Solar power geeks wanted....

[milivica]

I'd really really REALLY love to learn ways to use solar power to save some money around here - and yes the environment too, but, to be honest until alternate clean living is mainstreamed, I don't see me doing as much as I'd love to.

My dream would be to live like the dad in Blast from the Past. Except I don't mean live underground for 30 years, I mean the level of self sufficiency...what a hottie he was (I mean mentally)...I am seriously attracted to self sufficient lifestyles.

Ok so anyhow, without doing online searches or getting a solar power for dummies book which won't help cause I don't yet want to learn all about this that and the other...I'd love to know if any of you are solar geeks, are married to solar geeks, have kids that are solar geeks so I can be told (for example) spend $50 on such and such and your return in energy savings will be $100 in 3 or 6 months, or something like that. I'd love to have enough power generated around here to have $0 electric bill and sell power to the electric company, but I'll settle for ways to begin to reduce my power bills, and carbon foot print too.

Thank you!
Mili

[lisa6wks]

Mili,
I can't help you with how to do it, but my husband and myself just came back from the Big Island of Hawaii and almost everyone there uses solar power to heat their water at least. Some people, especially who live on the east side, where we are looking for property, do live "off the grid" and make enough solar power to sell back to the power company. There is also the possiblity of having a small windmill in your yard if it suits your environment.

Good luck with that!
Lisa

[milivica]

I'd love to use the wind power around here, that's just too ambitious for me at the moment (I'm sure it'd cost too much). That's really cool about Hawaii - both the solar info and the idea you're looking for property there, wow! I don't know much about Hawaii but when ever I see pics of it, it looks fantastic (well except the parts I see on Dog the Bounty Hunter, hee hee).

[peglem]

You'd think down here in the "blast furnace" you'd see more people using solar power, but huh-uh. I looked into it once, the equipment was way too $$$$$$ for us.

[mc4_a]

Here's a message board that focuses just on that:
http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/index.php

[Lara]

You probably would have specific websites there that show you how to save energy in the home. e.g. change type of lightbulbs, turn off all the power points when items are not in use.

Solar is expensive to begin with but worth it in the long run. I don't have solar because I'm renting but where I live everyone should be using solar. What energy is not used each day can be sold back into the electricity grid.

Wind? Well I'm not sure about domestic type wind resources. Apart from windmills and they don't do much. A wind turbine is going to cost a million dollars and it's really noisy and kills birds and all manner of things. It's the government who should be building the wind turbines, not the domestic user, and they need to do it in the right place. We don't have enough wind farms here. It's one resource that's been underused. Our government has been asleep for 20 years and they're just waking up.

I found a site where you can just do a few things every day to change the way we all waste energy. .

Sustainable housing is the way to go but also very costly outlay.

I was going to build a solar barbeque once. A friend from the old TS chatroom gave me a site about it and it looked really neat. Showed exactly how to make it on the site. I never did get around to it.

I'm not really keeping up with all the news here where I live. I should be, but I'm renting since I divorced and apart from the regular energy and water saving devices and tips, there's nothing I can do regarding solar power or sustainable housing here. I always had solar pool heating. That was really easy to organize. It also helps that we get average of 300 sunny days in my area per year. Average. Why everyone isn't using solar is beyond me these days. Plus, what they don't use they can sell back to the grid.

Some people are building whole communities now that are self sustainable. No connection to mains power or water or sewage. It's fantastic but very costly in the beginning from what I've seen and read. The way of the future I think.

So, I figure if we can't afford or are not in the position to go solar or sustainable, then there are other small things we can do in the meantime that will help.

http://shop.easybeinggreen.com.au/categories.asp?cID=23&c=181514
Tips you can use today - for renters & owners
More on the site

1. Energy-saving lights & FREE installation service for Sydney metro area
2. Water-saving showerheads
3. Heating and cooling
4. Leave the car at home
5. Turn your computer and your appliances off at the wall

http://shop.easybeinggreen.com.au/categories.asp?cID=109&fromhome=true
Green Living Tips

http://www.awsolar.com.au/pdfs/power-to-the-people-news-smh-20-4-06.pdf
Cover story - Power to the People by Nick Galvin
"High up front costs, complacency, and cheap electricity are key factors in the slow take-up of solar power"

My sites of course are Australian but you're sure to have them there too, Mili.

[milivica]

Peglem, yeah I assumed that would be the case. Though in the long run you get your $$$ back how do you cough it up to begin with? Geez I'd sure love one of those 'green' houses, everything recycled and organic etc etc... Never know!

Some enterprising aspies really need to start a company that does all the brain work for various solar or wind powered set ups for your home, giving a multitude of prices and payment plans. How cool if rather than selling your extra power, you made your payments for all the equipment with it, ya know?

But I'm sure not going to be that enterprising aspie, I'm finally getting a full hold on autism, that's enough! I'll need extra cells for my brain if I think about too much more stuff.

mc4, that site looks pretty darn good - I'm going to have to read it, thank you!

Lara, cool sites! I'm all over the fluorescent thing for years, love them. Never thought about unplugging stuff at the wall, I can't recall where I heard it, but it can account for 40% of your bill...I wonder if that is only appliances with standby like the puter or tv, of if it's your lamps too. I'm guessing only stuff with stand by - so my tv and puter. I doubt that's 40% of my bill. I put on the air only when desperate, and love when the house is cool in winter - rest of the family grumbles and wears entire blankets (with t-shirts and shorts underneath, martyrs!). My last electric bill was $119, though was pretty good for the summer, still yikes. I know that is so mostly cause I'm not forced to run the air, but the heat I am forced to run in the winter. Sure would be nice to not pay for heat...I saw a home where the ran these tubes waaaaay down into the earth to pump in cool air and out hot air, and visa versa...so no heat/cooling costs. There's no way folks that own oil (who have all the money and power I'm guessing) want solar anything. Can you imagine? The Bush family working at say McDonalds, cringing at the beets on your aussie burger. HA! I'm all for rich folks that give back and help others, don't hate the rich or anything like that, but c'mon, I would think the president of my country could have pushed for things that would make the earth a better place to hand down to our children, both environmentally - and spiritually (like the Rev. Dr. MLK - although he was not a pres of course).

Where am I going with this - ahhh, idealism. Ok, just self-checking.