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Achieving The Best of Both Worlds: Eco-Friendly and Exceptional Carpet Cleaning Services

When looking for the best carpet cleaning in Livermore, California, most people want a cleaning company that provides excellent service and results without breaking the bank.

But, the good news is, there are options available so you can get the professional quality results you are looking for, while at the same time using eco-friendly and biodegradable cleaning products which are good for the environment and offer a safer alternative for your family. Yes, you can achieve all these by opting for an environment-friendly carpet cleaning company.

So, why choose a cleaning service that’s eco-friendly? A  carpet cleaning company that offers eco-friendly service on top of exceptional results is beneficial for the customers for a variety of reasons.

Biodegradable Cleaning Products

An eco-friendly carpet cleaning company uses all natural and biodegradable cleaning products that provide an excellent method for dirt, stain, and grime removal without leaving toxins to the environment and polluting our water and airways.

Ideal for the Environment

For the eco-conscious homeowner, nature-friendly cleaning solutions can be an important deciding factor when choosing a carpet cleaning service. Aside from being toxic for the environment, typical cleaners also tend to use more water and take longer to dry. Biodegradable and safe cleaning products work as the perfect substitute for harmful cleaners and detergents used by most cleaning companies that leave negative impacts and ecological risks.

Safe for Your Children

Carpet cleaning is ideally meant to make your home clean and to remove germs and bacteria which can cause common diseases. But, with the use of toxic chemicals in the cleaning products you are putting the health of your family, most especially your young children, at risk. Harsh chemicals can trigger asthma and various allergies which makes mild and natural cleaning products an outstanding choice.

Pet-friendly

Finally, let us not forget our furry friends. Harsh ingredients release toxic smell and chemicals which can be dangerous to your pets. By choosing biodegradable and natural cleansers, you can ensure the safety of your beloved pets at home.

Keeping It Green and Clean with Professional Carpet Cleaning Services

You may think that vacuuming and the typical cleaning you do is enough when you see your carpet looking clean and fresh.

But, let’s face it, our carpets at home are one of the principal areas where the dirt, mites, and other bacteria hide. Only a professional carpet cleaning service can give you a thorough cleaning that goes beyond simply making your carpet look brighter, it also ensures that bacteria and germs are eliminated to protect your family’s health.

And, while you are at it, be sure to choose a carpet cleaning company that uses eco-friendly and biodegradable cleaning products to protect the environment. Remember, we don’t just owe our children a clean and healthy home, we also have the responsibility to allow them to enjoy the best of what mother nature could offer. That said, we can do our share in promoting environmental sustainability by choosing eco-friendly products and services.

Going green and an exceptionally clean carpet is just within your reach when you choose a trusted and eco-friendly carpet cleaning company.

bizguyBlog Cities Greenest City

6 of The World’s Greenest Cities

Each year, our world falls victim to unfathomable levels of pollution and as levels build up, global warming becomes an all too real threat. With cities producing thousands of tonnes of waste each year and using nearly as much gas, oil, and other resources, it’s really no wonder that the planet is suffering.

So, what are we doing about it? As it turns out, not much. However, there are cities in the world that work hard to turn back the clock.

Here are a few of the greenest cities in the world.

Vancouver, Canada.

In mainland British Columbia, Canada sits the city of Vancouver. One of the provinces most populous places, Vancouver is both bustling and earth-friendly. How?

Vancouver puts out the lowest carbon emissions of all of the major cities in North America. It does this by encouraging the public to ride bicycles instead of taking vehicles and to try carpooling instead of taking individual vehicles.

It also encourages the use of electric vehicles by having installed charging ports all over the city, as well as a year round Farmer’s Market that allows residents to have access to locally sourced fruits and vegetables.

Reykjavik, Iceland.

With a population of over 120,000 Reykjavik is not only Iceland’s biggest city but also its greenest. The city aims to ban the use of fossil fuels by 2050, opting to use the geothermal wells under the city to power it.

As of right now, though, the city is doing very well in reducing its carbon footprint; only 0.1% of the city’s energy is derived from fossil fuels.

Curitiba, Brazil.

Known as the Green Capital of Brazil, Curitiba is known for its recycling programs and systems. Using specialized waste management programs, 70% of the city’s waste is recycled.

In addition, the city offers a unique incentive program that offers snacks, bus tokens, sweets, and cash in exchange for recyclable items and material. This idea also works to feed the city’s homeless population.

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Given the title “Europe’s Green Capital”, Copenhagen has long been far ahead of many other cities in terms of sustainability.

Here, there are more bikes than there are card, green roofs are being integrated all over the city, and public transit aims to use only electric engines by the end of 2019.

In addition, the Municipality of Copenhagen intends to plant thousands of new trees by 2025 and the area is dotted with highly-advanced wind farms.

San Francisco, United States.

The sunny California city if San Francisco is the first city in the United States to ban single use plastic water bottles. To further improve, the city hopes to be waste-free by 2020.

Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador.

This Ecuadorian city has developed useful programs for protecting the area’s biodiversity and controlling erosion.

It has also introduced a composting system that takes waste from households and public markets, as well as various systems that are designed to support aquaculture and agriculture.

bizguyHealth

What You Should Know About Energy Healing

Alternative medicine becomes increasingly popular even in present times, especially energy therapies. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about energy healing and how this form of therapy works. Some people even consider it as absurd, but it is actually proven to be effective. Below are some of the things everyone should know for a better understanding of energy therapies.

Energy healing has been studied and applied in different cultures since the dawn of human history.

Across different cultures, they have different names for energy pathways that have been studied for many generations. Eastern countries perform energy practices and make these a key aspect of their culture. Even though the ways by which practitioners stimulate the human body’s energy pathways, life force system, and natural ability to heal itself varies from one culture to another, one thing remains the same—internal energy is a seen as a strong force of good.

Energy healing is based on science.

Everything is made up of molecules, and even if a matter is in a solid state, it still consists of vibrating particles. Just the same, the human body does the same. If you hear people say that a particular place has a positive vibe, they are actually referring to the vibrational energy—the place has a calm and happy atmosphere that has a higher frequency.

Even if you’re not a spiritual type of person, spiritual healing can still take place.

You don’t need to fully comprehend the ins and outs of energy healing before you get into the therapy. All you need is an open mind. By availing the services of an energy therapist, you will be able to address health problems, minimize anxiety, and get rid of stress.

Energy healing is easily accessible.

At present, you can easily look for Bio Energy practitioners, Reiki specialists, reflexologists, and acupuncturist within your area by simply doing an online research, You can also obtain a referral from your family and friends for a better experience. Beginning with a quick session, even if it just involves a massage can provide you with a glimpse of how effective energy healing can be.

It is possible to maintain your body’s energetic health at home.

Just like taking a bath, energetic cleaning is also a daily task for you. Smudging can remove negativity from your energy field, and utilizing vibrational crystals can be effective in treating health conditions and giving an energy boost. Additionally, you can do meditation to bring your vibration into a greater frequency.

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve started your energy healing journey simply by being curious about it, it is now time to actually try it out for yourself. Who knows? This might be the solution to maintain your overall well-being.

bizguyEnergy

Top 8 Ways Cities Promote Energy-Efficiency

Unlike drone deliveries or elevated bicycle highways, energy efficient buildings do not grab that much attention. However, in order for cities to reach a high level of sustainable growth, energy efficiency is a very important factor.

Buildings contribute one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions and it is around half in a lot of huge cities. With this, lowering the amount of energy utilized to cool, heat, or light establishments becomes a necessary aspect in any municipality’s wider climate objectives.

Last year, the World Resources Institute published the report “Accelerating Building Efficiency — 8 Actions for Urban Leaders” which highlights that the decisions made by local governments today on how to maximize energy efficiency in buildings from the construction, design, and operation of the buildings will have a long-term impact. Below are eight of the most common ways by which cities can promote energy efficiency.

  1. Building codes and standards

Cities can implement a minimum level of energy efficiency for both existing and new establishments. These standard requirements usually cover design, construction, and the operation of these buildings. The main advantage of these codes and requirements is that they promote long-term cost savings to the property owners.

  1. Setting energyefficiency targets

Some municipalities establish mandatory energy conservation objectives for city-administered buildings, as well as voluntary energy efficiency benchmarks that are applicable to all other types of properties.

  1. Performance is monitored and measured

Audits, disclosure requirements, and certifications are some of the tools that cities can utilize to gauge the energy efficiency performance of properties. The data gathered can then help property owners, occupants, and managers implement more efficient energy usage and administrative decisions.

  1. Financial incentives are offered for energy-efficient projects

Cities can introduce mortgage financing, grants, bonds, credit lines, rebates, and tax incentives to help projects surpass financial hurdles. These different funding mechanisms are helpful for developments with steep upfront expenses.

  1. Leading by example

Local governments can initiate developments and policies that can set a good example for property owners and the entire community to accept and implement energy-efficient measures. Cities can lead by example by starting with government-owned establishments and pursue pilots from the private sector.

  1. Employ engagement strategies

Some of the effective ways to promote a dialogue among tenants, the management, and property owners is through awards, competitions, and kiosks that promote feedback from occupants.

  1. Facilitating technical trainings

Local governments can facilitate technical trainings and educational programs that enable stakeholders to enhance skills that are required to employ the latest energy efficient designs.Aside from this, another technical area involves financing. Through better engagement with the financial sector, there can be standardized investment terms and lower transaction costs.

  1. Partnership with utilities

Cities can broaden their access to energy usage data by forming partnerships with local utilities. The information that they obtain can aid city planners in making wiser decisions regarding their energy conservation objectives.

Final Thoughts

These are just some of the ways by which local governments can promote energy efficiency and protect the environment. These are also included in the report by the World Resources Institute, and there are many more that property owners and developers can do.

bizguyEnergy

Top 5 Reasons to Conserve Energy

There are a lot of good reasons why property owners should consider implementing energy efficient measures. Aside from the financial and environmental benefits of conserving energy, it can also potentially promote mental and physical well-being.

Because of these, property buyers also consider energy efficiency as an important factor to look at when purchasing a home or other types of real estate properties. In this article, we will discuss some of the main reasons why energy conservation is essential.

  1. Greatly lower your utility expenses.

Your electricity bills can cover a huge part of your monthly expenses. According to the US Department of Energy, using energy saving appliances and home upgrades can bring you cost savings of about 5 to 30 percent on your electricity bills. Plus, these energy saving appliances use less energy throughout their life span without sacrificing the quality.

  1. Significant return on investment

Energy efficient appliances and home upgrades should not be viewed as merely additional expenses, but rather an investment that can bring cost savings on utility bills throughout the lifespan of the product. So even if energy saving appliances are slightly more expensive than regular ones, the savings on recurring monthly bills can offset this. Compared to conventional appliances, energy efficient ones can bring significant return on investment especially because energy rates continue to rise.

  1. Increase the value of your property

Energy-efficient properties can typically be sold for a greater price compared to standard ones with similar features.Each energy efficiency effort can increase the final selling price of your property. Furthermore, private properties with green certifications sell at a premium compared to other types of properties within the area. Because it can reduce monthly utility bills, energy efficiency becomes an attractive feature in any type of establishment.

  1. Improve your quality of life.

Optimizing your energy usage doesn’t only bring you cost savings, but also improves your quality of life. It can increase your level of comfort and make the living environment more beneficial to your health. Through your energy efficient efforts, your residence will be well-ventilated, drier, and warmer. Because of this, you will be able to prevent the growth of molds and lower your risk of acquiring diseases.Plus, energy efficient measures can also prevent indoor pollutants from accumulating.

  1. It can contribute to the protection of the environment.

Implementing energy efficient measures is an effective way to minimize your carbon footprint. Residential properties are responsible for about 21 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions back in 2014, and using energy saving appliances and home upgrades can greatly reduce these emissions that are harmful to the environment. In fact, through efficient conservation of energy, the average household can lower its energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 30 percent.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are conserving energy for economic, personal, or environmental reasons, the benefits of doing so will surely offer something to everyone. There are countless of ways by which you can save energy, so there’s no excuse for you not to make energy conservation efforts.

bizguyBlog Energy

Top 3 Ways to Power Your Home with Renewable Energy

If you are looking to save money, one of the best ways is to cut down your monthly bills by investing in renewable energy. By using renewable energy sources to produce electricity for your home, you can partially or completely eliminate this type of monthly expense as well as benefit from tax incentives depending on the policies in your area.

Here are the top 3 ways by which you can power your home with renewables:

  1. Solar Panels

One of the most common methods of obtaining renewable power is through the energy produced by the sun. You can install solar panels on your roof or in your yard. Generally, you can generate at least 10 watts per square foot, depending on where your home is located and the orientation of the solar panels. In a typical household, the energy consumption could go at 1 kilowatt; hence, a few square feet of panels should be sufficient to power a substantial portion of your electricity needs.

Instead of solar panels, you can also install solar shingles which can serve as a replacement of your roof tiles. With this, it is practical to have solar shingles installed when your existing roof is at the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced.

  1. Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are typically found in windfarms or floating offshore. However, if you have enough space, you can also have a small one installed on your real estate property to produce renewable energy for your home.

Some disadvantages of this though is that these wind turbines are not visually attractive, noisy, and consume a lot of space. Because of this, wind turbines are not a preferred option for residential areas. Plus, some areas have laws and zoning regulations that prohibit the installation of wind turbines so better check before buying.

Compared to solar energy, wind power is more stable and a decent-sized wind turbine can produce most of your electricity requirements. This is the main reason why wind turbines may be a great asset to consider if these policies don’t apply to you.

  1. Hydro Power

While this don’t work for everyone, it can be really useful if your property has a source of flowing water such as a river. You can divert some of the stream towards a turbine which can then convert it to electricity that can power your home.

Basically, you just need to find the biggest vertical distance the water will flow and redirect the waterflow such tat it flows through your turbine in a controlled manner. Depending on the vertical distance and volume of water, you will be able to generate a substantial amount of energy that you can use in your household. If you want to install a hydro power generator and you don’t have an engineering background, you need to hire a professional to install it for you.

Final Thoughts

These are just some of the sustainable ways to produce electricity for your home and save some money on utility bills. In fact, when you do it right, you can even completely get off the grid!

bizguyBlog DIY Energy

The sale to the electricity grid

Below we will deal with the issue of network sales from a general point of view, which includes plants powered by both renewable and conventional sources. For the specific case of photovoltaics, where the revenues from the sale of the sum of the incentive tariff, consult “The sale to the grid for photovoltaics”. 

Selling electricity means receiving a price-default or market-for each kWh of electricity fed into the network. The legislation requires that the Electricity System Operator (GSE) ensures the priority to electricity produced by plants using renewable energy sources. For renewable energy plants up to 20 kW , network sales are an alternativeoption to on-site exchange (see “On-site exchange for renewables”). 
For plants with a capacity of more than 20 kW , the sale to the network is a mandatory route .

There are two important innovations on the horizon, both contained in an organic way in the integrated text of the methods and technical-economic conditions for on-site exchange (TISP), valid starting from 1 January 2009: 
1. For plants electricity production from renewable sources is expected to increase the maximum threshold for on-site exchange, from 20 to 200 kW. The confirmation of this important change, already contained in the 2008 Budget, depends on the issuing of implementing decrees to the Budget. 
2. High-efficiency cogeneration plants up to 200 kW can benefit from on-site exchange. Only for these plants, it is possible to choose between on-site exchange compensation or sale to the network.

Direct sale or dedicated collection? 

The sale to the electricity network produced by a plant can be carried out in two different ways:

1. “Direct” sales: this is the sale made on the Power Exchange or through bilateral contracts stipulated with wholesalers;

2. “Indirect” or “dedicated withdrawal” sale: form of sale through the stipulation of a simple agreement with the Electricity Services Operator (GSE), which acts as a commercial intermediary between the producers and the electricity system.

The reference text for the dedicated withdrawal is Resolution 280/07 of the AEEG, containing the “Technical and economic conditions for the withdrawal of electricity” and the related Annex A.

Here we will deal only with the dedicated collection, which is chosen by most producers for reasons of administrative simplicity and economic convenience.

The dedicated retreat

The dedicated withdrawal of electricity is preferred to direct sales, especially for two reasons:

• the GSE , as an intermediary between producers and the national electricity system, is the only subject to whom it is addressed . This avoids the need to deal with the managers of the transmission (Terna) or the distribution (Enel, Sorgenia, etc.) of electricity;

• the dedicated withdrawal agreement, to be signed with the GSE, replaces any other bureaucracy.

Stipulating a dedicated withdrawal agreement is equivalent to committing the GSE to the “withdrawal”, that is to the purchase, of all the electric energy introduced into the grid by the plant.

These simplifications for the dedicated withdrawal of electricity have been introduced by Resolution 280/07 of the AEEG and have already been operational since 1 January 2008. The GSE has dedicated to these innovations a specific section of its website , containing all the technical information , regulations and contracts for joining the dedicated withdrawal regime.

bizguyBlog DIY Energy

SELF-PRODUCED ENERGY, GAINING AND SAVING ON BILLS

And ‘the doubt that afflicts lovers and hopeful in gaining on photovoltaics: can you still sell the energy produced by your photovoltaic system and earn? Of course you can, just choose the dedicated withdrawal solution that allows you to sell self-produced energy to the national electricity grid, or GSE, it being understood that before choosing this option, to avoid being left without energy to sell, it is necessary to evaluate the initial costs of the photovoltaic system, the production in the installation area and the energy consumption of your home.

In fact, if we want to sell self-produced energy, we must make sure that a certain quantity remains after supplying and servicing our home, otherwise the profit will not be optimal: the energy price of GSE is significantly higher, resulting in far more convenient to use photovoltaic energy and to sell the surplus energy, even if in small quantities.

The solution of the dedicated withdrawal contract is based on a rationalized sales mechanism that allows the user to be protected on the sales prices of the energy that he himself produces and which he sells to the national network: the guaranteed minimum prices allow to obtain a price fixed, a guaranteed sales charge, without surprises or reduction of the share due to the sale of your energy.

GUARANTEED MINIMUM PRICES: WHAT ARE THEY?

The user who buys a photovoltaic system for his home can sell self-produced energy to the GSE through the Minimum Guaranteed Prices: sales prices with which the electric manager buys the energy himself , allowing to protect small energy producers from the possibility that this sale price will be changed and reduced.

  • ATTENTION : The user, therefore, who installs a photovoltaic system and intends to sell the energy he produces must request the stipulation of the dedicated withdrawal contract, considering, furthermore, that the guaranteed minimum prices are granted only for plants with nominal power up to 1 Megawatt for the first 2 million kwh per year placed on the network, beyond this data will not be recognized.

For more information, please see the following table showing the minimum guaranteed prices 2013 for photovoltaic plants with dedicated collection , which increased compared to 2012 based on the annual rate of change in ISTAT consumer prices between 2011 and 2012:

Kwh PRODUCTS

MINIMUM PRICES GUARANTEED FOR Mwh IMMESSI IN THE NETWORK
Up to 3,750 Kwh € 105.80
From 3,750 to 25,000 Kwh 95.20 euros
From 25,000 to 2,000,000 Kwh 80.60 euros

HOW TO REQUEST THE DEDICATED COLLECTION: TIMING

The user who installs a photovoltaic system must request a dedicated collection within 60 days from the installation of the system in his home: it is only necessary to register for the dedicated GSE portal and submit the appropriate documentation directly online. Compared to previous years, the contract request procedure has been simplified to allow easy access to all those who want to sell the energy produced by their photovoltaic system and put it on the network, without incurring excessive and slow bureaucratic procedures.

The GSE becomes a sort of intermediary of the energy produced, sold and fed into the network, which with the stipulation of the dedicated withdrawal contract undertakes to buy from the producer the non-consumed energy on site with minimum selling prices, representing a real and its own guarantee of profit for the small producer of energy from renewable sources. Naturally, it must be considered that even these guaranteed minimum prices are updated annually by the AEEG (Authority for Electricity and Gas), constituting, however, a guarantee in the competitiveness and loyalty of the marketing of energy.

For those wishing to have more information, details and the requirements to access this particular type of contract for the sale of self-produced energy, visit also the section of the GSE website on the dedicated withdrawal .

DEDICATED RETREAT OR ON-SITE EXCHANGE?

The small producer of energy from renewable sources can choose between dedicated withdrawal or on-site exchange, but the two incentives are incompatible : the user who chooses to sell their energy can, however, take advantage of the 50% deduction to obtain the recovery half of the capital invested for the purchase of the photovoltaic plant until 30 June 2013. Following this date, the facilitation of tax deductions will return to 36% , even if the mechanism of dedicated withdrawal and tax deduction will always be possible, allowing you to enjoy a real cycle of production of clean energy and sales to increase the profit and reduce the recovery time of the initial investment.

Instead, the user who chooses the on-site exchange contract receives a charge for the energy fed into the network, with the possibility of making energy withdrawals, when the photovoltaic system does not produce useful energy, as during the night hours.