Plenty of healthy drinking water is a necessity for your health, which is what the green life is all about.
Clean drinking water is a "must have" for the green home, so how are you going to get your share of clean water?
Not as simple as it used to be. We're taxing our resources, asking more of Mother Earth than we ever have, and the strain is showing, particularly in the quality of our drinking water.

Home water filtration, once a rarity, is a superior option to buying bottled water; more convenient, much more affordable and cuts back dramatically on the energy-to-to-waste cycle!
Home water filtration systems come in a wide array of shapes, sizes and costs and we're looking for something within the reach of almost any consumer with a green home preference, so today we're going to focus on faucet mount water filters.
Why Use a Faucet Mount Water Filter?
Water faucet filters are a simple and inexpensive complement to the green home and using a water faucet filter is an excellent alternative to buying bottle water.
Bottled Water & Waste Issues According to Wikipedia, "an estimated 50 billion bottles of water are consumed per annum in the US" and, worse, only about 26% of those bottles find their way into recycling! Bottled Water Wiki
Do the math; that's a lot of plastic going...somewhere.
Bottled water quality There's disagreement between testing organizations about what contaminants and just how much contamination is actually found in bottled water but the fact remains that they can be present and with the ever-increasing incidents of processed food contamination, why take the chance?
Water Costs: Bottled Water vs. Tap Water Bottled water costs between $0.25 and $2 per bottle while tap water costs less than US$0.01. Use of a faucet water filter can be as little as .$10 a gallon, well below the cost of bottled water!

Faucet Water Filter Benefits
A water faucet filter not only provides you and your loved ones with clean, affordable drinking water, they provide other benefits.
For one, using a water faucet filter reduces energy usage and the associated costs.
~ energy to manufacture, then fill, the bottles.
~ energy to transport full bottles
~ energy to recycle plastic bottles(the ones that actually MAKE it to the recycling center).
Another benefit to the environment is the reduction of trash;
~ less used plastic bottles in the landfill
~ less bottles on the streets
~ less bottles in your yard, your favorite park or floating in your favorite fishing/swimming hole!

Faucet Water Filter Overview:
Easy to install and quite affordable, the faucet water filter quickly and easily mounts to almost any kitchen faucet with a minimal
amount of tooling and fuss.
There are 2 types of faucet water filters, the reverse osmosis filter and the activated carbon type filters.
One important difference between the 2 is that of the filters we reviewed, the reverse osmosis water filters didn't eliminate many of the contaminants that have found their way into many of our municipal water systems, then into your kitchens, your foods and then your bodies.
These include pollutants like lead, micro-organisms and even pharmaceuticals which make tyheir way into municipal water systems when people flush their prescriptions!

What's the right faucet water filter for you?
We're going to try and help you decide!
Clean drinking water can be very inexpensive...
For under $50 you can have clean drinking water right from your faucet with one of the following faucet water filters

Typically, these faucet water filters work with a replaceable water filter cartridge...
Here are our top 3 faucet mount filter choices:

Brita On-Tap Filtration System

Brita On-Tap Faucet Filter

Pur Faucet Mount Water Filter

Pur horizontal faucet filter

GE® Faucet Mount Filtration System Model #: GXFM07HBL
This is our number 1 choice of the faucet water filter systems we reviewed!

GE faucet filter

Faucet Filter Systems on Ebay

New Sealed Brita On Tap Filter replacment white color fits model FF 100    US $2.99

Pur mineral clear faucet filter    US $4.60

OSMOSIS FAUCET GE WITH BATTERY BASE NIP    US $12.99

Why Wind Energy Power?
Wind turbines, generating free electricity from the blowing breeze, can be a very effective power source for the green home. You've probably seen banks of spinning turbines on wind farms, or the large. single turbines that have begun springing up in all sorts of places; that's because even a slight breeze can cause these generators to produce cheap electricity without the need to burn fossil fuel and the greenhouse gases that wreak havoc on our environment and personal health.

Wind Energy Components for the Green Home

There are 3 main components to any wind system. They are

Affordable wind turbines generate green electricity for the home

Wind Power Generation ~ The wind turbine

The wind turbine generates the electrical current. As the wind turns the fan blades, they spin a special generator which produces the flow of electrons necessary to power most of our appliances and equipment.
The most important considerations when considering a wind turbine for your green powered home are your energy needs and whether or not you can actually install a turbine on your property.
Obviously, the turbine needs to be located so that a wind can reach it and this typically means that it must be well above any surrounding structures such as nearby buildings.
Many municipalities will not allow a turbine, perched atop the required tower, within a certain distance of your (or your neighbors) dwelling. Check your local building codes to ascertain whether a wind turbine installation is actually practical for you.
(If not, check out our posts on solar home energy for other green power options!)

Wind Power Conditioning ~ power inverter

The electrical power converts the electrical current generated from DC(direct current) electricity to AC (alternating current) electricity, necessary to power our home, office and most industrial equipment/appliances.

Wind energy inverter for conditioning electricity in the green home.

Wind Power Storage ~ Deep Cycle & AGM Batteries

Deep cycle battery for storing home wind energy.

The 2 types of deep cycle batteries we recommend you consider for your green energy home electrical storage needs are:
1) The industrial deep cycle battery. Often referred to as golf cart batteries, fork lift or floor sweeper batteries, they are usually made of the traditional and familiar materials; sulfuric acid/water with Lead-Antimony plates. The plates are much thicker than the typical automotive battery, to protect from damage due to shock or vibration, and as we mentioned previously, they can be drained down to as low as 20% of their capacity and then recharged without killing them. This is necessary feature for the home wind energy system as you may want to use your stored alternative energy when the wind isn't driving your turbine.

2)The AGM battery
The AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery is a newer technology and designed for use in the green-powered home. Like true deep cycle batteries, the AGM battery can be repeatedly drained down and recharged without significant loss of storage capacity.
AGM batteries are typically more expensive than industrial deep cycle batteries as their construction differs significantly, giving AGM batteries numerous advantages to their counterparts.
Because of the construction of the Absorbed Glass Mat battery(the electrical generating chemicals are "absorbed" in the glass mat inside the battery), the possibility of an acid spill has been removed, even if the battery case breaks.
AGM batteries are also impervious to freezing (though their electrical output will diminish and even temporarily cease if frozen).
One huge advantage is that, with their sealed construction, there is no danger of hydrogen gas leakage with AGM batteries.

So above are the 3 main components of, really, any wind energy system installation whether for the green home, a commercial or industrial environment. Any system will need at least one wind turbine, power conditioning and battery storage for the wind-driven alternative energy generated. We'll be back with more in-depth posts covering these green power components, later. In the meantime, we'll close with some recommended how-to readings that will help you determine if wind power is an appropriate alternative energy for your green home and how to properly apply wind energy systems to your green living.

Why Solar Energy Power?

Solar Energy = Quick ROI: Solar energy applications and their components are probably the easiest & most cost-effective alternative energy solutions for green living; either in the home or business...
There are 2 types of solar energy systems; passive and active and in this post we'll be talking about active solar power production systems and the main components that comprise the active system.
There are also government tax incentives for incorporating solar energy power in the home or office, making the return on investment that much more effective. You can find out about federal and state tax incentives and rebate programs available for your solar energy installation at dsireusa.org, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
But what are the basic, necessary parts of a solar powered home?

Solar Energy Components for Electrical Power

PV Solar Panels: Electricity from the Sun

The first component is the collector of the sun's energy and that's the photovoltaic, or PV panel. Photovoltaic panels are the source of your electrical current. The sun's radiation hitting the PV panel causes a chemical reaction which produces a flow of electrons and, "voila", you've got electricity.

Sizing Solar Panels for Your Use.

The more solar energy you want to power your home the more, and larger capacity, PV panels you'll need to install.

Photovoltaic, or PV, Panels come in all sizes.

To get a handle on the size and number of panels you'll need, sit down, you can look over your electric bill. It should tell you how many kilowatt hours (kWh) you've used for the billing period.
We suggest you look over a full years in order gauge what you're peak times are & can plan accordingly.

You may have greater electrical needs than you can immediately support with a PV panel installation but a modular design will allow you to start off small, tapping into a clean alternative energy source for what's immediately affordable, then adding more photovoltaic panels later.

Browse the Biobarneys PV Solar Panel page

Solar power inverter for conditioning your solar energy

Power Distribution: Wiring & Solar Inverters

Once that solar energy power is flowing, you need a way to get it to either end use products or energy storage locations for later use; powering your television, your hair dryer, your computer, etc.
Photovoltaic systems require special cabling to carry that sun-generated current and the electrical power needs to be "conditioned" for use in your home or office by use of a power inverter.
There are 2 basic types of inverters used to harness sun power; the grid-tie inverter and the "off grid" inverter, each with it's specific use.
If you want to use the sunpower captured by your PV panels and perhaps hope to even sell some of that electricity back to your provider, you'll need this type of inverter to tie into the electrical grid.
If you have, or want, a green power home in a remote location or prefer not to deal with the local electrical company you'll want to use the off-grid inverter.
We'll go into more detail about these, and other associated components, in another article. Just keep in mind that the inverter is a crucial component in your solar home power application.

Browse the Biobarneys Green Power Inverters page

 

Deep Cycle Batteries; Storing That Solar Electrical Power for Your On Demand Use

Of course, you want to be able to use that clean solar electrical power whenever you need it, not just when the sun is shining. The solution is the deep cycle battery, made to store the electricity you generate over & above what you use throughout the day.
Start with one, then add to your solar energy storage system as finances allow.
Once you have enough storage capacity to cover the electrical needs of your home or office, you'll be able to start selling your alternatively produced, green electricity back to the utilities!
Browse Deep Cycle/AGM Batteries for Wind & Solar Energy Applications

Solar Energy Power System Planning

We subscribe to the "4 P Principal"; Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
This is our introduction to Solar Home Power Basics, covering the basic components of solar energy systems for residential and commercial applications. It's our intention that these articles, ideas & posts help you with understanding, planning and actually incorporating solar and other alternative energy sources into your lives, for a green home & healthy environment.
We'll be back, soon, with follow up articles and in-depth posts on Solar energy for the green home so we hope you'll bookmark our site & come back soon.