How many old cell phones have you thrown out over the years? Or if you are an eco pack rat like us; how many do you have sitting in the 'old phone' box? Are there old game consoles, mp3 players, camcorders, or other electronic gadgets cluttering the shelves gathering dust? If so, put the junk to good use, and perhaps make a couple of bucks with a service that buys back old used electronics.
When it came time for one of us here at Chicago Energy Consultants to select a shiny, new phone at the local cellular store, we almost forgot about about our old cell phone. We also almost forgot that cell phones use many exotic or expensive minerals (like tantalum and gold) that are mined at sometimes horrible ecological, and human cost. So lets keep those old phones out of the trash and put them back into the hands of reusers or recyclers.
After shopping around for the best buy back price, and researching reviews of the services, we decided to try out Second Rotation.. The process to sell the old phone with Second Rotation was pretty painless, after selecting the type of phone to sell and specifying its condition, a price was offered (and is contingent on inspection of the phone). After accepting the offer, I filled out the contact information and printed the shipping kit, which includes a pre-paid shipping label.
Perhaps my favorite feature of their service was the 'procrastinator detection'. I took my time mailing the phone back to the service (to test their service, of course), and I was sent a USPS priority mail box that was already self-addressed. Just pack up the phone well, put it in the box, and drop it in a mailbox. They mentioned that this was an 'experimental service' so I cannot promise that they will do the same for you, but the box sitting on my counter sure guilted me into mailing that phone pretty quickly.
Lo and behold, a few days after I mailed the cell, I received an email letting us know that Second Rotation had received the box. In one more day, I had a payment confirmation email waiting for me, letting me know my phone had passed inspection, and my check was on its way (though now you can elect for a paypal payment- I am all for using less paper, but I am not sure if paypal will dip into your money on these types of transactions).
I enjoyed my experience with Second Rotation, but don't hesitate to look around for some other alternatives; there are other companies that will take non-functional electronics, or offer better prices. Seller beware: there do seem to be many 'sketchy' players in this arena, and I cannot attest that your experience will be as painless as mine if you choose another company to deal with.
Happy recycling!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Conservation: Conquer your computers energy consumption
Here at Chicago Energy Consultants, we are no strangers to computers influencing power bills. With a long history in technology consulting, we have seen computers from the 7-foot tall multi-cabinet systems that consume many, many thousands of watts, all the way down to computers the size of a deck of cards that consume barely a couple watts.
Your home computer falls somewhere in between those two extreme cases, with most home desktop computer systems consuming from 60 to 250 watts when fully turned on. Laptops as a rule consume less power than an equivalent desktop system, because manufacturers use low-power components to allow the laptop to operate as long as possible from its battery. The Department of Energy 2001 power survey shows that computers account for 1.6 percent of a homes energy usage on average, while recent estimates put that number closer to 2%.
Before you run out and buy a new energy efficient computer, consider what the environmental impact of manufacturing the average personal computer is: 3,300 pounds of water, 529 pounds of fossil fuels, and 48 pounds of chemicals (often very toxic, like the cyanide baths used to deposit gold traces on circuit boards). So, lets focus on making your current computer more energy efficient!
A question we often receive is "Should I leave my computer on all the time?". Turning the system on and off does add the slightest bit more wear and tear on the parts of the computer, but lets see what we would be paying to leave an 'average' (155 Watt) computer on constantly for one month:
155W / 1000 = .155 KWH
.155 KWH * 24 Hours = 3.72 KWH per day
3.72 KWH per day * 30 days = 111.6 KWH in a month
.10 cents per KWH * 111.6 KWH = $11.16
So we pay more than eleven dollars a month to keep our 'average' computer running 24/7. If that computer were to remain turned on for 4 years, it will end up costing you over 535$! In the winter the waste heat that the computer produces will be doing you a little favor by heating your house, but in the summer you might not appreciate the added heat. If you want to find out just how much electricity your computer uses, grab a load meter like the Kill-A-Watt:
To save energy, there is a better choice than turning on and off the computer: that is to use your computers built-in power saving settings. If running Windows, open your Control Panel and look for 'Power Options' - you want to enable either the standby, or suspend modes. If this is over your head, you can download Google's Energy Saver gadget that automatically optimizes your computers power saving settings, and even tells you how much power you have saved (the Gadget requires Google Desktop software to work).
Another great trick you can use to save energy is to use an auto-switching power strip. This specialized power strip is setup to detect when a 'master' device plugged in to the strip turns on, and then automatically turns on the other switched outlets. With this tool, when your PC is switched off or goes to sleep, it is possible to turn completely off any computer peripherals you have plugged in along with your computer. So if you plug in your monitor, printer, DSL or cable modem, and speakers into this strip, you could be saving an extra 5-50 watts of 'always-on' vampire loads, in addition to your computers already significant power savings. These power strips are also great for use on entertainment centers.
Another big power consumer in desktop PC's is the graphics card. In newer high-end gaming systems, 2 and even 4 graphics cards can be installed into a system,. When each video card can draw 200 watts, you could be looking at a PC with the ability to pull upwards of 1000 watts! On the other hand, some systems have built-in video on the motherboard (like most laptops), these systems use much less power, and are adequate for most tasks other than gaming.
A desktop PC with energy saving settings enabled will save a significant percentage of money, but what about a server that has to remain on 24/7? The power supply unit (PSU) that all computers use to convert voltage at the plug (110/220V AC) into levels that the computer needs to operate (3.3V,5V,12V DC) is usually around 55-75% efficient ,but can range from 20-90% efficient. That means that if the components of your computer use 200 Watts, a 65% efficient PSU will use another 70 Watts, pulling 270 watts from the plug. Numerous companies who use lots of computers (like Google) are pushing to re-design PSU standards to provide only 12V DC, allowing much more efficient supplies to be built. Currently you can look for a PSU certified as "80 Plus" to be guaranteed that the unit will always operate at 80% efficiency or better.
In a large computer data center, there are many tricks to reducing power and cooling requirements. If you are interested in talking to us about any of these techniques or technologies, please contact us with the information provided on the Chicago Energy Consultants web page!
Your home computer falls somewhere in between those two extreme cases, with most home desktop computer systems consuming from 60 to 250 watts when fully turned on. Laptops as a rule consume less power than an equivalent desktop system, because manufacturers use low-power components to allow the laptop to operate as long as possible from its battery. The Department of Energy 2001 power survey shows that computers account for 1.6 percent of a homes energy usage on average, while recent estimates put that number closer to 2%.
Before you run out and buy a new energy efficient computer, consider what the environmental impact of manufacturing the average personal computer is: 3,300 pounds of water, 529 pounds of fossil fuels, and 48 pounds of chemicals (often very toxic, like the cyanide baths used to deposit gold traces on circuit boards). So, lets focus on making your current computer more energy efficient!
A question we often receive is "Should I leave my computer on all the time?". Turning the system on and off does add the slightest bit more wear and tear on the parts of the computer, but lets see what we would be paying to leave an 'average' (155 Watt) computer on constantly for one month:
155W / 1000 = .155 KWH
.155 KWH * 24 Hours = 3.72 KWH per day
3.72 KWH per day * 30 days = 111.6 KWH in a month
.10 cents per KWH * 111.6 KWH = $11.16
So we pay more than eleven dollars a month to keep our 'average' computer running 24/7. If that computer were to remain turned on for 4 years, it will end up costing you over 535$! In the winter the waste heat that the computer produces will be doing you a little favor by heating your house, but in the summer you might not appreciate the added heat. If you want to find out just how much electricity your computer uses, grab a load meter like the Kill-A-Watt:
To save energy, there is a better choice than turning on and off the computer: that is to use your computers built-in power saving settings. If running Windows, open your Control Panel and look for 'Power Options' - you want to enable either the standby, or suspend modes. If this is over your head, you can download Google's Energy Saver gadget that automatically optimizes your computers power saving settings, and even tells you how much power you have saved (the Gadget requires Google Desktop software to work).
Another great trick you can use to save energy is to use an auto-switching power strip. This specialized power strip is setup to detect when a 'master' device plugged in to the strip turns on, and then automatically turns on the other switched outlets. With this tool, when your PC is switched off or goes to sleep, it is possible to turn completely off any computer peripherals you have plugged in along with your computer. So if you plug in your monitor, printer, DSL or cable modem, and speakers into this strip, you could be saving an extra 5-50 watts of 'always-on' vampire loads, in addition to your computers already significant power savings. These power strips are also great for use on entertainment centers.
Another big power consumer in desktop PC's is the graphics card. In newer high-end gaming systems, 2 and even 4 graphics cards can be installed into a system,. When each video card can draw 200 watts, you could be looking at a PC with the ability to pull upwards of 1000 watts! On the other hand, some systems have built-in video on the motherboard (like most laptops), these systems use much less power, and are adequate for most tasks other than gaming.
A desktop PC with energy saving settings enabled will save a significant percentage of money, but what about a server that has to remain on 24/7? The power supply unit (PSU) that all computers use to convert voltage at the plug (110/220V AC) into levels that the computer needs to operate (3.3V,5V,12V DC) is usually around 55-75% efficient ,but can range from 20-90% efficient. That means that if the components of your computer use 200 Watts, a 65% efficient PSU will use another 70 Watts, pulling 270 watts from the plug. Numerous companies who use lots of computers (like Google) are pushing to re-design PSU standards to provide only 12V DC, allowing much more efficient supplies to be built. Currently you can look for a PSU certified as "80 Plus" to be guaranteed that the unit will always operate at 80% efficiency or better.
In a large computer data center, there are many tricks to reducing power and cooling requirements. If you are interested in talking to us about any of these techniques or technologies, please contact us with the information provided on the Chicago Energy Consultants web page!
Monday, July 7, 2008
UPDATE: City of Chicago - Environmental Resource Events for August and September 2008
Here is the latest information from the City regarding the next Upcoming Environmental Resource Events:
When: Saturday, August 9
Where: Northeastern Illinois University, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
When: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Event will be held rain or shine.
Drop-Off Your:
- old or unused prescription and non-prescription medications
- computers, cell phones, fax machines, scanners, keyboards
- hazardous household chemicals and paints
- old gas can and/or gas-powered lawn mower
Pick up your:
- compost bin ($30, payable by check or money order only, available to Chicago residents only, while supplies last)
- rain barrel ($40, payable by check or money order only, available to Chicago residents only, while supplies last)
- free compact fluorescent lightbulb (while supplies last)
- free environmentally-friendly gas can (when you trade in an old one)
- $100 rebate towards an electric or push mower (when you drop-off your old gas-powered mower)
When: Saturday, September 20
Where: City Parking Facility, 900 E. 103rd St.
When: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.p>Event will be held rain or shine.
Drop-Off Your:
- old or unused prescription and non-prescription medications
- computers, cell phones, fax machines, scanners, keyboards
- hazardous household chemicals and paints
- old gas can and/or gas-powered lawn mower
Pick up your:
- compost bin ($30, payable by check or money order only, available to Chicago residents only, while supplies last)
- rain barrel ($40, payable by check or money order only, available to Chicago residents only, while supplies last)
- free compact fluorescent lightbulb (while supplies last)
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