Feb 10
Google is getting into the energy metering game and I for one, can’t wait. Will Atlantic City Electric get on the bandwagon and issue smart meters?
Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” and we believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their home electricity use. We’re tackling the challenge on several fronts, from policy advocacy to developing consumer tools, and even investing in smart grid companies. We’ve been participating in the dialogue in Washington, DC and with public agencies in the U.S. and other parts of the world to advocate for investment in the building of a “smart grid,” to bring our 1950s-era electricity grid into the digital age. Specifically, to provide both consumers and utilities with real-time energy information, homes must be equipped with advanced energy meters called “smart meters.” There are currently about 40 million smart meters in use worldwide, with plans to add another 100 million in the next few years.
Read on.
Jan 17
A company called 3Prong Power in San Francisco is offering plug-in conversions to Prius owners for a mere $7,000.
3Prong Power is delivering enhanced Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) conversions for early adopter customers. Our goal is to meet and expand the demand for PHEVs that has been seen nationwide, starting in the Bay Area.
You bought your Hybrid because you care about the environment and you want to use less fuel. This technology enables using two distinct power sources and enhances fuel efficiency. Take it to the next level, make your car a true Hybrid…Plug it in.
Nov 07
PPUG’s Bob Snow emailed me the following advice on battery chargers for low discharge batteries:
Smart chargers indicate the state of charge, monitor temperature and voltage curves and adjust the rate of charge. They charge a fully discharged battery fast and then throttle down to put a small trickle charge on the battery once fully charged. This is not needed for low discharge batteries. Just take them out and store them for a year a more once fully charged.
Sanyo Eneloop is the most well known low discharge NiMh batteries. Rayovac makes some called “hybrid” and Duracell just calls theirs “pre-charged” because they are sold with a full charge in the package and are ready to use. You can really treat these like Alkaline batteries once they are charged, just put them away until you need them. A trickle charge will just reduce their life and waste electricity. These chargers use independent channels for each battery so you can charge just one and when you charge several, each battery is monitored separately.
Although I wish could have bought it alone, I ended up buying the La Crosse BC-900 bundle. I got it from Thomas, because they ship it with 2400 mAh AAs (vs. 2000 mAh on Amazon) and they stock the latest version (33) which is important to me. I like that it has four individual circuits and with separate displays for each one (doubles as an excellent battery tester too).
I’ll continue to rotate out my older AA recyclables and buy low-discharge cells the next time I need more cells.
Aug 08
We did it today. We needed a new car so we bought a 2008 Toyota Prius. Cliché, you say? I hear you, but 48 MPG speaks for itself. Maybe more people should look into getting one. Unfortunately, just as we bought it the price of gas started dropping.
There is a 6-12 month waiting list for cars, depending on who you talk to. We got ours by getting on several waiting lists months ago and we jumped on the first one that came along in Seaside Pearl. I’ve heard that some dealers are taking the 1 or 2 Prius’s that they get allocated each month down to auctions in places like Florida where they’re selling for US$6-8k over MSRP at auction.
So far so good, it’s super-silent when running off the battery and I can keep the gas engine from kicking on by keeping it under 20MPH. I’m still trying to figure out if there’s a hack to keep the gas engine off longer.
The first fill up only required a little over nine gallons of petrol (US$33.33) in the 12 gallon tank and I was able to get about 400 miles on the first take. We’ll see how the MPG numbers end up over the next few months.
Stay tuned for lots of Prius hacks on this page 
May 05
From today’s Press of AC (“Carpet recycling gains traction in region“):
Carpet recycling is slowly gaining traction in Atlantic County, and the Seaview project is believed to be the largest of its kind so far. In November, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority added residential carpets to its list of recyclable materials. In five months, the authority sent nearly 50 tons of carpet to CarpetCycle. Most of the material came from homes in Egg Harbor and Galloway townships. In December, Margate became one of the first municipalities in the state to adopt a law banning carpets from being thrown out with curbside trash.
Complete article here: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/186/v-print/story/150003.html
with a copy after the jump…
Continue reading »
Apr 13
An article in today’s Press of A.C. encourages boaters to recycle the 14 pounds (on average) of shrink wrap many boaters use to cover their crafts in the off season.
Continue reading »
Dec 10
The Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) collects Christmas trees in Absecon, Ventnor, Northfield, Linwood, Buena Vista Township and Hamilton Township on specified dates for yard waste in January.
Christmas trees should be placed at the curb on the day of yard waste collection, which is either Saturday or Monday depending on which zone you live in. You can confirm your zone by downloading the Yard Waste Collection Zone PDF from ACUA.
Some tips:
- Trees should be free of lights and decorations, including tinsel
- Trees do not have to be bagged
- Flocked trees are acceptable for collection and composting
- For more information on Christmas tree recycling please visit: www.earth911.com
In other Christmas tree news, an article in the Press of A.C. has determined that fresh cut “real” trees are more eco-friendly than artificial trees.
Often made of PVC – “the worst of the worst when it comes to plastics,” – fake trees, while reusable, have no green method for disposal. Also a factor is the cost of shipping a tree, real or fake. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 85 percent of fake trees are made in China.
…A real tree is a renewable resource. For every tree that’s cut, three are planted. When a tree is young it gives off the most oxygen. We give an ecological benefit and they’re a good habitat for wildlife.