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Local Energy

• Work out the amount of CO2 your household emits with this carbon calculator. You'll be amazed to see that your electricity usage is usually the main culprit.
   

A new and intense focus on renewable energy and energy conservation is now emerging in the face of the challenges of rising petrol prices  and the environmental ramifications of global over-reliance on cheap energy.

To help mitigate the potential local economic impacts of the emerging fuel crisis, and to reduce local contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, the LOCAL ENERGY! Campaign will educate the public, local businesses and institutions, demonstrate effective strategies, and help catalyze appropriate community responses.

LOCAL ENERGY! is a community response that makes sense for a variety of reasons:

• Economic: Local energy often translates into keeping more money in the immediate area, that is, local investors are involved in the development and support of local energy projects. Local energy research, production and management has the potential to create jobs within communities
   
• Educational: Local energy projects increase the number of people in the community involved in energy production and thus raises public awareness in regard to energy issues and initiatives, through public exchanges of information and ideas
   
• Environmental: Local energy represents a move towards more environmentally-sound energy production. Local energy initiatives are often natural energetic processes which can be harnessed with little pollution, such as geothermal power, wind power, solar power, biomass power and small-scale hydropower. Reduces the hazards of global warming by reducing harmful emissions
   
• Social and political: Enhances the reliability of our system through the diversification of the energy sources. Reduces our dependence on outside (often unstable) energy sources. The loss in ability to be self reliant for energy production is becoming increasingly apparent as further crises develop within the oil and gas industries worldwide. Recognizing this dependence on unstable energy sources around the world has been the impetus for many local energy projects.
   
• Security: Unstable foreign energy sources threaten local economic viability and community security. Severe energy shortages and energy price spikes can make it difficult and even impossible to provide local essential services, emergency services, food and essential goods. Implementing lower energy consumption, emergency preparedness plans and viable locally produced alternative energy sources can help protect energy and community security.

Vision & Goals

• Demonstrate effective strategies for reducing and eventually eliminating community dependence on imported fossil fuels for energy.
   
• Document project successes and shortcomings, organize community tours of appropriate projects, and provide journalistic coverage in our web site and in our affiliated publication Transition Times.
   
• Wherever possible, use specific project sites for training and public workshops.

 

Energy Options

 * Biodiesel
Using waste oil from restaurants (not crops) for vehicle fuel
 

* Solar Power
    Solar energy can be used in two main ways,    
    direct solar water heating and solar electricity 
    generation. These systems can provide some
    or all the following advantages.

Advantages of Solar Power

• May allow blocked developments to be approved in the absence of adequate power infrastructure

• Reduction of dependence on an unreliable Eskom grid

• Power seamlessly maintained to critical electronic, IT and medical equipment during blackouts

• Simple future addition of alternative power sources – wind, solar, generator

• Complete remote sms and web control and monitoring of over 200 parameters – security, power etc

• Free hot water from the sun for decades

• Savings up to 60% of a standard household power bill

• Hot water even in cloudy, cold and windy conditions

• Reliable and low maintenance systems

• Made from SUS304B stainless steel, aluminium and borosilicate glass components

* Wind Power
  

* Water
   It is feasible to generate electricity from any stream that has a steady flow

* Energy Efficient Appliances
   When buying new appliances look for the energy efficiency logo.     This is particularly important if you are considering running your home     off renewable energy.

 

Conserving Energy

The cheapest way to save energy is by using a low flow showerhead. The installation cost for this works out to approximately R0.14 per year for each kWh of electricity saved.

By comparison, the installation cost of a solar geyser is R4 per kW hour per year.

Photovoltaic panels (solar electricity) are even more expensive at ~R21/kWh per year.

Heating and cooling

• Use a thermostatically controlled oil heater to regulate the room temperature

• Insulate the ceiling to improve the regulation of the room temperature

• Wear clothing that is appropriate for the weather, to save switching on fans or heaters

• Keep room doors closed so that heaters do not have to work too hard

• Fridges and freezers with the new SA Appliance Label show how much electricity the appliance uses so that you can take an informed decision and buy an efficient appliance with a low operating cost.

Hot water

• Set the geyser temperature to 60 degrees C. Most are set a lot higher

• Insulate both the geyser and outlet pipes to keep the water warm – the savings in electricity make it a good investment

• Taking a shower instead of a bath can save on hot water

• If you do take a bath do not fill the tub, use as little water as possible

• Use a low-flow shower head to control the amount of water used

• Allowing hot water to pour out of taps and down the drain is wasteful

• Fix all leaking taps.

Lighting

• Turn off the lights when you leave a room

• Replace regular light globes with energy saving lamps – they use about a quarter of the electricity and last 6 to 8 times longer

• Use low energy lamps for exterior lighting, with timers or light sensors for switching

• If the sun is shining, make the most of natural light.

Household appliances

• Ensure that the seals on the refrigerator doors are in good condition and that the doors close properly

• Do not open the refrigerator door more than necessary

• If you are making one cup of tea, boil only enough water for one cup

• When toasting bread use the toaster and not the oven

• Buy appliances with the energy efficient label

• Buy products without much packaging and wrapping

Efficient business use

• Increase the efficiency of the energy-consuming device by using a high efficiency boiler or chiller

• Improve the design of the overall system by matching the size of the components to the load

• Switch to a more efficient system, by using a heat pump instead of electric resistance heating

• Improve control of the system by using outside air for cooling when appropriate

• Improve maintenance by cleaning coils, sealing ducts

• Reducing demand by putting in more efficient lights and using day lighting to reduce cooling loads

To save energy using gas and paraffin

• Heaters using propane gas (liquid petroleum gas) burn more efficiently and heat more evenly

• If you have a gas furnace, change the filter monthly to save money

• Be sure that all cooking burners are burning with a blue, cone-shaped flame. A yellow flame indicates clogged air inlets or burners that need adjustment or the valves need cleaning.

• Make sure that the flame of paraffin cookers also burns blue for more efficient fuel usage

• Check the seal on your gas oven door. Gaps or tears in the seal let heat escape and waste energy
   

 

 

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