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This web page provides links to excellent web sites about energy conservation, automobile fuel economy, and alternative fuels for vehicles and electric generators.

Energy Conservation in General

• The Energy Guy - Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future - This website has comprehensive information about energy conservation, as well as electric vehicles, solar power, solar heating, and more!
• The Green Ribbon Pledge - conserving energy, securing our future - The website includes tips on conserving energy and it links to many other sites about energy conservation.
• Union of Concerned Scientists - This is an incredible webiste, with information on Conservation, Global Warming, Fuel-efficient vehicles (including Electric Cars), and Renewable Energy! In their Clean Vehicles section, be sure their read their special report called "Drilling in Detroit: how to save 75% in fuel costs without sacrificing speed or safety." This report proves that 17 km/liter (40+ MPG) cars can be made now without increased costs (the fuel savings pay for the modest increase in the selling price of the cars)!

Energy Conservation Tips for Your Home

by Gavin G. Young

Solar electric systems have high up front costs. Before going solar electric, you should conserve as much energy as possible so that your solar system can be smaller. Here are some tips on conserving electrical energy:

• Replace your incandescent (ordinary) light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs
• Turn off lights in unused rooms
• Turn off TVs, stereos, and computers when not in use (some people on solar electric power even unplug the TV, stereos, and VCRs when not in use. That is because the transformer (making up the power supply), clock, and standby mode for the remote are drawing power even when the items are "off". More power is typically used during the 20+ hours the deivce is "off" than the hours it is on. Unplugging the devices or turning them completly off via a power strip solves this problem.
• Activate the energy conservation/Energy Star settings of your computer
• Rely more on warm clothing and less on electric, oil, and gas heating.
• Use electric fans, evaporative coolers, or heat pumps instead of air conditioners when possible.
• Change the setting on your electric refrigerator to energy save mode
• Raise the temperature of the refrigerator from about 1.7 degrees Celsius to 4.5 degrees Celsius (35 degrees F to 40 degrees F)
• Use microwave and toaster ovens for more cooking (not just reheating) and use the large electric oven less. Microwave and toaster ovens use less energy to cook single course meals than the much larger electric stove ovens.
• When using the electric burner of the stove, use pans that completely cover the burner and use a lid on the pan.
• Look into using solar cookers to cook some of your food. See the "Renewable Energy" link on my website for information about these. I'm thinking of adding solar cookers to my product line. I recently ordered one for testing.
• Electric stoves, electric refrigerators, electric heaters, and electric hot water heaters use huge amounts of electricity. As a result many people on solar electric power use:
  • Gas or wood stoves, and solar cookers when practical, instead of electric stoves
  • Solar hot water panels to preheat their water with a gas water heater doing the rest of the heating
  • Large south facing windows to convert their house into a solar house that uses the greenhouse effect to heat their home. Existing homes can be modified into solar homes by adding south facing windows (with 2 or 3 panes of glass) and thermal mass or by adding a green house like extension to the south side of the home.
  • Replacing the electric refrigerator with a super energy efficient one made specifically for solar electric homes (such as Sunfrost brand refrigerators and freezers) or with a gas refrigerator

Additional energy conservation tips are available via consultation to anyone who is interested. For a small fee, the business owner will walk through your Portland, Oregon metropolitan area home, analyze your power usage, and make suggestions on how you can conserve energy and thereby reduce your energy utility bills! He may be reached via email or via the phone at 503-641-3732.

Vehicle Fuel Economy

• www.fueleconomy.gov is the Federal Government's website about fuel economy. Go here to find out which current and older model year cars provide the highest miles per gallon!
• 34 km/liter (80 mpg) automobile and the auto industry's fight against fuel economy - With only a few modifications Greenpeace succeded in DOUBLING the mpg of a popular French car to nearly 34 km/liter (80 mpg) and they didn't even have to use hybrid or fuel cell technology! Their design keeps down the production cost of the automobile. Certainly the auto makers can do much more to improve gas mileage without reducing safety. Is the auto industry conspiring against producing fuel efficient cars? For detailed specifications of the Greenpeace redesigned automoble click here.
• The Sunday Times news article of 2002 October 20 - Toyota smashes fuel economy record- Toyota introduces a concept 45 km/liter (104 mpg) diesel 4 seater car in the UK!
• Yahoo! News - Fuel-Efficient Diesel Car Gets Go-Ahead in Europe - Volkswagon introduces a 100 km/liter (230 mpg) diesel 2 seater car!
• Detailed description of the new VW 100 km/liter car. Excellent color photos are included! Maybe the conspiracy against fuel efficient cars is coming to an end. A full two page review of this car also appears in the 2002 August issue of "Popular Science" magazine on pages 28 and 29.
• Honda Insight Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Hot-Rodders Get Revved Up by MPG, Not MPH This article has tips on how to improve the fuel economy of the Honda Insight dramatically! Some drivers report mpg of over 38 km/liter (90 mpg)! Many of the tips are also used for conventional cars.
• Bigger Not Better When It Comes to SUVs - This Reuters' article points out that "bigger is not necessarily better on the open road according to a study, which researchers said on Wednesday shows lightweight, fuel efficient autos are safer for the driving public than the average sport utility vehicle." In fact the article says "SUVs are just about the most dangerous cars on the road for all drivers".
• Synthetic Oil for your Vehicle - By using the highest quality of synthetic oil (instead of petroleum oil) for your automobile, you can extend the oil drain interval from 3 months/4,831 kilometers (3 months/3,000 miles) to 12 months/40,258 kilometers (12 months/25,000 miles) while providing better lubrication. As a result you conserve oil reserves, save labor/time, save money on oil changes (oil and labor), increase your gas mileage, reduce oil leaks from your engine (and thus less pollution), and reduce maintenance expenses! The business owner is an Independent AMSOIL Dealer of synthetic motor oils and other products! For more information about AMSOIL or to place an order, visit my AMSOIL Products web page.

Alternative Fuels for Vehicles and Electric Generators

• Yahoo's Alternative Energy News
• Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. Department of Energy - The website includes a locator for Alternative Fuel Vehicles Refuelling Stations (including Electric Charging Stations for Electric Automobiles). It also includes information about biodiesel, as well as methanol, ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, electricity (for cars) and solar (for cars).
• The Alternative-fuel Vehicle Directory
• Biodiesel - Clean renewable fuel made from vegetable oil (including waste cooking oil) and even animal fats
  • GoBiodiesel Cooperative - "Portland's Biodiesel Co-Op" - They are creating a biodiesel refueling station and plan to create a distribution network for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area! They also provide opensource information about how to create your own biodiesel processor. As of 2003 February, the owner of Renewable Electricity Solutions is a member of that cooperative. He also began regularly attending meetings of the Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) in 2002 December and began forming an organization called Electric Automobile Alliance in mid March 2003 to promote Pure Battery Electric Automobiles, Plug-In Electric-Biodiesel Hybrid Automobiles, and an Electric Vehicle Charging Network!
  • Club Biodiesel - Their meetings are held in a suburb of Portland, Oregon
  • California Biodezel - Information about where to get biodiesel in California
  • Biodieselnow.com - General information about biodiesel
  • National Biodiesel Board (NBB) - This is a major biodiesel industry organization.

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