Being green shouldn't stop at home

We've come across an interesting article this week which shows that being green shouldn't stop at home.

The Age reported how Hilton Hotel worker, Benjamin Grimshaw, from Sydney has been nominated for a WWF Earth Hour Award having spearheaded a successful environmental policy at the hotel.

One of his first steps was to install 744 LED light bulbs in the hotel's guest corridors which is saving the hotel $30,000 a year and has reduced energy requirements by 35% in those areas.

Having formed an environmental committee, Grimshaw has also helped to cut water use by 2.3 per cent by installing sensors and restrictors in hotel bathrooms and has decreased the hotel's per capita energy use by 6.5 per cent.

The Earth Hour Award nomination is a sure indication that green initiatives in the work place are taken seriously and can reap benefits for the individual as well as for the business and the environment.

To read the full article click here: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/earth-hour/tiny-footprint-in-the-corridor-20110325-1c9f0.html

To learn how to monitor how much energy your home or workplace is consuming visit: www.smartnow.com.au.

Extend the range of your Current Cost EnviR

One of our wholesale customers has been kind enough to share with us an interesting observation regarding the range of the EnviR:

Range of the EnviR (line of sight) = 112m
Range of the EnviR when it’s sat in a metal meter box = 30m

He has bought a waterproof box from Jaycar (part number= HB6402) and mounted the transmitter outside his metal meter box, but inside this waterproof box, which has extended the range of his system.

Many thanks to Andrew Goodfellow at Aussie Home Inventories for this useful tip.

Solving issues with Windows 7

A couple of our customers have recently experienced some issues with accessing drivers for Windows 7. We've found that the following download will help: http://www​.cooldrive​s.com/lib/​cooldrives​/vista-pro​lific-chip​-driver-fo​r-serial-a​dapters.zi​p. Although it refers to Vista, we have found that this driver does in fact work for Windows 7.

Of course we can't guarantee that a particular driver will work for everyone - we're simply going by our own experiences and those of our customers.

EDIT - this driver is now on our website under USB Drivers

Solar panels: the next generation

Another exciting solar development to report: the next generation of solar panels - about one-20th as thick as a piece of paper - is being developed by Australian researchers. These panels, with a layer of crystalised silicon gas which collects sunlight, could eventually be used to overlay glass skyscrapers - transforming them into solar power stations.

The introduction of these panels will represent another step forwards in encouraging much larger scale solar installations and making use of commercial spaces; something essential in harnessing the vast potential of solar power.

To learn more about this development and to see the new face of the fantastic Earth Hour campaign visit The Age Environment page: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/energy-smart/plea-from-a-new-earth-mother--20110305-1bio9.html.