One way to reduce energy consumption – jack up the price!

Usually, governments attempt to reduce national energy consumption by educating the public on practical ways they can make changes around the home. Some offer incentive programs for making efficiency upgrades. Others pay for advertising campaigns – billboards, commercials, and free give-a-ways that remind you to “turn the lights out when you leave.” A select few countries, on the other hand, have chosen to take the opposite approach.

If you can’t get people to willingly curb their habits, jack up the price of electricity until people can no longer afford to be wasteful!

Both England and Wales increased the overall price of energy, and during a six-year span in which utility bills rose 28%, consumption dropped by 25%.

This information comes from a recent report out of the UK’s Office for National Statistics. The report cites residents throughout England and Wales who’ve made significant eco-improvements to their homes in order to combat rising energy costs. Back in 2008, a mere 44% of homes had proper roof insulation, compared to 60% last year. It’s no surprise that the jump corresponds with the U.K. giving consumers more incentive to purchase energy-efficient homes and appliances.

In a country mostly dependent upon natural gas for energy, many homes managed to make improvements to their waters heaters and air condition systems. After all, nobody wants to spoil that beautiful English countryside with more fracking drills and equipment.

The same sort of price-fixing is expected to occur in the United States sometime before the end of the decade.  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, levying home efficiency improvements will reduce the country’s energy usage per person annually until 2040.

In other parts of the world, leaders are coming together in hopes of figuring out other, less government-intense solutions. The heads of the Shanghai Environment Protection Industry Association and the China Clean Expo have agreed to collaborate on next year’s International Waste Management & Recycling Show. The show brings energy industry professionals together in an atmosphere geared towards.

Established back in 2002, the China Clean Expo is the country’s largest eco-friendly show, offering a unique trading and brainstorming atmosphere for waste management professionals. The expo showcases a wide array of technology and products, hoping one will prove to be the next big breakthrough. From waste processing and municipal equipment, to environment sanitation operations and processing technology – 2014’s event will have it all. Over 20,000 professionals and vendors from across the world are already expected to attend!

So, what’s the best way to change a bad habit: through reason, or a swift kick in the rear? It remains to be seen.

NRGLab is supporting the future of energy. For more information on our slate of projects currently in development, visit nrglab.asia.

Your iPhone uses as much energy as your fridge!

As hard as it may be to believe, a new study shows that your iPhone consumes as much energy in a year as your refrigerator!

The study is called “The Cloud Begins With Coal,” and in it, CEO of Digital Power Group Mark Mills claims that the average iPhone uses about 361 kWh per year. That includes data usage, charging the battery, and cloud connections. A mid-sized refrigerator only uses 322 KWh per year. Who would’ve thought?

You see, smartphones like the iPhone don’t require a huge amount of energy to charge, but playing games for an average of an hour a week for an entire year can consume more energy that TWO fridges (and let’s face it – everyone has a bit of an addiction to Angry Birds or Words With Friends). The biggest energy guzzlers are the background cloud connections like GPS tracking and Wi-Fi. So even if you don’t have a penchant for playing games, your iPhone is being drained faster than a bathtub.

Nowadays, computers are forced to run around the clock. They service our technical support needs. Our climate control needs. Our banking needs. Pretty much every need, really.

Mills’ study found that the global Information-Communications-Technologies system (or ICT, which encompasses all tech-based companies) consumes a total of 1,500 tWh of electricity per year. That’s equivalent to Germany and Japan’s electricity production COMBINED! In fact, the ICT uses about 10% of all the electricity generated on Earth. (That’s enough to power the planet since 1985…)

“As the world continues to electrify, migrating towards one refrigerator per household, it also evolves towards several smartphones and equivalent per person,” writes Mills. And what’s worse is that as devices become more powerful, they’ll require more energy. “Trends now promise faster, not slower, growth in ICT energy use.”

Cloud connections and mobile Internet require more energy than wired networks, and let’s be honest – the world is going wireless. All of this technological advancement is eating away at our planet like a virus.
And the source of that virus? Our dependency on dirty coal.

Coal remains the choice source of electricity production in developed countries like the U.S. Mills’ study, which was sponsored by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity and the National Mining Association, contends that coal is essential to powering the ICT system. Our phones will always need batteries, and our lights will always need plugs, after all.  

Innovations in green energy grids and higher efficiency standards have provided a good starting off point for change, but until the energy industry takes a long hard look in the mirror, the problem’s only going to get worse.

NRGLab thinks we can still expand cloud connections and smartphone capabilities without sacrificing the integrity of our environment with carbon-free, renewable sources of electricity like the SH-Box. The SH-Box turns geothermal heat into clean, read-to-use electricity. So forget about installing expensive solar panels. Forget about building an 18th Century windmill in your back yard. Forget everything you thought you knew about energy – and start thinking about the SH-Box.

For more information, visit nrglab.asia. See what we’re doing to protect the planet from mankind’s hubris.

The Evolution of Energy Consumption

Although little has changed for energy in terms of overall per capita consumption, the industry and our infrastructure have evolved significantly over the past several decades.

Improved insulation materials and instillation techniques, as well as an array of other efficiency upgrades, have made climate management considerably less intense. Homes are staying warmer in the winter. Cooler in the summer. At virtually no increased cost to the consumer!

People tend to think that cooling a house costs more than warming it, when in fact it’s the opposite! Heating actually uses MORE energy. 85% of American households feature either gas or electric-powered climate systems.

Energy consumption also varies by region. For example, in the United States, coastal cities consume much less energy (per capita) compared to the rest of the country. Electricity is now the “fuel of choice” in the South, a trend which is expected to continue as more of the population migrates that way.

This may not be the best solution when it comes time to pay your bills. Electric heating is a MAJOR energy guzzler. Electric dishwashers, water heaters, and clothes washers and dryers are just a few of the high wattage items responsible for your rising utility costs.

Unfortunately, wattage is a misleading standard by which to judge energy consumption. Some items you don’t use that often. Others require less electricity than low-wattage items you might leave on all day.

Plus, we can’t stop buying gizmos and gadgets! No matter how much we reduce our consumption by, our progress is canceled out by the new appliances we purchase. We have four different cell phones plugged into a single outlet. We have desktop computers. Laptops. Tablets.

Is there no end?!?

It's one thing to cut down on our personal energy consumption – it’s another to begin solving the problem at a fundamental level.

NRGLab is helping the world get a handle on energy consumption. For more information, visit nrglab.aisa.

Is your engine at risk? How ethanol threatens the gas industry

New legislation requiring a minimum amount of ethanol to be blended with gasoline is causing quite a stir amongst the United States gas industry. By 2022, they’ll be mixing approximately 36 billion gallons of ethanol with their standard gasoline.

Is this a savvy consumption cutting maneuver? Or is it simply placing a bandage over a wound without washing it out first? We all know what happens when a wound gets infected…

A tough economy is forcing Americans to cut down on their daily driving. Last year, Americans drove 93 billion miles less than in 2007. This, combined with greater fuel-efficiency standards in newer vehicles, contributed to an 8 billion gallon decline in gas consumption – not an easy hit for the industry to absorb.

In the near future, all gasoline sold in the U.S. will contain at least 10% ethanol.

“Who cares?” you ask.

Well, most cars sold today feature engines with warranties that don’t extend to ethanol concentrations that high. Basically, a lot of angry motorists are going to be wondering why they have to lug their vehicles in for regular monthly maintenance, NONE of which is covered.

The Environmental Protection Agency waived restrictions in 2012 that allowed refineries to begin increasing the amount of ethanol being mixed into the gasoline - from 10% to 15%  - despite concerns raised from auto manufacturers. Raising the ethanol content of gasoline any further could decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 30%!

Gasoline with high ethanol content can also cause severe damage to your vehicle’s engine. Four years ago, Lexus was forced to recall vehicles with model years between 2006 and 2008 after reports that ethanol-blended gasoline was corroding their fuel injection lines.

Ethanol is considered the poster-child of government intervention gone awry. Originally intended as a means of reducing harmful emissions, new studies suggest that increased corn production and processing nullifies any potential carbon reductions.

Nowadays, roughly 40% of U.S. corn is used to produce ethanol rather than food. This has created a spike in food prices both domestically and abroad. In some countries, like Egypt and Brazil, rising food costs have led to civil protest.

All in all, ethanol has proven why government intervention in the development of new energy is futile, and more often than not, destructive. Instead of continuing to fight a losing battle, the U.S. needs to admit defeat, repeal the legislation calling for increased ethanol content, and allow the free market to dictate energy policy.

By allowing companies like NRGLab to develop and create innovative energy alternatives, we can ensure the future is brimming with fresh ideas, new perspectives, and the best possible intentions.

New program cutting down universities’ energy consumption

A new program, called Emergency Demand Response, is empowering American universities to earn income for reducing their campus’ energy consumption. This comes in response to regular electrical spikes across the grid, since more people are inclined to blast their air conditioners and run fans all day long during the summertime.

Is your university on the list of those raking in the big bucks? This year alone, Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA will earn $99,000. The University of Virginia - $192,000!

Just think of all the dorm room systems and multimedia libraries that go unused during the summer. That’s money that could be going towards other things. Like paying teachers. Renovating facilities.
So by now you’re probably asking, “How can I get my school involved so we can get some decent cafeteria food around here?”

Well, participation in Emergency Demand Response requires a university’s facility to be on ‘standby mode’ to reduce energy consumption during periods of increased grid activity, from June 1st to Sept. 30th.

"We want to be efficient as possible, and [Emergency Demand Response] is certainly a driving force," said Michael Brewer, Muhlenberg College’s director of operations. The money earned from the program has allowed them to construct automated electrical systems where software now manages energy efficiency.

At Ohio University, both the students and faculty are taking this issue seriously. 2013 marks the University’s third year with Emergency Demand Resources, and by 2014, they’re set to earn $47,000 annually.

Other institutions use incentives to raise awareness. "If someone makes a post on our Facebook wall about how they will cut their energy usage for an hour, they can win a water bottle," says Nina Morris, a faculty member at the University of Virginia. "Social media is helping to get the word out about our sustainability programs."

The only downside to the program is that a university is required to shut down power to its facilities if they receive a phone call from an official dispatcher. Now think if that university could oblige, earn money, and stay online all at the same time.

With the SH-Box by NRGLab, you could power a computer lab, a library, or the dean’s office without ever plugging into the public grid. Not only that – the SH-Box is carbon-free, so you won’t be contributing to the climate crisis.

It’s nice to see society finally coming together to find solutions that work for everyone. Curbing consumption and cutting down on carbon emissions is going to require a unified effort. From the U.S. to the Ukraine – it’s only one planet Earth. To learn more about NRGLab and the revolutionary new SH-Box, visit nrglab.asia.com.