Wasatch Solar's Blog

Wasatch Solar’s social media links

nrobert — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:11:25 +0000

While we work on adding our social media links to our site. We have listed some of them below. Just click on the image you want to view. Please like or add us to your favorite social media accounts. If you have a google plus account feel free to +1 us.

Venture Outdoors Festival 2012 – (Solar Day)

nrobert — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:04:58 +0000

We are excited to be part of the Venture Outdoors Festivel/Solar Day 2012 on June 16th. Please come by and say hi to us at our booth. We will be there from 3pm to 9m. Hope to see ya there!

Outdated energy codes lead to uncomfortable homes

grete — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:30:34 +0000

Watch the story on KSL.com here.

Idling Longer Than 2 Minutes Now Illegal In SLC

grete — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:30:05 +0000

View Story on KSL.com Here

Landscaping to Save

grete — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:56:29 +0000

Here is a useful tip from energysavers.gov:

Solar heat absorbed through windows and roofs can increase your air conditioner use. Incorporating shading concepts into your landscape design can help reduce this solar heat gain, reducing your cooling costs.

Shading and evapotranspiration (the process by which a plant actively moves and releases water vapor) from trees can reduce surrounding air temperatures as much as 9° F (5°C). Because cool air settles near the ground, air temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25°F (14°C) cooler than air temperatures above nearby blacktop.

Click the link above to read more about landscaping techniques for your home.

Get Green in the Kitchen

nrobert — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:30:15 +0000

If you’re like most of us, you probably take your dinner plates and put them right in the dishwasher. But, did you know that washing your dishes by hand for 10 minutes can save up to 20 gallons of water? Rather than allowing the water to run as you wash, try filling the sink with, about, 5 gallons of water and do your washing. Then refill the sink with another 5 gallons to rinse.

Each time you run your dishwasher, you’re consuming about 8.7 gallons of water, so make sure to scrape your plates before loading, and only run the dishwasher with full loads.

Washing your clothes can be expensive

nrobert — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:30:56 +0000

We compiled a few tips on ways to save money when doing your laundry.

Tip 1: Wash only full loads of laundry. You could save up to 3,400 gallons of water a year by doing so.

Tip 2: Use the “cold” setting on your washing machine. Using the “hot” setting uses 90% of the machine’s washing energy. By washing on “cold,” you could save up to $400 a year.

Tip 3: Clean your dryer’s lint trap before every load. Cleaning the lint trap on your dryer can save you around $35 a year.

There you have it! Some great ideas on ways to save money when doing your laundry.

Do you really need that Screensaver?

nrobert — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:30:48 +0000

Did you know that your computer screensaver can be a source of energy waste? Your computer’s screensaver requires more energy than having your computer and monitor in low-power (or sleep) mode. Disabling your screensaver could save you between $50 and … Continue reading →

This Week’s Green Tip

nrobert — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:04:37 +0000

Here’s a bright idea that can help you save on your monthly power bill. Replace five of your most used incandescent light bulbs with florescent blubs. Florecsent bulbs use 2/3 less energy and last up to ten times longer than … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency appraisal form

nrobert — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:00:16 +0000

The Appraisal Institute has just recently come out with a voluntary energy efficiency appraisal form for appraisers. Some people are saying this form emphasizes to much on the “bling” instead of the actual energy efficiency of a building but hey, it’s a start. The “bling” meaning solar, geo-thermal, and other items added to a home which are most of the time added before making the building more efficient.

An explanation of why adding those items before energy efficiency upgrades could be an issue would be this. Your utility bill is around $140 and you install a 3kW solar array to deduct your utility costs. It lowers your bill down to around $80 at a specific time we will say. That is $60 less than what you normally pay. Now, if you made the building more efficient and your normal bill came to around $80. You then add the same 3kW solar array and your bill would now only be around $20 a month. If you do the math, the original bill was lowered 43% and the energy efficient bill was lowered 75%. Yes you did pay for the upgrades, but now your home or office is more comfortable and you have a lower monthly utility bill. You will also end up saving even more money as your utility rates go up as they most definitely will. Especially in places that have a tiered utility cost structure which Utah does have.