The Energy Star logo on products is a very well known and advertised indicator that those products will offer 10% – 35% energy savings over their non-rated competition. However, a recent news report on MSNBC’s Today Show as reported by Lisa Myers has cited that the federal government’s accountability office (GAO) had conducted its own independent investigation which reported that a great many products and companies which had received approval by the energy star program did not in fact offer efficiencies that fit the energy star programs criteria in order to be accepted into that program. One such product that this story cited as having received an energy star approval rating was a “Gasoline Powered Alarm Clock” which of course was a fabricated product type submitted for approval by the GAO but the fact that it was given an approval rating shows that energy star has much work to do in refining their approval rating criteria.

This does not in any way mean that a great many products that have already received energy star program approval ratings are not energy efficient, but until the program increases its own requirements for independent testing it does mean that consumers should request proof of the energy savings they can expect to receive from their manufacturers. While this news story also indicated that 70% of the products which carry the energy star logo were manufactured by General Electric, who also happens to be the parent company of MSNBC, they did not see fit to mention the names of any other companies which also have received an energy star approval rating on their products which made this story seem like more of an advertisement for GE than anything else.

The fact of the matter here is that when it comes right down to what products are or are not energy efficient the buyer should always do their homework and never make their purchases based on what anyone has to say about it from a marketing perspective. There are thousands of products made by companies from all over the world that have just as good or better energy efficiency ratings. Some people will only purchase German made products because they believe their quality standards are far higher than the same products quality standards coming from a US manufacture. Ultimately this all comes down to peoples biased opinions while lending them to one perspective or another on any given product line. Sure it would be great if there were an all knowing “source” that we could refer to when trying to determine which product will give us the biggest bang for our buck but as all of this boils down to marketing strategies used by various companies the best advice anyone can give you is this. The buyer should always beware of false claims and the only assurance that any buyer can attain is that which only comes from being an informed consumer.

In many cases the best advertising (word-of-mouth) also can be used for your most accurate sounding board when trying to determine whether product “A” or “B” is best for your particular needs. So check to see whether the product you are considering does in fact have a great number of testimonials that speak highly of other peoples comfort level and satisfaction with a given product. Case specific information which relates to a given testimonial is also a great source of what you too can expect to gain by using that product. Another great resource that often times goes over looked comes by checking with your states energy department web sites as they often times will be offering incentives for say the purchase and installation of a given hot water heater as an example.

Does any given energy star rating suggest that this product or that is the only viable solution to your particular needs? Certainly not! The fact of the matter is that despite the energy star programs best efforts and given the facts revealed in this latest story involving them even they cannot accurately gauge every product currently being manufactured unless of course you honestly believe that a “gasoline powered alarm clock” even exists let alone was approved and shown to being energy efficient in a laboratory testing environment.

There currently is no mandate in existence that requires all global manufactures to have their products independently tested for energy efficiency criteria although the energy star program is working towards refining theirs. However, the next best thing would be to at the very least ensure that any electrical product you intend on purchasing carries both a UL and CEC listing as these are easily researched and have undergone significant and stringent testing to obtain such listings. UL and CEC listings also provide you with laboratory prove electrical values of that given product with which you can use to comparison shop against other name brands to ensure that the cost savings you are expecting are really what your dollars are buying.

In the Hollywood blockbuster hit ’2012′, earth faces a cataclysmic end as solar flares heat up the earths core forcing earthquakes, mega-tsunamis and volcano eruptions on unsuspecting people. The hero (a scientist) and a following manage to steal an airplane and escape to China were there are modern day ‘arks’. The movie ends with earth being covered in water – sort of a second great flood. I think the question that most people would like the answer to is: Is 2012 fact or fiction?

If you have recently started your research, then you must have encountered the Mayan calendar. This long count calendar was created more than 1500 years ago, but is remarkably accurate. It is in fact so accurate that it can only be bettered by calendars based on quantum physics. In other words: It is amazing that a people without any technology could create a calendar that can be used to this day to predict lunar eclipses. But why should we care about this? The problem is that the Mayan calendar ends on December 21′st 2012. That’s why we want to know if movies such as ’2012′ are fact or fiction.

In the movie, solar flares are the primary culprit. They heat up the core of the earth making it unstable and unleashing all hell on the humans above. Solar flares are in fact very volatile and some speculate that it was solar flares and not a comet, which killed the dinosaurs.

Another unfortunate prediction is that of Planet Nibiru. The Sumerians, the first civilization on earth, believed earth was created in a collision with a huge planet called Nibiru. This is not as far fetched as it sounds as all the landmass of earth was once together in one place (Pangea). Planet Nibiru is supposed to be a brown dwarf, a star which have not ‘ignited’, and it’s orbit around the sun would be about 4000 years.

In 1906, astronomer Percival Lowell, set out to investigate why the planet Uranus had such an unstable orbit. His eventual conclusion was that there had to be a giant planet, unseen to the eye, which tugged at Uranus. His work was published but people soon forgot. Then in 1983, astronomers from NASA made it public that they were almost certain of a 10′th planet in the solar system and they called it Planet X. This is the same planet that Percival Lowell described. Strangely, despite the fact this made big news, NASA now denies ever having looked for such a planet. It seems the Russians are not so sure. Their MARS exploration project is due to launch in 2012, but by then it could be too late. If Planet X does enter close to earth again, the results could be devastating. Expect more earthquakes, more volcanoes, giant tsunamis miles high and ash covering the sun. You tell me, is 2012 fact or fiction?

Experts agree that despite all these glum predictions it will be possible to survive 2012 without having a ticket for the elites underground bases. Mountains are an obvious choice but not all will be safe.

In this day and age, it is simply not economical to consume unlimited energy resources. Costs for electricity, natural gas and heating fuel are climbing at a consistent rate, and show no signs of slowing down. Furthermore, the traditional methods of building maintenance and upkeep have become obsolete as technology is changing and our social responsibilities demand that corporations take a proactive step toward energy efficiency and green construction.

Those who live in residential neighborhoods have already begun shifting the way they consume energy – including electricity and fuel. For the past few years, statistics have shown that green products, from efficient fluorescent light bulbs to major energy efficient appliances, have been selling more often as people want to do their part to help the environment while saving money in the process. These same small steps can be done on a larger, commercial scale and achieve similar results.

Building managers who operate a traditional facility can begin thinking about their building’s carbon footprint and the type of lifestyle it promotes for the people who live or work in or around it. At first, the simple step of switching to energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs can be one way of reducing energy consumption, and reducing monthly energy expenses. From their, a building manager may explore the possibility of installing modern appliances that use a fraction of the electricity and energy of older, non energy-efficient appliances. Windows and doors can be replaced with models that are highly insulated, ensuring that the building’s heating and cooling system runs more effectively. New heating, cooling and ventilation systems can drastically improve indoor air quality and give the inhabitants of the building allergen-free air to breath.

On a larger scale, companies who strive to be proactive and drastically reduce outside energy consumption can install energy-generating devices that will allow the building to be self-sufficient. Solar panels and wind turbines will generate electricity for use inside the facility. In many cases, solar panels and wind turbines can create more than enough electricity – meaning an environmentally conscious, green building can help generate power for its entire community.

There are many steps one can take to improve building performance efficiency, small and large. Working with a green building consultant, a building manager can decide the right path for their facility and implement better maintenance techniques. CMMS implementation can greatly reduce costs and ensure building performance is running at the highest level of efficiency.

Green building consultants have expert knowledge on the most up-to-date green building techniques and can recommend energy efficient products and green product manufacturers. Remodeling and existing building or constructing a new facility with the help of a green building consultant will guarantee that it is designed in the most energy efficient manner and promotes a healthy lifestyle for those who live or work in it.

Are you sick and tired of the raised energy expenses, month after month? If that’s the case, then you are not alone, many people feel the same way, too. But you know, if we can only harness our nature’s power, we can save a lot of money paying our monthly electric bill? You maybe asking what power does nature have, that we can utilize as alternative source energy? The answer is solar power, the energy that comes from the sun is a good source of clean energy and it’s free.

But how can we make use of it? It all starts with a solar panel. You might think, solar panels are for high-tech and rich companies only. Fortunately nowadays, every individual who are eager to produce clean energy can now build it right at the comfort of anyone’s home. Unlike we thought long years ago that only scientists can build this thing. You can now build your own solar panels on your own. Solar panel building guides are easy to follow and include the list of materials you will need to start your project immediately. Materials are available both at the local stores and online stores. It also includes a calculator on how much power you will need to power all your current electrical equipments. This can compute how many solar panels you will be making so that it can power your entire home efficiently. Of course, it covers all the safety precautions while you are building it yourself and safety for your solar panels while it is permanently installed. It provides the how-to maintenance, so it will operate very efficiently at all time.

But first, you have to check where you want to install your solar panels at home. The most effective p lace is the roof of your house. It can also be installed in area where it is fully expose the sunlight as to collect and convert power efficiently.

If you build your own solar panels, you can enjoy a long-term free and clean energy, saving you high cost of monthly electric bill. Not only that, while you’re enjoying your free and clean energy, you help save our planet which is submerge into pollution. Another advantage of this clean energy is, if you can produce more power than you need, you can sell this extra power to power utility company, thus making you a good income source.

This clean power not only benefits people for saving high-cost monthly electric bills, it also benefits the earth, thus saving it from global warming and eventually we enjoy clean and green living. It’s a continuous cycle of caring. If we start making our homemade solar panels, we can enjoy its benefits and for the coming generations.

To ensure efficiency, an organization needs to be able to monitor accurately and administer all aspects of its operations. Benchmarks must be set to evaluate efficiency in performance which shall be periodically reviewed to assess actual productivity against what is planned.

Given that energy is already an expensive resource for any type of business, having an energy management monitoring program helps a company attain efficiency. Legislation that regulate the use of energy has risen due to the rising threats of global warming and the consequent increased carbon emissions from using fossil fuels.

Energy management monitoring is important for any company’s decision makers to have important information on how to identify trending in energy use for its operations. This helps major decision makers of a company to be able to generate sound conclusions and prepare for consequences. Using trend graphs from multiple scenarios must be compiled with benchmarks at it will also help in efficient reporting.

Carbon emissions will be heavily regulated in the future and carbon becomes tradeable commodity. It is therefore important to immediately identify areas of wasted energy through an efficient energy management monitoring. Any company of the future will have to mind maximum efficiency in all its operations due to the considerable costs not only from losses due to increased operating expenses but also from penalties on heavy carbon emissions.

Energy was once a commodity which most enterprises did not have that much control of in the past. In this day and age, energy control is now a top priority. Software solutions are also available that control results down to assets level and could help companies in their energy management monitoring initiatives. This will help ensure that every element is optimized in operations.

With the increasing awareness and incentives for cleaner production, companies which have a very efficient energy management monitoring process taking place will have very good chances of availing regional and state grants for efficiency in energy use.

Organizations of the future will be subjected to mandatory carbon emissions reporting, including a full inventory of assets that use energy with corresponding meters. A full life cycle analysis of assets will help ensure that companies account for all sources of energy and sources of greenhouse gas emissions within or without their control.

To get the best utility rates, a smart grid functionality and active energy response can help ensure that any company’s assets are operating in optimum conditions. To strive for efficient performance with the use of energy management monitoring will include using the most current and high quality software solution that can help ensure best use of alternative sources of energy.

Energy management monitoring is a skill which every managerial team needs to understand as the era goes into the low carbon economy age. Companies that fail to conform to energy efficient productions will be heavily penalized through monetary penalties expressed in legislation. Likewise, pressure from the highly aware consumers and the threat of their withdrawal from patronizing products from companies that do not practice clean production will compel companies to prioritize energy management.