Rising gas prices

Americans are reeling at the speed of which gas prices are rising.

We are so dependent on what is happening in the middle east when it comes to the cost of living our daily lives , and how much money we spend weekly just to get to work.

Our Government is now contemplating tapping into the strategic oil reserve to help reduce the gas prices at the pump, but is this a good decision.

We are between a rock and a hard place when we consider this alternative.

If we look back in the history of  tapping into the strategic oil reserve of the oil embargo of the 1970s, the first Persian gulf war, and hurricane Katrina the results were positive and gas prices stayed affordable.

This time there may be adverse circumstances that would make the crude oil market skyrocket, and we could be only kicking our selves in the wallet due to OPEC deciding to cut production to compensate for our reliance of gas and oil .

The strategic oil reserve consists of 727 million barrels, and American’s use 19.6 million barrels of oil a day. The strategic oil reserve of 727 million barrels will only last 37 days in a major emergency, and if we use say just 10% of that 727 million barrels to offset gas prices at the pump, it would not reduce the price by even the .37 cents increase we have seen in the last 30 days.

Our best solution to the high gas prices is to reduce and conserve gas and energy in general.

The past three generations have had cheap energy, and most people refuse to change there high gas consuming habits to help reduce oil and gas prices.

We need to become smarter on the way we use our cars, the way we drive, and plan the way we  use gas for every trip we make.

We all have the power to reduce gas prices at the pump!

Join the conversation at anewdirectionsavingenergy

Energy saving tips for your life

Are the car companys really trying to help save energy?

It seems that car company’s are trying to make us burn more and more gas/ fuel with there commercials of speeding auto advertisements.
These speeding auto advertisements do not promote energy conservation in any way!
They claim that they are trying to increase the fuel/gas mileage of there new cars and trucks with more horsepower, but in reality are only promoting higher fuel/gas usage through the speeding auto advertisement by programing the potential new car buyer to put there foot into it and drive fast.
This is not the way to help people understand the importance of energy conservation with fuel/gas prices predicted to go over $5.00 a gallon by July of 2011.
We need the car company’s to get serious about energy conservation!, and not try to fool us into thinking that even either new electric and hybrid auto technology that they are really promoting energy conservation.
These new technology’s will not make a difference,due to there high cost that most people cannot afford and unplanned support infrastructure for many years.
With the energy demands we have now we are headed for uncertain fuel/gas supply future with all the unrest in the middle east.
So get GET WITH THE ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM auto manufacturers, and don’t try to convince us it is a great thing to speed and drive fast through your speeding auto advertisements everywhere we go.

Help prevent summertime brownouts

Summer time Energy Saving Tips

Being smart about energy usage is simple. Just remember you are SMART.

S – Set the thermostat on the highest comfortable setting.

M - Move air in occupied rooms by using ceiling fans.

A - Adjust your water heater.

R - Repair “hot spots.”

T - Turn on the outdoor grill.

• Set the thermostat higher. When temperatures rise, air conditioners have to work harder. The air conditioner unit is typically the largest user of electricity in your home. Set the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher to maximize energy savings. Every degree the thermostat is set above 78 can save you 3-5 percent on cooling costs. Also, making the switch from a manual to a programmable thermostat could lead to energy cost savings of up to $180 per year.

Remember to keep the air flowing freely by replacing system filters and ensuring nothing is blocking registers and returns.

• Move air with a ceiling fan. A fan’s gentle breeze can help you feel several degrees cooler for a fraction of the cost of running an air conditioner. But remember – fans cool people, not rooms. Be sure to turn the fan off when leaving the room.

• Adjust the water heater before leaving town. There’s no need to heat unused water. Plus, once turned back on, most models will reheat the water to the set temperature in about an hour. When at home, decreasing the water heater temperature from 140 degrees to 120 can help save up to $85 per year. A setting of 120 degrees is sufficient for most household needs.

• Repair “hot spots.” High-performance windows can help to eliminate “hot spots” within the home. Installing energy-efficient windows can also help protect upholstery, wood and art from ultraviolet rays – keeping these items from fading while saving energy. Visit www.progress-energy.com/help to find out how to receive a rebate of up to $450 on window upgrades through the Home Energy Improvement Program.

• Turn on the grill. Using the oven on a hot summer day forces your air-conditioning unit to work harder, which can lead to higher electric bills. Choose to grill outdoors instead of bake and savor the sweet taste of energy savings.

By following these energy saving tips ,the brown out factor can be prevented even on these hot July summer days.

These free tips will also save you energy all summer long!!

Join me (energy saving guru) in the conversation on energy saving in your life At:

anewdirectionsavingenergy.com

You can find even more energy saving tips at:

anewdirection.com

From the energy saving guru:Understanding how to make our homes energy efficent

Understanding how to make a home  more energy efficient has many people confused.
I recently promised my wife that I would attend the marriage of a coworker of hers that I really did not know very well, so off we went to spend a day of fun with some great younger people.
I am pushing the mid fifties in age and grew up in an era of cheap energy.   I got involved in many conversations about energy conservation and how we all could save energy in our homes with a number of 20 to 35 year professionals.

Talking to The majority of these great younger people I found a very different outlook about energy conservation in our homes.
With most people of a generation or two younger, the majority were  thinking that the future of new home construction will solve many energy consumption issues.
Many people have the idea that all new homes will have energy saving designs build right in.  This may be true for some, but the facts are that the majority of new homes built in the United States do not require any energy saving design components.
Building code requirement for many parts of our country have not made the critical changes needed to help with energy conservation.
The smart home is still many years off due to the economy forcing builders to cut back on the extra costs for energy efficiency that would reduce homes energy consumption. Many energy efficiency design components are still very expensive and add up to 30% to the total construction costs of a new home.
Another problem with energy conservation in our homes is that very few people are not financially able to purchase or get a mortgage approval on homes that have all this great new energy saving technology, due to high cost.
The most interesting question I had for people,  was what to do about the majority of homes  in our country already built, and how do we reduce the amount of energy consumption and carbon emissions from all these extremely inefficient buildings.
The answer to this was: I have no idea!!
In my mind the costs to reduce energy consumption in all of our existing homes is to become more informed on all the simple and low cost changes that can be implemented to cut a minimum of 30% of off our combined  national energy requirements.

The way to start Is with simple low cost improvements that absolutely will help reduce our energy bills.

•    Changing old incandescent lighting to CFL or even better LED lighting.
•    Sealing all doors and windows
•    Adding insulation for greater  heating/cooling retention
•    Purchasing energy efficient appliances.
•     The most important, using energy efficiency control devices that will help reduce energy consumption.
•    When purchasing any energy consuming product:  Get all information on how much it will cost you in energy over the lifetime of the product.
These simple first steps do not require much effort. If we all take action ,the amount of energy dollars we all save will greatly help with, not only our own personal savings, but  greatly reduce our dependence of foreign energy sources.
Here are a few ways for you to start:
Go to this site for a free tool that will help you find out how energy efficient your home really is.
CLICK HERE
Or
Gets this great guide with unbelievable energy saving information?
Click HERE

Join the group of concerned energy conservation advocates HERE

Free energy conservation tips HERE

Energy Saving Guru Is Back !

I have been away for a summer expedition investigating some of the new energy producing technologies, and observing how people use energy.

There is some good news and some disturbing news!!

The good news is there is a small ,but growing interest in the new energy producing technology’s (solar, and wind energy ) with new company’s and some old company’s as well increasing investments in these new energy producing technology’s.

There is however a very long way to go before these new energy producing technology’s will have a significant effect on the supply needed to overcome our massive consumption of energy from all sources.

This massive consumption is the bad news!

From what I have seen by traveling around the country, the majority of people in the United States still think they are entitled to use Energy of all types with out actually thinking about energy conservation or about how much they are using, and how much they are  wasting.

It is still a fact that Americans waste 25% of the energy they purchase.

Well that’s the news for today, but I do have confidence that more and more people are starting to get the picture on energy conservation.

Remember  most of us in the United States are only one major hurricane or natural disaster away

from very high energy prices.

Join the growing number of concerned  Energy Conservation advocates HERE

You have the power to help change the way we save Energy. Get the

latest tips and tricks HERE

Good driving habits

Energy guru speaks on changing old habits!
I have been trying hard to change many old habits to good energy conservation habits.
As I get older I have started to recognize that many of my bad old  driving habits started at a very young age. The constant repetition of what I think is normal can be very far from the actual ways it takes to save and conserve energy.
I have been very interested in cars since I was a little kid, playing with matchbox cars zooming them around and dreaming of going fast all the time. The realization that I have driven the many cars that I have owned over the years much faster than the speed limit And wasted hundreds maybe even thousands of gallons of gas by not practicing good driving habits.
As we move into an era where fuel and gas conservation is becoming more important, the higher prices of oil has made me change to good driving habits.
Why is always a crisis that forces us to take drastic action?
This change to good driving habits by slowing down has increased my awareness that driving fast does not save any time, costs 25% more of my hard earned income  by slowing down, I am able save energy calm down and enjoy life much more.
My point is slow down and not only save energy, our environment from reduced pollution, reduced traffic congestion, but you more than likely will look at life more positively.
There is a great FREE monthly energy saving tips news letter from the energy conservation website anewdirection.com . Sign up and you will find out the many ways to save energy  with energy efficent technologies as well as good energy conservation practices .

Energy saving guru

The energy saving guru speaks on earth 2100
Earth 2100 on ABC on Monday MAY 8th was a doomsday scenario of what could happen if the people of the world don’t start making changes in their lives that will help with global warming issues.
This scenario seems to be implying that the population of the world is sleepwalking into the future. You know, sort of going through the motions of daily life and really not paying attention.
I for one think that this is far from the truth, (I have more confidence in people than that). 90% of the show was dedicated at trying to scare every one who watched into thinking that this could be the scenario for the future of mankind. There was very little positive content that we could have a very different future.
These kind of scare tactics only anger the  people that are in disagreement with the theory ( and it is only a theory ) and empowers there attitudes to become even more negative and closed minded on energy conservation solutions that are already right in front of our eyes.
For the people that agree with the scenario, they will say hurray to ABC and will become more aware of the problem with the global warming problems we face.  I must ask just how many of those green thinking people are actually doing something about it.
This leads many people to a separation of opinions that aggravate both sides into conflict and very little progress  with global economic and environmental problems will be realized.
Right now many people and companies are working towards or have technologies that help with the conservation of energy that contribute to the reduction of atmospheric pollution. Does any one think that this development is just going to stop!!
Green technology is great, but green technology alone cannot solve the climate crisis at this point.
At this point in history we still need to use and conserve oil as a bridge for the continued development of future green energy technologies.
This doomsday scenario was far too colorful with their depiction about oil doubling or tripling in price was wildly speculative. In a vast and incredibly complicated market like the world wide market for crude oil and products made from it, price is a hard thing to predict, simply because it’s a function of the interaction between supply, demand, and market psychology, all of which are difficult to predict. The oil consumer has the best leverage to control prices by engaging in better consuming habits.
The only way all of us can have a positive effect on our futures is to realize that change is a constant, and our aggressive attitudes with all kinds of energy consumption (NOT JUST OIL) must be part of the solution for both our economic wellbeing and global climate conditions.
I have read many different blogs on the subject of energy conservation and have found that there is still a wide gap between who believes and who doesn’t
Action taken with good information is the power for positive change.

WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY IN OUR HOME

Energy conservation guru speaks:

In my last post I discussed fuel consumption in our cars and how many people have not changed there bad habits and thinking when it comes to energy conservation.

There are many other areas of energy conservation that need to be addressed by many people in the USA and around the world that will help with the economy and our personal financial well being.

Not paying attention to energy conservation in our homes is a major problem that can be simple to remedy with out spending a ton of money.

Simple WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY IN OUR HOME

With the economy struggling for recovery, ways to save energy and every dollar we pay in utility costs is a good thing.

As you know it’s tough out there right now, with utilities and gas going higher and higher we all need to see where we can save by doing certain things that save money and energy and create better efficiency for you and the environment.

When trying to find ways to save energy at home each small effort may only result a small amounts of savings, but Experts say with enough of these small steps in savings and a few small investments the energy and money savings can really start adding up.Ways to save energy comes in many different forms and sometimes the big picture can be overwhelming.

Remember that there is a difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency

Conserving energy: is the change in behavior (bad habits) that will result in using less energy

Energy efficiency: is the use of technology to control and use less energy for the same performance or function from energy consuming products.

By taking these small steps and changing some of our bad habits that we have been unconsciously doing for many years, the savings to all of us will reflect in our economy recovering quickly as well as   our personal savings and well being becoming stronger by the day.

We must start by taking one step at a time.

If you are on a budget pick steps that will only cost you your time.

In your home, look at ways to cut down your energy bills by learning good conservation habits.

Changing the thermostat settings is a great first step to start to save energy & money.

By reducing temperature to 63 in the winter or increasing temperature to 78 in the summer you can save up to 10% on your energy bills.

Other steps to take with out spending money

• Turning of lighting when no one is using the room.
• Turn of the front porch light during the day.
• Unplugging phantom power consuming appliances, computers, TVs, games ECT.(you can control this with energy efficient technology)
• Turning down the hot water heater by 20 degrees.
• When appropriate Heating or cooling one room of the home.
• During the day time, keeping window blinds open in the winter to increase passive solar heating and closed in the summer to reduce solar heating to reduce your cooling bills.

This can substantially reduce your heating and cooling bills.

• If you have a fire place make sure that the damper is closed when not in use.
• Keep ceiling fans operational and use them to keep the air moving around the home.

Small investments that can add even more energy savings to help your home become more energy efficient.

Not everyone has an energy expert to walk through and give you home energy tips so picking up an electricity usage monitor, such as “Kill a Watt”, could help find what’s using the most energy in your home.

If you have the time many  local utility companies have inexpensive services to help you determine where you need to upgrade your home for better energy efficiency.

1. Sealing up all leaks around your home is a quick do-it yourself project that will pay for it self quickly and save you big on your utility bills.

• Forgetting to reset the thermostat is a big energy consuming problem. Purchasing a programmable thermostat can have a big effect on reducing your energy bills.
• Five percent of all energy consumption (phantom energy) in our homes is used by many devices we have in our homes.  (Computers, printers fax machines, TVs. Gaming consoles, DVD players, VCRs, ECT.)  Purchasing a smart strip can help you control this phantom energy consumption .when you turn off a primary device, all of the connected devices will be shut down. These smart strips will pay for themselves very quickly helping reduce your utility bills.
• Installation of Compact florescent lighting can greatly reduce your utility bills, although they cost more initially they use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and will last up to 10 times longer.

CFLs have been controversial recently as some people have tried to scare the public into thinking that they are very dangerous when the break in side your home.

Like many modern products we use in our daily lives we must be educated on there use and handle them with care. Advantages of saving energy and the environment are greater than weather or not to use CFLs.

Be prudent with this purchase, also as you needs to be smarter with the use of CFLs. They require proper disposal when they burn out. RECYCLE THEM PROPERLY

Remember that all of the above ways to save energy with small steps can add up to big savings!!

We all use energy continually  day and night in our daily lives.

Sign up for more  FREE  information on many other ways to save energy.

You can contact the energy conservation guru HERE

Energy saving guru speaks on saving gas.

In my last post by this energy saving guru I explained the many different ways you can conserve energy of all types.
As the busy summer travel season approaches we are starting to see gas prices start to slowly push upward.

I must warn all of you out there that the lower price of a gallon of gas we have had in the last six months has given a false sense of hope that we will not see the high prices of summer 08.
We must remember that the price of fuel at this time last year was 25% lower than it is this year, so gas prices could very well be 25% higher by mid summer 09. This means that the price could be well over $5.00 a gallon.
Demand for gasoline actually did shrink a bit last fall when prices briefly topped $4 a gallon. But concern about gas and energy conservation was short-lived.
The USA consumes the most oil in the world with about 22.5 million barrels a day. 71% of the total oil consumption in the US is used for transportation, which includes gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and residual fuel oil. Gasoline has been the dominant oil product for almost a century, and 40% of all oil consumed in the US end up in a fuel tank of a car ,but the funny thing is that we waste 25% of the fuel we purchase by refusing to change or bad habits.

The main adjustment to a higher oil price in the last decade has been the shift to less gasoline consuming cars, but so far only about 10% of American cars consist of hybrids.

The main reason for this slow transition to more fuel-efficient cars is still the lack of a competitive cost effective fuel to gasoline.
We’re not seeing an adjustment in the amount of gasoline consumed.  For the people that can afford a new vehicle we are seeing a change in behavior in consumer preference for the types of vehicles they’re buying, and it seems as though people are clearly shifting away from larger SUVs and passenger cars to those that are smaller and more fuel-efficient.
Vehicle choices could have a big effect on demand for gas.  Consumers who are shopping for a new car should consider that during the life of the vehicle, gas prices will more than likely climb by another dollar a gallon or more.
Due to economic conditions many people cannot afford to go out and buy a new fuel efficient car. Changing our bad driving habits is the only way to reduce our fuel consumption and help with energy conservation.
Also with rising demand in many other parts of the world ( china, India, south America) and our government not moving on expanding our own reserves, the only option we have is to squeeze the most miles we can out of a gallon of gas.
There are many simple ways to save energy and reduce your fuel consumption with out affecting your life style.

A great Free way to keep up with all the ways to save energy.

anewdirection on energy conservation

This energy saving guru

Saving energy in our daily lives can be very easy.

This small list of ways to save energy and how much it could save us is just a start.

A. Driving and maintaining our cars.

These figures apply to only 33% of the cars, trucks and homes in the USA.

1. Improper tire inflation wastes one billion gallons of gas a year. That’s 3 billion dollars!!
( just one tire on you car that is under inflated will lower your mileage 10%+)

2. Aggressive driving and speeding waste 2 billion gallons of gas a year. That’s 6 billion dollars
( I have slowed down and increased my gas milage by 13% )

3. Improperly tuned engines waste 3 billion gallons of gas a year. That’s 9 billion dollars.
( you waste a lot more money than the cost of a tune up if you don’t pay attention!)

B. Maintaining our homes and businesses for energy efficiency:

1. Phantom energy consumption in our homes waste 5% of all electricity produced. This adds up to 70 billion KWH of electricity or almost 7 billion dollars.

2. Improper attention to electrical use from lighting in our homes and businesses waste 10% of all electricity produced. This adds up to 140 billion KWH of electricity or 14 billion dollars.

3. Improper insulation and air leaks in our homes waste 20% of electricity produced. This adds up to 280 billion KWH of electricity produced or 30 billion dollars.

These six categories add up to 69 BILLION dollars a year waste. This is just what 33% of us waste!!

If we look at the United States as a whole we could save over 200 Billion dollars a year.

Now is the time for all of us to take energy consumption and conservation seriously. Pay attention to how we drive and maintain our cars and trucks.

Start turning off or unplugging all of our energy consuming products when we are not using them or use efficient technologies to help control our energy use.

Take the time to evaluate areas where our homes and businesses need attention and fix the problems.

On earth day our new President talked extensively on how the government will help our country expand new energy development, and this is all well and good. BUT if the majority of people in the United States don’t start changing their bad habits now we could see major energy use restrictions in the very near future.

We can save energy by changing our bad energy consuming habits.

We will save billions of our hard earned dollars, help our economy and environment all at the same time
.
This will benefit all of of us now and in the long run!!

Please: Any one out there in blogger land! Please Give me a reply here

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