Sunny Days for Solar Overseas

We're seldom short of solar news from around Australia to bring you in these turbulent times for clean energy. Today, however, we're bringing you solar news from elsewhere on this lovely planet of ours.

First to the UK: construction has recently been completed on the UK's largest solar power plant. Completed in an impressively tight timeframe of just ten weeks, Spanish firm Isolux Corsan spent 40 million Euros on the 15 megawatt facility located in rural Cornwall. The fast turnaround to install the 22,000 panels was partly due to Britain's latest reductions to solar feed-in tariffs, a story all too familiar to the Australian solar industry.

It's great to hear of large scale solar projects like this being completed so quickly. All the UK now needs is some sunshine!

There is also positive solar news coming out of the US, where during the second quarter of 2011 solar PV installations increased by a huge 69 per cent. California is leading this surge, closely followed by New Jersey which has has the largest non-residential solar market in the US. Google has recently invested US$250 million into a residential solar project which will no doubt provide a fantastic boost for the solar industry in the US.

Another US giant, Walmart has taken a great initiative in renewable energy by placing solar panels on the rooftops of many of its stores in California, enough to generate up to 70 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year - an example which retail giants or owners of large commercial premises around the world would do well follow.

As the globe is gripped by economic uncertainty we hope that investment in clean energy will not wane. Even if residential installs slow down thanks to reductions in feed-in tariffs, we hope that large scale installations will thrive.

For information on how SmartNow can enable you to get the most from your solar panels and reduce wastage please visit www.smartnow.com.au.

Using the Current Cost USB Data Cable with Windows 7 x 64

Please find below some helpful links for those customers trying to download the Driver for the USB data cable, with Windows 7 x 64.

SmartNow USB Drivers Page

PLEASE NOTE - unbelievably, just because there is a newer driver available than the ones we have posted, it doesn't mean it will work!  The drivers we have on our site are tried and tested and work.  PLEASE do not go googling for newer drivers, as all that will happen is you'll wind up calling us because you can't get them to work.  Strange but True.

Alternative Software for the USB Data Cable

As most of our customers are aware, Google PowerMeter is due to close in September.

We’ve already brought you some updates on what Bridge users can expect when this closure happens: http://www.smartnow.com.au/2011/06/28/the-bridge-some-exciting-current-cost-developments-smart-now-home-energy-monitor/

But we know that many customers use the USB data cable to upload data from their EnviR home energy monitor.

Current Cost, manufacturers of the EnviR, have put together some very useful information regarding software options for users of the USB cable: http://www.currentcost.com/software-downloads.html

As you can see, there are plenty of options available to enable you to get the most from your EnviR, to eliminate wastage and reduce your power bill.

The Green Thing

We’ve just come across a thought provoking piece on being green and whether it is really such a “new” idea. It makes for some interesting reading and has got us feeling rather nostalgic!

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Author unknown.

www.smartnow.com.au

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.

Cool down your house and save energy

The temperature is rising all over Australia and it seems the only option is to crank up the air conditioning as high as it'll go, but there are many other ways to cool your house down which use far less energy and won't leave you with a huge power bill.

Property journalist Caroline Boyd has come up with some excellent tips to cool down your house in what's shaping up to be a scorching hot summer: http://theage.domain.com.au/blogs/talking-property/tips-to-cool-down-the-house/20110201-1abbq.html.

You would also be wise to invest in a Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow. You'll be able to see how much energy you're using in real time, and what it's costing you, to ensure that you're not faced with a colossal energy bill at the end of the season.

Visit our online store and receive free shipping on orders over $50: http://www.smartnow.com.au/store.

New Zealand school installs EnviR and Google PowerMeter to go green and make savings!

A school in Khandallah, New Zealand has become the first school in the world to install Google PowerMeter to monitor energy use and save money.

Cashmere Avenue Primary School has already identified 2kW of energy use which can easily be cut, representing a saving of around $1500 a year. This is a valuable reinvestment opportunity at a time when schools’ budgets are stretched to the limit.

Read more here: http://katrinashanks.co.nz/index.php?/archives/383-Cashmere-Ave-Primary-School-Goes-Green-to-Help-out-Blue.html

At SmartNow we are currently developing our own not-for-profit venture: the SmartNow School Energy Education Program. To learn more about this project to increase energy efficiency and provoke interest in sustainability in schools click here: http://www.smartnow.com.au/schools.php

Ben from GeekZone reviews the Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow NZ

The Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow New Zealand has just been reviewed by Ben from GeekZone. Click the link to find out what he had to say: http://www.ben.geek.nz/2011/01/review-current-cost-envir-from-smartnow-nz/

Smart Meters not so Smart

The Age this morning ran this article.

Whilst we at SmartNow are generally in favour of Smart Meters, we're in favour of it being done properly. At the moment, the allegation that the consumer is paying for the Smart Meter, but the power company gets all the benefit are completely true.

It is a real shame that they are not including real-time displays with the rollout, as this is effectively the only way that people can learn to reduce their power bills. Getting a power reading for the previous 24 hours just doesn't cut it.

Peer reviewed studies from around the world have repeatedly found that getting instantaneous information about consumption is the only way that people can learn how to reduce their energy use. You turn something on or off, and watch the power spike or fall.

Instead, with the feedback that customers are getting here, you turn a device on or off and have to wait 24 hours to see the effect.

So, whilst we're waiting for this system to be put right, get a Current Cost ENVI or TREC and slash your power bills.

Current Cost TREC is now here in Australia and New Zealand

Great news! We've just received the first delivery of the Current Cost TREC!

The TREC home energy monitor is the baby brother to the ENVI, and is available from our websites at www.smartnow.com.au and www.smartnow.co.nz

The TREC is simpler and smaller than the ENVI, but realistically it only lacks the PC interface and the capability to deal with 3-phase power. It's really sleek and we're really pleased that it's arrived.

This is perfect for those who do not require the bells and whistles that the ENVI offers, or those who require a separate display for use elsewhere in their house (i.e. one in the office, one in the kitchen).

More very exciting developments on their way over the next few days. These are exciting times for the home energy monitor market as Current Cost launch their latest offerings into the antipodean market through SmartNow. Of particular importance to us is how we can offer the ENVI and TREC wireless home energy monitors to low-income households and those vulnerable to the rising electricity prices in Australia.

Current Cost Envi on it's way to Australia!

The first Current Cost Envi Real-Time Energy Monitors are about to arrive in Australia!

Over 600,000 of these amazing monitors have been installed in homes in the UK, and now it's the turn of Australia and New Zealand! As you can tell, we're rather excited about the launch. The monitors will be available from www.SmartNow.com.au as of 2nd November 2009.

These devices can save the average Australian household 15 - 30% of their electricity bills... assuming the average Australian household uses 7000 KWh per year, and that one KWh costs $0.19, that's an amazing $200 - $400 saving each year...

...and that's before the next electricity price rise....

Come visit us at www.SmartNow.com.au to see for yourself!

SmartNow Australia - New Zealand

Welcome to the SmartNow Blog!

This Blog is going to be all about how to reduce your power bills by making simple savings. However, first of all, we really need to tell you about who we are and what we do, so that will be the topic of the first post...

SmartNow is the Australian Importer and Distributor of the Current Cost range of energy saving devices, including the Current Cost Envi, and we're now open for business in Australia and New Zealand at www.SmartNow.com.au

Over 600,000 of these amazing products have been installed in homes in the UK. They are Real Time Displays - simply, they sit on your desk, or in your kitchen, or on the table beside the front door, and tell you how much electricity you are using and how much money you are spending!

It is estimated that 8% of Australia's electricity is wasted by devices left on standby - the Current Cost Envi can help you track down and eliminate these "Vampire" appliances, and help you understand where you are using your power.

It also enables you to ensure that everything is turned off as you leave the house - no more coming home to discover lights, aircon, heating, irons and hairstraighteners left on.

This saves you money, saves the environment (Australia's power generation is largely dependent on very polluting brown coal power stations), and makes sure that those hairstraighteners are not going to set fire to the carpet.
For more information, please see www.SmartNow.com.au