Practical Ways to Conserve Energy

With energy prices across North America escalating, consumers are looking for practical ways to reduce their electrical and natural gas bills. Any household can save up to 50% of their electrical bills by doing just a few simple things.

One way consumers can decrease their household electrical bills is to be made aware of a type of energy consumption referred to as phantom load. Phantom loads are electrical appliances that still use electricity even when they are turned off. Phantom load appliances include anything with a digital clock such as DVD players or VCRs, stereos, and microwaves. Also, computers, printers, monitors, and fax machines all draw on power when plugged in. A simple solution is to use power bars that have on/off switches. Connect stereo systems & entertainment systems to the power bar, and turn the power bar off when not in use. This will not harm your electronics at all. Attach your entire computer system to a power bar or two. If you leave your computer on all the time, at least put the monitor, printer, speakers, scanner, etc, etc on a power bar and turn that off. If you turn your computer off anyway, put it all on a power bar.

Heating is generally one of the largest single consumers of electricity. Another thing to do to reduce your heating bill is to insulate your hot water tank. You can buy insulation kits at any hardware store. Make sure your hot water tank is located somewhere warm. If the tank is outside in an unheated garage, it will lose even more heat.

Use hot water wisely. The first run of hot water that takes a minute to reach the faucet is tremendously wasteful, as this simply heats up the water in the pipes, with only a fraction of that water reaching you.

Turn the thermostat down at night and when you are away from the house during the day. Consider installing a programmable thermostat which will heat the house up before you wake in the morning, turn it down during the day, and then warm it up again before you come home from work. This will let you save on heat, yet not have to come home or wake up to a cold house

Use insulating curtains on windows during the night. Inspect and resolve any drafts that are the result of defective weather stripping around doors and windows. Have your furnace and hot water heaters serviced regularly to ensure they are operating at peak efficiency. Close off rooms that are not in use, and turn off the heat or block the registers.

Consider adding a solar-thermal hot water heating system. Capturing the infrared energy from the sun is a simple, extremely efficient process. A modest-sized solar collector can provide a significant quantity of the domestic hot water used in a home or business.

These are just a few examples of ways you can reduce your energy usage. Although the myriad of methods may seem overwhelming, implementing even just a few can save you thousands in the years to come.


Chris Jent is the chief marketing officer of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.

Environmental Concerns on Oil Extraction Methods

The global dependence on oil and resources is unquestionable. Extracting these resources deep below the Earth’s surface can be extremely difficult, if at all possible. Advancements in extraction science have allowed drillers to reach oil previously unreachable. However, certain techniques employed have caused concerns among environmental scientists.
In the process of drilling into an oil or natural gas reservoir, debris and other matter may clog the bore hole preventing a majority of the oil reserves from being extracted. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique that creates new pathways for oil to be released by injecting water mixed with chemicals underground at high pressures. The pressure of fluid being injected is greater than the pressure in the formation. This causes the formations to crack or fracture and the oil or gas flows more freely out of the formation. Scientists are concerned that some of the injected fluids may remain trapped underground long after the oil is removed.

Stimulant fluids used in this technique are combined with chemicals. One commonly used stimulant fluid is diesel fuel, which contains benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene and other chemicals. Even a small amount of a chemical such as benzene can contaminate significant amounts of underground water. Studies have linked exposure to benzene with cancer, birth defects, and respiratory disease.

Hydraulic fracturing is commonly used in coal bed methane production areas. Many coal beds contain aquifers which meet the standards to be considered underground sources of drinking water. Since hydraulic fracturing is being used in these areas, these underground sources of drinking water are at risk of contamination from harmful chemicals. Studies have shown that 20-40% of the fracturing fluids remain in the rock indicating that contamination is not just a short term problem, but one that could continue for years to come. These chemicals not only affect the drinking water but have adverse effects on the geological formations, such as causing decreased permeability.

Companies, such as Triple Diamond Energy Corporation, are now implementing safer hydraulic fracturing practices to decrease the risk of drinking water contamination. Some of those practices include using sand and water in the stimulant fluid without any additives, using non-toxic additives, and eliminating the use of diesel fuels. Lining the backflow pits with impermeable coatings around the borehole, which reduces re-absorption of fracturing fluids, as well as collecting and storing these back flow wastes in steel tanks are some other examples environmental exposure to potentially harmful chemicals can be dealt with.

Implementing measures such as these will not only help our nation meet its goals today, but also ensure a safe and healthy environment for future generations.

Chris Jent is the chief marketing officer of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.