Generate Your Own Solar and Wind Power and Reduce Your Utilities Bill, Even by Up to 80%

With steadily increasing energy prices and a desire for more environmentally friendly living, wind generated power is becoming more and more popular. Large wind farms are being built in locations around the country, and individual property owners are building their own smaller turbines. While wind generated power won't be enough to supply all of your energy needs, if you want to build your own it will most certainly reduce your electric bill. A wind turbine also makes a great supplement to an already existing solar or water power generator.

Building a wind turbine on your property is not difficult, but you'll need some tools, some basic knowledge of electrical systems, and a willingness to do it right. Before beginning a turbine project you should check with your local municipality to see if turbines are regulated in your area. Once that hurdle is cleared, you can begin the design phase, assemble the parts, and begin building.

The standard wind turbine can be broken down into six basic components: the generator, blades, tail assembly, pivoting mount, mast, batteries, and load controller. For small DIY projects, a generator can be a simple motor from an old tape deck, kitchen blender, or any scrap appliance you have laying around. The key to the generator is to find a motor that gives the most volts at the lowest RPM. Normal winds are in the range of 15-20 mph, so on average your turbine won't be turning 7200 RPM all that often.

Blades can be made of wood, PVC, plastic, whatever you can get your hands on. You'll need some scrap wood for the tail, conduit or steel piping for the mast, some deep cycle batteries, and some common electrical components for the controller. Parts lists and assembly instructions can be found all over the internet. A few hours of research should yield just about all the information you need. If you're not confident enough to build from scratch, you can also purchase a kit which just requires assembly.

Once your turbine is up an running you'll be spending less money with the local electric utility, and producing power without pollution. Those are two pretty good reasons to go wind powered.

Sam Stone

For more information on how to generate your own power: http://timelessprincipals.com/solarpanel

I have a passion for conserving the environment and I try and do my part to help reduce my carbon foot print. I now have solar and wind power generators powering all my utilities and i never have to pay of power again but more importantly I am helping save the planet. http://timelessprincipals.com/solarpanel

Wood Panel Renovation - San Deigo Home Tips

The old paneling in your home has turned too ugly to even bear and yet you cannot change it because of its very exorbitant cost. It gives you a feeling of depression and you have gone to the level of thinking of selling your home off just to get away from those irksome panels. Just do not feel down as you are not the only one facing this problem. There are millions of other people too who just hate the ugly look of the paneling in their home. There are a few tricks that can help you repair those panels and get rid of that horrendous look.

A few ideas are her for you to check, with the help of which you can readily brighten up the dingy walls and the ugly panels. Only be prepared to endure some elbow grease which is surely better than the ugly look of those panels.

Painting the Paneling: One way of giving them a professional look is to paint the panels. But you just cannot splash a tin-full of paint and expect it to look good. If you try that out it will give a bad look to the panels. Panels absorb the paints easily and this would show the panels again and might even leave some yellow streaks on the base. The key to a good painting is surface preparation. Just degrease the surface from dirt and muck with a good cleaner before painting it. A gloss-removing substance has to be applied before the degreasing solution is put on the panels. It should be then left to dry for a night. The panel is then absolutely ready to get painted. After the first coat of paint you should leave it to fry before applying the second coat.

Painting Wallpaper: There is a kind of wallpaper available in some wallpaper stores; those wallpapers can be painted again. This gives the look of a painted wall to the paper. You can choose a color and apply it on these wallpapers and it will look really great. The awfully dingy wood paneling gets a brand new look. Other colors can also be used to give a 3D effect to the whole thing. The wallpapers should be hung according to the direction. The paper has to be soaked in water prior to the painting and left to hang for a few minutes. This makes the paper ready to be painted with the color(s) of your choice. I did this to my own basement after replacing the windows.

Glazing the Paneling: By glazing the panel you can add a nice shine to it. The panel should be cleaned with a degreaser solution. Then the panel has to be colored according to your choice. It should be left overnight to get dried. Then you mix a satiny top shade with a glaze in correct proportion and paint over small sections of the panels. Determining how much shine you want, just wipe off the excess glaze with a clean sweep. The brush should be cleaned with mineral oil and let dry before storing them for future use.

Being specifically passionate about basement window, Johnathan Bakers was publishing a lot of detailed reports in this specific field. You can discover his writings on over at http://www.replacement-windows-tips.com

Choosing a Home Renovation Contractor

So you've decided that you want to renovate your house. Great, there is no better way to create a home that reflects your tastes and style than renovating your own home.

Home improvements can raise the value of your home and create a better lifestyle for you and your family.

Planning home improvements generally fall into two categories. There are the Do It Yourself home improvement projects where you supply all the work. Then there are the home renovations where you hire a contractor(s) to complete the work for you. We will focus on the second type of home renovation.

The best place to find skilled contractors are referrals from family or friends that have had similar work done to their own homes. You can also use one of the on-line services that will refer pre-screened contractors for your project. Make sure to check with the Better Business Bureau under the company and personal name of the business owner for anyone that you are considering.

Before you even get to the bidding process you need to call and verify that each contractor has workman's comp, property damage and personal liability insurances. They should also be licensed as needed for the work they are doing. Make sure that they understand that if they are requested to bid they will need to present proof of this information and that all work must be to local building codes.

Next step is for you to whittle down your list to the best three or four possibilities. You do this by requesting at least three referral names and phone numbers for completed work that is similar to your project from each potential contractor.

Don't be shy about asking each referral for a chance to see their finished renovation work. Ask questions about the timeliness of the project and whether it was completed on budget. Most people will be happy to share with you and may even have a couple of good ideas to pass along.

After this you should be able to choose the best three or four contractors who you then ask for a bid based upon the same exact work and materials. Don't automatically pick the lowest price.

At this point, you should start expecting to feel a certain chemistry with the individual contractors. Remember that the home renovation contractor that you choose will be in and around your home for the duration of your project. You need to feel comfortable with them.

Make sure that you understand whether or not each contractor is doing multiple jobs and whether you can expect them or a foreman to be on site during the work.

Once you choose the contractor that you want to use, make sure that you get your agreement in writing. This is the time to ask for a copy of their contractors license and insurance binder that state you are covered for your project.

Make sure that the entire scope of your project is outlined including items like who pays for everything from trash hauling to the porta-pot. The agreement needs to outline who is going to be responsible for demolition, materials and clean-up.

Try to think off everything that will be used or needed. It is only fair that a contractor charge extra for extra work so if you forget something it can easily cause your project to go over budget.

When specifying materials avoid the use of the terms comparable or equal. Make sure that you check on-line or at a hardware store so you understand the costs of materials, electrical fixtures and plumbing fixtures and materials. Any changes in the specific materials or brands should require you to sign off on and agreeing to the change.

Make payments as the work progresses. Try to keep the initial deposits as low as possible. You should be aware that subcontractors can place a lien on your property if they are not paid. Make sure that as you pay for each portion of the completed work you get a release of lien signed or at least proof that your contractor is paying the subs in a timely manner.

Do not sign any type of completion document or pay the final balances until all work has passed the final code inspections.

Finally, you should also be aware that during renovations of older homes surprises can appear. Things that couldn't be expected until actual demolition started. Make sure that you keep an extra reserve funds for those situations. It will allow you to take them in stride and make sure that your whole renovation project gets completed just the way you envisioned it.

You can make your next home renovation project go smoothly following the tips and suggestions of author Bob Current. For more information and ideas check out http://www.homeimprovementtips.info

My New Storm Door

First I thought about all the money Id save during this winters heating season if I had a storm door. A good storm door would save on the gas bill and make the house more comfortable.

Then I opened my electric bill for a hot humid summer month. That got me thinking about all the money Id save on air conditioning next summer. The savings on the air conditioning energy bill will help pay for the door.

We are heading into the in between season now. I thought about fresh air and open windows. We dont get cross ventilation through our front door because bugs would fly right in. A storm door with a self storing screen would let the fall and spring air blow right in and keep the bugs outside. Storm doors are not much for security but they might delay an intruder. An unwanted visitor would make noise getting the locked storm door open. It would give me a place to display a security system sticker that might cause an unwanted visitor to go somewhere else.

I hate shopping in big stores. I had to bribe myself with a trip to the tool department so I would look at storm doors in one of those chain home supply mega stores. I found Energy Star rated storm doors priced under $100 that would do the job. For double the money they would install it. I was running out of excuses.

Now that the nice new storm door is up my wife says the front door looks shabby and needs paint.
Trying to save the planet from global climate change or delaying the economic collapse that using peak oil is expected to cause are good motives. But, saving some cash right now is better. I just want to help folks save a buck, both at home and at work. If it helps promote energy independence, I can support that too. When we each shave a little off our energy bills, it is good for the environment and good for our economy. It is nice to have good side effects while keeping cash in your pocket.

You can save money on your energy bills at home at work by visiting the energy boomer blog at http://energyboomer.com

I am a Baby Boom Vintage Energy Engineer with a mission to help folks save money on their energy bills. I am building on my work experience, or rather trying to put it to work for my readers.

I graduated from Michigan State University with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1971 and have had a long career saving energy in a variety of industries.

Remote Light Switches

Remote light switches - switches which allow you to turn lights (or other appliances) off or on without having to manually toggle the switch - are getting pretty commonplace these days. From internet searches to infomercials to the shelves of your local home improvement stores, these devices are everywhere.

Wireless television remotes were first developed in the 1950's. By today's standard these mechanical devices were primitive. When you pushed a button it would hit a metal bar with an audible "click" (hence the term "clicker"). The television circuits would respond to the resultant frequency and the television would turn on, turn off, change channels, etc. Unfortunately, anything that resulted in the same frequency would have the same result as my family found out when we discovered we could manipulate the television while eating simply by the sounds of our knives and forks hitting each other or the plate (my brother was especially adept at this).

Technology improved and the number of practical applications for remote controls increased. Remote light switches typically send signals to receivers either wired to the device to be controlled itself or receivers which have been plugged into an outlet with the device then plugged into the receiver. The receiver is programmed to respond to certain remote control transmitters. When you push a button on the remote, the device responds to the transmitters as programmed. This technology is sometimes employed during remodeling of rooms and in the construction of log homes, when accessing the electrical wiring to the house directly can be difficult.

When was the last time you were in the basement and absent-mindedly turned off one light before you turned on another and you were literally feeling your way along the walls to turn on a light so you could see? Or the last time you hit your shin on something in the living room stumbling around in the dark? How about the last time you stayed out later than you planned and came home to a dark house?

Just think of how handy it would be to have remote light switches for these and all of the other applications you can think of! These devices are a must for every household!

To read more visit Remote Light Switches

What To Expect When Remodelling Your Bathtub

When someone talks about a bathtub remodel, there might be one of two ways they are leaning. It depends on what exactly you're looking for. If by bathtub remodel you mean you simply want your bathtub to look nice and new like it used to, then there are some cheaper methods to go about fixing it up. If by remodel you mean an entirely new bathtub--maybe an upgrade to a Jacuzzi? That's an entirely different story.

For someone who wants a bathtub remodel that involves keeping their same tub, just making it look good again, they should considering refinishing their bathtub. The refinished tub may not have the fancy allure of a brand new tub with Jacuzzi jets or other upgrades, but a refinishing will still be a bathtub remodel job that shows a drastic improvement over what you had before. Plus, the job will be much cheaper since a brand new tub will often require demolition work, work on the pipes, and construction that will raise the bill well beyond just the bathtub.

Years of use will result in basic wear that takes away from tub's appearance. Yellowing, stains, mold build up or tub ring--all of these things are common. The idea of a bathtub remodel is that you can clean all of these problems without having to spend a fortune on a new tub. A bathtub remodel on this scale can be fairly inexpensive and adds an instant appearance boost.

A larger bathtub remodel, like changing out an entirely new bathtub, is something that will need professional work. In this case, check many different local contractors to compare prices and time frames. A major bathtub remodel will shut that bathroom off from the family until it is finished, so these are all major considerations.

Compare prices and options, and decide which is best for you. After making a decision, follow through to return your bathroom, and specifically your bathtub, to its previous glory.

For more information about improving your bathroom, head to DesignMyOwnBathroom.com Find all you need on bathroom fixtures, repair, lighting, and much more. DesignMyOwnBathroom.com

Preparing Your Swimming Pool For The Winter Shut Down

The first thing you need to do is take care of the water. Start by checking your pH level. It should be about 7.5. If it isn't, simply add some dry acid or soda ash.

Next on the list is the chlorine. You want to raise the level of chlorine to somewhere around 6 to 10 ppm.

Now add a special winterizing product that will ensure your swimming pool is will protected from algae during the coming winter months.

Once you have added everything required you will need to leave your pump running for a good 12 hours. This will make sure the chlorine and winterizing product is completely distributed throughout the water.

To get the water level in the swimming pool correct you should switch off your skimmer valve and let the water drain until it is 6" below the skimmer's bottom. This will prevent flooding due to rainwater.

Prepare your summer cover for storage by giving it a good clean with either a pressure washer or some fresh clean water. Once it is thoroughly cleaned it can be put away and your winter cover taken out of storage.

Before fitting the winter cover place something in the pool to prevent wall damage if the water in your swimming pool freezes. Anything that will absorb the expansion will do such as some empty chemical containers half filled with water. When you fit the winter cover, make sure it is tight to prevent anything from getting underneath.

Make sure children know the swimming pool is now closed and off limits to visitors. A pool cover is designed to keep leaves, dirt etc. out of the water. It is not designed to take the weight of a person or even a pet. If you do have mall children their are products now available that are winter/safety covers. After a few days you will probably have to tighten the cover again so keep an eye on it for the first few days. You should then check your cover a couple of times a week throughout winter to ensure it is still secure and tight.

With the cover securely in place you should now drain the water from your filter, pump and heater. You will find a drain plug at the bottom of each. If you don't do this, when the water freezes inside the equipment it will most likely damage them beyond repair.

Once early spring arrives and the worst of the weather is over, you should run your pump for a good 6 to 10 hours, depending on the size of your pool, to circulate the chlorine and long life algicide throughout the entire swimming pool.

You will find lots more tips on caring for your swimming pool at swimming pool advice

http://www.swimming-pool-advice.com