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Power Plus Blog

Best Home Theaters

Jay Slough - Tuesday, June 08, 2010

It’s quite likely that at one time you have gone to the movies to watch a box office hit.  Then midway through the film you started to imagine that it would have been really cool if you could have watched all the action right in the comfort and solace of your home. This choice is actually open to you! All that you have to do is to shop around for the best home theater systems in the market.

The recent advancements in technology have allowed manufacturers to offer premium quality entertainment systems that were virtually unheard of a couple of years ago. As such, consumers’ preferences have also evolved from seeking modest entertainment gadgets to demanding for the best home theater systems. However, what’s “best” is highly subjective and may differ from one consumer to another. In fact, the best home theaters are those which perfectly suit the consumer’s needs and preferences. It will all boil down to what you want and how much you are willing to shell out for a system.

At this point you may be thinking that your home theater will punch a big hole in your pocket. Sure, you can easily spend five figures for the latest in home theaters and if you do shop around for the best home theater systems based solely on money, then you will find that your home theater is going to be expensive. However, what you really need to set up an excellent home theater system are a few items: a TV or a projector screen, a set of state-of-the-art speakers, a DVD player and/or a VCR. True blue enthusiasts are even going for Blu-ray players and streaming media from Pandora and Netflix.

Nowadays, wide screen TVs are all the rage and you can choose to upgrade to high definition: either LCD or plasma. If you’re after larger screen size then you go for plasma. It has been widely considered as the ideal choice but LCDs have closed the gap and are also getting much bigger in size. So you have to make a decision based on your needs and your allotted budget. The next thing to consider is the DVD player. Always choose the best one with surround sound and high definition so you can enjoy movies as if you were at the cinemas. Add to that the quick access to the World Wide Web with just a few tweaks in the cable connections. The other items that you will need to complete your home theater system are the speakers. These usually come in 5.1 channel with left, right, middle, left rear, and right rear. You should always choose speakers that can play different sound formats and carry through high quality Dolby Digital surround sound.

With an array of home theatre systems being introduced in the market, it is important and imperative to do your research and consult professionals in the field. Power Plus is an expert in home automation and highly focused on the cutting edge of technology, bringing custom home audio and video that fits your needs perfectly. In the end, the best home theater system provides all the necessary functions to deliver that movie-like experience, without being overly-expensive.

Solar Power Solutions for South Dakota

Jay Slough - Monday, May 10, 2010

It is no secret that our energy sources are being depleted at a rate that is much faster than they are being generated. It may be safe to say that if the current trend continues, it’s quite likely that conventional energy sources will run out sooner than we can imagine. This ominous reality brought to light the need for alternative and more importantly, renewable sources of energy to power not only our homes but the entire planet.

In the U.S., one of the states that is leading the push for renewable energy sources is South Dakota. It is currently employing the use of geothermal, hydro-conventional, solar, wood/wood waste, MSW/landfill gas and other forms of biomass to meet the energy requirements of its 66 counties with nearly a million people. Based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration Independent Statistics and Analysis, one of the top sources of renewable energy in the state is solar power. This is not surprising as you’ll find solar panels installed in homes across the state.

There are a number of reasons why solar power is increasingly growing in popularity as a highly feasible solution for the looming energy crisis not only in South Dakota but in the U.S. and across the globe in general. First and foremost, solar energy is free and it will not run out for as long as the sun shines - that would be a couple of billion years into the future! Equally important is the fact that solar energy does not, in any way, pollute our environment. Throw in all the environmental benefits from solar power and it appears that we have in our hands the best solution to the energy crisis that every nation is experiencing today.

However, not everybody is sold to the idea yet. There are people who shy away and don’t even consider the thought of installing solar power solutions at home because of the misconception that solar panels and other related products are expensive, cumbersome and hard to maintain. Nothing can be farther from the truth. As a matter of fact, the solar energy business in South Dakota is booming as evidenced by the sheer number of solar energy businesses in the state. One of the pioneers and current leaders in renewable energy and solar power solutions in South Dakota is Power Plus. If you are among the skeptics, try to check out Power Plus Learning Center and discover the benefits of using solar energy and how it can meet a large portion of your energy needs. You will be surprised to know how easy it is to use such power solutions.

It is true that you will have to shell out some hard earned bucks for the installation cost of devices such as solar panels. However, you have to consider that it is just a one-time expense but the savings you’ll amass will last for the entire lifespan of the solar panels, which is normally 25 to 30 years. Moreover, studies showed that you will be able to save up to $3 for every $1 you invest on an alternative energy solution. It’s therefore quite evident that the long-term savings you’ll get will more than offset the installation cost of those solar panels that you’ll have installed in your home. In addition, most of these devices are easily upgradable. This means that you can purchase the basic components and then upgrade them later if and when the budget permits. With this set up, you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank for the installation cost. Check out Power Plus for the best, one-stop-shopping and customer service in the business today.

Tools for Monitoring Home Energy Use

Jay Slough - Wednesday, April 07, 2010

It is worth mentioning that family finances are among the hardest-hit by the global economic downturn. The crisis has prompted households to take the matter of budgeting seriously. Today, families are adopting cost and energy saving methods by considering different ways by which utility bills paid to the power company every month can be reduced to the barest minimum. Many homeowners are likewise employing tools that can help in monitoring home energy use.

Fortunately, the government issued the stimulus package and renewed public attention to energy savings. A number of companies saw the need and pounced on the opportunity to develop and eventually market wireless energy dashboards that can be used to keep track of energy data from your power meter and inform you if you’re being an energy hog. In addition, President Obama pledged to help utilities install an additional 40 million smart meters. Such meters are essentially digital meters that create a 2-way connection with the utility and the power grid. Smart meters can provide data about the fluctuating cost of electricity throughout the day, allowing consumers with energy management tools to switch power consumption to the time of day when energy is cheapest.

Utility meters are great measurement tools so try to get into the habit of reading the electricity meter on a daily basis. Monitor your energy consumption on a graph or in a spreadsheet and track changes or fluctuations. In case your daily readings spike, try to pinpoint the cause. Spikes in usage serve as a warning that something needs to be checked. And when your daily readings begin to fall consistently over time, you know you’re doing something right in terms of saving energy.

There are also plug-in electricity monitors that can help you determine how much electricity a certain device or appliance consumes. You simply plug the device into the meter, and it shows readings for watts of power used, including kilowatt hours over a period of time. These meters can be used to gauge how much electricity you're losing to phantom loads like AC to DC converters or anything with an LCD or LED display. Such devices can use up power even when nothing is plugged into them. You can also use plug in monitors to correlate actual electric consumption of an appliance to what the manufacturer's claims say. If they don’t match, then you can make the necessary adjustments as to the settings or configuration of your appliance.

Another category of tools is the full-house electricity monitors which can track your home energy consumption in real time so you can examine usage change as different appliances are turned on and off, thereby identifying those that require the most power. However, these monitors are more expensive and not as useful as plug-in monitors in determining how much power a given appliance uses.  Aside from the aforementioned tools, there are a lot more available in the market as more companies try to find ways to help save energy while saving the environment at the same time. In the end, what really matters is for all of us to be eco-conscious and help raise awareness about the importance of saving energy

Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find. ~Quoted in Time

Jay Slough - Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Saving the earth - Solar Energy and Solar Power
 
Solar energy is the power generated from the light and heat of the Sun. Solar energy is no doubt an ideal alternative source of energy which can replace notorious fossil fuels. Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy is renewable and if we are successful in harnessing the solar power to its capacity, we can easily solve the power crisis and the related politics all over the world. 
 
The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun. ~Ralph Nader, quoted in Linda Botts, ed.,Loose Talk, 1980
 
Solar energy is termed as a green fuel. It does not cause pollution or harm the environment in any way. The vital ozone layer does not get affected by the use of solar energy. Solar electricity is therefore very environment friendly. It is clean and safe for the earth and for us. Hence, opting for solar energy to cut down the consumption of the conventional electricity is simultaneously helping to make the earth a better place.
When I think about the earth I think about my kids. Really how clean is it going to be by the time they are my age. The sun is the source of solar energy. This source is unlimited, inexhaustible and free. Scientists and astronomers have stated that the sun will stay bright for at least a few more million years. This means the free energy that is being derived from the sun will be available to us for the foreseeable future and the future of our children and our children’s children. By using this freely available energy source, the earth’s non-renewable sources of energy can be preserved, helping the eco-system.
 
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb
 
Considering the huge number of benefits of solar power, we ought to give it a closer look. The number of Americans who have opted for this source of energy today just might surprise you. You will often come across a residential area where every roof might have a solar panel installed on it. This definitely points at the popularity solar power has gained. Let’s go through the great reasons why more and more people are choosing to go green today with the cheapest form of non-conventional form of energy.
We may need to solve problems not by removing the cause but by designing the way forward even if the cause remains in place
 
Here a few other reasons solar power and energy is better for you and the environment:
-Reduces local air pollution. .
-Offsets greenhouse gases
-Conserves Energy Solar electricity for the Third World is an effective energy conservation program because it conserves costly conventional power for urban areas, town market centers, and industrial and commercial uses, leaving decentralized PV-generated power to provide the lighting and basic electrical needs of the majority of the developing world's rural populations.
-Reduces need for dry-cell battery disposal. Check this out……
Small dry-cell batteries for flashlights and radios are used throughout the unelectrified world. Most of these batteries are disposable lead-acid cells which are not recycled. Lead from disposed dry-cells leaches into the ground, contaminating the soil and water. Solar rural electrification dramatically decreases the need for disposable dry-cell batteries. Over 12 billion dry-cell batteries were sold in 1993.
 
WHAT!!!
 
The sun generates more than 10,000 times the amount of energy the entire world consumes annually. The two most obvious benefits of solar power, and what is so alluring about it, are the fact the sun shines every single day for free, and that solar power panels generate zero CO2 emissions. Fossil fuels create large amounts of CO2, and CO2 contributes to what is commonly called global warming. Yet, alternative energy sources such as solar power do not create CO2 emissions. Solar power is a source of "clean energy" or "green energy," and coupled with its abundance there is ample reason for us to continue to explore solar energy not just as an alternative energy source, but as a potential foundation of energy production. With concerns over dependence on fossil fuels and CO2 emissions growing, the funding and research into alternative energy sources is growing as well. One of the benefactors of this increased awareness is solar energy.
 
I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun's energy.... If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago. ~Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973

Solar power is very compatible with other sources of energy. An example of this is its compatibility with wind energy. This has proved to be very advantageous and can help you live off the grid if you can use these two renewable energy sources of power to your advantage. Another unusual point to consider is the shade provided by the solar panels installed on your roof. This shade can bring down the temperature of your attic during the hot summers. When you think about so many advantages, solar energy is really a good choice to opt for.
 
I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend? ~Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985
 
For more information about solar power Contact our Solar Experts @ 1.605.355.0777
or Visit us at Power Plus Solar your renewable energy giants.

What is Renewable Energy and how does it work??

Jay Slough - Thursday, December 03, 2009

There are two types of energy. Nonrenewable and Renewable. ( I think renewable energy is what my 5yr old is made of.)

Energy sources are considered nonrenewable if they cannot be replenished (made again) in a short period of time. Some examples of nonrenewable energy include gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, coal, natural gas, and uranium (nuclear energy).

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural-occurring sources that can be constantly replenished in a short period of time. The five renewable sources used most often are Biomass, Water, Geothermal, Wind and Solar.

The use of renewable energy is not new. The oldest and perhaps most common energy is wood. More than 150 years ago, wood, which is one form of biomass, supplied up to 90% of our energy needs. As the use of coal, petroleum, and natural gas expanded, the United States became less reliant on wood as an energy source. Over half of renewable energy goes to producing electricity. About 9% of U.S. electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2008. The next largest use of renewable energy is the production of heat and steam for industrial purposes. Plants have more recently been used to create renewable fuels, such as ethanol (alternative to gasoline) are also used for transportation and to provide heat for homes and businesses. Geothermal energy is another type of renewable energy that involves harnessing the natural heat of the earth's core to produce power.

The largest source of renewable energy currently used is hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power involves harnessing the kinetic energy of flowing water to turn turbines in order to produce electricity. A similar form of renewable energy is wind power, which involves harnessing the kinetic energy of wind currents to turn large fan-like turbines. Solar power, involves using the light and heat produced by the sun as an energy source. The power from the sun is so efficient, and it can be used for everything. Simple examples are things like lighting the pathway in the garden, security lights, or heating the pool. There are so many small devices that run on solar energy, that this alone can save you a lot of money. Together with residential solar panels you can switch from regular electricity to solar renewable energy.

For the future of the earth you need to understand that one of the most important benefits is the environment. The amount of electricity we use is the cause of extreme issues like global warming and pollution of the environment. When we start using the sun to its fullest capacity we are using a completely natural and environmentally friendly energy source.

Given the increasing population of the human race, the importance of renewable energy is likely to continue to increase in the future, as well as a shift toward more cost efficient energy sources. From the standpoint of electrical powersolar energy has a huge potential, considering the amount of energy the sun produces is thousands of times greater than the needs of earth. The world must transform its current energy system on a global scale. It is expected that 60% of all our energy will come from renewable energy by the year 2070.

 

Home Automation. Simple. Easy. Fun

Jay Slough - Wednesday, October 07, 2009

"Watch this!"  Those are the first words out of every person that adds automation to their home.  Let's face it, guys love things they can control, remote control cars, planes, motor cycles, you name it and they love it.  The same is true for home automation, although the price is much cheaper than most people think.

The industry itself spans new homes, existing homes, green living, builders, utilities, and also hotels and resorts.  Automation takes the guess work out of lightning, heating/cooling, sound, security, and much more as new technologies have emerged  to make it cost effective to automate your home or business for a great price.

Imagine having one point of control for your home theater, security system, lighting system, sound system, and anything else you can think of.  A sophisticated solution that is practical and affordable for every application and gives you peace of mind for your family and loved ones. This is now a reality!

In keeping with saving energy and providing greener solutions, automating your home can fit your budget and  reduce your energy consumption and carbon foot print at the same time. So it is not only cool for the guys, but the gals can take the extra dollars saved and go shopping!  Sorry guys, you know it's true. 

In the end, you save energy, money, and automate your home to secure your family.  It is not just an investment for your home, but for your lifestyle!

To learn more about the home automation solutions provided by Power Plus, give us a call at 605-355-0777 or better yet, fill out the free estimate form here. 


   

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