If you have been thinking of making a more eco-friendly garden, have you considered getting a solar powered pump birdbath? Actually, have you thought of making one yourself?

So how will a solar powered pump birdbath benefit you?

The pros to getting one are:

a: The moving water in the fountain stop its from going stagnant

b: It uses none of your main power supply

c: The pump runs on DC power, so no inverter is needed.

d: The pump uses minute power (only 6volts) so very few solar panels are needed

e: Batteries are optional, since you usually only want the fountain to operate in the day when the birds are around.

f: It is possible to make the entire system your yourself, helping you save money

g: The birdbath can be placed anywhere in your garden, without the need for unsightly wires.

And what does it take to make a solar powered pump birdbath?

The most basic method is to buy a working birdbath with fountain, and then wire up the solar panels.

The alternative is to, and more DIY approach is to buy a birdbath that is ready for a fountain pump to be installed (it has the right holes, and a place for the pump to be installed), and then add the various pump and power components.

If you go the DIY route, then you will need to get:

The Birdbath:

It does not matter what birdbath you buy, but make sure there is a place for the fountain to be added. A few options for you would be copper, terracotta, cascading, ceramic, or resin birdbath fountains.

The Water Spout:

This is optional, but it makes the water spout out the top, instead of just trickling out. It can be found at your local nursery or hardware store.

Small Fountain Pump:

Depending your birdbath size, the volume of water to be pumped and how high you want to pump it, will help you decide on the voltage and size pump needed. For your average, medium-sized birdbath, a small 6 volt DC pump will suffice.

PVC pipe for irrigation:

When buying the irrigation for the fountain, it is best not to get piping that is too wide, otherwise the right water pressure will not be maintained and the pump will not work properly. So before you buy the wrong tubing, get advice from your local garden center and see what they use in similarly sized birdbaths

Silicon Sealant:

Silicon sealant helps fill any cracks where water could escape, such as where the tubing enters the top of the birdbath. It can also be used to insulate any bare wires.

The Solar Panels:

This is what makes this birdbath unique to your average water fountain. Depending on what size pump you buy, will need to get enough solar panels for the fountain to work properly. A a typical 6 volt pump, you will require solar panels with a capacity of at least 6 volts. But is better to be on the safe side and get a 12 volt solar panel instead, for times when it is cloudy and for late afternoons.

NB: You have 2 alternatives for the solar panels:

1 : Buy a small commercially available solar panel from any outlet, such as Wallmart.

2 : Make it yourself. With the right guide it is rather easy and much cheaper to make your own solar panel in a matter of hours. If this is something you would love to try do, then keep reading…

To get the maximum sunlight, the solar panels need to be fixed in simple frame, and be south-facing (if you are in the northern hemisphere).

How easy is it to put it all together?

If you have all the tools and materials and any diy experience, you could have a working solar powered pump birdbath within in a matter of hours – that’s if all goes to plan…

A good idea would to add some batteries to the birdbath, so that the excess solar power can be stored and to power the pump at night. For a 24 hour fountain, you will need:

1) Deep cycle battery:

Because the pump is only 6 volts, a 12 volt battery is more than enough. It should be a deep cycle battery (car battery) that can store the power for a longer time.

Charge controller:

This is not essential, but it prevents your battery from over-charging. So it can really extend the life of the battery. It will be wired up between the solar panels and the battery.

Over and above it being affordable to build, what I like about putting together my own solar powered pump birdbath, is that once the first one is finished, making the second or third one just gets easier. It could even be a fantastic gift for a close friend or newly wed.

Are you running your ventilation systems on conventional power? Yes? Then why are you not using a solar attic fan at home? You may have thought all solar products are expensive, but the truth is, it pays off in the long run to replace your typical electric attic fan with a modern solar powered attic fan.

Here are 5 reasons why a solar powered attic fan is such a good investment:

1 – Uncomplicated and Inexpensive:

A solar attic fan is powered by the sun, so it does not need to be wired up to the house. This helps you save in getting in qualified technicians and permits to get the fan running. All that is need is to follow the accompanying guide0lines and get your fan operating in no time at all.

2 – Power is Freely available:

The only power a solar powered attic fan requires is from the sun – which is FREE. So the only cost you have to worry about is the initial investment. After that, it costs absolutely nothing to operate it.

Also, most states offer tax incentives for installing renewable energy technology at home. This lowers the initial cost of a solar attic fan.

3 – Operates all day:

You do not need to control when the fan works to reduce power consumption. This is because it uses the sun’s free energy all day long. This helps in keeping the air in your home temperate and fresh, and you do not have to wait until it is scorching hot for the fan to start working.

4 – Extends life of the roof:

During cold winter months heat trapped in your attic can melt snow on your roof. As the the water trickles down, it collects and refreezes in the cooler eaves or gutters, leading to costly and destructive ice damming. By having a solar powered attic fan, it requires minimal sunlight to operate and keep the attic cool.

What’s more is a solar powered attic fan prevents warm, moist air from collecting in the attic in winter. This moist air (from showering and cooking) usually leads to mold and mildew, which can cause your roof frame to rot.

5 – Reduce Your Carbon Footprint:

If you already have an attic fan, chances are it is connected to your home’s power supply. This power is produced by burning coal, gas, and other fossil fuels, which all churn out large volumes of air pollution.

But a solar powered attic fan requires none of this conventional power. So it reduces your dependence on fossil fuels and promotes greener living.

Conclusion:

So many people rant on and on about global warming, but hardly any of them actually do something about it. Now that you understand how affordable, clean and simple it is to use a solar attic fan at home, you can play a part in living a greener life.

Most solar powered attic fans can be purchased for $400 or more (before taking tax cost and subsidies into account), which a tiny investment to make for free ventilation and greener living.

Summary

The Efficient Planet guide is not just one book, it’s 3! With 71 pages on how to build a home solar power system, 51 pages on how to build a home wind turbine, and another 50 pages on how to enjoy efficient living at home, this is one comprehensive set of instructions! It almost hit our #1 spot, over-taking Earth4Energy, but its lack of video instruction put it at #2.

What we like about it:

1 – Comprehensive Instructions

Because Efficient Planet is packed with so much information (over 175 pages), it is great value for money at only $49.97. Not to mention how easy the step-by-step plans are to follow.

2 – Additional free gifts

The Efficient Planet e-book comes with a number of useful free bonuses. This includes a 50 page guide on easy ways to reduce your power bill (valued at $49.97); and multimedia interviews with successful homeowners that have made their own home solar and wind power systems.

It also comes with some useful, but irrelevant extras, such as a 12 part study kit on efficiently running your own home business; and some other “undisclosed bonuses”.

3 – Solid plans:

A nice feature of the guide, is that it is broken up into 3 parts:

The first one is devoted to teaching you about solar power and how to make your own solar panels at home. But it also goes on to discuss the various types of solar you can employ at home, including solar heating, and solar roofing.

The second guide talks about wind power and how to make your own home wind turbine. It discusses the 10 common misconceptions about wind power, by giving solid facts and evidence.

The third book explains a variety of clever ways to become more energy efficient without sacrificing your quality of living. Although most of the tips we already knew, some of them we didn’t. But it really rounded off the whole Efficient Planet package, and helped it achieve it purpose of showing you how to save power and money at home.

Dislikes

1: Lack of video instructions

Just when we thought Efficient Planet was the best energy guide on the market, we realized it has absolutely no video instruction. Many people that are technology inclined will struggle to just follow the written plans and diagram to build their first solar or wind power system. It would have been so much easier if we could watch it being built step-by-step.

2: Nothing really unique about it

Efficient Planet seems to be the same old rehashed information. Diy energy guides are appearing all over the plce these days, and this guide does not seem to be any different to rest. However, with that being said, where Efficient Planet excels is that gives it customers a number of free extras, that make it better value for money as compared to Homemade Energy or Homemade Power Plant.

Verdict:

The Efficient Planet guide is one of the most comprehensive sets of instruction and advice on making your own power and becoming more energy efficient. Yes, the average person will be able to build their own working home wind turbine and solar power generator, but it may you longer longer than expected. The useful free gifts make it good value for money, but it comes in 2nd place, after Earth4Energy because no step-by-step video tutorial are provided.

Global warming is a fact. Many people find it very easy to over look, but on the other hand a large number of people are in fact taking notice and trying to do what they can to lessen its harmful impact on the environs. It’s in reality easy to make simple changes to the way you live so as to lessen your carbon footprint.

Begin by localising your purchases. If you purchase things that were produced close to where you reside (your city or country) then you are efficiently reducing the amount of things that have to be brought in from further distances. Another thing you can do is to procure organic products. By using pure products, you can decrease the amount of injurious chemicals that are used.

When you go shopping, take your own cloth or plastic shopping bag with you. Plastic is better than paper, and cloth is better than plastic. By taking something from home, you can reduce wastage and saving the environment. In addition, when buying products, look at their packaging and opt for products that do not have wasteful packaging with them, for example, instead of buying individually plastic wrapped vegetables, buy them loose and unpacked.

Stop drinking bottled water. The bottles are produced in one place, and then shipped to another place where bottling is done and is then distributed. Opt to carry your own refillable water bottle with you, and fill it from home or office water dispensers. If easily available, opt to get filtered water with your meal instead of bottled water.

Go through your home with a technician and make certain you aren’t leaking power. Look for cracks in and about window and doorframes. When you’re not at home, turn the heating or cooling off, or have it on a time-specific thermostat. Use glowing lights as an alternative of luminous ones as they use 75% less power and last longer.

When buying plants for your house, buy ones that grow in the natural environment in your city or country instead of buying exotic plants that are shipped in from farther away. Also, opt to use local and organic soil when gardening.

If you require travelling, attempt to travel via bus or train as they use less power and fuel. If you cannot travel by bus or train, use air, but make certain you attempt and take a non-stop flight instead of one with a lot of links.

When you are move out on holidays, make certain you unplug all appliances at home so that they do not use power. These encircle televisions, mobile chargers, kitchen appliances, and any other thing that is plugged in to a power channel. Even when they are on standby, they use a small amount of power, which can increase a lot over time. Also, put your water heater on sleep mode so that it warms, but does not warm through your water supply while you are away.

When doing the laundry, opt to use the lowest temperature you can for the wash. Same goes for the dishwasher and your showers. It takes a lot of energy to heat up water.

Solar and wind energy are both energy sources that are renewable and FREE to access. By using either one of these sources you can help reduce the amount of emission produced by fossil fuels. This in turn helps our environment, which as we know is in a dire state right now. Water has been used to power cities for many years. If you take for instance the Hover Dam which hold back the Lake Mead and distributes power to surrounding areas. To generate power independently, you need a moving body of water.

Wind may be used as an alternative source of energy. If your house is located on at least an acre of flat land, you could efficiently generate power. The major limitations with wind are that there may be mechanical breakdowns on the turbine unit requiring repair. Additionally birds or insects my be killed by colliding with the turbine blades.

Fossil fuels are slowly being used up, and alternative energy sources that are renewable will have to be found to avert an energy crisis and supply the energy needed. Crude oil is full of hydrocarbons, and both the crude and refined forms of this substance contribute greatly to pollution and global warming increases. This energy source is not renewable, which means gasoline and diesel will not be fuel sources much longer. Because fossil fuels are not renewable, they can not be replaced. Removing these resources damages the earth, and new oil fields are getting harder to find every year. Anyone who understands how petroleum engineers find new oil fields knows the extended amount of time and large amounts of money this process requires

Renewable energy sources are all around us. We see them and sense them every time we go outside or even look out a window. There is no shortage of ideas for outstanding renewable energy science fair projects. Explore these suggestions and take your pick!There are many sources of energy that are renewable and considered to be environmentally friendly and harness natural processes. These sources of energy provide an alternate cleaner source of energy, helping to negate the effects of certain forms of pollution. All of these power generation techniques can be described as renewable since they are not depleting any resource to create the energy. While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects and production, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.

Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work ” for example for electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water (into reservoirs). Wave energy can be difficult to harness due to the unpredictability of the ocean and wave direction. Wave farms have been created and are in use in Europe, using floating Pelamis Wave Energy converters.

Computers and electronic tools are now a huge part of our lives at home and at work. It is impractical to suggest we stop using the electricity that is necessary to allow them to function. While our technological advances are, in the main, good things, the fact that we are using up our natural resources should be of concern to all. Fossil fuels are not a type of energy resource that we will be able to replace. When this resource is gone, it is gone forever – that is the reality of the situation.

Geothermal energy is a very powerful and efficient way to extract a renewable energy from the earth through natural processes. This can be performed on a small scale to provide heat for a residential unit (a geothermal heat pump), or on a very large scale for energy production through a geothermal power plant.

Alternative energy sources such as wind and water are perfect energy sources. They are simple, cheaper, non-polluting as well as efficient. Alternative energy sources emit no carbon dioxide, which is a great help in reducing global greenhouse emission. These other means of obtaining energy lessens our dependency on limited reserves of fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources capture the mechanical power of wind or water and convert it to electricity. There are enough sources of renewable energy to provide present world’s energy needs. The only challenge is to formulate the capacity to efficaciously and economically get, save and use the energy when needed.