Jonathan D. Blundell

I got a new toy to play with today for my tech column.
It’s a PowerCost Monitor from Blue Line Innovations.
A special monitor hooks to your power meter outdoors which sends information to a reader inside your house.
I’ve been doing some un-scientific experiments to see how the thing works and to see just how much power I’m using.
My loft has four florescent bulbs in the main living area. With those four on and things like my refrigerator, stove, microwave and stereo system plugged in I’m pulling only 4 cents an hour in cost. Run all of that 24 hours a day and you end up with $28.80 for your electric bill.
When I went and turned on all the lights, lamps and fans in the loft my cost shot up to 34 cents an hour. That equates to $8.16 a day or $244.80 a month. Luckily we don’t do that.
Add the AC to that (granted its not running hard its only 59 degrees out) and the price jumps to 38 cents a day or $273.60 a month.
Wow.
And here’s an interesting statistic.
I figured out that using four 100 watt bulbs costs me a nickel an hour. Figure that out to a monthly cost and it’s $36 a month to run the lights on my ceiling fan.
Compare that to 1 or 2 cents an hour to run the fan on high. That only costs $14.4 a month.
I decided to go buy four 15 watt florescent bulbs at Target. They cost me $16. As I figure it, they barely make a dent in my hourly rate. They cost less than a penny an hour or $4.32 a month.
What a difference. I’d say the light is fairly similar. Not as bright, but GE advertises it’s 15 watt florescent bulbs as equivalent to a 60 watt bulb. So definitely enough light for a bedroom.
Now if I just change all the bulbs in the house we might see a big difference.
I am seeing a couple oddities though with the monitor.
I assumed my laptop would pull a lot more wattage but it doesn’t seem to make a dent in my cost.
And apparently my ice box kicks on about every 30 minutes or so and pulls roughly .17 kilowatts (or $2.50 an hour).
But the device costs $50 or so (I think) and helps make you fully aware of where your monthly electric bill is going.
It also keeps a total account of how much you’ve spent since the last reset so you don’t get a huge surprise at the end of the month.

This is a little dated, but while looking for other information I found this unique design for roofing tiles:

A roof tile that harnesses solar energy to heat water and generate electricity, has been invented by an Australian industrial designer.
The plastic tile is filled with solar cells and connects to a house’s hot water system and electrical wiring.
Sebastian Braat, a graduate of the University of Western Sydney, says the tiles are designed with urban dwellings in mind – particularly the new generation of so-called “McMansion” style suburban homes.
It may not look great, but think of the electrical savings.
Braat says it takes about 200 tiles to generate a maximum of 1.5 kilowatts – more than enough for an average three-bedroom suburban house over a year.
Other researchers suggest looking at how the roof’s pitch may change the efficiency of the tiles as well as how so many joins may lead to increased leaks in the roof.

Microsoft released free developer tools on Monday that will allow amateurs to make their own video games.
XNA Game Studio Express 1.0 is a framework for creating games with the C# programming language, a content pipeline for incorporating 3D-rich content, and includes libraries of 2D and 3D content that can be applied to games. XNA games can be played on the Xbox 360 itself or a Windows PC. The development tool package is free to download, though a subscription service is required for developers to share the games they create with anyone else.

Read more from CNET

5. Todd Agnew – My Jesus
4. Audio Adrenaline – Big House
3. Between Theives – Two Pennies
2. U2 – City of Blinding Lights
1. Dave Barnes – I Have and Always Will

Via ONR

An Australian National University researcher claims to have invented a technology that could cut the cost of producing solar panels by more than 60 percent. According to Professor Andrew Blakers, director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems at the Australian National University system works by taking a standard solar cell about one millimeter thick and cutting it into tiny slices that are just 120 micrometers wide. “Imagine a standard solar cell is a loaf of bread. When you put it out in the sun it generates energy based on its surface area. Now imagine you cut that loaf up into slices and lay them horizontally. You get a lot more surface area,” he said. According to him, the technique also allows researchers to use much smaller amounts of expensive silicon to generate the same amount of electricity.

Read more at Treehugger

Fiscal-responsibility site Feed the Pig offers a wealth of tools, tips and articles to help you keep your finances under control.
Start with its two calculators. The first shows you how much money you can save over time by brown-bagging your lunch. The second helps you pay off your credit card over a set period. Feed the Pig also has articles on establishing a budget; a worksheet for determining your personal cash-flow; tips for buying a home; and much more.
Via: Lifehacker