Glacial Energy Blog

Too Expensive to Replace Your Appliances? Follow These Useful Tips to Extend Their Use and Make Them Energy Efficient

Appliances are not cheap, and even though you might have the desire to buy energy efficient appliances for your Texas home, your bank account might not agree. If you have some older appliances that you just can’t afford to replace right now, that does not mean that you will have to give up on the thought of becoming more conservative with your energy. With the tips that follow, you will find some ways that you can make your current appliances a bit more energy friendly, at least until you can afford to start replacing them.

The Refrigerator

Consider the seasons when you are adjusting the temperature settings for the fridge. You might find that you can lower the temperature a bit when you are in the cooler months. Of course, it doesn’t always get too cool in many parts of Texas, but you should still be able to drop the temps a bit and save some energy. Another way to reduce the amount of energy that your fridge is using is by taking out food from the freezer that you want to thaw the night before and placing it in the refrigerator. This cools down the temperature of the fridge so that it does not have to use electricity to maintain that temperature.

The Stove

Saving energy with the stove is just as easy. When you are cooking on the stovetop, make sure that you are using the right sized burner with the right sized pots. If you use too small of a burner, it is going to take more time and energy to heat. If the burner is too large, it will waste energy too. When you use lids on the pots, you can actually cook at lower temperatures because the heat is not escaping. For some foods, consider using the microwave. They use less energy than a traditional stove.

Washer and Dryer

Start washing your clothes in cold water more often. Only do loads when you have a large load. If you wash a small load, you are still using the same amount of water and energy. Make sure that you clean the dryer’s lint catch often. Too much lint will mean it takes longer to dry the clothes.

These are just a smattering of good tips that you can use so you can make your not-so-energy-efficient appliances last a bit longer and still help you save some money on your energy costs.

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Reminder: What a power outage can look like

Every so often we face a natural disaster and it leads into a power outage. The recent Super Storm Sandy gave the East Coast a harsh reminder what life without electricity can look like. This was sadly not the first time that Americans have suffered power outages following a natural disaster. Last year the East Coast was hit by Hurricane Irene. The South suffered from Hurricane Katrina more than five years ago and Hurricane Ike in 2008. Last year part of the West Coast went dark due to a single worker’s error.

Americans take electricity for granted, but there are many around the globe who go through power outages daily. Clark Gellings, of the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute explained:

“Power delivery systems have a lot of parts, wires, transformers, and other components all nicely tied together—which means there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Pieces break down or human errors. A system is designed to tolerate a certain amount of disruption but past a certain point, it’s simply gone too far and it falls apart.”

If you ever find yourself in such a situation here are a few tips and tricks to keep handy.

Don’t wait for the last minute. If you know a hurricane or a storm is coming make sure you are prepared. Remember there might be no power, running water or  a way to get out of your home.

• Store food that will not spoil quickly. Pastas and canned foods can make quick, fulfilling meals and do not need to be refrigerated.
• Take a day off. While you are so stressed in your daily life, an unexpected event can mean a day off from work to relax and spend with your family. Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to de-stress and enjoy the simple moments of life. Now you have the perfect opportunity to spend a day with your family.
• Stash some snacks and games. During bad weather we sometimes call friends and family over so they do not get the brunt of the bad weather. If you end up in such a situation, have some snacks on hand and some games to play by candle light.

As power returns after an outage, people may be at risk of electrical or traumatic injuries as power lines are re-energized and equipment is reactivated. You should be aware of those risks and take protective steps if you are in contact with or in proximity to power lines, electrical components, and the moving parts of heavy machinery.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/08/pictures/120821-world-s-worst-power-outages/

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Electricity Generation 101- Part 1

We all think we know the answer to this: How many people does it take to turn on a light bulb. One, right? That’s partially true, but the real answer is much more complex because it takes many people to generate and deliver power.

In order for us to learn how electricity is generated we must look at the source. Nature has provided us many sources of electricity generation. The planet provides us with coal and natural gas—types of fossil fuels–to water in the oceans and rivers, the building blocks of hydroelectric power. There are other forms of power too, like wind power generated from windmills. Even uranium, which we use in the process of splitting an atom in a nuclear power reactor. We also have the ability to harness the energy of the sun so we can create solar energy. While the planet provides an abundance of sources of energy, not all of them will last forever. Energy that can be reused repeatedly is known as renewable energy. This includes wind, solar power, hydroelectric power, etc. Energy created from a limited source such as fossil fuel is known as finite energy source.

It is not enough to have the sources of energy available. Power generation requires a chemical or mechanical process to help transform it into useable electric energy. Today most of our energy comes from thermal power plants as coal, natural gas or petroleum can heat up the water in the turbine until it produces steam, which powers a turbine and generates electricity. The generator inside the turbine converts the mechanical energy into electric energy. This way is efficient because the water can be cooled down again and can be reused in this process over and over again.

While this covers the basics of how electricity is generated, transporting this energy to your home is an entirely different process that we will explain later on.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/08/pictures/120821-world-s-worst-power-outages/

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Power out: Downed power lines during natural disasters

Super storm Sandy may be gone in many areas, but there are still potential hazards to watch for in its aftermath. It could take weeks to restore power to millions of people left in the dark by the super storm.

Hurricanes are often packed with high winds. These winds, combined with flooding rains, can reap chaos on power lines and their target distribution audience throughout the affected area.

Power lines that provide safe and efficient electrical power to your home every day can become highly dangerous if downed during a storm. Whether the power to your house is on and functioning either during or after the hurricane passes, beware of power lines if you venture out. Avoid them because they may still be live and report them to the power company.

In many areas the power poles are shared among utility, cable and telephone companies. Be aware that downed electrical lines in your area can energize other lines as well.  These affected downed lines are wet, even non-conductive materials such as pieces of wood can become a path for electricity. Metal security fences suddenly can be electrified fences and can be deadly. Same goes with metal buildings, fences, poles, mail boxes and standing water. Downed and sagging power lines offer dangers from nearby trees and branches. These wet trees can become the path to the ground through you for electrical current.

If the city is already going through a series of harsh weather or storms, then it’s best to never drive around during or immediately after. If you must drive for some emergency purposes, such as to evacuate, then be watchful for downed power lines, tree limbs and general blockages in the road. Never drive over a downed line with your car. If the car has made contact, your car could become energized. It is better to remain in your car. You can also use a cell phone to dial 911.

Even though the power lines are down and the power is out, don’t think that it is safe to move a downed line. These power lines could become re-energized at any time. Instead, assume that they are live and that electrocution dangers still exist.

After a storm with heavy winds, the area will likely be covered with tree branches and litter. Power lines have a way of getting entangled in these branches and can become a serious hazard for the person trimming the branches. So please watch out for the power lines while clearing debris or litter and take a good look around your surroundings before attempting any clean-up.

Source: http://electrical.about.com/od/electricalsafety/a/downedpowerline.htm

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Cooking without power

The recent super storm Sandy left millions of Americans without power and energy. Getting prepared for home cooking without power for several days could be a big problem for some, but we’ll tell you how.

If you are in the path of a hurricane or other strong storm, remember to download a hurricane preparedness guide. It is also important to stock up on more than just bread and milk it is imperative to stock up on water, food and fuel.  When you are informed a major storm is heading your way, make sure that your car fuel tank is full, that your grill has fuel back up, you have a pantry full of bottled water and canned food.

Dried or canned beans, canned tomatoes and pasta don’t need to be refrigerated and you can make a variety of dishes with them. Should a hurricane strike your area, it is important to have enough non-perishable packaged or canned food to last three to seven days. It takes disaster relief at least three days to reach an affected area, so having the minimum on hand is very important.

Here are some hurricane-ready foods that require no cooking:

• Cans or little individual serving cups of fruit — apple sauce, fruit cocktail, peaches, pears, pineapple, etc.
• Fruit juices that require no refrigeration — tomato, V-8, grape, apple, etc.
• Granola bars or any individually packaged snack bars.
• Nuts — cashews, peanuts, mixed. Whatever is your favorite.
• Dried fruits – bananas, apricots, raisins, etc.
• Cereal and/or cereal bars.
• Peanut butter and crackers.
• Canned meats. Tuna is our favorite and those pouches make it so convenient!
• Canned milk or milk in laminated paper cartons. Note that these have a shelf life of about six months.
• Cookies, chips and other favorite snacks.

During days without power, just follow simple tips below to remain healthy and fit.

Make breakfast cereal with powdered milk

You can still enjoy breakfast in a healthy way, even if you’re powerless for weeks. Simply mix up some powdered milk in one of your extra canning jars. You can mix it in the container and prepare just enough to get you through breakfast. So it means that you don’t have to worry about finding room in your already-overflowing cooler. If oatmeal is your thing, you can always prepare it on a single-burner camping stove, toss in some raisins, and use this same milk-in-a-jar strategy. It’s actually great that way because you don’t have to worry about the milk being cold.

Bulgur for a perfect no-cook meal or side dish

The cool thing about bulgur is that you can put it in a bowl of water to cold soak. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice along with your veggies and seasonings of choice. If you’re making the bulgur salad your full meal, then you may also want to consider tossing in some canned black beans for protein. You will have easy, cheap and healthy food.

Count on cured meats

Packs of turkey pepperoni and cured salami can be easily stored in your pantry without cooling at any time of the year for hurricane readiness or regular meal prep. Take some of it with veggies and greens for a simple salad with a zing, or mix up some pizza dough and toss on a creative pizza sauce along with some of your cured meat. Put the whole thing on a pizza stone inside a covered grill, and you will have a perfect meal without worrying about power.

Look for vegetables

There are some vegetables that can probably go a few days like cabbage. You can also make cabbage and ramen noodle salad.

Source: http://www.wisebread.com/cooking-without-electricity-hurricane-preparedness-with-style , http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/28/hurricane-irene-power-outages_n_939441.html; http://goflorida.about.com/od/floridaweathe1/qt/prep_food.htm

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Teaching children to conserve power

 It’s important for children to appreciate the environment and have an understanding of energy conservation. They can easily follow some simple rules to minimize their energy usage. There are various ways you can teach your children to save energy by making simple changes to their habits. It not only allows them to save energy, but will also make your children more responsible people.

Turn off TV and lights

Teach your children to always turn off lights. Televisions, DVD players, video games, stereos and other electronic equipment should be turned off as soon as they’re done using them. To make it fun, you can also assign your children a task: Whoever leaves the electrical appliances switched on or on standby mode will be fined. Teach them to make a habit of roaming around the house and checking if someone has left any lights on. They should be taught to turn the outdoor lights off when they wake up each morning.

Watching TV

Watching TV, playing video games or watching movies may be fun for your children, but the hours of energy usage from a TV add up quickly. You should engage your children more in outdoor activities as opposed to watching TV. This way you help your children save energy while keeping them active and healthy.

Take short showers

Nearly all children love to play in water. They waste untold gallons of water as they splash in the bath for hours. Children can save energy by taking short showers instead of a long tub baths. Also educate children about turning off the water while brushing their teeth.

Turn the thermostat to 76 degrees

Teach your children to turn the thermostat to 76 degrees during warm weather and 68 degrees during cold weather. It not only decreases your energy consumption, but also reduces your electricity bills.

Energy Leaks

Teach your children to occasionally hold a ribbon up to the edges of your house’s windows. The ribbon will move if there is a leak in or out of the house. Also show them how to seal a leak with caulk or weather-stripping.

Recycle

Children can play an important part in recycling and bringing about great changes in the house. The activity of collecting cans, cartons, bottles and cereal boxes can be exciting for them and they will have fun looking for the items.

By teaching these simple steps, your children can become energy conscious for the rest of their lives.

For additional information and to learn more about energy conservation visit http://www.eia.gov/kids/

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Getting a new pet? How about energy pet- proofing your home first!

Similar to how you would proof a home before a baby starts crawling, it’s very important to ensure that all safety hazards are addressed around the house before allowing a pet to roam freely. Pet-proofing applies to all types of pets—from the usual indoor cats and dogs, to the more colorful birds. Some of the most common hazards include cleaning supplies that are left unattended, toxic plants and dangling wires and open outlets. Open sockets and electrical devices are a real threat to pets. Usually the cords that go to the television, and all related devices, are very appealing for a cat to chew on. If your pet is able to chew the wire, then there is a risk for severe burns or even electrocution.

One of the most common problems with pets is that they can easily strangle themselves in electrical wires, if they get tangled up in a mess of multiple cables it can be something serious. If you must leave your pet unsupervised, make sure any loose electrical cords are unplugged or installed out of sight. Moreover, if a pet can squeeze behind the refrigerator or stove, they can easily remove the cord from the outlet, causing damage to both the appliance and themselves.

One of the easiest ways to pet-proof a house is to start by gathering all loose, exposed wires together with a twist tie so they are not as tempting to play with. After they have been gathered together, exposed cords, cables and wires can be placed inside of an appropriately sized piece of PVC pipe to further minimize a pet’s desire of playing with them. You can protect your pet from the electrical outlets by simply covering the electrical outlets with the same plastic outlet plugs you would buy for childproofing your home. Make sure all plugs are inserted completely into their wall sockets.  Small paws, noses and tongues can easily find their way into the partially exposed prongs.

Lamps with exposed bulbs can reach very high temperatures. As a precautionary measure do not allow pets to play near lamps.  If the lamp is knocked over a fire could break out. Some pets will often seek out warm and isolated spots in the home. Just keep an eye on them and do not allow them to hide or sleep behind your computer or television equipment, where numerous electrical connections are housed.

By following these simple measures, you can keep your playful pet and your home safe!

Source: Suite 101

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

10 ways to be thrifty and save energy

There are simple things you can do to save electricity, money and greenhouse gas emissions in your home or workplace that help reduce your impact on the environment.

1. Most homes today come equipped with televisions, DVD players, cell phones, laptops and a gaggle of other electronics. All these items continue to use electricity if they’re not turned off properly. People typically put these gadgets in standby mode, which ends up costing them money. Look for new appliances that are Energy Star compliant – they reduce the amount of power used when in standby or idle mode. Or, simply unplug the items when they aren’t in use.

2. Computers, lamps or televisions placed near your room’s air conditioning vent can cause the air conditioner to work longer than necessary. The thermostat can sense the heat generated by the appliances and keeps the air conditioner running longer.

3. Lights in your home are responsible for about 10 percent of your electricity bill. Save up to 75 percent of that energy by replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

4. Run your air conditioner at 78°F instead of 72°F during the summer. This can save you a huge amount—between 6 and 18 percent on your electricity bill. You can easily save power in your home during winter by wearing warmer clothing and setting your thermostat lower.

5. If you have an electric hot water system, it will consume up to one third of your household’s power use. Heating water can account for 14 to 25 percent of the energy consumed in your home. Lower the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F) and save energy.

6. Your oven consumes more energy than a microwave, toaster or a counter-top grill. If you use the smaller, more efficient appliances, you’ll use less energy and avoid excess heat that increases room temperature.

7. Swap your electric hot water system with a solar-powered heater and this could reduce your hot water system’s power use by 70 percent. You could save around $180 on yearly power bills.

8. Using electricity for heating water is expensive. Shorten your shower time to save energy.

9. Landscaping isn’t just for enhancing the beauty of your house. Properly placed trees can save between $100 and $250 annually.

10. When you switch on your air conditioner or heater, make sure that no windows or doors are open. Even a small leakage can cause huge waste of electricity.

By simply following these steps, you save money and energy.

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Is hydrogen the answer?

The remains of plants and animals that died while dinosaurs roamed the earth formed fossil fuels and gradually transformed into coal, oil or natural gas.

This process took millions of years. The fossil fuels we are using now were formed millions of years ago. We cannot go back in time to produce more fossil fuels. What we can do, though, is minimize our dependence on these types of fuels by reducing our consumption and by discovering alternate forms of energy sources.

Fossil fuels cannot be used forever because their reservoirs will gradually deplete over time. In addition to other methods, scientists are working hard to find ways to use hydrogen as an alternate source of fuel.

Hydrogen is abundantly available in the earth’s atmosphere and forms 75 percent of its mass. It is a colorless and odorless gas and is found in combination with other elements such as oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. In order to use it, it must be separate from these other elements.

Hydrogen produces high amounts of energy and emits almost zero pollution. NASA has used hydrogen-based fuels for years in its rockets for trips into space. A hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat and water. Fuel cells are comparable to batteries in a way. Both convert the energy produced by a chemical reaction into usable electric power. However, hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity as long as hydrogen is supplied, never losing its charge. Hydrogen cells produce water as a by-product—so clean it is suitable for human consumption.

A helpful video that explains how energy is generated from Hydrogen Fuel Cells

It is possible in the future hydrogen could be used as fuel for vehicles and aircrafts as well as to provide power for our homes and offices. As a source of heat and electricity for buildings and as a power source for electric motor propelled vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell technology offers a lot of promise. Hydrogen can also be transported like electricity to locations as needed. Pure hydrogen is required for hydrogen fuel cells. Other fuels such as natural gas, methanol or even gasoline can also be reformed to produce the hydrogen required for fuel cells.

Renewable energy sources, like the sun and wind, can’t produce energy at all times. But they could, for example, produce electric energy and hydrogen, which can be stored until it’s needed.

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com

Is there actually an electricity meter in my house?

Reading your meter can help you better understand your energy usage.

An electricity or energy meter is a device that measures the amount of electric energy a residence, business or electrically powered device consumes. Electricity meters are of various types. The most common are single-rate digital meters, variable-rate digital meters and dial meters. Your electricity meter is a reliable, accurate instrument that registers the amount of electricity used. Each electric meter works in a slightly different way. Reading your electricity meter is easy once you know how to do so.

• Single-rate digital electricity meters

This meter gives direct information of the total amount of electricity used. The energy unit is kilowatt hours (kWh) for this meter. A single-rate meter refers to one set of numbers. Write down all the numbers before the decimal point, from left to right. Ignore any numbers after the decimal point.

•  Variable rate digital meters

 If you get lower priced off-peak electricity your meter might have two rows. The row on the top records off-peak electricity usage. It is marked low or night. The bottom row records the normal rate electricity you use during peak hours. The meter rows may also be marked RATE1 or RATE 2. Make a reminder of these markings before you submit your readings.  To take a reading,  write down the numbers from left to right in both rows. These meters are also called Economy 7 or White Meter.

•  Dial Electricity meters

 Dial meters have a series of clock-style dials with numbers from zero to nine. Each dial turns in the opposite direction of the dial next to it. Your dial meter consists of six dials. You read the meter from left to right. You only need to read the first five dials – starting with the 10,000kWh dial on the left and stopping after the 1 kWh dial. The dial on your extreme right is for testing purposes only. If the dial’s pointer falls between two numbers, always read the lower number. If the pointer is directly over a number, always record it. If the pointer on a dial falls between 9 and 0, reduce the reading already taken for the dial on the left by one.

A helpful video that explains on how to read your analog or digital meter.

Your electricity meter tells you how much electricity you’ve used and helps you conserve energy. Monitoring your meter can also help lower your electricity bills.

About Glacial Energy- Glacial Energy is one of the fastest growing national retail energy suppliers selling electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in deregulated markets across the country. Glacial Energy has the resources and market knowledge to provide customized quotes for your business or cost-saving opportunities for your home. Learn more about Glacial Energy by visiting: www.GlacialEnergy.com