Glacial Energy Blog

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

Tug of War- Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy

Renewable energy and non-renewable energy are poles apart.

Renewable energy is energy derived from resources that will never run out. Wind, solar or water energies are renewable because they can be generated endlessly, when required. They are plentiful and by far the cleanest sources of energy available on this planet. Non-renewable energy sources are available on earth in limited quantity and will eventually be depleted. Coal, gas and oil are non-renewable because they take precise conditions and millions of years to be produced.

• Energy Sources

Renewable energies utilize natural resources and can be replenished in a short period of time, whereas non-renewable energies cannot be replenished in a short period of time because they take millions of years to form. With many pros, the major issue with renewable energy is that sun can be used as a source of energy during the day, but not during the night or rainy season. To utilize wind energy, you have to rely on strong winds, therefore, you have to choose suitable sites to operate wind farms.

•  Carbon Emission

Renewable sources have low carbon emissions. Therefore, they are considered green and environment friendly. The sunlight falling on the United States in one day contains more than twice the energy we consume in an entire year. Green energy sources — such as solar power — can be harnessed to produce electricity, process heat, fuel and valuable chemicals with less impact on the environment. In contrast, non-renewable energy sources have serious environmental impact. They release highly toxic and dangerous gases in the air when burnt, which are the major cause for global warming. About 81 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide emissions from non-renewable energy sources

•  Effect on Economy

Renewable energy helps stimulate the economy and creates job opportunities. Countries that use renewable sources of energy may become energy independent. They wouldn’t have to rely on foreign countries to supply them with renewable sources, as is the case for non-renewable sources. In the long run, the price of electricity is expected to rise since it’s based on the price of crude oil. You may find that renewable sources could reduce your electricity bill. According to the federal government, The U.S. spent $109 billion to import oil in 2000. If we become fully energy independent by using renewable sources, we will keep the money at home to help the economy.

Be it renewable or non-renewable, energy needs to be conserved to protect our environment.

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

Green Energy or Blue Energy? You choose!

Green energy is electricity generated from methods other than the conventional sources—such as oil, nuclear and coal–and has many advantages. Blue is the color that defines gloominess and pollution caused by the conventional methods of energy generation.

One major advantage to renewable energy is the sources of energy production are easily replenished. Therefore, it is a more sustainable form of energy production. Green energy production equipment generally requires less maintenance than conventional generators. Fuel derived directly from natural and available resources reduces the cost of operation. Green energy doesn’t produce pollution and is healthy for our environment. It brings economic benefits as the long-term costs involved in maintaining the plants for the energy generation is quite low.

Blue energy is energy generated from conventional sources such as coal, fossil and natural gas. It emits pollutants and waste that cause health and environment problems. Traditional power plants release carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas–in to the environment. Greenhouse gases trap the sun’s energy in the atmosphere, rather than allowing it to escape into space. In addition, toxic and nuclear waste is also released in the environment, which damages marine life, the ecosystem and becomes part of the food cycle as well.

Conventional energy sources such as oil and gas are non-renewable. They will not last forever. New sources of oil and gas are constantly being required. Experts believe current resources under the North Sea will last about another 20 years and the world resources will last for about 70 years.

Our climate is changing due to pollution. It won’t just damage the natural environment, but will also be a risk to economic growth of any country. So what can we do to promote green energy and minimize the usage of blue energy? The simple answer is to conserve energy and make informed decisions. Choose a provider like Glacial Energy that uses a fuel mix, which is more green energy oriented. Make sure that your provider has a real focus on investment in renewable energy resources.

Remember, our actions decide the quality of life for our future generations. Our individual efforts, when combined as whole, can bring about major overall change. Start conserving and act smart today to bring about better change for our future.

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

Nuclear Waste in Electricity Generation

Electricity generation in a nuclear plant results in many byproducts known as ‘nuclear waste’, which are extremely harmful for the environment.

During electricity generation in a nuclear plant—from uranium mining to reprocessing exposed nuclear fuel—high levels of nuclear waste are produced. This high-level radioactive waste remains hazardous for thousands or even millions of years. However, as part of the fuel mix consent, suppliers have to state only the amount of high-level radioactive waste created as a result of the generation of the electricity.

Nuclear electricity forms almost 15 percent of the global electricity production and as a result, tons of nuclear waste has to be managed. In a nuclear plant, there are three types of nuclear waste: high-level waste, intermediate-level waste and low-level waste.

High-level waste is the most dangerous one as it consists of fuel and the processed fuel. Comprising only three percent of the volume, it has 95 percent radioactivity. It contains highly radioactive fission products and some heavy elements with long-lived radioactivity. It also generates a significant amount of heat and requires cooling as well as special shielding during handling and transport. Medium and low-level waste requires storage or controlled disposal, but the fuel mix disclosure regulations are valid only for high-level waste.

Uranium is a non-renewable resource that is used in nuclear reactions for electricity generation. Neutrons from uranium atoms collide with each other, releasing heat and neutrons in a chain reaction. This heat is used to generate steam, which powers a turbine to generate electricity. In doing so, nuclear power generates a number of radioactive byproducts, including tritium, cesium, krypton, neptunium and forms of iodine.

Uranium tailings are the radioactive materials that remain after uranium is extracted from the earth. The most important radioactive component of uranium mill tailings is radium, which decays to produce radon.

What to do with America’s Nuclear Waste- An informational Video

All parts of the radioactive cycle in electricity generation produce hazardous radioactive substances. The main objective in disposing of radioactive waste is to protect people and the environment. This means isolating or diluting the waste so the rate or concentration of any radionuclides returned to biosphere is harmless. To achieve this, all nuclear wastes are contained and managed properly and many of them are buried deep in earth.

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

Heard about Cake mix? How about Fuel Mix

When buying food from the grocery store, we read food labels to know about ingredients, nutrition and calories. Similarly, we should also know what our electricity suppliers are using to produce electricity with details of the mix of fuels used to produce the electricity supplied to them.

Since October 2005, it has been mandatory in the UK for all electricity suppliers to label their products with the fuels used to generate electricity, carbon emissions and nuclear waste produced. There is no single source of fuel for electricity generation. That’s why energy companies use a number of fuels, known as a fuel mix, to produce energy. With the fuel mix, companies are also showing their carbon emission rates and levels of nuclear waste produced.

The national fuel mix for US is shown in the table below:

Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review, October 2011.

It shows the share of supply generated by coal, natural gas, nuclear, renewable and other energy sources.

Using energy more resourcefully through more efficient products or through more efficient generation reduces the amount of fuel required to produce a unit of energy output, which reduces emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Electricity produced from renewable resources such as solar, geothermal and wind technologies generally do not contribute to climate change or local air pollution since no fuels are combusted in these processes.

A simple info-graphic that shows what renewable energy sources is the world using.

A diverse mix of fuel is used across United States to generate electricity. Several factors affect an electric company’s choice to use particular fuels. These include the price and the availability of supply. However, to lower carbon emissions, the fuel mix should have a good amount of renewable energy sources.  These sources are fuels that can be naturally replenished. Hydropower is our nation’s most prevalent renewable resource, providing 5.9 percent of total U.S. electricity supply. Non-hydro renewable energy sources—such as solar power, wind, geothermal, and biomass—now generate 3 percent of the supply.

As a responsible citizen, you should know about the fuel mix and should be promoting renewable energy resources. Promoting renewable energy resources will help expand the use of renewables as part of our nation’s diverse fuel mix and reliable electricity supply.

 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

CO2 emission and Electricity Generation

Carbon emissions are a major contributor to climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, electricity generation being an integral part.

Combustion of fossil fuels for energy and transportation is the main human activity that emits CO2, although certain industrial processes also emit CO2.

Electricity is one of the most significant sources of energy in the United States and is used to power homes and industries. The combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity is the largest single source of CO2 emissions, accounting for about 40 percent of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 33 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2009. Emission of CO2 depends on the type of fossil fuel used to generate electricity. Burning coal produces more CO2 than oil or natural gas used in generating electricity. These emissions are highly dangerous and can lead to smog, acid rain and haze.

There are many other ways to generate electricity without promoting carbon emission. These methods are referred to as eco-friendly energy generation. It is a broad term that encompasses a range of renewable energy sources including sunlight, wind, rain, biomass, landfill gas and geothermal heat. These energy sources are renewable so there is a lot of effort to utilize them around the world.

Carbon dioxide is constantly being exchanged between the atmosphere, ocean and land surface as it is both produced and absorbed by many microorganisms, plants and animals. However, emissions and removal of CO2 by these natural processes tends to balance. There are additional measures we can take to reduce carbon emissions.

Reducing Carbon Dioxide EmissionsEnergy efficiency

Improve the insulation of homes and buildings and use more efficient electrical appliances to reduce CO2 emissions.

Energy Conservation

Reduce personal energy use by turning off lights and electronics when not in use decreases electricity demand.

Sign up for Green Power

Sign up with an eco-friendly energy company for your home and businesses. It is one of the smartest options for low carbon emission in the atmosphere. About 600 of the country’s 6,000 power utilities offer a green power option. In this energy option, the local utility buys renewable energy and then passes it along to the customers. It helps support the industry for clean, green power. It’s always wise to ask the energy provider where they are getting their energy.

By simply following these major steps, we can all chip in to reduce carbon emissions, making world a better place to live.

 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 offers renewable energy products and solutions to it consumers. 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

Tips for Energy Conservation with the help of Plants

No matter the time of year or what season it is, our energy bill is always a major concern for many of us. We are concerned about saving energy costs, and never before have home owners been so focused about savings through landscaping. Growing plants around the house might be a hobby or a way to grow your own fruits and vegetables, but growing them with purpose and design can help modify the climate in and around the house. By placing trees, vines, bushes and landscape structures strategically, homeowners can reduce the electricity required to keep homes comfortable during summer and winter. Along with the reduction of power bills, a well-planned landscape beautifies your home and increases property value.

Though landscaping may cost a lot initially, you will have a return on the investment. Three basic landscape applications proven to save energy are:

1. Using the shade of trees
2. Using the foundation of plants
3. Using Windbreaks.

While it sounds simple, if done properly, these techniques can help you reduce summer temperatures indoors significantly. If trees are shading the outside of your home, your indoor home temperature can decrease by 8 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Trees not only shade your roof, but can also beautify your house, bear you fresh fruits and provide you with some privacy from prying neighbors.

Heard of a green roof? Growing shrubs and plants on your roof can provide you with some shade and decrease the indoor temperature significantly. You can also reduce energy consumption with shrubs and trees by providing shade for the outside protection of a split system air conditioner. A study by the American Refrigeration Institute shows that shading of this type can reduce the temperature inside the home as much as 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Just make sure that shrubs planted near the compressor don’t obstruct the airflow or access for service. Another way to reduce energy consumption is by screening outdoor air conditioning equipment with plantings. This enhances the aesthetic value of the home. In addition to shading roof areas, plants can protect walls from cold and heat. Shrubs, vines and certain trees can be used as espaliers (plants trained to grow flat against walls). This foliage cover insulates the wall against summer heat and cold winter winds. Trees, shrubs and vines can also be highly effective in reducing dust and pollution.

Even though hedges have been used for many years as wind breakers, their value has increased more recently due to the rise of higher fuel costs. Winter winds usually have a huge temperature difference between a house and the outdoor environment. Summer winds impact human comfort. Tall trees on the south and west can reduce temperature while allowing breezes to pass beneath and through the foliage canopy. The difference between an exposed home and a home landscaped effective could likely mean a big difference in energy savings.

Reference: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-631.html

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

Energy Efficient Landscaping

Homeowners have used landscaping to save energy for many years, but only recently have we started to realize the magnitude of possible savings. Proper landscaping may cut winter heating bills by as much as 15 percent, while summer cooling energy needs may be cut by as much as 50 percent, according to a government study.

There are three basic ways through which homes gain or lose heat:

Air infiltration – Without proper insulation, air travels through cracks and around doors or through open windows and doors. The average home loses 20 to 30 percent of heat in winter by air infiltration.

1. Heat conduction – Heat can be conducted through materials by which the house is built. Controlling the temperature difference and air movement between inner and outer surfaces of walls, floors and ceilings is the best opportunity for reducing heat conduction. Heat conduction represents up to 50 percent or more of the total heat exchange between a home and the outside environment;
2. Solar radiation – Sun rays accounts for up to 90 percent of the heat transmitted into the living area if rays are received perpendicular to a single pane. If the home is landscaped properly, sunlight will be able to get in the house, but will be reflected instead of causing an increased load on your AC.

Community landscaping for energy benefits

If a community works together with the common goal of energy conservation, your community can create and maintain landscapes that provide significant shared benefits.

In suburban neighborhoods, trees and windbreakers can be planted in common areas bordering multiple properties for many homes more efficiently than would be possible in one small yard. In urban areas with more closely spaced homes, the trees and shrubs in your yard might provide the best windbreak for your neighbor’s home in winter, while your neighbor’s yard might provide the best location for a tree to shade the west side of your home in summer.

An Energy-conserving Landscape Plan

Here are some tips for energy efficient landscaping:

Plant windbreaker to the north and northwest of you home to minimize winter winds.

• Plant shorter shrubs on the windward side of your home to trap snow before it can blow and drift against your house.
• Plant deciduous trees to protect your home from intense mid-day sun rays to the south.
• Plant low-branched deciduous trees on the west side of your home to provide shade from the lower angles of afternoon sun.
• Plant small trees or large shrubs to shade an outside air-conditioning condenser to increase its operating efficiency.

Reference: http://www.mortonarb.org/tree-plant-advice/article/703/landscaping-your-home-for-energy-efficiency.html

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

What is the home weatherization assistance program?

The Weather Assistance Program (WAP), created by the US Department of Energy, is implemented through a network of government regulatory bodies and local community agencies to provide ‘weatherization services’ for families below the average income line to lower their energy bills and become energy efficient, through achieving maximum efficiency.

Low-income families in every state in the country, District of Columbia, Native American Tribes as well as US Territories have been eligible for home Weatherization Assistance Program for over three decade.

Weatherization services

Weatherization services are offered for residential and multi-family facilities and generally within a budget (average of $6,500). Only the most energy efficient and cost-effective services are implemented.

The prime driver in home weatherization programs is low-cost, high-efficiency energy measures that go beyond home retrofitting solutions. Another key aspect of weatherization assistance programs is implementing safety measures to the homes and buildings, such as repair of old structures and checking major energy systems to ensure the place is safe to live.

WAP has goals

The primary goal for WAP is to encourage efficient energy consumption and to offer assistance to families who are unable to bear costly energy expenses.

The WAP has regular goals to achieve and are all set to weatherize 1.2milion homes at the start of the previous decade.

The US Department of Energy follows a formula for the calculation of weatherization grants to the states, which in turn run the assistance program through local communities and non-profit organizations.

Formula:

1. Every state and local community will be allotted funds by Department of Energy for Training and Technical Assistance activities in the state.
2. Fixed base allocation for each state.
3. Formula allocation.

Additional factors that influence allocation are:

1. The percentage of low-income families in each state.
2. The climatic conditions such as heating and cooling and the degree of energy required to meet the local conditions.
3. Approximated financial expenditure each state bears because of energy consumed by these households.

This Public Service Announcement illustrates the services available through the Weatherization Assistance Program through the North Carolina Energy Office.

Applying for home weatherization Assistance

Families across the country can seek home weatherization program to lower their energy bills.

To find out if you are eligible to apply for assistance go here.

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