The average american homeowner spends $1,820 on their utility bills. What if you could erase those bills? Well, short of not paying them and eventually having a cold house, what do you do?
If Your Home Utility Bill Is Zero, Is It Still a Bill? (By BARRY REHFELD, Published: August 28, 2005, nytimes.com)
Well, I suppose it helps to have a Ph.D. in engineering. The article above discusses Larry Schlussler, inventor of the Sun Frost refridgerator, who has been studying ways to live well on minimal amounts of energy. And, his utility bill is zero.
He has solar panels and a house full of highly efficient stuff that the house uses very little electricity.
Let's look at a few of the things discussed in the article. Overall the concept is ultra-highly efficient gizmos.
The Sun Frost refridgerator is an example. Rather than spend lots of energy cooling food, it spends very little. It probably involves super-insulation and efficient electronics. I once talked with a fella who lived offgrid and ran a modified refridgerator off a car battery and a single small solar panel. He wrapped a standard refridgerator with an extra layer of foam for better insulation, and used a 12v DC motor for the compressor rather than an AC.
http://1000bulbs.com/ is mentioned, a company that sells a wide variety of light bulbs including LED lights. LED lighting is getting more affordable all the time. This uses the same high intensity LED's that are starting to be popular in flashlights and streetlights. When I first heard of this, each bulb cost $100. While that may seem pricey, the bulb lasts practically forever and uses a miniscule amount of electricity. Even at that price, it would more than pay for itself over the life of the bulb.
http://affordable-solar.com/ - sells solar panel systems.
http://aceee.org/ - American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
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