Energy Home Makeover and Micro-grid Technology

The GRID - Primary Power

An Alternative - Secondary Power

Solar, gas and wind micro grid power generation systems for homes are now becoming a reality in most communities. The advantage of having a micro-grid or distributed power generation system for your home:

• Bring more sophistication to back up power on-demand capabilities

• Tap and harvest passive energy to off-set energy costs

• Ensure to long-term investment strategies

Although the initial layout and expense can be significant, there are products that make mobility, fixed mount options that work well for patio decks, gardens and pergolas in harvesting passive sunlight. These devices are designed with mobility in mind. So for those that don't want to sell their back up electrical capability when they move, they can decide to take it with them. The key is portability.

When it comes to harvesting the sun, a focus is for vertical surfaces with southern exposure.

Existing vs Thriving

So if we can somehow work the natural elements of the land by building around them, can we depend on nature to behave in consistent patterns? Our dependence on weather makes us vulnerable. So with this comes the element of risk. To minimize this risk, smart metering design features are incorporated. Using the utility service as required, smart metering gives the consumer the convenience to:

• Demand power from the local utility service provider.

• Receive credit for locally generated power not consumed

With smart metering as a primary power system, a secondary power system of wind, gas (and) (or) solar power makes power backup or redundancy an optimum choice for safety. With that comes also the benefit to manage your power consumption at a discount. This approach to manipulating power from more than the main power grid is termed micro grid design.

To generalize, the cost of power fluctuates throughout the day. Power is at a premium when demand is high and at a discount when the demand is at a minimum. Energy management systems can monitor (passive) and deploy (assertive) appliances cycles to maximize savings.

Although you may not realize it, your habits are analyzed each time you drive your car to maximize your cars performance. Much the same can be said about analyzing your personal habits (circadian rhythms) when it comes to minimizing dependence on the utility company. Energy management systems can dictate the timing and intensity of power from the main power grid.

Through smart phone applications, appliances can be controlled either by algorithm or manually, from a remote location. These appliances can be configured in concert to operate in an orchestrated manner. The conductor of the orchestra is an embedded controller, not much different than the one in your car. Although to some these strategies may seem invasive, again, this discussion is about freedom and the degrees of risk.

These primary and secondary power systems, controlled by assertive and passive energy management features, give the client the confidence to rely on technologies for security, communication and home healthcare networking.

Home healthcare networks

When examining the magnitude of safety and the role of power redundancy, another frontier that must be considered is the impact of change to social conventions, specifically home medical care. As mentioned earlier about energy consumption and adaptive management, part of that equation is the potential to expand the realm of passive functions to include remote heath care networking. Most medical practices have already transitioned to digital records and with that comes the immersion of a new option for people to remain in their homes through new remote healthcare capabilities, services and product solutions. These include non-intrusive lab work and kits.

These kinds of networks relieve the burden on the client to track data regarding medications and other specifics needed by the physician. Client histories can be tracked and refined for prognostic care and shift from a reactive to proactive standpoint.

Passive Design and Heritage

U of F Case Study

Many examples of early home configuration in Florida gravitate to build with cross ventilation in mind. Other key aspects such as orientation of home relative to the path of the Sun, proximity to shading or hammock cooling and separating the kitchen from the main house are all common to early cracker home configurations, strategies carried over from other cultures from other eras in Europe and elsewhere. These are the sorts of technologies that, when complemented properly are tried and true.

Many of the early homes in Florida were elevated up off the ground, compartmentalized with several rooms and connected by deck or porch to induce breezes between the rooms (breezeway) to create comfort zones. Retrofitting a home to exploit natural features on the property can be a challenge to recognize. But the best return of investment is to account and exploit these features during design before installation. The trick is to design around passive elements to work in concert with one another.

Technology at a glance: In the mainstream

Lighting

Attention K-Mart shoppers...please pay particular attention to the blue light specials were featuring today.

· LED or light emitting diode - In case you were not aware, many of the white lighting used in businesses, cars and marine applications today have changed. Some lights cast what is described as a clean or blueish tinted emission.

· CFL or compact fluorescent is mostly marketed as the direct replacement incandescent light bulb for home applications.

Heat Pump Hot Water Heater