Considering the fact that over half of our oil consumption in this counrty goes to power our homes, here is a house that everyone should try to convert to.
This does not require new technology. The means to do so are already on the market. What needs to be done is for people to actively switch over to this kind of energy use.
Take a look –
This house has the conveniences of a modern house, but consumes only 800Whr on average per day.
Compare this to a typical U.S. suburban house that uses 45 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day.
How is this reduction possible?
It’s through the strategic use of ultra-efficient appliances, daylighting, and green design principles for temperature control and ventilation.
But what’s the secret of the house’s amazingly low power consumption?
Using solar power, the house generates 120V AC, but it’s wired for 12V.
The living room has three 7W 12V compact fluorescent lamps, a 12V Widescreen LCD TV, a DVD player, and an efficient surround sound stereo system.
The office has a Mac laptop acting has a desktop, and all other computer peripherals are switched off automatically when not in use.
When not lit by daylight, the office uses compact fluorescents lamps, and 12V LED desk lamps.
The kitchen uses LP gas to power the refrigerator and stove.
The stove also integrates a toaster into its design.
There is no dishwasher, and the other kitchen appliances are manual.
In the laundry, there’s an efficient 12V washing machine, and a gas powered dryer.
Clothes are dried on racks where possible.
The house uses solar thermal panels to heat water, supplemented by LP gas.
You have probably picked up on the theme of the design, and how the low numbers are achieved: electricity is only used to run electronic devices in this house.
I noticed first that the house employs a MACINTOSH LAPTOP for its computer.
But the secret is that everything in the house uses 12v systems.
Think about it.
Most of your electronic appliances use 12v, but they have the standard 120v plug, and step down the voltage to 12 volts. Kind of stupid, huh? Because you are paying full rate for 120v to run a system that only needs 12v. Multiply this times the number of 12v appliances in your home to see how much electricity you are wasting.
The quickest way you can begin to convert your own home to a 12v system is to begin to replace all your LIGHT BULBS with LEDs, or conventional hot wire lamps with 12v or LED lamps. The bulbs are rather expensive right now, but expect the price per unit to come down as more people buy them. Also expect to see a significant REDUCTION in your energy bill.
The next thing you can do, besides buying more 12v appliances, is to convert your office to 12v useage. This will require that you to connect everything into a 120/12 volt converter.
This is obviously not as efficient as having a completely 12v house, but it is a beginning.
HERE is the link to the site that talks about this house and other energy saving devices.
Regards,
Roger Born
“Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.”
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