This short post gives several options to installing photocells to control dusk to dawn lighting. You can do this project with little money, tools, and experience.
No matter how I slice it, adding solar panels to our house is just plain expensive. Even with the current tax incentives and credits from the utility companies, I ran the numbers and a system will still set us back about $20,000 by the time it’s all said and done. With that in mind, we set out to tackle all the passive solar and energy reduction projects that we could before jumping into active solar. In case you don’t know what the difference is between passive solar and active solar, let’s start with a brief explanation of the two
Project: Add photocell (dawn to dusk switch) to existing outdoor fixture.
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 30 minutes
Benefits: Eco Friendly, power saver, time saver, esthetically appealing
Cost: $5 - 10 depending on you collection of tools.
Today’s Watthack covers adding a photo cell to a patio light. This light is on our front porch and we typically turn it on when [...]
It seems like power management on the home computer is a hot topic these days, so after several questions regarding settings, I thought I’d share my whole power management plan.
Currently I’m running Microsoft Vista Home Premium. One of the great debates right now is why to switch from XP to Vista, but if power management is one of your goals, you [...]
If you’ve been reading other content on Watthackers, chances are good that you have heard of the Watts Up Pro Watt Meter and other similar devices. If not, check out 10 Power Monitoring Devices to put Your House on a Diet and Save Power.
I’ve been busy this week, so when I got my Watts Up [...]
Last night my sister and I had a good hearted debate about the state of our country and how it seems to be spiraling out of control on so many fronts. We talked about the evils of WalMart, cheap products from China, and a Massachusetts pickle grower (Cains), that outsourced their crop production to [...]
It’s official - I’m a watt weenie! Since starting this project, I’ve become conscious of our power usage in ways that I would not have thought possible. We don’t sit in the dark and huddle around a candle for warmth, but we have started turning more stuff off and unplugging power hungry electronics when we [...]
With New Years day already fading into the distance, many of you may have hammered out some resolutions. Maybe you are with the millions each year who decide to go on a diet, join gyms, and try and live a healthier lifestyle. Maybe you are cutting expenses as the economy looks a bit un-sturdy. Possibly [...]
Those of you with an ample supply of network routers and switches for your wired network will be pleased to learn that D-link had come up with a line of power friendly products. Dubbed their Green Ethernet line, the series of 5, 8, 16 and 24 port switches employ special power-saving features that detect link status and cable length and adjust power usage to match demand.
What makes the Watts Up? PRO so unique is the data logging feature that can be downloaded to a computer via the usb or serial cable and their custom software. How deep you dig into the data is up to you, but it’s nice to have the level of detail and the ability to save the results over the long term.
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