11 Dec, 2024
3 mins read

Saving Energy – It’s All About the Heat

First, some basic science:
A. Heat naturally flows from warmer areas to cooler areas. Its speed of movement depends upon how much a difference there is between these two temperatures. The greater the difference, the faster the flow.
B. Heat flow can be reduced by insulation.
C. Heat can be artificially made to travel in the opposite direction – from cold to hot. This is done by any device that “pumps” heat. Air conditioners pump heat out of the home. Pumping heat costs about one third the cost to create heat.
D. When heat enters your home, during the summertime, it must be removed by the air conditioning system.
E. Radiative heat, from the sun, can easily flow through glass. It heats up whatever it lands upon. Because of certain physical characteristics (called “black-body” radiation) that heat can’t pass back through glass. It is effectively trapped. This is called the “greenhouse” effect.
F. When you install or provide something which operates without need for additional energy, this is called a passive operation.
Okay – so based upon these simple rules, here are 10 basic actions that will improve a home’s energy efficiency which will save you money. I’ll mention the rule and then what you can do:
1. Rule B – Insulation is likely one of the best investments you can make. There are few actions that can give you a better cost to benefit ratio. This is passive in that it takes no energy to operate (rule F).
2. Rules D and E – Increasing the size of your eaves and other overhangs will reduce sunlight entering your home which just has to be removed by your air conditioner (costing money). This is also passive (rule F).
3. Rules D and E – Windows on the west side tend to bring in the most heat from the sun. It is best to limit western exposure either by design or by blocking the windows with shrubbery. This is a passive action (rule F)
4. Rule E – Using reflective glass can be extremely helpful. Curtains and shades do not work because by the time the sun light hits them it has already entered the home (remember greenhouse). Any time something heats up in your home your air conditioner will have to remove that heat. Sunlight must be stopped before it goes through the glass. This is a also a passive method and will save both energy and money during the summer.
5. Rule A – Place foil on the bottom of the plywood roof sheathing of your home. This is easiest to do while building a new home. If your home exists, then consider a radiation barrier in the attic. This will keep the attic cooler. This is also passive (rule F)
6. Rule A – Ventilate the attic. This can be passive or active. It reduces the attic temperature which slows the flow of heat into your home. The active, but effective, way is with a powered fan system …

2 mins read

Renewable Energy & Effectivity Technologies

Sophos Home protects up to 10 Mac and Windows computers from malicious software, inappropriate websites and nasty viruses. You may’t really see the four LEDs on top of the Mini, so it is laborious to know whether or not the speaker heard you say “Hey Google.” I wound up turning on the audio alerts, which yow will discover in the accessibility section but should most likely be on by default for the Mini.

From the attraction of a comfy rustic cottage to a spacious up to date condo or an impressive family house, our pleasant bespoke service is on hand to discover a vacation home that is best for you. It’ll take some work, however you need to use Alexa to manage many of the gadgets in your house by the sound of your voice.

Much of the underside line on which you must chose has to do with what ecosystem you’re in: we use Google Play Music in my family, and Alexa not supporting it was at all times frustrating. Alexa has a pleasant voice but google has better voice inflection.

Amazon gives several other Alexa-enabled good audio system in addition to the usual-mannequin Echo: the smaller Echo Dot , which is an effective alternative if you want to connect it to your own (increased-high quality) speaker system; the Echo Plus , with a constructed-in Zigbee smart-home hub; the portable Echo Tap ; and the video-enabled Echo Show , together with the smaller Echo Spot and the fashion-focused Echo Look There are additionally some third-party options available, including the Sonos One and the Eufy Genie from Anker.

A recent and welcome replace to the Google Home system allows it to work with multiple person accounts, which makes it a lot better for households or homes the place more than one individual accesses it. The setup instructions in the app aren’t significantly clear, but once we added a second user’s Google account and did the voice coaching, the system may tell each people by the sound of their voice and reply to customized requests similar to Hey Google, what’s on my schedule in the present day?” We tried tricking it by speaking in a fake voice, and that failed, as it should.…

1 min read

The Impacts Of Storing Solar Energy In The Home To Reduce Reliance On The Utility

Sophos Home protects as much as 10 Mac and Home windows computers from malicious software program, inappropriate web sites and nasty viruses. Do you watch TV by the Web, utilizing providers like Hulu or the networks’ own Websites? Neither the Echo nor the Home is a good-home system in and of itself, however their skill to behave as convenient controllers for widespread smart-home units makes them central figures in a smart home.

Can we add Add to Home Screen” button on my we website like Google chrome does. Right now, this function works only with climate, traffic, information, and smart-home devices, however Amazon is anticipated to add assist for other skills quickly. While you add an Antivirus Protection Exception it signifies that the file or folder will no longer be automatically scanned in real-time and guarded by Sophos Home on that laptop.

The LED ring on the recipient’s Echo will glow green, indicating a call or message, and that particular person then tells Alexa to reply the call or play the message. Web Class Entry allows you to control access to sure kinds of websites for each gadget, for instance if you want to stop kids from accessing unsuitable on-line content.

Along with its constructed-in options, the Alexa platform includes a rising listing (more than 15,000 at last depend) of Expertise,” akin to apps on a smartphone, that unlock capabilities corresponding to reading recipes, ordering pizza, or calling an Uber.

Do you connect to massively multiplayer on-line video games or by way of services like PlayStation Community or Xbox Reside ceaselessly? Transient Overview: The Sophos Home Dashboard exhibits you the current status of all the computer systems and gadgets you are defending with Sophos Home.