The Basics

Generally, the solar cells you are going to see are photovoltaic cells, also known as PV cells. Photo means light, and voltaic means electricity, which allows us to see where the name solar energy comes from. These PV cells convert sunlight into electricity allowing you to light your home, power your electronics, and more. Normally, they are connected together into a group, and then put into a frame. This is what makes up the solar panels we see on a regular basis.

So, What Happens?

Each cell has a variety of material, including semiconductors. Currently, the most commonly used is silicon. The silicon absorbs the energy of the light that hits it. Because of the energy, the electrons get loosened, and they are then able to flow. With strategic placing of magnets on the solar panels, the electron flow is directed and power is produced.

Why do we use Silicone?

There are many different reasons silicon is currently used for solar panels. One is because it is a great semiconductor. Another is because of the great properties it has while still in crystalline form. The atom is made up of three shells, each of which holds a part of its 14 electrons. The first shell holds two electrons, the second shell holds eight electrons, and the third shell only holds four electrons. However, the atom is constantly trying to fill that last shell to maximum, by attaching to other electrons.

Generally, it is not pure silicon that is used, but an impure mixture of silicon and phosphorous. This creates an effect where the shell is filled, and since the phosphorous has five electrons, instead of four, there is only one left over. When energy is added to the impure silicon, the extra electron can be easily knocked loose from the structure, allowing a large number of free carriers to power the cell.

How Efficient Are Solar Panels?

Once the panels have been created, and had an antireflective coating added, as well as a glass cover plate, they can be used in a variety of ways. One great way a solar panel can be used is on the roof of your home. The question becomes, how effective are these panels? In 2006, almost all panels had an efficiency rate between 12-18%. The best option in that same year had a 40.7% efficiency rating. For many people, this seems extremely low. So, why is there such a low efficiency when tapping into the energy of the sun?

Many Ways to Lose Energy

There are a variety of ways that energy can be lost. Unfortunately, these are unavoidable. For example, we know that light comes in a variety of wavelengths. We have found out, since working with the solar panel technology that some of these wavelengths have too much energy for us to trap, while others don’t have nearly enough. This is defined by the material used for the cells, and we can use materials that have a broader range. However, if we do that, we lose a lot of the voltage of the panel.

In addition to the losses that happen because of the wavelength, there are also losses in energy due to the makeup of the cell itself. Since a semiconductor is used, in this case silicon, there is going to be some resistance against the current. This resistance is going to cause some loss of energy, even though the current is helped along with metallic contacts.

Power Concerns for Those Using Solar

If you have added solar panels to your home, or are considering taking the plunge, there are some concerns that have probably crossed your mind. The most prevalent being that it’s not always sunny. What can you do if there’s not enough sunlight to go around? Luckily, there are some options for those in this predicament.

• Have a backup generator that will kick in when the solar panels don’t have enough power to do it all.
• Connect to the utility grid. This also allows you to sell power back to the grid when your panels produce more than you are able to use.
• Get a battery. This will help you store the power that you produce in your own home. It will allow you to draw on this power in the future when you need it.

Each of these options has definite pros and cons to them, and it all comes down to personal preference. If you are trying to go completely off the grid, and not rely on the power company at all, a generator or battery is what you will need. However, the stability of working with the power company is a benefit for many. This is a very personal decision, and should be made after doing some research on each of the options available.

What Are the Advantages of Solar Energy?

Because of the lost energy, the question becomes whether or not solar energy is worth what we are putting into it. For many, it is a resounding yes. Not only is this something that is a great scientific find, it is also an amazing option for anyone who is looking to cut down their carbon footprint and live a greener lifestyle. There are, of course, downsides to solar energy. However, there are downsides to everything we do. If one of the worst things that can be said about the technology is that right now we are only at, at max, 40% efficiency that simply means we have more work to do to make it better.

Understanding solar energy can be a little difficult sometimes. There is a lot that goes into it. When considering solar energy, it is important to understand the basics of what goes into it.

Resources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell1.htm

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/06-10028-01.pdf

http://science.sbcc.edu/~physics/solar/sciencesegment/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/how-solar-cell-works.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-solar-power-work

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/how-does-solar-energy-work.html

About the Author – Shaun Chatman is a well published author on many authority sites. He lives in Dunedin, FL, and spends his free time playing with his kids or advising friends on tech, gadgets, travel and finance

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Going green has its perks. It’s a chance to do your part to save the environment and it’s also a way of significantly cutting costs. But living the green life doesn’t mean going all out green by replacing all of your appliances with energy efficient ones or using entirely renewable energy sources. You can start going green with just little things. A few additions and small renovations could result to a huge impact in your home. The most cost-efficient way to do these is by doing them yourself. They aren’t just for savings, they could also liven up your home by adding a little character to it.

Shading

For those living in warmer climates, you can reduce your home’s air condition usage by just decreasing the amount of heat entering your home. A simple and effective way of doing it is by adding an outer shade onto your windows to prevent direct sunlight from striking through them. Traditional sun awnings are perfect for coverage and shading. They have been proven to reduce solar heat gain by as much as 60-80%, depending on the window types. There are different types of awnings, like sun awnings, rain awnings or patio awnings but all of them can endure any kind of weather from the hottest of summers to the coldest of winters. A study from the Center for Sustainable Building Research from the University of Minnesota found that even homes in colder climates benefit from awnings by reducing energy by 23-24%. The study also covered how awnings can potentially reduce maintenance costs of power equipment as a result of its role in reducing energy costs.

Awnings can either be manually or automatically retracted when not in use and their angle of shading can also be changed, depending on your preference. Most awnings available in the market have instructions for manual installations, making it easier for DIY installations.

Simpler and more readily available materials for shading include blinds, curtains, and bug-and-weather-resistant zip screens.

Insulation and Ventilation

Insulation is important in keeping your house comfortable and lowering energy costs from cooling or heating all year round. Even simple attic insulation like laying fiberglass rolls to the joists can be enough. Other insulation can be installed but it usually depends on the climate and the structure of your home.

Besides from the usual insulation materials like fiberglass or cellulose, roller shutters that are usually used for security purposes have built-in insulation. Whether installed inside or outside the home, they help reduce heat gain and loss. Roller shutters are also well designed home defense measures.

But insulation alone will not suffice. A home also needs to be well ventilated to go along with the insulation. The most preferred type would be the cross ventilation design that lets in more air. Letting natural air flow freely inside your home is a good energy efficient tactic. It decreases utility bills because the need for air cooling systems or appliances are lessened. While not all houses are designed to accommodate natural airflow, small, homemade windmills can be used increase needed wind flow.

Landscaping

When thinking of landscaping, you would usually think it’s something that can boost the appearance of one’s home. But it is also a way of adding shade, ventilation, and even protection from winter winds. The right type of landscape, e.g. the kind of trees, bushes, and shrubs you would want to plant, relies heavily on the type of climate you have. Temperate to hot-humid regions such as Georgia and Mississippi need landscapes that maximize wind and shade and plants that need less water, while cool regions would need dense windbreaks as winter protection. While regional climate is the main consideration, microclimate or the immediate surroundings of your home should also be considered for the perfect and most effective landscape.

Smart Spaces

Spaces that are a source of subsidiary heat are handy and helpful in keeping your homes warm. One example is a sunroom or sunspace. They are basically another room inside or an additional room/space outside of your home that can be used for warmth and makeshift greenhouses. Sunspaces are built to help reduce heating expenditures as well as added aesthetics.

If you’re not too keen (or maybe under a certain budget) in constructing a sunspace, a good alternative are verandas. Your very own veranda is the next best thing. One study showed that using verandas can result in 4-23% in energy savings. The rate of efficiency ranges, depending on the environmental conditions, type of housing, and the insulation and glazing used on the veranda. Besides its energy efficient function, a veranda adds exterior appeal to your home.

While all of these might seem trivial to some, their significance in improving your home’s effectiveness in using lesser energy is enormous. And these examples prove that having a greener lifestyle is easy. It doesn’t just have to be about buying a lot of solar panels, building large scale wind turbines, or making use of backyard hydropower. It all starts with little things. It’s easy and effective. Anyone can do it.

Guest Author Bio: Emily Harper is a housewife and an active member of the neighborhood watch. She worked in marketing but is now keeping her readers up-to-date with the latest security technology and DIY trends through writing.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

As we charge head-on into the 21st century, adaptations to the Internet are providing a wide range of services that we wouldn’t have conceived of in the 1990s. As email was a basic ability that required very little connection power, many still don’t realize the potential that high-speed Internet holds for other activities.

1. Streaming Content

Millions of people stream content to their computers and mobile devices on a regular basis. The more power you have to your Internet connection, the faster this content is brought to you. Although the speeds of specific websites are capped at a certain rate to help ensure everyone has equal access, greater bandwidth within your home will allow more than a single person to stream that content at the same time without feeling the effects of slower connections.

2. Multiplayer Gaming

Higher speeds to your home equals a better experience for gaming. Slower access to the Internet could cause synchronization problems to the game server which could affect your game-play. For example, in games where timing is crucial such as first-person-shooters or real-time strategy games, latency between yourself and the game server could cause you to play poorly against other players. And like streaming content, higher bandwidth to your location increases the amount of people you can have in your home playing online together without causing the latency problems.

3. VoIP

Many of today’s offices, schools, and even homes use some method of Voice-over-Internet-Protocol. This is where you use the Internet to make phone calls. A slower access to these phone servers could cause a typical phone call to become distorted and difficult to understand. When it comes to anything accessing the Internet, a faster speed means a better connection for what ever your purpose is. In this case, the calls will be clearer without having the “choppy” effect where every other word is missing in the conversation.

4. Purchasing Software

There are a lot of companies that are focusing a great deal of development of new software to be sold online as digital downloads. This allows them to make far more money on their titles for it removes the need for boxes, inks, paper, and third-party resellers. The overhead is much lower and most of the time, some of the savings is given to the consumer at a reduced digital only price. Faster Internet speeds will greatly affect the time it takes you to download one of these programs or update one you already have. Updates from companies such as Microsoft that would have taken several hours on an old dial-up modem now take less than a minute on high-bandwidth cable or DSL connections.

5. Multi-computer Households

High speed access doesn’t just cover how quickly you’re able to access websites. As more devices in the home are tapping the Internet access, you could begin to feel the effects of slowing down in general. Whether this connection is from computers, tablets, smartphones, or TVs more devices will reduce the capacities for quick access. A higher bandwidth will be needed if you have multiple devices accessing the Internet simultaneously.

Technologies are continuing to develop at a rapid pace. As each individual piece of the tech-puzzle is laid into place, another innovative use is developed. The possibilities are endless for personal and professional expansion and we should embrace this change for it will make our lives easier than we could previously imagine.

Author Bio:

Ken holds a master’s in business leadership from Upper Iowa University and multiple bachelor degrees from Grand View College.  As president of morningsidenannies.com, Ken’s focus is helping Houston-based parents find the right childcare provider for their family. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and his wife.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Quit your standby habit

Leaving electrical appliances on standby will eat into your electricity bill and contribute significantly to your carbon footprint. It’s estimated that, if everyone in the UK, shut their appliances off completely, they would be able to close down two power stations. So imagine how many could be closed down in the US! Power stations put huge amounts of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, so anything we can do to reduce this has got to be a good thing.

Say goodbye to throw-aways

If you’re a lover of your morning coffee, you’ll be happy to hear you don’t have to quit the caffeine habit to go green. Instead of picking up a takeaway paper cup, buy your own reusable travel mug. Many coffee shops now even offer a discount if you bring your own mug, so your purse will benefit too. Giving up your daily takeaway cup may not seem like a big change but imagine how much less package waste there would be if everyone followed suit.

The same goes for plastic bottles. Buying a refillable travel bottle will save you money and reduce your carbon footprint. It’s a no-brainer!

Carpool

If your daily commute usually involves you tackling rush hour traffic in your gas guzzling vehicle, you may want to consider starting a carpool. Not only will this mean you’re cutting your CO2 emissions and saving money on fuel, but you’ll also get a break from driving a couple of times a week!

Wash on cold

Most of the energy used to wash your clothes comes from the washing machine heating the water up. Of course, you should always wash things like tea towels using the hot cycle to kill the bacteria, but everything else can be washed on a cold cycle. Switching to cold washes will still clean your clothes and will save a considerable amount of energy.

Many modern washing machines have an eco button, so look out for an eco-friendly washing machine if you need to buy a new one.

Natural energy

Consider the benefits of having solar panels on your house. They’re a great eco-friendly way to generate energy and you’ll save money in the long term. Luckily for us, sunlight is free and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Renewable energy doesn’t emit any harmful pollutants, so sunlight is a great way to generate electricity for your home.

This guest content was written by Isabelle Guarella. Isabelle is a writer for the UK-based company, PassSmart.com.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Guest post by James Harrison.

Today’s cost of living is the highest ever and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. It seems as if you have to save each and every penny in case of an unfortunate unforeseen event such as sharply increased prices or even the loss of a job. You could even add moving to that list and  relocating is frequently an expensive event. Should you find yourself in the situation where  you have or want to move, there are certainly steps during the move process to save money. A smart place to save money is when considering moving insurance. Moving insurance, if wisely utilized, can definitely help save your hard earned cash.

How does a moving insurance help you save?

Moving insurance comes to your rescue when your other insurances fail to cover your damages while moving. It’s a common misperception that the homeowner’s insurance, house insurance, and the moving company’s insurance would compensate for all damages during a move. But that is not always the case.  This is where moving insurance comes into play. Moving insurance, as the name implies, is the insurance for your belongings during your move. It often covers the actual replacement cost of your item. It would make up the difference should your homeowner’s or moving company’s insurance falls short of compensating.

How to choose moving insurance?

There are 5 types of moving insurance. Each type of moving insurance offers a unique service. You could choose any combination of these types to safeguard your assets and belongings.

1. Declared Value Protection
   Declared value protection provides for the compensation in the event of the accident or damage based on the depreciated value the asset. This means that you would be assigning value to the goods you transit. You have to make sure that you assign proper values to all your household goods, since your insurance coverage would be derived from your stated value in totality. To calculate, multiply the specific amount per pound by the total weight of the shipment.
2. Basic Carrier Liability
   Basic carrier liability is just that, basic coverage on the moving company’s part. The insurance provides a certain dollar amount per pound per article. These values vary from place to place. So, to be on the safe side, make sure to discuss these values with your moving company.
3. Full value protection
   Full value protection insurance pays for the entire loss, repair, and replacement of your assets. This protection is often used when the possessions to be moved are very expensive and difficult to replace.
4. Assessed Value or Lump Sum Value
   Sometimes, the assets are small in size and light in weight but with a killer price tag. How do you deal with that? With assessed value protection you get to ensure your most valued items’ coverage. Often times, you would have to inform your movers in writing about the number of such extraordinary items in the shipment. Assessed value means the amount of money you would pay per $1000 to cover your household items to their fully assessed value.
5. Packing Insurance
   In case, you hand over the responsibility of packing your stuff up to the moving company, packing insurance comes in handy. Should any item get damaged while packing; the moving company would pay its current market value as compensation.

Even before choosing your moving insurance type, you should work on finding an efficient and reputable house or  business movers. Finding a good mover lowers the stress of moving and often adds to the efficiency of getting into your next home or business!

Guest author bio -  Guest post by James Harrison, works as relocation consultant. He regularly contributes write ups to business websites and blogs with most of his writings based on tips for small business setups and marketing techniques. In his free time he plays sports, mainly soccer and chess. He is also passionate about reading fiction and traveling.

There are few things as frustrating as not being able to do the work you need to get done. If you do not have the resources you need to do your work, then you are going to feel annoyed. Different people require different tools to accomplish their goals. Painters need brushes, paints, and a canvas. Engineers need rulers, calculators, and graph paper. Writers need a computer, their thoughts, and often, some inspiration. One tool, though, that many people need is the Internet. Whether you are a painter looking for a particular photograph online, an engineer looking for the building you are emulating, or a writer looking for an online thesaurus, the Internet is an important tool for everyone. But when your Internet connection is not fast enough, you can find yourself stagnated.

High speed Internet, though, does not come for free. In fact, it often includes a hefty price tag. This can lead a lot of people to choose slower versions, whether it leads to frustration or not. But there is good news out there for everyone: you do not need to spend your month’s paycheck on getting high speed Internet. Below is some great money saving tips for high speed Internet that everyone can use.

KNOW WHAT YOU NEED

Before you open the conversation with an Internet service provider, you need to know what you need. First, find out what kinds of services are available? Internet can be provided through satellite, DSL or cable connections. See what is available in your geographical area – you can’t always get each of these services in every location. You also need to figure out what upload and download speeds you need; this depends on what purposes you are using the Internet for. You should also be sure to find an Internet provider that offers trial periods so you can judge the quality of the service.

FIND PROMOTIONS & TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM

Many Internet service providers will offer prospective customers limited trial periods to show them what kind of service they offer and sway them to become full customers. Some will offer only Internet, while others will require you to sign up for a “bundle package,” meaning a deal that includes other services as well, usually television or telephone services. When you speak to a customer service representative, be sure to ask about what promotions are available – they won’t always tell you if you don’t ask. If you have been a customer in the past, ask the representative if there is a special deal to lure you back. If you are new to the area, find out if there is a promotion with your old Internet provider to keep you as a customer despite your new locale.

GET IT IN WRITING

Any good lawyer will tell you that there is no deal unless it’s in writing, and that applies as much to your employment terms as it does to the terms of your Internet service. Because the high speed Internet market is so competitive, it is important that you get the offer being made in writing. Tell the customer service representative to email you the terms he is offering, and make sure you include terms for when service cuts out. Make sure you also take meticulous notes on the phone, so that if you get a bill with a surprisingly large bottom line, you can point to the representative’s precise words when you need to fight it.

DON’T RENT YOUR MODEM, BUY ONE

A lot of Internet service providers will try to entice you by letting you rent the hardware you need, especially modems. But the catch is that you need to return all of this hardware when your service is over. That means that if you cancel your service because, for example, you are moving, you will either need to go to the trouble of returning your modem, or be stuck with a hefty fee for failure to give it back. Either way, you will end up paying in one form or another for your rented equipment.

ASK FOR A DISCOUNT

The squeaky wheel gets the most grease, as they say, and the adage applies to your Internet bill as much as anything else. You won’t get a discount unless you ask for one – and sometimes asking for one is all you need to do! Just be sure to be polite, offer a good reason for why you deserve the discount, and if they say no, accept the answer with grace.

Guest Post by Steven Taylor.  Steven Taylor writes about business class high speed internet savings for Time Warner.

In this time and age, one can easily purchase many modern safety features and transform his or her home into an impenetrable fortress. However, innovative burglar alarms and complex surveillance systems remain relatively expensive and therefore off-limits to many of us. Thankfully, that doesn’t automatically mean that there is nothing that we can do for our safety and security. In this article, I am going to give a brief overview of how one can make doors and windows much more secure without any large investments.

Securing Doors

The main area of focus that you should pay attention to is the deadbolt. Your regular one might be doing its job well, but rest assured that burglars will be able to get through in no time. Thankfully, there is an easy solution that you can implement on your own. Quite simply, replace the old deadbolt with a sturdier one.

The entire process is fairly straightforward and everyone who has done a few DIY projects already should have no problems with getting through. The most important question therefore is what deadbolt you should get.

Basically, you should not even look at the design and color of the deadbolt. Instead, focus on its grade, which is the number that shows how resilient the deadbolt is when it comes to strikes by hammers and other similar tools. Grade 3 is the worst one, grade 1 is the best one – and also the most expensive one. The advice is to focus on the upper range in grade 2 – those deadbolts are nearly as good as grade 1 deadbolts, but usually cost much less.

Once you get past the phase of upgrading your deadbolts, you can also consider changing the deadbolt strike plate and the lockset strike plate in order to do even more.

Securing Windows

When it comes to windows, there is a fairly modern option that you can use in order to strengthen them against both weather and forced entry. Perhaps you have already heard about it, perhaps not, but you can be sure that window security films are something that is very effective, yet fairly cheap.

Window films can be easily applied to your existing windows, so there is no need to make big changes – and the best thing about them is that you can save a big chunk of money by installing them yourself. The company you buy the product from should supply you with installation instructions, but if you prefer to see things visually, there are plenty of instructional videos available on YouTube (check this one, for example) as well.

Stay Safe – Cheaply!

As you can see, it is pretty easy to take the security of one’s doors and windows to a completely new level even without any huge spendings. Only few bucks and some basic DIY skills that are very easy to learn are needed. Of course, the security improvements that have been mentioned here aren’t going to be the best of them all and the most witty of burglars will find a way to get in, but the crucial thing to realize is that all bits of security count and that there are many completely unprotected homes out there, so burglars are much less likely to target those with added protection.

Author - Jim Dalton is a home security and safety expert and he contributes regularly posts on popular blogs about wireless home security systems and anything that has to do with the protection of homes.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Computer, Laptop, or Tablet

A common household computer with access to the Web is a great first step in lower your bills with technology. A desktop computer or laptop can be used for things as simple as online bill pay that saves you a percentage just by paying your bills online with an automatic withdraw to surfing the Web to find awesome deals. Also, watching movies and television shows on a laptop instead of renting or buying the series on DVD can save loads of money.

Wifi

With a wireless internet connection there is a plethora of ways to save money. Contacting people via email or Skype is an easy way to keep phone bills to a minimum. Also connecting to your wireless network while at home with your smartphone will help curb excessive data usage.

Online Coupon Websites

Online coupon websites are a great way to save money. Using search engines like Google or Bing will help you to immediately find coupons you want as opposed to looking through papers and magazines. Alos, if you look hard enough, you will find that many restaurants have exclusive deals on their websites for a limited time that can you save you big $$$!

Shower Timers and Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Another great way to save money on your monthly bills is by taking shorter showers. Many times people seem to lose track of time in the shower. By installing a shower timers you can greatly cut down on water usage. Also, energy efficient light bulbs are another great way to save money. Using energy efficient bulbs in typically us around half the electric of regular bulbs and last much longer.

Smart Cars

The new smart cars are a great investment in a long term sense. With gas prices constantly rising, a smart car will pay for themselves sooner than expected. Also, you can get a voucher from the government since green initiatives can get you tax breaks. This will not only be great for your wallet, but also the environment. It’s a win-win!

About the Author

Chris Grasso enjoys the Florida sun and HTC Windows phone 8 which makes him feel like a tech guru.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

1. Determine your energy consumption rate

By keeping records, you can track previous months to help you decide what the average consumption would be during certain months. If the opportunity exists and you live in a deregulated area with more than one utility provider, you should consider comparing your current electricity provider to others that serve the same area. You will need to be aware, that there are usually two rates that change daily depending on peak consumption hours – know when the lower rate begins and try to do most of your tasks during that time so you can avoid paying that extra money you really don’t need to pay. This is usually occurs later in the evenings.

2. Purchase energy-efficient appliances

Replacing your old appliances with newer energy efficient appliances is a fantastic way to lower your utility costs. Also when buying appliances, bigger is not always better. For example you don’t need a very powerful electric heater for a space that with a little more insulation to properly prevent heat loss, can get by with a smaller more efficient space heater. When shopping and comparing appliances be sure to check the energy consumption rates and make sure they have the Energy Star logo since this notes ones that are specifically designed efficiency in mind.

3. Turn off devices you’re not using

Turning off devices and appliances that you are not using is a great way to save on your utility costs. Often times, devices that appear to be turned off or are in standby mode are actually slowly draining electricity. These devices are called energy vampires.

4. Locations are key to proper consumption

Be aware of where you place your appliances in your home. Never place a refrigerator or freezer close to a heat source. Doing so, will require the appliance to work harder to maintain a constant cold temperature and will increase its power consumption. A fridge also needs sufficient space behind it for air to flow to operate properly. Defrosting the freezer on a regular basis will also allow it to operate at peak capacity many years to come.

5. Other little details

Being energy conscious in the everyday details of your life will also add up to help you save money on your utilities. For example, never use pans larger or smaller than the diameter of the heating elements on your stove. Also avoid setting the thermostat for the air conditioner below 78 degrees and for the heat above 68 degrees.

Andrew is a blogger passionate to write about decoration, home innovations and Turnpike Lane removals.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Everyone is trying to save a buck or two these days, right? Well cutting back on lattes and take-out is a great way to accomplish this. However, when it comes to the security of your home and family, is the cheapest option the best? Yes and no. This article discusses some “cheap” options for home security that work just as well as the very expensive systems out there.

[The most important thing to consider before choosing from your options is that many modern home alarms are comprehensive monitoring systems. Although the following are inexpensive on their own, you may want to consider purchasing several systems to make your home the safest it can be; which can, in turn, cost you more.]

Remote Surveillance: If you need to keep an eye out for your belongings while you’re away from your home, one great choice is getting surveillance apps like the iCam app. At only $4.99 (available on iTunes), it is a very budget-friendly option. The install is also simple. All you have to do is download an app to your computer, one to your smart phone or tablet, and connect several webcams. Voila, you can view your home from a remote location via an internet connection.

Cost: $
Worth it? Yes!
Pros: Motion-sensor triggers video recording and push notifications, remote viewing via internet connection
Cons: Won’t alert police when triggered, several webcams may need to be purchased.

In-home Security: If you are interested in alarms to be used while you are in the home to alert you of an intruder, there are also less expensive options. The most common alarms used in homes are magnetic contact alarms. These are usually small contraptions that attach to your windows and doors. When one of these is opened, the magnetic sensor puts off a loud sound that will usually scare off intruders.

Cost: $-$$
Worth it? Yes!
Pros: The sound alone may be enough to scare off burglars, and keep teenagers in.
Cons: Very easy to accidently trigger them and won’t alert police.

DIY Home Alarms: Home alarm DIY kits are—in most cases—very affordable. However, they are not the easiest to install. You may be in luck if you purchase a wireless system. The good thing about this option is that you can control several different variables (magnetic contacts, motion-sensor powered sirens and lights) with a “one-key” arm/disarm button. This eliminates the need to turn sensors on and off every time you open a window or door.

Cost: $$-$$$
Worth it? Yes!
Pros: Ability to control multiple systems with one keypad. Most models will alert you with a phone call or text if your system has detected an intrusion.
Cons: Depending on the model you buy, some may be too easily triggered causing false alarms, some may be difficult to install, and some may not have the same “look” as those more sophisticated models (burglars are usually very good at identifying cheaper systems).

Long story short, there are many budget-friendly systems available that can suit your needs very nicely. It all depends on what type of security you are interested in and how much you want to spend. Even homes with very expensive home alarm systems are not immune to theft; so don’t feel like you have to be broke to be safe.

Regardless of what you get and how much you spend, it’s a good practice to take inventory of all your valuables and keep that in a safe place. This list of goods will help you, a) retrieve them, or, b) easier for insurance to replace what you’ve lost (assuming you’re covered). Just remember to always be aware of your home, the simplest—and cheapest—methods of preventing theft is to keep your home locked up and valuables out of sight.

The author of this article, Michael Williams, is an enthusiastic purveyor of home security supplies. He has been writing about home safety, security and theft prevention, while also supplying home alarms to those whom need them.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.