Aussies do their bit as solar use surges. Will you invest in solar energy in 2011?

Before Christmas The Age reported that Australians installed more than 100,000 rooftop solar panels in 2010, more than in the entire previous decade.

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/energy-smart/aussies-do-their-bit-as-solar-panel-use-surges-20101221-193q3.html

The article highlights research from Clean Energy Australia which provides an interesting insight into how Australia uses renewable energy. This report showed that 8.67 per cent of Australia's electricity was provided by renewable resources in 2010. With electricity prices on the rise there has never been a better time to invest in clean energy.

If you are considering investing in a solar system in 2011, get yourself a Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow and hook it up to Google PowerMeter.

An EnviR will be particularly useful if you are on a Net feed-in tariff (where you are paid for every unused kWh which you push back to the grid) as it will allow you to monitor and reduce the amount of energy consumption in your home therefore maximising your payback and ensuring you make back the money on your investment faster!

For a detailed breakdown of how this can be achieved check out our previous blog: http://smartnowenvironmental.blogspot.com/2010/08/stop-read-this-before-you-buy-your.html

Visit SmartNow's webshop to view the Current Cost EnviR and our solar monitoring kits: http://www.smartnow.com.au/store/

Families' bills keep rising: monitor your family's energy consumption with the Current Cost EnviR

An article by Gemma Jones at the Daily Telegraph highlights the desperate situation many Australian families are finding themselves in when they have to switch off essential appliances in order to save money on ever rising electricity bills.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/no-heaters-but-power-bill-still-rose/story-fn6b3v4f-1225972428736

A report by IPART has found that households paid an average 24.4 per cent more for electricity, gas and water in the past two years. One in five low income families were spending 5 per cent of their income on electricity.

Ensure you are not paying more than you should be - monitor your energy usage with the Current Cost EnviR and Google PowerMeter, now available in Australia and New Zealand from www.smartnow.com.au and www.smartnow.co.nz. How much will you save?

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/

SmartNow extends FREE SHIPPING offer up until Australia Day

We've extended our holiday offer right through to 26 January on all orders over $50. Visit our new webshop: http://www.smartnow.com.au/store/