Low Voltage Lighting vs Solar Lighting

There is a growing debate over which type of landscape lighting is better:

Solar Lighting or Low Voltage Lighting.

This article highlights some of the pros and cons of both based on my own personal experience.

Low Voltage Lighting

This type of lighting is available in a variety of brightness levels and styles. The light emitted varies from fixture to fixture, but is usually very good. A transformer provides the electricity and can be controlled by an automatic timer. Low voltage lighting is shockless and safe to use around children and pets. It's also cost effective and the hardest thing about the installation is burying the wires.

Some of the benefits of low voltage lighting systems are listed below:

A professionally installed lighting system has been known to increase the value and resale of properties. Showcasing your house at night with low voltage lighting helps potential visitors find your property easier too.

Compared with line voltage, low voltage is easily installed, safe to operate, extremely economical, and casts beautiful light.

As a homeowner, you can enjoy more hours outside entertaining friends and family. Low voltage lighting can even be wired on your deck giving you great ambient light or even direct light for your grill.

Low voltage lighting systems are expandable so they can be adapted as properties are expanded and/or owners' needs change.

Proper lighting offers increased safety and security.

Some of the cons:

Bulbs burn out and need replacement.

Wiring can be damaged and need replacement.

Timers need to be reset with daylight savings ti

Solar Lighting

Solar lights use LEDs instead of traditional bulbs. LEDs last longer than any other light source, sometimes lasting as long as 10 years. This type of lighting requires no wiring and is the most energy-efficient lighting because it uses the sun's energy to recharge batteries. It costs nothing to operate and is easy to install. However, it should not be used to illuminate large areas brightly or for activities such as grilling and socializing.

Some of the benefits of Solar Lighting:

Lasts longer than other light sources. With LEDs there is nothing to break, rupture, shatter, leak, or contaminate.

Unlike typical conventional light sources, LEDs are not subject to

sudden failure or burnout. There is no point in time at which the light source ceases to function; instead, LEDs gradually degrade in performance over time.

Reduced Maintenance Costs - Since LED based light sources last at least 10 times longer than a normal light source, there is no need to replace the light, reducing or even eliminating ongoing maintenance costs and periodic bulb replacement. This is especially nice if you have an area that is difficult to access to change bulbs.

Energy efficiency - You can rest assured knowing that you aren't contributing nearly as much to global warming or the energy crisis when you use Solar products.

There is no mercury in the light source. Eliminating Mercury from your lighting system will enable you to meet new and future increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

Some of the cons:

The solar panels that typical lighting fixtures use need to be small. This means they collect less energy from the sun to recharge the batteries.

Areas that are frequently shaded or get little sun geographically also affect the recharging capabilities of the fixture.

The lighting is typically dim and does not cover much ground. It also tends to look blue even though it says they use "Super Bright White" LEDS.

The dim lighting means you have to use more fixtures, which creates a sort of landing strip look, or if you are using deck light fixtures they end up looking like a bunch of bug zappers, (without the ability to zap the bugs).

No matter how long they say that LEDs last, it has been my experience that the solar panel usually becomes covered in dirt and the batteries don't last nearly as long as they are supposed to. You have to keep that solar panel clean or it won't work, this means more maintenance more often.

Fixtures are usually set to come on at dark and off at light. Not much control there.

Summary

I tend to prefer low voltage lighting for the simple fact that it is better quality light and can be controlled better with timers. LED landscape lights will probably always be dim. Solar lights just don't harvest much energy from the sun, so no matter how efficient their LEDs, they will never be really bright. In comparison to your cheapie solar lights, low voltage is likely to be a huge improvement, and the low-voltage installation process is not really that much harder than it would be for solar fixtures.

I say, low voltage is the way to go until the technology can improve solar panels ability to capture energy and LEDs ability to output more light.

How to Change a Headlight Bulb on a Toyota

Changing a headlight bulb is one of the most basic things that you can do for a car. However, if you have never changed one, you may be a little bit lost at what to do. Changing the headlight bulbs on most popular Toyota model cars is pretty easy. However, before you can change one out, you have to have the bulb. It is best to go out during the day when you do not need your headlights to pick one up. You are going to need to know the make and model of your car. For example, if you are driving a 1999 Toyota Tacoma, then you will need to look for that. At most auto stores, they will have books by the bulbs so you can look up the bulb that is needed for your type of car. After locating the correct bulb, then you should buy it. Now we will move on to installing your new headlight bulb!

Installing Your New Bulb

The first thing that you need to do is pop open your hood. Use a flashlight to locate the back of the headlight. This is easy to find, because they are just on the reverse side of where they are located on the front of the car. Now at this point, you need to notice, or you will notice that some Toyota models have a back cover to their headlight unit. This is something that is going to require a screwdriver to get it off. To take it off, just locate all of the screws in the back of the backplate, and then take them off. After doing that, you should be able to remove the back plate with ease. Also, on some models of cars you will notice that after removing the backplate, you can see wires that are held in by plastic clips. At this point, you will want to take off that plastic clip and push all of the wiring out of your way. You do not want to mess with any of that. As soon as you move the wiring, the old light bulb will be easily seen.

Removing the light bulb is just like taking a bulb out of a lamp. You can remove it by screwing it to the left. Now take your new bulb out of the package. Put this bulb in and turn it to the right to lock it into place. It is a good idea to test the headlight at this point to make sure that it is working right before you put everything back together. Turn on your car and flip on your lights. Get out to check and make sure that the light came on. After doing that, put your clip back on your wiring and put the back plate back on. Make sure you insert all of the screws that were holding it into place. Make sure you grab all of your tools before closing the hood, and you are done!

A Few Tips and Tricks

Even if you have a flashlight, it is best to change your light bulb during the day. It makes it a lot easier to get it done quickly and the right way. Also, make sure that you pick up the bulb before you start work on your car. A lot of people tell you to remove the bulb fist and bring that to the auto shop. However, you will soon notice that this does you no good. Not only that, but you are just going to have to take the back plate off your light an extra time. Simply know the make and model of your car, and go to the auto shop. They have books there, as well as computers, that will tell you which bulb goes in which car.

You will notice that this is not a hard job, and you should be able to get it done with ease. This is not something that you have to take your car to the auto repair shop for. Anyone can change their own lights in their Toyota with this helpful step-by-step guide.

Save on Electric - 20 Money Saving Tips

Using these 20 money saving tips, you will be able to save on electric by up to 15% without changing your life style, all you need to do is think green. With just these few tips you will have a bit more cash left over at the end of each month to spend the way you want to not the way you have to.

Cooking

1. Always go for an oven with a self cleaning option, such ovens a higher grade of insulation, so as you cook you save on energy over an oven without this option.

2. Once you have something cooking in the oven, never open the door to check on progress, this will quickly reduce the temperature of the oven. Use the oven light and the glass panel, cook and save again

3. If you are cooking for one or two of you consider having a back up toaster oven, it will be faster more economic than a large conventional oven.

4. The most economic way to cook things like vegetables and reheat meals is to use a microwave oven, keep things at the edge of the rotating plate for max. efficiency and quicker cooking times

Refrigeration

5. Overcrowded fridges never work efficiently, make sure that you stack your shelves so that the air can flow around the food. This will allow you to up the temperature slightly and still preserve your food just as well.

6. Never put hot food into a fridge, this will raise the internal temperature and you energy cost rise cooling it down again. Leave food to cool before you put it in the fridge.

7. Make sure the seals on your fridge on freezer are regularly cleaned, if they get clogged with articles of food then they will not close properly and allow cold air out. It should go without saying that flattened or spilt seals need to be replaced.

8. Make sure that your fridge or freezer are sensibly placed well away from appliances that radiate heat, and heating vents or radiators

9. When buying a freezer keep in mind the needs of your family, do not be tempted to buy one that is bigger than you need, as the unused capacity costs you money to freeze down.

10. The other consideration when buying a freezer - upright or chest? Upright models look better and will blend in with your kitchen layout, just bear in mind that they leak your expensive cold air through the bottom of the door. So if you have space put a chest freezer out the back, not as cool looking, but a heck of a lot more energy efficient.

Washing the dishes

11. Modern dish washers are much more energy efficient a quiet than models of even a decade ago, so the purchase of that new dish washer you really wanted will probably pay for itself with savings you make on your electric bill.

12. Never run you dishwasher unless it is full, just wipe the leftovers from the dishes because if you rinse them off before you put them in, a) you might as well wash them and not put them in the dishwasher, b) you will waste your expensive hot water.

Laundry

13. When choosing a washing machine, choose a front loading model- they make cost a little more but they will save you up to 50% on your electric and up to 40% on water usage. When use in combination with the new cold water laundry detergents and set on 'cold wash' the cost per load drops like a rock.

14. Clean the filter on your dryer after every load and clean the outside filter (on the wall where to hot air comes out) at least once a month the improved air flow will reduce your drying times, your electric bill and will also cut down on the fire risk of having an outlet packed with combustible dry lint.

Lighting and heating

15. Modern energy efficient, they cost a little more than ordinary bulbs but they give more light and last much longer than conventional bulbs. If used throughout the house you electric bill will be reduced by as much as 7%.

16. Do not keep turning your lighting on and off this will reduce the life of the bulb by more than half, but do not leave them on when you go out of the room for any length of time.

17. Central heating and air conditioning carefully monitor the thermostat, excess heating or cooling will cost you a lot on electric bill. Gas fires with pilot lights, make sure that you turn it off in the summers months or if you are away from the house for more than a few days in the winter.

General maintenance

18. Insulation - Check all the joints in the house especially between the wall and door frames and windows this will allow leaks into the house, it is a simple matter of caulking the gaps and increasing your energy efficiency. Maintain the loft insulation, worn out loft insulation can add 15% to your heating and cooling costs, check for any energy efficiency tax rebates and or offers from your electricity company that may cover some of the cost.

19. A quality adhesive-backed weather seal should be placed around all external doors and opening windows so that they close tightly and prevent expensive drafts. The cushioned seals come on a rolls with an adhesive backing so are very simple to install and well worth the effort for the savings you will get on your electric bill

20. If you live in an area that is prone to extremes of temperature then enclose external doors with a small porch, this two door system will maintain a barrier space between the temperatures inside and out and save you money on your electric bill.

Once your house is energy efficient then why not consider creating your own green alternative energy system and increase your savings even more.

17 Ways to Make Your Small Business More Earth Friendly

Whether or not you believe global warming could be the end of civilization, there are other compelling reasons to take action to be environmentally friendly in your business. Respect for the planet and life all around you is the most basic of those reasons, but here are three others: it will reduce your costs, increase your efficiency, and add to your USP (unique selling position).

By following the familiar reduce, reuse, and recycle mantra you can save financially, which will allow you to invest more into growing your business or free up family finances.

You can increase your efficiency and get more organized by making small "green" changes such as printing less. For example, fewer piles of overflowing paper will make it easier to keep that working space clean and uncluttered so you can stay focused.

Sharing that you care, whether it's about the planet, the people, or some other angle, or some other cause entirely, helps you connect with your market and become more "real" than just a hidden person behind a faceless website. It's okay to allow your personality and passions to shine through your website and marketing. In fact, it's smart marketing!

So with those benefits in mind, here are some small steps you can take to make your business greener:

1) Reduce the amount of paper you use. Before you print, think. Do you *really* need to print out that email or document? If you just need a backup copy, pick up an inexpensive USB thumb drive and use it to save copies of important files.

2) Reuse and recycle. Keep a small box or tray for paper that you've printed on but no longer need and announce to your children that they are welcome to color, paint, cut, etc with the paper. Kids don't mind recycled paper and some really creative projects can result from paper that's already been used.

3) Buy EnergyStar appliances. Watch the energy usage on any appliances you purchase--computers, sergers, sewing machines--whatever tools are required for your trade. Always turn them off when not in use.

4) Go paperless for billing. Many business models easily lend themselves to e-billing. If yours does, do it. It will save you not only paper/envelopes, but also time and postage. Bills get where they need to go quicker, too.

5) Use organic, recycled and/or natural elements. If you've got choices in the materials you use, take a few minutes to research your options. You may be pleasantly surprised by the range of choices available.

6) Choose reusable. Instead of notebooks and paper for your to do lists, consider a dry erase board or go to a digital online version. Try Google Calendar instead of a paper planner. If your products require certain materials during the production process, can you use something reusable instead of disposable?

7) Buy in bulk. You'll save time as well as trips back and forth to the store if you purchase in bulk.

8) Change your lighting. Open the windows in your home office or working area and enjoy the beautiful, natural light! Replace your old style light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent bulbs to save energy and reduce your electric bill.

9) Choose a VA (virtual assistant) instead of an in-person assistant. Work with employees or contractors who work from their homes and you'll help save the gas and emissions from cars driving back and forth as well gain as many, many other benefits.

10) Combine errands and schedule meetings selectively. Can you do them all on one day? Fewer trips in your car are better. If you can eliminate some errands by having the USPS carrier (who's already driving by) pick up packages or meeting with clients via Skype instead of in-person, consider it.

11) Buy Green Tags. With green tags you can compensate for your CO2 usage. I purchase mine through Green Tags USA.

12) Go 100% Replanted. Through Replant Trees you can have trees planted to make up for your paper usage.

13) Choose your packaging materials carefully. You can find green packing materials starting at sustainablepackaging.org Recycle or reuse when feasible.

14) Deliver your products digitally. Can you offer a digital version of your products? How about offering your patterns as a PDF download? Or a PDF ebook option of your printable book? Encourage the digital options. Check out e-junkie.com for an easy way to sell digital items online.

15) Sell locally. No need for shipping if you sell to local customers. Try craft shows or farmers markets if they fit your products. You can find listings online at Indie Craft Guide or Indie Craft Shows. Depending on your products you could also work out discounts or commission based deals with tourist shops, museums, locally owned bookstores and other businesses or organizations in your local area.

16) Support green businesses. Does your webhost power their servers with green energy? Does your printer offer recycled paper for brochures or business cards? Look for ways to support other businesses who are making an effort to be green.

17) Share your commitment! Several websites (EcoFirms, EcoBusinessLinks, Green People, Coop America, and others) maintain link directories of eco-aware businesses. Add yours if you're taking action steps to be earth friendly.

Energy Star Lights

Energy Star lights are very good for the environment and were introduced around 1992. The energy efficient consumer products program was started to help promote environmentally friendly products. The idea is to reduce the amount of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

If you use Energy Star lights such as compact fluorescent bulbs in a proper lighting fixture, you could use up to seventy-five percent less energy than the old standard light fixtures used. Many lighting manufacturers are meeting the demands of the public in regards to environmentally friendly lighting products.

Consumers should consider replacing their high usage light fixtures with Energy Star lights. This will also help conserve energy and save money. Most people use the lights in the kitchen, living room, table lamps and outdoor lights the most. It would be wonderful to see every home in North America take this approach to energy conservation.

Due to the publics demand, manufacturers are producing Energy Star lights in various styles now. These include chandeliers, lamps, wall sconces and pendant lights as well.

It is not only Energy Star lights that feature the well known label, you can find it on such products as doors, air conditioners, furnaces, appliances, light bulbs, fans and many more household products. Consumers know that if they see the label on a product that they are getting something that is friendly to the environment. The demand for these products has skyrocketed in the past few years and will continue to do so.

The cost of Energy Star lights should go down as the demand increases. Right now, they are close to the same price with the energy saving product costing slightly more. Compact fluorescent light bulbs last up to ten times more that incandescent bulbs and they also use up to three times less power consumption. One of the drawbacks of incandescent lights is that most of the power used, just goes up in heat, which is a complete waste of energy. People do not use bulbs for heat; they use them for light in the majority of cases.

Energy Star lights are a great way for everyone to do their part in conserving energy. In fact, there really is no reason why consumers should not be switching to these environmentally friendly products.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs - The Sensible Alternative

The lights in an average household use about 20% of the total electricity, so anything that will reduce that power consumption will help lower your energy bill while cutting down on pollution. Fortunately, it's easy to save energy on lighting by simply installing energy saving light bulbs.

Regular incandescent light bulbs produce light by heating a small filament inside the bulb. This heat production accounts for 90% of the energy they consumer. Energy saving light bulbs are florescent, much more efficient because they don't need heat to produce light.

How much energy do they save? On average, the energy savings are about 66%. But that is not the only way you save money using these bulbs. They also last much longer than regular bulbs, so although they cost more, you still save money when buying light bulbs.

Energy saving light bulbs last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Even if the florescent bulb costs considerable more than the traditional bulb, the lifespan of the bulb combined with the energy savings adds up to substantial savings.

It has been conservatively estimated that you can save about $4 per year for each energy saving light bulb that you install in your house. If you replace 20 bulbs, that's a savings of $80 a year.

Just imagine if every household in America took advantage of the savings that compact florescent bulbs provide. Not only would have more buying power, we would also cut down on the pollution caused by electricity generating plants.

Greenhouse emissions are one of the biggest concerns with burning fossil fuels to produce electricity. The average household produces more greenhouse gases than a car because of the amount of electricity consumed. Installing energy saving light bulbs is one way to cut down on those emissions.

Do your pocket book and the environment a favor by using florescent compact bulbs wherever you can. It's the only sensible thing to do.

Fresh, Ripe Tomatoes All Winter

When growing winter tomatoes, choosing those varieties that have smaller vines are preferable. The shorter hours of sunlight in the winter months limits the potential for vine growth... so why not plant a shorter vine and use all that sunlight for growing bigger tomatoes? Good choices of varieties include: Cherry Gold, Red Robin, Pixie Hybrid, Toy Boy and Small Fry.

The ideal system for growing winter tomatoes is to schedule your planting in phases. That is, about every two weeks or so a new batch of seeds are germinated. If you begin your process in mid autumn you will have tomatoes right into the spring time outdoor planting season. Germination of the tomato seedlings usually takes 10 days. Once the initial seedlings sprout and develop small leaves they should be moved from the starting mix to a container which is slightly bigger.

Plant 2-3 seedlings per container. Some may have to be thinned later. The new container should have a soil depth of about 4-6 inches. Place the containers near a window or patio door to insure that the seedlings receive as much sunlight as possible. Turn the container regularly to insure the entire plant receives its ration of sunlight. Because of the short daylight hours in the winter months, a florescent lamp on a timer should be placed about 6 inches or so above the plants. They should receive about 16-18 hours of "light" each day, with at least 6 hours of dark.

Tomatoes like a lot of light and water, but insure that the sun intensity through glass windows is not too severe that it burns the tender shoots. Watering should be done on a schedule. Moist but not wet. About 2-3 times per week. Make sure that when you use containers that there is always a hole in the bottom for the water to drain through. Stagnant water will rot a tomato plant.

Soon your plants will be about 4-6 inches tall. Now is the time to once again replant to a larger container. If you have good lighting, and don't have to continually move your pots around, you can transplant your tomatoes into their permanent containers. Otherwise just up-size your pot to about a 3 gallon size. Now is the time to thin your seedlings. As you see the blossoms appearing, you can help the pollination process by carefully shaking the branches to scatter the pollen, or use a cotton ball and just blot each blossom, one after another to spread the pollen. Allowing a fan to blow on the veins periodically will assist, and helps to strengthen them as they move in the breeze.

A cage or a trellis should be used to let the tomato vine grow up and through for support. As you see the tomatoes forming carefully direct the branches for support. One should ensure sufficient nutrient strength for the winter tomato plants at all times. Giving tomato plants plenty of fertilizers is good in the growing season. High phosphorus content is good for the tomatoes. Similarly calcium content in the soil will help tomato plants grow well. Once every two weeks is good enough as far as adding fertilizer to the soil is concerned.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, commonly known as N-P-K are very good for fertilizers, which should be added until the tomato plants mature. Using fish emulsion and liquid fertilizer are very good for the soil. This can be done around 2- 3 times during the entire period at regular intervals. At the same time, lightly till the top one inch or so of the soil in the container. The constant watering of the plants washes the nutrients out of the top soil. By aerating, removing and replacing some of this soil you will allow much better growth from the roots closest to the surface.

As Spring draws closer you may be temped to move your plants outside. Be sure to prepare for protecting your plants from intense sun or frost. Using a sun filter or cloth for the tomato plants keeps them safe from both hot sun and cold weather. Growing winter tomatoes is a good pastime and allows you to enjoy fresh and juicy tomatoes with a flavor one misses in commercial tomatoes. Tomatoes are a very hearty plant and will grow almost anywhere. Protect your plants from severe weather changes, plenty of water and sunlight, and an occasional application of nutrients and you will enjoy many juicy tomatoes in your Winter salads. Good Gardening.