Electric Heating Systems

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), water heating accounts for up to 17 percent of national residential energy consumption, the third largest energy end-use in homes behind heating and cooling units and kitchen appliances. As homeowners install amenities that require increased hot water volume, such as luxury tubs and custom showers, the percentage of energy used to heat water will continue to rise.

In an attempt to address this significant percentage of energy consumption, DOE has developed ENERGY STAR criteria for water heaters, the last major residential appliance that the program has not addressed. According to DOE projections, Americans are expected to save approximately $780 million in utility costs while avoiding 4.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by the end of the fifth year in effect.

Five categories of residential water heaters will be eligible for Energy Star labeling - high-performance gas storage, whole-home gas tankless, advanced drop-in or integrated heat pump, solar and gas condensing. The new Energy Star criteria go into effect in 2009.

"The Energy Star program empowers consumers to make smart energy choices that will save money and energy, and reduce our carbon footprint," said DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Andy Krassner. "Expansion of the Energy Star program to include water heaters will give Americans yet another way to more efficiently use energy in their homes and, in the interest of increasing energy security and addressing climate change, help further the President's goal of fundamentally changing the way this nation uses power."

By leveraging the established value of the Energy Star program, DOE hopes that manufacturers will focus on developing more efficient technologies and that consumers will recognize that Energy Star water heaters will deliver similar or better performance than conventional models while using less energy and saving money. According to an April 2008 report released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Energy Star label favorably influences more than 70 percent of households, up from about 50 percent in 2003.

More than 9,000 organizations have joined Energy Star as partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. The Energy Star label now appears on more than 40 kinds of consumer products. A.O. Smith, industry leader for more than 70 years, has engineered a full line of Energy Star water heaters to meet the hot-water needs of households while benefiting budgets and the environment.

About the author:
Ron Roberts is a writer of http://www.truebluecontractors.com ">TrueBlueContractors.com allows http://www.truebluecontractors.com ">contractors to spend less money advertising, give fewer estimates, and get more work.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Solar water heaters are the most scientific as well as developed way to heat water. The electric water heaters are outdated and the solar water heaters will soon be taking their places, no doubt. And why not? A solar water heater helps us not only in reducing our electricity bill, but at the same time, it helps us in giving our part to save our environment and surrounding.

Types of solar water heater

Solar water heaters are of generally two main types, classified on the basis of their making status. They are

1. Ready solar water heaters : these are those kinds of solar water heater that are already manufactured and just need to be installed.
2. Build solar water heater :these are those kinds of solar water heaters that are made at home or anywhere by any individual following a particular guide or manual.

Build solar water heater

By making your solar water heater, you are able to reduce the electricity bills. And at the same time, the investment also decreases compared to the readymade solar water heaters. It is very easy to build solar water heater. All it needs and requires are few things from the hardware store, few project schematics and that’s all. Only by assembling these things, you can make your own solar heater. The time required depends on how big solar water heater are you making. Bigger the heater, more it is going to take time.

Build solar water heater for home

There are few options provided while making a solar water heater. Either it is made for use at home or at some other place.

If it is made for home, then all you need to do is to set up a solar panel at your house. This is to be set where it can receive maximum sunlight. And then this solar panel is connected to the existing heating system. Also a high capacity battery can be installed for the back up purposes. It can help you when the sun is not out. If you don’t have a heating system, then you should go for a ‘real time solar water heater’. It heats the water without storing it.

About the author:
For more comprehensive ideas, check out simpleheaters guide on building solar water heaters

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

With the rising energy costs there has been an increase in interest for energy saving appliances. Efficent "tankless" water heaters have become very popular for their capability to heat hot water on demand, with no storage tank required. Instead of holding water in a traditional water tank, they circulate the cold water through a series of electrically heated coils that warm the water as it moves pass this heat source. This newer process of warming water requires more expensive equipment than the conventional water heater, but this money is regained in the long term with energy efficiency savings. The energy savings is mainly gained from no longer needing to heat an entire tank of water.

Since the tankless water heaters do not store hot water but rather constantly heat water as it is demanded, they do not run out of hot water. There is one exception, to this "endless" supply of heated water. The flow rate is limited. In other words if you simultaneously use more water than the flow of the water heater (i.e. 3 people showering at one time) you will receive unheated water.

Since conventional water heater stores the water together in a large tank it is able to provide water at a set temperature. Tankless water heaters differ in this aspect since they are dependent upon the incoming water temperature and the flow rate. The incoming water temperature can vary greatly from summer to winter. The capacity of a tankless water heater is generally measured by how many temperature degrees it can increase water temperature by gallons per minute (gpm). Most tankless water heaters are powered by gas to better handle the heat output and response time required. These gas powered water heaters require proper venting, normally more venting than the older, conventional water heaters required. If you are replacing a conventional electric water heater tank, you may want to add a power vent in the side of the wall. This would be the less costly alternative if there is no existing roof vent. Some of the smaller and more portable single-fixture units are powered electrically.

Author Bio
Jack Russell is a retired construction worker who spends his free time as a freelance writer for sites like www.foremansfinder.com - an industrial resource site.

The industrial infra red "Power" heater is now available from Redwell. It is an 1800W heater designed for mounting on high ceilings such as warehouses and workshops.

It is vastly cheaper to run than the hot air blowers or gas "Space Ray" heating systems that one often finds in industrial environments.

Use our Power calculation post to determine the specific cost-comparisons for your particular application. This 1800W unit emits the equivalent of a 3800 Watt traditional power unit. (Refer to our post on Stefan's Law)

As you can tell from comparison with Redwell's office or domestic heaters, this one was designed for function before looks. It has a welded steel case - white powder-coated - and with a galvanised guard protecting the heating elements themselves.

The heating is provided by three ceramic high emission 600W heating elements with a surface temperature of 900⁰ Centigrade. The unit is backed by a stainless steel reflector.

European voltage is 230V 50 Hz. The unit is provided with a 2m silicone cable and IP-20 class plug which essentially means protection against insertion of fingers but not of dripping water (which would be IP22! Those winter nights are closing in fast!).

The unit is guaranteed for the standard 60 months and is CE certified.

In this latest post on "selling" guidelines, here are the first three of twelve great "rules" of good sales techniques for new products in tough times.

1 - People buy people
It is a truism: people buy people, not their products. You might be selling the first ever fountain of eternal youth. But unless you can connect with people on a personal level, you will never sell it. People connect in business using the same cues as they use to make friends. People trust their senses and can sniff bad vibes from a mile out. Never get tied-up bringing other people down or overselling the truth about yourself. Be gracious and courteous. Even if a sales bid work out poorly, write and thank people for the time they spent with you. (Did you know a "no" list is a great source of referrals?). Let the competition be competitive and pushy. Never ever knock them yourself. (They could be working harder for you than you - or they - realise!) People buy people. Work on the following "rules" for selling YOU. Don't keep looking over the garden fence at what the neighbours are doing!

2 - Sell you
People buy people. This means cultivating chemistry between yourself and other people. This is in itself a social skill, but consists of finding what common ground exists between you and another person. Some people can do this instinctively (a guy I knew had the knack of getting people to completely open-up to him within five minutes of meeting him. It was a gift. He did it through being very cheerful: having no axes to grind: finding common ground and then he'd suddenly throw in to the conversation a direct question - never quite on subject - directly related to you as an individual. It was an amazing technique. You just had to answer him honestly. He'd then side with you and move the conversation on until the next question. You never felt awkward or like he was probing. But it was an enormously effective information-gathering technique. And he got on with everybody. So become a people expert. Actually LIKE people. Be interested in them. Find your common ground

3) Ask questions
There is "asking questions" and "motivating people to give information". We're so wound-up in sales of "finding out peoples' needs and wants" yada, yada that we sometimes think it requires the Spanish Inquisition to determine these. Actually to get information, you often don't even need to ask questions.

The relevant technique in psychology is called "motivational interviewing". Its basic premise is that you get more "out" of someone (I know that's the wrong phrase, but you know what I mean) if you approach them on the back foot. You get less from people or get shown the door if your questioning sounds adversarial ("You do what?") or like you're playing "topper" ("You do that?"). Let's see these in action.

DON'T
Don't do what one software salesman once said to me back in my banking days as he looked over at the notes I was scribbling. He said something like "Ah! Note taking. You should do what I do and create a mind map. Would you like to know how?"
I said something like "No".


DO
Do "side with (then question)" someone. I bracket the "Then question" bit, because simply getting on side with someone often opens them up to offer you both the question and answer you;re looking for.

The thing is that rightly or wrongly, people vest a huge amount of themselves in the status quo - even if they know in their heart of hearts that things need to change. Don't ever knock the status quo. It is personal space.

So, for example using motivational interviewing you may well want to find out what sort of heating a prospect client currently has and find out its strengths.
"Yes, well, oil heating has been around a long time and it really does warm you up!" (You can actually leave this statement without tagging a question onto it. It is just begging for someone to open up to a "yes-but" sort of answer). But if you want to you could say "I wonder why people want to change?" or something like that - i.e. ask them what the issues are).

Other person: "Yes, it does work, but I'm beginning to wonder about the cost / environmental impact / etc".

You: "Yes. It is a bit expensive isn't it. I know some other people are worried about its health and environmental effects as well." (Again you can leave this open-ended - or add "Have you thought about cost savings from alternatives?" etc.) And you're off.

Oil prices, we are led to believe at present, have "plateaued" around $71 per barrel after the whiplash at the end of last year which saw a high of about $145 a barrel and a tumble to $45 per barrel by the start of this year. Current prices are nearer their 5 year mean. I have added a widget to this blog, now so you can track the current and historical prices (no forecast unfortunately!).

The point about the oil price index is its "dulling" effect on the energy-efficient appliances market this winter. I've said in a previous post that I'm sceptical regarding people's atruism towards the environment (apart from it being "good in principle") except when it begins to hurt their pocket. And the trouble is at present, that the "normal feel" of oil prices takes away the incentive to switch. Plus there is a general absence of credit at the moment which doesn't help peoples investment decisions. An exciting new industry therefore finds itself in a hard market - not of its making.

But the message to potential customers must be that we are in the eye of an oil price storm and peoples' present price-complacency should not be a signal to do nothing. When oil prices start to rise: demand for energy-efficient appliances will start to rise. And whilst that will be good for the industry - it will be bad for the consumer. If you think the current hype is bad, just wait...

What are the arguments?
Well, the present oil price is actually artificially high at the moment. Last year's price hike was about feared supply constraints in the face of soaring oil demand. But current demand for oil has dropped due to the recession. This is deflationary. In response to which OPEC has cut production back. This is inflationary. In an entirely free market, the oil price should in fact be lower than it currently is.

But the industry is, understandably, taking the opportunity to restructure production because demand really can only pick up and price shocks like those seen last year must be avoided at all costs for the industry itself. (Nothing more likely to force the market away from oil as quickly as possible).

According to Reuters, the present price of around $71 per barrel, whilst artificial, is an incentive to investment: so present supply can both be made more operationally efficient (i.e. cheaper), presently unprofitable reserves can be exploited (to effectively "buy time"), and to allow research into alternative fuels.

But let us not kid ourselves which way oil prices will go. Last year's price shock says there is a level of demand that cannot be met by existing supply capacity (either in terms of reserves of oil, or the profitability of production using current techniques).

My own money is on the likelihood that we'll see a few more years of price stability followed by inflationary pressure on oil prices. This will be because:

a) The industry has bought itself some time with the artificially high prices and present supply cut-backs. When demand rises again, the industry can tolerate increasing supply before it has to increase prices, but only up to a point;

b) after that point, the oil price stability (and profitability of its producers) depends on improving efficiency of production and / or finding new reserves: both of which are subject to diminishing returns.
- You can only improve efficiency to a certain extent in the absense of a revolutionising technology;
- everyone can do it (so for an investor it holds decreasing attraction);
- the availability of new seams by definition has to become more and more marginal and less economic to exploit.

So without improved efficiency or viable new reserves, the price has to rise;

c) If the fact of energy demand rising can be taken as a given, it is far more attractive surely to LET oil prices rise against the existing capital base. I.e. dont pump more money in, but rather, reap the rewards of what you already have pumped in - a bit like a "pension" if you will, for the oil industry!. Meanwhile place your new investment dollar into alternative energies and energy-saving technologies and reap the rewards of the rise in that industry too!. It's a win-win.

Current oil prices are a sleeping tiger and the energy-efficiency idustry should be doing all it can to sell to people now, even when there is not so much incentive for them to buy. When oil prices rise the competition to fill the market capacity for alternative energy appliances will be intense, but inflationary, while there is money to be made from the huge demand and relatively tight supply.

Check back regularly on the oil price widget - it may serve as an index for the infrared heating market's own fortunes!

This post defines electrosmog, as it is a phrase we use in the Green Energy sites, you see quetions posted on Yahoo answers, etc. It needs tying down.

The passage of electricity through wires, transformers and solid state components of the machines that use it inevitably implies oscillation and the creation of electro-magnetic fields. This is "electromagnetic radiation". Strong electromagnetic radiation can actually induce a spark when there is sufficient charge and two conductive materials brought into close-enough contact with each other. We know this to be true when we feel a static electric shock.

The cumulative effect of electromagnetic radiation from gadgetry in your house, street, town is called "electrosmog".

Some machines, simply by nature of their function or power requirements create more "electrosmog" than others. For example household items that have to create high frequency electromagnetic waves by dint of their function:
- Cordless and mobile phones
- Baby monitors
- Wireless networks.

Others such as televisions and computers (especially old CRT ones) generate electrosmog because of their requirement for electrical transformers (strong electromagnetic fields) and high frequency operation of components such as cathode ray tubes (electromagnetic by function). High voltage power lines are also culprits due to the large EMR generated by high voltage and high frequency.

Why should you care?

Electromagnetic radiation can be classified as "ionising" or "non-ionising" forms.

Ionising EMR directly dreaks down cellular andf chemical structures. So for example, UV light, X-rays and Gamma Rays. These are all at the very high-frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Machinery emitting such radiation is rarely found domestically.

However the lower frequency electromagnetic output of household gadgets (some listed above) produces "non-ionising" EMR and whilst this does not actively destroy tissue and chemical bonds, its effects are more insidious.


Electrosmog increases the likelihood of a condition known as "Electrosensitivity" in children, elderly people or people with lowered immune resistance. Symptoms are fatigue, disrupted sleep, headaches, possible behavioural disorders in children. Sensitivity to non-ionising EMR usually takes some time (5-10 years) to develop, although in some cases reactions have been noted much quicker.

There are movements, such as in Sweden and Germany, for governments to take action in the face of steadily increasing health issues, an underlying contributory factor to which could be electrosmog.

Infra red heaters are classified "Low Electrosmog" devices, because their power requirements are low and the radiation produced is very low frequency.

This post features the Redwell "Sky Wave" heater which is a mid-range space heater suitable for bigger (but not huge) rooms, such as meeting rooms, large open-plan rooms and the like.


Available in 1000W only (so recommended for a volume of about 40m3 - see previous power calculation post), the heater sits on a pedestal just over half a meter (1.5 feet) square, so it has a reasonably small floor footprint making it easy to locate and reasonably out of the way. The heater itself is 30cm square or just about 1 foot square. It is 1.6m (just about 5 feet) tall and weighs 45 kilograms.

Available in white, red and blue surface finishes (in acid and corrosion resistant stainless steel) with maple or oak, natural or stained frames.

Like many of the Redwell product line, the heater acts as a partial storage heater which increases its energy-efficiency. Surface temperature of the unit is 95C (remembering the low conductivity tolerance of the surface materials).

Voltage in Europe is 230v at 50Hz. Certificates and reports are TÜV, GS, CE, IGEF.