1.    Consider linking your electrical outlets to wall switches. Many electronic devices such as cell phone chargers, televisions and computers continue to use electricity even when they are not turned on or in stand-by mode. This is called “phantom power” which uses a small amount of power, but over time can begin to add up. It is estimated that phantom power might actually compose up to 10% of an average electric bill. One way to really turn off these devices so that they are not drawing any power is to link them to the wall switch, and turn them off at the wall. You can achieve the same goal by plugging these devices into power strips with switches that you turn off when not in use.

2.    Install a programmable thermostat. For about $50 you can save upwards of $150 per year by having your heating and cooling systems turn on only when you are at home. The thermostat will also lower the power output when the heating/cooling system is not needed as much, such as when you are asleep, automatically.

3.    Switch to CFLs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use around 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, and can last up to 10 times longer. This converts to an estimated $30 saved in the cost of electricity over the lifetime of the bulb. Go visit the IDT Energy Store for a nice selection of CFLs for your home and office.

Cell phones, laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras, portable power tool all require batteries, and rechargeable ones are the most convenient and cost effective.

The concept of a rechargeable battery was invented by the French physicist Gaston Plante in 1859, and was called the lead acid cell. This later became the world’s first rechargeable battery and is still in use today in the form of modern car batteries.

The concept behind rechargeable batteries is quite basic and simple. Electrical energy is applied to the battery causing the flow of electrons in the opposite direction from the way they flowed when the battery discharged, restoring the power to the battery. Electrical products and devices with built-in batteries need an adapter to re-charge them. The most common type of rechargeable batteries are nickel-cadmium  and nickel-metal hydride, used for many types of devices such as remote control devices, flashlights, digital cameras and a lot more.

IDT Energy has a large selection of rechargeable batteries for you to choose from. Head to the IDT Energy store and look around.

Alessandro Volta created the first battery in the year 1800. His design was as simple as it was brilliant. Known as a “voltaic pile,” Volta built a stack using alternating layers of zinc, blotting paper soaked in salt water, and silver. Care must be taken so that the top and bottom of the piles are different metals. A voltage can be measured from the pile, as well as a current, by attaching a wire to the top and bottom of the pile. The higher the pile created will produce a larger voltage, increasing by a fixed amount with each additional layer.

From the time of the voltaic pile’s invention until the development of electrical generators in the 1870s, a cousin of the voltaic pile, known as the Daniel cell, Crowfoot cell, Gravity cell and Wet cell, was used for operating telegraph machines and doorbells, and it was very common. The Daniel cell consists of two plates, one of them zinc and the other copper, inside a glass jar which has a solution of zinc sulfate on top and copper sulfate on the bottom.  This is a good experiment for a school project, and for stationary uses of electricity a Daniel cell is a good solution.

Batteries are an amazing invention. They allow us to use electric devices while on the go, giving incredible freedom and power to the user. But have you ever thought about how batteries work? Or when they were first used? Interestingly, the first battery dates to the beginning of the 19th century, and was created by Alessandro Volta. Volta was an Italian physicist, born in 1745 in Como, and taught in public schools there. In 1774 Volta became a professor of physics at the Royal School in Como, and a professor of experimental physics at the the University of Pavia in 1779. Volta held this position for 25 years. Because of Volta’s experiments with electrical capacitance the unit of electrical potential has been named in his honor, which of course is known as the volt. Alessandro Volta is credited with creating the very first electrochemical cell, or battery. It was made from two electrodes; one made from the metal zinc, and the second from copper. Sulphuric acid was used as the electrolyte, or salt and water can also be substituted for the acid. This early, primitive battery is still used today as a way to demonstrate to students the principles of electricity. It is referred to as a Lemon Battery.

A programmable thermostat offers a number of pre-programmed settings that regulate the home temperature both during the heat I the summer and the cold in the winter.  You set the thermostat to create the optimal amount of savings without sacrificing your comfort.  Today’s average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills.  Half of this, approximately, is due to heating and cooling costs. With a pre-programmed thermostat, homeowners can save each month without even noticing the difference in their own comfort.

This is one of the many energy tips that IDT Energy and others offer to help you to reduce your energy bills this winter!

First of all, there should always be a multipurpose fire extinguisher in the house.  Electric appliances that can get hot should always be kept away from things that might burn.  When leaving the home, small appliances should always be turned off, and unplugged when possible.

If small children live in the home, safety caps should be used and inserted into the outlets so that children can’t stick their fingers or objects into these outlets.  Finally, all extension cords, lights and appliances that are used outdoors should have labels on them that indicate that they are for outdoor use.

In addition, it includes $4.5 billion for federal building green initiatives and to cut the energy bill.  It also includes $600 million in green job training programs.  Another interesting initiative is the $2 billion that has been put aside in competitive grants to help companies to develop the next generation of batteries that will store energy better.

Because of this fact there is a large potential for the development of these industries to require a large work force with many new jobs being created.
According to a report published as a joint project of the United Steelworkers and Sierra Club, wind power component manufacturers have the potential of creating about 18,500 new jobs in New York State, and solar power component manufacturers could create 14,600 new jobs.

If geothermal and biomass manufacturing components are added to the equation, the total number of jobs created to supply the renewable energy industry in New York could be as much as almost 50,000 new jobs.

This re-industrialization of New York State could be enough of a reason to invest in green energy, but in addition clean energy development provides increased national security and improved climate and environmental health.

For these reasons IDT Energy offers its customers the option of choosing “Buying Green” and supporting the development of renewable sources of energy in New York State.

Buying Green means:

•    There will be increased use of renewable energy resources.
•    Cleaner and healthier air for everybody.
•    Less of a need to build and use nuclear power plants.
•    Reduced dependence on foreign oil supplies
•    Increased opportunities for employment as “green technologies” develop.

IDT Energy has a ‘Buy Green’ option for its customers. Choosing this option means that a certain amount of the electricity a consumer receives is produced from sources which use our natural resources in a way that does no harm to the environment. These sources may include wind power, running water, solar power and organic matter, which are all renewable and are relatively clean compared to the more standard sources of electricity which often include the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.

IDT Energy is proud to say that they have joined the State to help create a center for environmentally friendly technologies here in New York. Within 10 years New York hopes to obtain 25% of its power from green sources, and IDT is playing an important role in this development.