Benefits of Installing PV Solar at Your Business place

Ways how solar energy will benefit your business and make it more sustainable.

If you are a business owner and looking to receive one over the competition and  conserve the environment at the exact same time, then moving green with solar energy might be a really smart move.

Here are the manners solar energy can make your business more environmentally friendly and economically sustainable:

Fewer greenhouse gas emissions

The precondition of a successful company is a prosperous earth! Do not bring about unsustainable global warming by sourcing your power from dirty, increasingly rare fossil fuels. Solar energy is a wholly clean and renewable energy supply free of greenhouse gas emissions whatsoever. Thus go solar and your business will quickly become much more sustainable.

Reduced electricity bills & strong return on investment

Believe it or not, moving solar can also benefit the bottom line of your organization! Energy prices continue to grow and are forecasted to keep doing this as fossil fuels become increasingly more expensive. Switching to Solar Energy solutions now could allow you to cut hundreds annually from the own energy bills and improve your business' profitability. Depending on where you live, you might also have the ability to take advantage of government rebates and tax incentives encouraging the take up of alternative energy, and installation discounts offered by the company that you go with.

Boost your standing

Going green sends a message to your customers, clients and the community that you are a socially responsible capitalist with an investment in the lives of those around him, rather than just someone who's out for himself. Adopting solar power, even if it is in the kind of lamps that convert the sun energy into light, can be a public relations fantasy for your business. It might be exactly the thing that persuades a potential customer or customer choose your business over the competition.

More stable electricity supply/Less service disturbance

As fossil fuels become more and more rare and the prospect of price spikes, power outages, resource wars, oil embargoes and the like looms on the horizon, so you do not wish to get caught up in the crossfires of an renewable energy supply. Though solar comes with its own issues with intermittency, it might still be the more stable option compared to fossil fuels. Having your own electricity supply gives you independence and means your business operations will not be continuously disrupted by external factors not under your control. This then gives you a boost over the competition who haven't yet made the switch.

Makes your building easier to sell or lease out

When potential tenants or buyers see that you utilize solar power, they may be more prone to buy or rent from you.

Solar energy has the capacity to improve your business and save the planet. Although it may seem like a hassle switching over, in the long term the benefits will outweigh the costs. Solar is far cleaner more eco-friendly energy option than fossil fuels. And by showing clients, customers, potential buyers and renters that you just care about their quality of life instead of simply your hip pocket, they'll be more inclined to do business with you.

To get the best Solar Energy Services in Chicago visit Verde Solutions

Energy Conservation : Top 10 ways to save energy

There are many distinct strategies to lower your household's energy use, which range from alterations that are simple to home developments. Protect the environment and the two major motives for energy would be to save on utility bills. Here are the ten most frequent techniques to conserve energy in your house, recorded from the easiest to the procedures.

1.Adjust your day-to-day behaviors

To decrease energy consumption in your home, you do not necessarily need to go out and buy energy efficient products. Energy conservation can be as straightforward as turning appliances or lights off if you do not need them. You can even use appliances by washing dishes, or performing household tasks manually, such as hang-drying your clothes instead of putting them in the drier.

The behavior adjustments having the potential for utility savings are turning down the heat in your thermostat in winter and using your air conditioner less. Heating and cooling costs constitute almost half of a typical home's utility bills, so that these discounts in frequency and the degree of cooling and heating provide the greatest savings.

2.Replace your light bulbs

Traditional incandescent light bulbs have an inordinate amount of electricity and must be replaced more often than their energy-efficient choices. Halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lighting (CFL's), and light-emitting diode bulbs (LED's) use anywhere from 25-80 percent less power and last three to 25 times longer than conventional bulbs.

Even though energy efficient bulbs are more expensive from the shelf, their efficient energy usage and service lives imply that they cost less in the long term.Energy efficient bulbs are the clear winners in terms of their ecological and fiscal advantages.

3.Use Smart power strips

"Phantom loads" or the power used by electronic equipment when they are turned off or in standby mode, are a significant source of energy waste. In fact, it's estimated that 75 percent of the energy used to power household electronic equipment is absorbed when they're switched off, which may cost you up to $200 each year. Smart power strips, also known as advanced power strips, eliminate the problem of loads by shutting off the ability to electronics when they are not in use. Smart power strips can be set to turn off in an assigned time, through a period of inactivity, through remote switches, or dependent on the status of a"master" device.

4.Install a smart or programmable thermostat

A programmable or smart thermostat can be set to automatically turn off or reduce heating and cooling during the times when you are asleep or off. When you install a programmable thermostat, you remove energy use from heating and cooling without updating your own HVAC system or sacrificing any comfort.

A programmable thermostat can save you $180 per year. Thermostats come in different versions that can be set to fit your weekly schedule. Features of programmable thermostats may include indexes for when to replace HVAC system issues or air filters, which enhance the efficiency of your heating system and cooling system.

5.Purchase energy efficient appliances

Generally, appliances are responsible for 13% of your total household energy usage. You should pay attention to two amounts: the initial cost and the yearly operating price when buying an appliance. Although energy-efficient appliances have higher purchase prices, their operating costs are 9-25 percent lower than conventional models.

When purchasing an energy efficient appliance, you should look for appliances with the ENERGY STAR label, which will be a guarantee the appliance will have less electricity during use and when on standby than efficient versions that are normal. Energy savings vary based on the particular appliance. For example, ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers whereas only 9% less energy are used by ENERGY STAR refrigerators consume 25% less energy and 45 percent less water than conventional ones.

6.Reduce your water heating expenses

Water heating is a major contributor to your whole energy consumption. Besides purchasing an energy efficient water heater, there are three ways of lowering your water heating expenses: you can simply use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, or even insulate your water heater and the first six feet of hot and cold water pipes.

If you are thinking about replacing your water heater using an efficient model, you must keep in mind two factors: the type of water heater that meets your needs and the sort of fuel it will use. By way of instance,tankless water heaters are energy efficient, but they are a poor choice for families as they cannot handle uses of hot water. Efficient water heaters may be anywhere between 8% and 300% more energy efficient than a conventional storage water heater. Furthermore, make sure to account for its lengthy service life of 10 to 15 years in which water-heating savings can collect.

7.Install energy efficient windows

It is possible to replace single-pane windows with ones to prevent heat loss through your windows.

For homes in cold areas, gas-filled windows with"low-e" coatings can significantly lower your heating costs. In addition, heat loss can be reduced by exterior or interior storm windows by ten to 20 percent. You should especially consider storm windows in case your region experiences frequent extreme weather events.

Heat gain through windows may be an issue. In addition to minimizing heat loss, low-e coatings windows can reduce heat gain by reflecting mild and lowering the amount of energy diffused into your property. Depending upon the climate in which you live, ENERGY STAR windows can save you $20-$95 every year on your utility bills. Window shades, shutters, screens, and awnings may supply an excess layer of insulating material between your home and external temperatures.

8.Update your HVAC system

An HVAC system is composed of heating, heating, and air conditioning equipment. Heating accounts for at least 40 percent of home energy usage. ENERGY STAR gas furnaces have different specifications from the southern and northern halves of the United States because houses in areas are exposed to colder temperatures during the calendar year.

9.Weatherize Your House

The most frequent sources of air flows into your house are vents, windows, and doorways. You should guarantee that there are not any openings or cracks between the wall and vent, window, or door frame, to protect against these leaks.

You can apply caulk to secure air leaks between stationary items, such as the window and wall frame. For cracks between objects, such as doors and windows, you are able to apply weather stripping. Weather stripping and caulking are simple air sealing. Air leaks may also happen through openings in the walls, floor, and ceiling from pipes, ducting, or electrical wiring.

10.Insulate your home





Insulation plays a key role in lowering your utility bills through retaining heat during the winter and keeping heat out of your home during the summer. The recommended level of heat resistance, or “R-value,” for your insulation depends on where you live. In warmer climates, the recommended R-value is much lower than for buildings located in colder regions like the Northeast.

To get the best energy saving solutions visit Navigate Power

Energy Saving Solution : Replace parking lot lights with LED lamps

Replacing your Parking spaces with LED lighting can be the very best solution towards energy conserving and fostering the progress of your company.

There are a few choices to moving LED together with your parking lot lighting. A lot of people decide to retrofit the bulb. In most of the above and 400 W wattage applications we choose to go with new LED fixtures developed to handle an LED system's dynamics.We have found that parking lot lights are somewhat old, the rubber gaskets are worn and allow moisture into the fixture, they tend to get faded/rusted and in the day's end weren't designed for drivers and its LED board/retrofit. The heat must be managed using a heat sink built into the fixture.Old metal halide and higher pressure sodium fixtures did not need to address thermal management and therefore weren't designed to dissipate heat away from the LED module. Within an environment like a parking lot fixture you can get the life shortened on the machine and outright failure due to heat build up,and with this the increased energy efficiency leads to lower costs.

The coolest thing about going LED is that we're at a point that's very appealing for facility managers and construction owners.Switching from the older high pressure sodium or metal halide fixture to some new smart LED fixture would be the way to go for many. LED prices have come down significantly, lumen outputs are up significantly, DLC accepted LED fixtures have high prices attached in the electricity companies and guarantees on many of these fixtures are 5 to 10 years!

LED Fittings come with the following features and Advantages:

• Developed around the LED module & motorist program.

• High Lumen per volt output - a few are up to 145 lumen/watt - more light

• 3000K, 4000K & 5000K - pleasant light which remains constant for the product's Life Span

• Driver which supports 100-277VAC Car switching

• Comes with lots of configurations

• High quality and dependable Nichia and Maxwell walkers

• DLC Premium Recorded and UL Listed - and all of the performance criteria meet

• IP65 rated

Replacing 250W Metal Halide and Higher Pressure Sodium

For 80 percent of cases, when your fixture is under 20 feet in height, our 60-70 W LED Fixture will be more than enough to replace a 250 W Metal Halide or higher Pressure Sodium fixture. These fittings create over 5,000 lumens. The outcomes are loved by our customers. This represents a 79% electricity savings.

These LED fittings produce approximately 9,000 lumens and recognize a savings of 74%. Some vendors believe 9,000 lumens is sufficient to replace a 400 W Metal Halide. Converting to this fixture is an upgrade over the level which you currently have.Hence,It can be conclude that replacing parking lot lamps with LED's can be the best step towards energy savings.

What about the rebates?

Rebates are offered throughout the Country and change by utility, but there is now a difference between DLC Premium and DLC Standard. There are 2 big differences between the lien figures, the efficiency as well as the criteria.

As soon as a product or a fixture receives the DLC Premium it means it has a greater efficiency standard than DLC Standard. What exactly does that mean for you? It means you fixture will produce more mild and consuming less energy. This is a return on your investment in light and real savings. Since the Entire idea of converting over to LED would be to save money, efficiency matters.

To get the best Energy saving solutions visit Verde Solutions Chicago.

Ways To Save money And Energy At Home

Drastic reductions in cooling, heating and energy prices can be accomplished. Of course, for homeowners that want to take advantage of systems in house energy efficiency and the wisdom.

Make your house more energy efficient? Here are a some reasons:

• Federal, state, utility and local jurisdictions' financial incentives, such as tax breaks, are very advantageous for homeowners in most parts of the U.S.

• It saves money. It costs less to power a home that has been converted to be more energy-efficient.

• It increases the comfort level indoors.

• It reduces our impact on climate change. Many scientists now believe that excessive energy consumption contributes significantly to global warming.

• It reduces pollution. Conventional power production introduces pollutants that find their way into the air, soil and water supplies

As much as half the energy used in homes goes toward heating and cooling. The following are a Couple of ways that electricity bills can be reduced to the heating and cooling systems through adjustments: 

• Install a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans may be used instead of air conditioners, which need a large amount of energy.

• Periodically replace air filters in air conditioners and heaters.

• Set thermostats to an suitable temperature. They should be turned down when no one is home and during the night. In most homes, about 2% of their heating charge will be saved that the thermostat is lowered for at least eight hours every day. Turning down the thermostat from 75° F to 70° F saves about 10 percent on heating costs.

• Install a programmable thermostat. A thermostat saves money by allowing heating and cooling appliances to be automatically turned down during times that no one is during the night and home. Programmable thermostats in some climate zones, can save up to $150 annually in energy costs and, contain no mercury.

• Install a pellet stove or a wood stove. These are more efficient sources of warmth than furnaces.

• At night, the room will be insulated by drapes drawn over windows.

Demand-type water heaters (tankless or instantaneous) provide hot water only because it's required. The standby energy losses associated aren't produced by them. Tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. Cold water travels through a pipe to the unit when a hot water tap is turned on. As a result, demand water heaters provide a continuous supply of water. You don't need to await a storage tank to fill up with water that is enough.

The average household dedicates 11 percent of its energy budget. While the rest becomes heat incandescent lights convert roughly only 10 percent of the energy they consume to lighting. The use of new light technologies, for example light-emitting diodes (LED's) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's), can reduce the energy usage required by light by 50 percent to 75%. 

Further energy savings are offered by advances in light controls by reducing the amount of time that lights are on but not being used. 

Here are some details about CFL's and LED's:

• CFL's use 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.  
• LED's last even longer than CFL's and have less energy.
• LED's have no moving parts and, unlike CFL's, they contain no mercury.

Sealing and insulating your house is one of the approaches to create a home more comfortable and energy-efficient, and you can do it yourself. While reducing utility bills, comfort and indoor air quality cans enhance. 

These are some of the ways to save your energy and utility bills at home.

To get better home energy saving solutions Contact Verde Solutions

What is Chicago solar express

The City of Chicago is accelerating solar energy, making installation of rooftop solar easier, cheaper, and faster than ever. By cutting fees, and reducing time-in-line, streamlining and standardizing permitting and zoning processes, the City of Chicago has made putting solar on your rooftop as efficient and affordable as possible. 

About "Solar Chicago" Bulk purchase program.

On March 17th 2014, Mayor Emanuel announced Chicago was named Earth hour capital winning a grant to help accelerate Chicago's solar market.

In July, the City and partners Cook County, World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Vote Solar Initiative, launched Solar Chicago, a program to make rooftop solar more affordable than ever for Chicago residents.


Through the Solar Chicago program, Chicago residents will be able to install solar starting at $3.49 per-watt - more than a 25% discount off the average market installation costs. This offer is available until September 30, 2014.

Background of "Solar Chicago"

In 2012, the City of Chicago and ComEd were awarded a grant under the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to support solar PV installations by reducing market barriers and soft costs. The grant was sponsored through the Mayor’s office, and the team was comprised of multiple City, industry, utility, non-profit, and institutional stakeholders. Core project partners included West Monroe Partners, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and Illinois Institute of Technology.

As outlined in Mayor Emanuel’s environmental action agenda, Sustainable Chicago 2015, the deployment of these initiatives is a critical part of economic development in Chicago and integral to the City’s goal of becoming the greenest and most sustainable city in America, while giving more choices to residents and businesses.

The Solar Energy Permit Program

In 2013, the City of Chicago streamlined and standardized the permitting and zoning process for rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Small and large rooftop PV generators can now access the City of Chicago Easy Permit Process. Qualifying projects can receive same-day permit approvals (a process that used to take 30 days) at a reduced fee of $275 (down from $375).There are separate steps for small and large rooftop systems. Small rooftop solar PV systems are those generating less than 13.44 kilowatt (kW). Large rooftop solar PV systems are those generating greater than 13.44 kW.Along with the Easy Permit Process, Chicago’s Department of Buildings has published new permitting guidelines that allow general contractors to clearly demonstrate safe design of solar systems on all Chicago building types, leading to a reduction of engineering fees and potential savings of $2,000-$4,000 for qualifying solar projects.The new City of Chicago Solar Zoning Policy gives clear guidance on how to design solar projects in accordance with the City’s zoning ordinance. In the EPP process, applicants are able to forgo a dedicated zoning review, saving time and money.

Application Procedure

The process involves the selection of a licensed solar contractor with experience installing solar in Chicago and approval by the City of Chicago and ComEd. Interested applicants should view the program website for more information on the application process.


To get the best solar solutions in Chicago Visit Verde Solutions

Source : Cityofchicago.org

Getting In Depth Of Online Energy Audit

As a business owner, you might find it difficult to carve out time for an online energy audit, but investing in company energy efficiency is not only worth your time, it is the best use of it. In only seven minutes, you can input common, off-the-cuff understanding about your business operations into an internet audit using the Business Energy Checkup tool and receive an energy savings plan to decrease energy prices. The result: potentially thousands in yearly savings along with a carbon footprint to your institution. Discover what to expect from an online audit and have your most frequent concerns put to break to find the true worth of an online energy audit.

What to expect from the online audit

When filling out the online energy audit provided inside the Business Energy Checkup tool, you can anticipate to input information about your operations that you already understand. Questions include what kind of company you operate, how many times you run and if you use electricity or gas for heating.

Once you've gone through the Business Energy Checkup, you will receive a snapshot of current usage practices and an energy savings plan with specific and relevant energy efficiency recommendations. The proposed changes outline the best ways you can alter your business practices to execute in depth cost economies and include timelines for seeing returns on your energy investments. Use this to notify energy efficiency budgeting that allows for little dollar changes instantly and works up to more involved updates as you realize cost savings.

Answers for Frequent concerns

The most common misconception about completing the online energy audit within the Business Energy Checkup tool is that rigorous research is necessary. But there is no need to be worried you won't ever have the opportunity to look up info because no study is necessary. What is more, pictures make it effortless to remember details you may not have already committed to memory. No issue. Photographs of bulbs and other energy use items help jog your memory because you take the energy and ensure it is easy to fill out. Moreover, the Business Energy Checkup tool functions together with the information you have available to give you instant results on your current level of business energy efficiency. If you don't know the answer to a specific question, simply fill in the"I do not know" choice and proceed. Your results have been generated based on the information that you do know so that your energy savings won't be stored up.

The next deterrent that commonly prevents company owners out of filling out an online energy audit is the belief that it takes a large quantity of time to implement the recommendations within the energy savings plan. On the other hand, the recommendations within the Business Energy Checkup tool comprise practices it is possible to begin implementing now free of cost. There's no need to get overwhelmed with suggestions for improving energy efficiency. Detailed recommendations tell you exactly what you want to know to estimate your situation quickly and earn money immediately. Begin with low-hanging fruit and strategy around the bigger updates you decide to incorporate into your own operations.

Finally, budgetary issues associated with executing energy audit recommendations are satisfied with cost-effective answers. Many little to medium-sized businesses operate under tight budgets that don't allow for additional costs, even if these expenses produce potential cost savings. However, as well as some no-cost recommendations, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) offers fantastic energy efficiency rebate applications accessed readily from inside the Business Energy Checkup tool. In fact, some lien provides cover the complete cost economies, which means that your budget doesn't suffer and you realize pure savings without any price. Furthermore, On-Bill Financing enables business owners to cover the price of an energy efficiency upgrade by simply paying their regular utility bill every month. The service offers energy efficiency budgeting for you, diverting costs saved in the investment every month into the initial cost of the job prior to the loan is paid off.

Additional benefits of the Business Energy Checkup tool

Additional advantages of the Business Energy Checkup tool stem out of the info which you share with other people, specifically energy savings data such as how many tons of CO2 your steps are deflecting yearly. Utilize the Business Energy Checkup instrument as the logical starting point to muster a large-scale initiative, realize additional cost savings and build support for further efforts that involve your entire team. Integrating the Business Energy Checkup as part of your organization practice shows a corporate commitment to reducing carbon emissions and assembles team support for additional efforts toward a long-term energy savings strategy.

To get your energy auditing done today contact verde solutions for the best services

LEDs vs CFL

The wholesale switch from incandescent light bulbs, which were discontinued for wattage above 40 watts in 2014, to the more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs and light emitting diode (LED) bulbs have been evolving for years. A lot of confusion still exists, however, about these bulbs, starting with which is which. Is the long light bulb the CFL bulb and the LED the curly light bulb? Or is it the other way around — CFL is the curly light bulb and LED is the long light bulb? And that’s before we even analyze which one is more energy efficient!

Over the years, advances in technology have brought about innovations in how to light our homes and commercial buildings. In the beginning, all we had was the standard, incandescent light bulb. Now we have compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and light emitting diodes or LED for short. We are going to tackle the question… which light bulb type reigns supreme? There are many variables, so let’s FIND OUT.

LED VS CFL Brightness

Are LED lights brighter than or equal to Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs? The trick is to understand the technology. In short, LED and CFL as technologies do not have a difference in brightness intrinsically. Brightness is determined by lumens. Lumens is best described as the measurement of light. A single CFL and LED bulb might have the same lumen (brightness) output but vary greatly in the amount of energy needed to generate that level of brightness.

Many LED bulbs in the past were not omnidirectional which gave the upper hand to CFL in various scenarios. For example, in a floor lamp, a CFL would perform better because of the light coverage was, at the time, much broader. In most recessed lighting (ceiling), however, the LED would have greater efficacy. Fast forward to new LED generations, and we see the little light-emitting diodes surpassing CFLs in overall energy consumption, color and even becoming more competitively priced in the marketplace.

Lumen & Wattage Comparison

To compare different light bulbs, you need to know about lumens. Lumens, not watts, tell you how bright a light bulb is, no matter the type of bulb. The more lumens, the brighter the light. Labels on the front of light bulb packages now state a bulb’s brightness in lumens, instead of the bulb’s energy usage in watts. When shopping for your next light bulb, simply find the lumen output you’re looking for (the bigger the brighter) and choose the bulb with the lowest wattage (the lower the better).

Do CFL or LED bulbs last longer?

Though LED technologies for use in bulbs has not been on the marketplace for extended, the lifespan estimates for the technology are astounding and leave CFL and incandescents with little to show for in comparison. LED light bulbs would be the undisputed, heavyweight champion in longevity. The next are CFL bulbs which bring in a decent 8,000 hours of life expectancy. Keep in mind, most tests are based on a time of 3 hours every day. 

In short form, here are the answers: CFL is the curly light bulb and LED is the long light bulb. And, in the CFL vs LED battle for energy efficiency, the LED light benefits make it a winner.

To get the best services on led lightning and solutions visit Verde solutions