But Iowa has us and the rest of the country beat when it comes to percentage of electricity demand provided by wind. Their wind power farms set a record of 20% of state electricity needs in the second quarter of 2011, with 4,000 megawatts of installed wind farm capacity.

In terms of total generation, the top wind power state is Texas, with 9,000 megawatts of installed capacity. Of course, Texas has a lot more people than Iowa, so wind power accounts for a lower percentage of its electric needs.

After the 2008 financial crash, the wind power industry, along with a lot of the economy, declined. However, it’s now on the upsurge. According the American Wind Energy Association, “7,354 megawatts of new capacity was under construction nationally by July 1, more than at any time since the third quarter of 2008.”

(Information for this article provided by Care2 newsletter and Brian Merchant, a Treehugger blogger.)

For information on how you can use your electricity more efficiently and save money, click on my tips.

Kim Hopkins

CEO, The Electric Connection

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It’s no secret that incandescent, fluorescent, and equivalent LED fixture. In California, Pacific Gas and Electric gives a $250 rebate for a 321- to 500-watt LED replacement for a high-bay fixture. Other utility companies will offer energy-savings-based rebates by each watt reduced or custom rebates, which require an energy audit. Products must be listed in DLC’s QPL to qualify for rebates. Contact your local utility company to verify participation in the rebate program or for a complete list of incentives and qualified products.

Purchasing an LED product on DLC’s QPL is rewarding in more ways than one; immediate energy savings and increased longevity are the most widely known benefits. DLC rebates are offered as an extra push toward quality lighting technologies. Incentives such as this one can be helpful in establishing a more sustainable, energy-conscious society.

A comprehensive list of rebates per state/province can be found for a list of our DLC-listed products.

Science Daily just recently reported that kerosene lamps have been discovered as a large source of black carbon. Black Carbon is responsible for warming the earth by absorbing the heat in the atmosphere and reducing the earths ability to reflect sunlight. With the use of kerosene lamps in more than a billion homes today, even in well developed countries like the United States, the use is alarming and damaging to our planet.

If the electricity costs continue to rise as projected, that number may actually grow. The fact that more than a billion people are using kerosene has given rise to some serious concerns about green house gases because the black carbon from these kerosene lamps has been overlooked in greenhouse gas estimates and with such a widespread use, they are a real issue.

Field and lab testing that was recently conducted says that about 7 to 9 percent of the kerosene which are used in these lamps is being converted into carbon or black carbon. When compared to things such as wood, it is more than 7 percent higher since only about one percent of wood converts to black carbon.

The hazards of using kerosene for lighting your home or even a camp or cottage are many, when it is viewed in this way. One kg of black carbon can make as much of a change in warming as 700 kg can produce in 100 years. Kerosene offers a higher level of greenhouse gas than nearly any other kind of lighting fuel.

This and other information just now coming to light tells us that we may need to find a better way for those who live in developing countries or homes using kerosone to obtain light for their homes.

Black carbon is not only harmful to our health but to the health of the children who are living in the household.  According to Tami Bond, who is the associate professor for environmental engineering at the University of Illinois, “The orange glow in flames comes from black carbon, so the brighter the glow, the more black carbon is being made.”

This information comes directly from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and is an important warning to all of us. Using kerosene for lighting can not only cause health problems with breathing the black carbon, but can also be a causative factor in fires and now, is being viewed as an agent in global climate change. With so many other methods of lighting, the use of kerosene it not the healthiest or safest choice for your family or our climate.

Converting to cleaner methods of lighting the homes in still using kerosene would not only offer the climate a much needed rest, but may also provide for better health of those who live in homes that use the fuel for a light source or heat.

When it comes to the success of a Generac® generators to all of our clients.

A standby generator provides predetermined processes and equipment within your business with electrical power in the event of an outage or emergency. As soon as there is an interruption in your power supply—no matter the cause—your generator will kick into gear, bringing you a reliable solution to electrical interruptions. And when normal power is restored, your generator automatically returns to standby mode, ready and waiting for when you need it next.

Generators are available in a variety of sizes to suit any need, making them suitable for any business, large or small.