Uncategorized – Energy & Water Conservation Blog

Using an AirCycler Switch to Ventilate and Save

Posted on 04/01/202204/01/2022 by Yaminah Jappah

When you ventilate the bathroom, how often do you think about the amount of time that should be spent ventilating, or how much energy is being wasted by over-ventilating? If you’re like most people, these two issues have probably never really crossed your mind. The AirCycler Switch allows you to attack both of these problems simultaneously without a second thought.

How Long Should I Run the Vent?
HVAC experts suggest that the bathroom fan operate the bathroom fan for no less than 15, and no more than 20 minutes after a shower or bath. By letting it run for this amount of time, the fan is able to exhaust the moisture out of the room. Running the fan longer also does this. It can however, waste a tremendous amount energy, leading to higher energy costs, and a higher carbon footprint. Operating the exhaust fan for less time can cause condensation problems such as molding and rotting. These can inflame respiratory-related health issues including asthma.

How Do I Set and Operate the AirCycler Switch?
This switch replaces both the light and fan switches in the bathroom. The settings on the switch are ventilation, delay, and the ability to cancel the delay. The timer switch uses a microprocessor, which watches and controls how long the fan operates. It does this in order to provide a specific amount of ventilation to the room.

Ventilation Setting – The number of minutes each hour you want the fan to operate.
Delay Setting – The amount of time the fan will run after the light has been turned off (this setting is great, as it allows the ventilation cycle to finish after the bathroom is no longer occupied).
Cancel Delay – Use this setting if you don’t want the fan to run after the light has been turned off. To activate this, simply turn the light back on again within a few seconds.

Once set, the microprocessor in the AirCycler Switch recognizes each of the settings and ventilates the bathroom accordingly. It does this by subtracting the delay time from the hourly ventilation time.

Take for example a situation where the hourly ventilation is set to 20 minutes, and the delay for 10 minutes. Someone spends 5 minutes in the bathroom (the ventilation runs during this time) and turns the light off when they leave. Afterward, the 10-minute delay kicks in, totaling 15 minutes the fan has operated for that hour. The microprocessor senses this and runs the fan for an additional 5 minutes over the course of that hour.

If during the course of an hour, the fan is operated for more than the 20 minutes that were initially set, the AirCycler will subtract that amount from 20 for the next hour of operation.

Limiting the amount of energy that is used (in many cases wasted) through bathroom ventilation provides you with more control over both the indoor air quality of the home as well as the amount of energy being consumed. Whenever there is less energy being used in the home, less money spent on energy bills is sure to follow.

Conservation Kits Provide Instant Savings

Posted on 07/15/202107/16/2021 by Yaminah Jappah

As the climate crisis on our planet has become a climate emergency, a lot of us are looking for different ways to improve our carbon footprint. While this may initially seem like a daunting and expensive task, it truly isn’t. There are many small ways to start saving both energy and water around your home or building that won’t break the bank. Conservation kits are prepared with these types of savings in mind, and the items they contain provide instant savings once installed.

Improving Energy Efficiency

According to Time.com, “On average, remote workers have seen a $40-50 monthly increase in their energy costs—or as much as $600 a year.” With energy bills steadily on the rise, employing measures that can produce savings right away is even more pressing. Common items you’ll find in conservation kits include:

LED Light Bulbs, which use up to 80% less energy than their incandescent counterparts
Closed Cell Foam to limit drafts and heat from entering through doors
Outlet Gaskets that block air leaks from outlets
Rope caulk to seal air from entering through windows

Help Me Save Water

Each day, the average home in the United States uses approximately 80-100 gallons of water at home. A surprising number, right? When you consider the amount of times we wash our hands and dishes, flush the toilets, and even shower, this number really begins to take shape. Let’s take a step back, and see how we can bring this number down.

Low flow aerators reduce the amount (but not the pressure) of water coming from faucets. Their flow rates range from 0.5-2.0 gallons of water per minute.
Low flow shower heads follow this same concept, except with the shower. Many of these shower heads are also self-cleaning.
A toilet tank bank is placed in the toilet tank to limit the amount of water used per flush.
Outdoor water savers allow you to expand water savings outside of the home and into your gardens.

Saving energy and water at home, or in your building, can actually be quite simple. With a few quick installations of items found in conservation kits you can be well on your way to helping the climate and your wallet at the same time.

Protection With A Tamper Proof Smoke Detector

Posted on 03/15/202103/15/2021 by Yaminah Jappah

Having a safe home or building is a top priority, whether you’re ensuring the safety of your family home, or your commercial or industrial space. Installing the right equipment can go a long way in providing that necessary protection. In addition, it can provide you with a sense of comfort, knowing your space is properly secure. A tamper proof smoke detector is a great tool that supplies all this and more.

Setting up the Detector

One of the most important parts of installing a smoke and fire alarm is knowing where to place it. A smoke alarm is your first line of defense against such an emergency. It should be installed in a central location, and there should be at least one on every level of the home or building.

Detectors should be installed 20 feet (at the very least) from combustion appliances, such as ovens and furnaces, as well as those that burn fossil fuels, wood or other biomass.

Install the smoke detector at least 10 feet from areas that produce high levels of humidity, such as bathrooms and laundry rooms.

Measure out at least 3 feet of space between the detector and heat/AC ventilation.

Replacing the Detector

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) suggests that smoke alarms in homes be replaced after 10 years. A tamper proof smoke detector has you covered in that the warranty lasts for 10 years. From installation to replacement, should issues arise with the alarm, you can take comfort in knowing it will be covered without additional out of pocket cost. Make it a habit to test detectors weekly to ensure all parts are working properly.

A dependable smoke detector is an essential tool to have in place in the case of an emergency. This device can help you feel both prepared and confident in the safety of your space.

DLC 4.0 Takes Effect April 2017

Posted on 03/31/201703/31/2017 by Conservation Mart

The DesignLights Consortium® (DLC) is a non-profit organization which establishes product quality specifications and tests them to ensure that commercial lighting products are high-quality and energy-efficient.

On April 1, 2017, products that do not meet the V4.0 Technical Requirements will be removed from the active qualified product list and will not be eligible for rebates.

The new standards of 4.0 can be found here, but basically, they are continuing to encourage innovation and efficiency by ensuring that improvements in LED technology include energy savings.

You can check to with your local utility or the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) to find rebates. DSIRE is the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Click on this link to see if there are rebates available in your state.

Conservation Mart offers a wide range of DLC listed lighting options and our customer service team will help answer questions you may have about which bulbs meet these new standards.

EPA’s WaterSense Program Creates Big Savings

Posted on 03/02/201703/02/2017 by Conservation Mart

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, works to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by offering people simple ways to use less water.

By promoting the value of water efficiency, providing consumers with easy ways to save water, and encouraging innovation in manufacturing, WaterSense has helped consumers save a total of 1.5 trillion gallons of water and more than $32.6 billion in water and energy bills! By the end of 2015, reductions of 212 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were achieved through the use of WaterSense labeled products.

Using WaterSense labeled faucets or faucet accessories could reduce a household’s faucet water use by more than 500 gallons annually—that’s enough water to do 14 loads of laundry.

Even if only 1 in every 10 homes in the United States installed WaterSense labeled faucets or faucet accessories in their bathrooms, it could save 6 billion gallons of water, and more than $50 million in the energy costs to supply, heat, and treat that water.

One of our best sellers is the Neoperl Perlator Regular Dual Thread 1.5 GPM Aerator. Whether your looking to change to a water saving flow or just replace a existing faucet housing, you will enjoy the benefits of NEOPERL’s patented anti-liming construction. Using a 1.5 gallons per minute aerator will save you up to 30% water (in comparison to a 2.2 gpm). Energy savings can also add up by heating less water.

WaterSense labeled toilets use 20 percent less water per flush but perform as well as or better than today’s standard toilets. We recommend the Niagara Stealth Dual Flush Elongated Toilet Bowl. The Stealth technology has truly changed the market in that it features a low-profile body, ultra quiet flush, and patented hydraulic technology. The low friction, smooth ceramic surface of the toilet bowl allows for clearing with every flush. By providing two flush options, they reduce water consumption and costs like no other models out there! Check this link for available rebates.

Water is crucial for the survival of the earth and all its’ inhabitants, but there is a limited in supply. The Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact less than 1 percent is available for human use. We all need to do our part to limit our household water usage, and upgrading to WaterSense devices in your home is a great place to start.

EPA’s Successful Energy Star Program

Posted on 02/14/201702/14/2017 by Conservation Mart

In 1992, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced ENERGY STAR as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They began by labeling computers and monitors and in 1995 expanded the label to include office equipment products and residential heating and cooling equipment.

In 1996, the EPA partnered with the US Department of Energy for major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings and plants.

Today, ENERGY STAR encourages energy efficiency in more than 70 product categories. More than 1.6 million homes and over 25,000 buildings have earned ENERGY STAR certification.

Third party certification process makes sure anything that earns the blue label meets the highest standards. Even an LED bulb must pass dozens of checks to assure quality, performance, and efficiency. Conservation Mart is proud to carry a wide variety of ENERGY STAR bulbs.

Over the years, the ENERGY STAR label has helped save more than $362 billion on utility bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.4 billion metric tons. EPA’s ENERGY STAR program is the most successful voluntary energy efficiency movement in history. Visit their EPA Energy Star site to learn more about this program and to find information on federal tax credits.

How to Choose the Right LED Street or Area Light

Posted on 12/07/201610/09/2021 by Conservation Mart

LED Street and Area Lighting Fixtures are ideal for outdoor areas including streets, roadways, parking lots, and pedestrian areas. Well-designed LED outdoor fixtures can provide the required surface illuminance using less energy and with improved uniformity. These LED Area Lights also have significantly longer life and offer better lumen maintenance, energy efficiency, durability, color quality, light distribution, thermal management, and low costs.

When selecting an LED Area Light, you will want to consider the following options:

Mounts
LED Area Lights are available in different mounts such as pole mounted fixtures, slipfitter and trunnion mount models, knuckle pole and wall mounts. LED Area Lights also fit into commercial fixtures and shoebox fixtures which feature multiple mounting options, and a heavy duty slim design.

Lumens
With new light bulbs, shopping by lumens is more important than shopping by watts when choosing which energy-efficient bulb to purchase. While wattage measures the amount of energy required to light products, lumens measure the amount of light produced. This means that the more lumens the product has, the brighter the light source is. Instead of buying products based on how much energy they consume (watts), consumers should consider how much light they give us (lumens).

Wattage
Wattage is the measure of the bulb’s energy consumption – not how much light it puts out. Energy-efficient bulbs use fewer watts to give off the same amount of brightness (lumens). Because of this, LEDs (which have typically low wattages when compared with lumens) not only help reduce energy usage but also lower electric bills.

Color Temperature
Color temperature refers to the color appearance of the light that comes from a light source. It’s an important performance characteristic to asses when evaluating bulbs because the color temperature creates the mood of the space you are lighting and can thus influence buying behavior or work performance. The apparent color of a light source is measured in Kelvin. The higher the Kelvin temperature, the whiter the light.

DLC Listed
When a fixture is DLC Listed (stands for Design Light Consortium) it may qualify for energy rebates by your local utility which can significantly reduce the cost of ownership. The qualified products list is a resource for program administrators, to help them decide which solid state lighting products to include in their energy efficiency promotions.

LED Retrofits vs. LED Ready T8 Replacement Fixtures

Posted on 11/29/201601/12/2017 by Conservation Mart

Advantages of LED lights include, energy savings, better quality light, and the ability to respond to intelligent controllers, for even more energy savings. Fluorescent light technology does not work well with dimming controls. In comparison, LED lighting can be controlled by ambient light sensors, either built into the individual light unit or by as part of a lighting zone, which makes it easier to have a planned energy usage system. Now the question is whether to use a LED retrofit orLED ready T8 fixtures to make the switch from fluorescent to LED lighting.

If you don’t want to buy a new fixture, LED retrofits are a good option. LED retrofitting means switching inefficient lighting technologies, such as fluorescent lights, to a new energy-efficient lighting system using the fixtures that are currently in place.

If you are happy with the layout of your existing fixtures, you do not need to pay for new fixtures or a redesign. You just need to purchase an all-in-one retrofit kit which usually includes everything you need for a fast and easy installation, such as, brackets, sockets, wiring, screws and fasteners.

First you will need to remove the existing bulbs, ballast, sockets, and brackets, and then replace them with LED lamps and a wiring harness. You do not need many wiring alterations but you should use a licensed electrician to be sure that you are adhering to your local code and safety requirements.

If however, you are looking to replace your fixtures, LED ready T8 fixtures allow installers to avoid bypassing the ballast and adopt the energy-saving benefits of LED technology. Our selection includes Vapor Tight, Linear Utility Strips , and High Bays.

Either way, the switch to LED lighting has some of the best financial returns on investment of energy efficient installations. For example, a lighting upgrade reduced the energy lighting costs in a manufacturing facility by 40 percent, resulting in a savings of over $50,000 in annual lighting costs.

LED Troffers are Ideal in Office Drop Ceilings

Posted on 11/07/201605/19/2022 by Conservation Mart

Found often in schools, hospitals, offices, retail settings, and for grid ceiling applications, LED troffers are rectangular light fixture that fits into a modular dropped ceiling grid, which are usually 2’x2′ or 2’x’4. Troffer fixtures initially used fluorescent bulbs, such as the T5, T8, or T12. There are LED Troffer retrofits available or if you are putting in new fixtures, high-efficiency LED lay-in troffers and LED Flat Panels are available. These fixtures are available in multiple lumen light outputs, and warmer white (35K), cool white (41K), and bright white (50K) colors.

Many LED panels deliver a polished look with their sleek design and advanced light dispersing. This Paclights 46W 2X4 LED Volumetric Troffer FTB24D46 model runs on 46 watts and generates 5796 lumens.

One of the best advantages of using LED 2×4 Troffers, is that the bulbs generally last 50,000 hours, versus only 30,000 hours for an average T8 LFL. This means less calls to the maintenance department to change bulbs in the facility.

To view Conservation Mart’s wide selection of LED Troffers and Panels, please visit our website.

Change a Bulb, Change Your Footprint

Posted on 03/18/2016 by Conservation Mart

Earth hour, which this year is March 19, 8:30-9:30 local time, is an initiative to encourage individuals, businesses and governments around the world to take accountability for their ecological footprint and engage in dialogue and resource exchange that provides real solutions to our environmental challenges. Participation in Earth Hour symbolizes a commitment to change beyond the hour.

One of the ways that we can easily and cost-effectively change our ecological footprint, which is “the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources,” is to transition to energy-efficient lighting.

If a million people changed a single lamp at home to an LED bulb, it would be the equivalent of taking 6,700 cars off the road or planting 17 million trees!

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