the name of a great hoax called Global Warming.

[Mangler]

So consume less. That would help you out at least.

Seen this before wrote:

you know...we went thru this in the late 70's....fuel blew up past $1.00, there were gas shortages, and we were told to drive gas saving cars and turn up the thermostats...oh and to recycle...
.....nobody STOPPED making plastic bottles of water, we lost muscle cars and went to SUVs (why does mommy NEED a SUBURBAN for one kid in a baby seat?)
....nobody "went back" to paper bags and even less bought reusable grocery totes...
SSDD! Except this time, we can "buy" carbon credits to reduce our "carbon footprint"....yeah right
The REAL powers that be have yanked our chains again, by raising fuel prices (Bush, Big Oil and OPEC)...look at history to predict the future..
They have again heightened the big divide between rich and poor...raised housing prices (then turned the market upside down...anyone remember RTC and the S&L scandals) raised fuel and food prices....and everything else will follow....it will be interesting to see if our next "elected" President follows the paths of HIS predecessors

[Rocket Surgeon]

I dont believe a consensus of anything. Just cold, hard, facts.

I do use CFLs because they save me $. Yeah, I know, they're more $ up front, etc. I do save money, however. In Florida, CFLs run cooler and lessen load on the air conditioner. In Ohio, the extra heat provided by CFLs lessens the load on the furnace. Sadly, Congress didn't account for this fact.

Smaller emergency generator can run more CFLs than incandescents and generate same amount of light. There are pros and cons. It DEPENDS on each situation.

I have solar hot water panel and it saves a bit too. It was nice to power the pump with my car battery after power outage due to hurricanes and have nice warm water.

Am wanting to get off the electrical grid and use rain catchment for water. If we were all self-sufficient, they would lose millions per month in taxes. It wont happen. Watch them tax the sun and the rain eventually.

By the way the State of Florida has recently changed 'net metering' rules. Simply put, excess energy produced by a homeowner must be purchased at full price by FPL. In essence, each of us could be an energy producer.(10KW max)

Folks, this is hot off the presses.

http://blog.solardirect.com/2008/03/04/its-of...

[What if]

Mangler wrote:

So consume less. That would help you out at least.
<quoted text>

Not sure where your going with your comment. Do you know how haze is created? Water Vapor, maybe a big fire. Water Vapor is provided to us along our entire eastern sea board and the gulf of mexico. Smog? I'm not getting that at all. We don't live in an area like Los Angeles where the air is continually cycled back into the valley area. So if you have a limited quantity of air that does not get replenished by new fresh air I think you will eventually get smog. That is a given and does not take science. In FL we get breezes all the time and our air is not trapped by mountains or hills. I believe the world's oceans produce Co2 and the water vapor mentioned before. Now I'm no scientist and I'm sure I will be attacked in the forum, but the oceans themselves contribute enough gases per day to make mans contribution look like we don't even exist.

[Mangler]

All I was saying (I think) was that if you (we) all consumed less, then that would help on all levels. I see no reason for a 44 oz cola from McDonalds and I see no reason to drive an Excursion to get that soda.

True, nature can blast harmful chemicals in one fowl swoop that dwarf what we'd do in a day (volcano, forest fire, the 70's). However, when was the last time you choked or blew soot out of your nose from breathing sea air? Spending a day at the beach may get you sunburned. Spending a day next to a dump truck will get you a mouth full of chemicals, toxins and probably pelted with little rocks.

What if wrote:

<quoted text>
Not sure where your going with your comment. Do you know how haze is created? Water Vapor, maybe a big fire. Water Vapor is provided to us along our entire eastern sea board and the gulf of mexico. Smog? I'm not getting that at all. We don't live in an area like Los Angeles where the air is continually cycled back into the valley area. So if you have a limited quantity of air that does not get replenished by new fresh air I think you will eventually get smog. That is a given and does not take science. In FL we get breezes all the time and our air is not trapped by mountains or hills. I believe the world's oceans produce Co2 and the water vapor mentioned before. Now I'm no scientist and I'm sure I will be attacked in the forum, but the oceans themselves contribute enough gases per day to make mans contribution look like we don't even exist.

[What if]

Mangler wrote:

All I was saying (I think) was that if you (we) all consumed less, then that would help on all levels. I see no reason for a 44 oz cola from McDonalds and I see no reason to drive an Excursion to get that soda.
True, nature can blast harmful chemicals in one fowl swoop that dwarf what we'd do in a day (volcano, forest fire, the 70's). However, when was the last time you choked or blew soot out of your nose from breathing sea air? Spending a day at the beach may get you sunburned. Spending a day next to a dump truck will get you a mouth full of chemicals, toxins and probably pelted with little rocks.
<quoted text>

Well I do agree that if you spend the day near a dump truck you'll get that mouthful. But it is with much thought and common sense, that I do not believe man has wrought any damage to the environment as a whole. Sure rivers and lakes have been polluted. They always have and will unfortunately in the future in different parts of the world. I believe people have become extremely ignorant and are beholden to one of the biggest lies in history, "Global Warming". It's like when people thought that aliens invaded during an Olsen Wells show way back.( I think that was the show) but it did happen.

[Mike]

What about swamp coolers? Would that be a good investment if you wanted a less expensive and more energy efficient way to cool your home for the summer? Or is south florida too humid for these to be effective?

http://store.h-mac.com/swampcooler.html