Friday, August 29, 2008

How To Start Living On Green Energy

Affordable Way To Fight High Energy Bills
As the "energy crisis" becomes a focal point in our country, I have joined the ranks in finding ways I can personally contribute to the “going green” cause. With gas and energy costs on the rise and no reduction of costs in sight, I have decided to take a more proactive role in this area. Although economics and finances certainly play a role in my decision, I can not think a better issue to tackle and care about, for the sake of my grandchildren’s future, than trying find ways to help with energy concerns and global warming.

I, like many of you realize we can not just expect our government to solve this huge monster of a problem we face when it comes to our energy situation. This is one ”Ogre” that is bigger than our government can handle on its own. Yet, if each one of us, one by one, become genuinely committed to making some sacrifices and changes in our lifestyle and daily lives, we CAN make a difference!

Let’s decide to learn more about and seek new ways where we can lessen our dependence on oil, seek new energy alternatives, rid ourselves of addiction to fossil fuel and see how we can make better use of renewable energy sources.

What do I know about energy alternatives and renewable energy sources? Not much right now. I grew up in a small, rural Ohio community, Meigs County. It was a coal mining town for years, which is how my family ended up there from West Virginia. According to the account from my mother, my father, a coal miner all his life, heard about work there, they packed the family up and off they went. Unfortunately, my father had “black lung” when he died. The only fortunate part of this is, I was able to use his “black lung” benefits which helped support me when I went to college. I do know how some communities thrive on coal mining to support their families and as changes evolve, they will be impacted.

In Columbus, where I live now, many have opted for mass transit to alleviate some their finances from the extremely high gas prices. Places like Meigs, Gallia and Athens counties do not have these options available. Our Ohio Governor (Ted Strickland) his hometown of Portsmouth is not far from the region I grew up, so I am sure he is fully aware of transit restrictions. These parts have farmers who rely on their land and farm equipment to provide a living and many others who have no option but to use their own personal vehicles traveling to other nearby counties to support their families.

So, as I was researching to learn more about my new found mission, I came across an author, Andrew Oke, and one of his web sites that discussed Renewable Energy Solutions. My attention was drawn to this site because he was expressing his love for country living for he and his family. He and his wife had a dream to build a house in a rural area because she loved to farmed. As part of that dream, they wanted to “live-off-grid” (without an electric utility bill). The couple came to realize their dream and have now “lived-off-grid” for 14 years.

Andrew Oke does not paint himself to be a “rocket scientist.” In fact, his guides are “non-tech” and simple to understand. The point I want to make here is, Oke shares with others how to build a 1,000 watt Homemade Wind Generator with no special tools and no experience for under $150 instead of a commercial cost of about $2,500. He has been living free of an electric bill for 14 years and hundreds of families have duplicated his success. Below is a sample of the Guides provides:

Build Your Own Wind Generator Guide
Describes how to build a 1,000 watt generator needed to power an Off-Grid- Home for under $150 versus paying $2,500.

Solar Panel Installation Guide

A guide to help you build and install your own solar panels.

Run Your Generator on Biodiesel
A guide that explains the fastest way to rid yourself of an electric bill is by powering a generator with biodiesel or water.

Renewable Energy Solutions
A start from scratch guide and learn what you need to know for educating yourself about renewable energy.

Build Your Own Home
A guide that takes you from beginning to Building Your Own Home using his energy solutions.

If you live in the country, a rural area or have farmland, you might find these guides very beneficial to starting on the path of "going green."

How To Start Living On Green Energy Guides Here!