HHO Tek™ Blog

Sea Shepherd Uses Acoustical Technology to Warn Whales in Europe of Emminent Danger

hhotek — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:38:42 +0000

Over the last few weeks, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has maintained a presence in the Danish Protectorate of the Faeroe Islands.

Sea Shepherd is partnered with the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in our opposition to the brutal and barbaric slaughter of pilot whales by Faeroese citizens.

It is a slaughter more horrific than the killing of the dolphins in Taiji, Japan, and it is taking place in Europe in violation of the Berne Convention, to which Denmark is a signatory.

From the ship the Golfo Azzurro, Sea Shepherd and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation have been gathering evidence on the slaughter of the whales and deploying experimental acoustical devices in the water to ward migrating pilot whales away from the island.

They have kept this idea quiet until now, but today the Faeroese media reported that a pod of pilot whales had escaped because of sounds being broadcasted under the water.

They have been doing just that, and it appears that the devices work, and if they work Sea Shepherd will be returning next year with more of them to deploy.

The Faeroese slaughter entire pods, including pregnant females and young calves. Not a single whale survives once the Faeroese pull out their long knives and clubs. They perish in an agonizing bloody orgy as fishermen hack, stab, club, and slash the defenseless animals to death, filling the bay with blood.

The Faeroese call it “The Grind” and say it is a tradition and a gift from God. Sea Shepherd calls it a sadistic blood sport and a crime, a violation of the rules of the European Community, of which the Faeroes receives full benefits.

The acoustical devices can be left in the sea and will operate for weeks on batteries. They may be the key to saving the lives of many of these gentle whales, deterring them away from the violently cruel reception that the Faeroese would otherwise give them. The crew of the Golfo Azzurro have not broken any laws, and thus the Danish Navy can only escort them; it cannot board or arrest them.

This campaign is being led by Sea Shepherd France President Lamya Essemlali.

Earlier in the summer, Sea Shepherd Undercover Operative Peter Hammarstedt was able to document one of the cruel pilot whale drives. Since then, the Faeroese have taken to covering the fetuses they tear out of the female wombs so they won’t be photographed, indicating that even they may be somewhat ashamed of their sadistic activities.

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Go Green Fleet Solutions Introduces The Peak Profit Program

hhotek — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:59:42 +0000

Go Green Fleet Solutions Introduces The Peak Profit Program While transportation costs have risen, the trucking industry bottom line has been shrinking proportionate to those rising costs. This has caused another tsunami like wave of attrition to wash over the trucking industry, further thinning the ranks of small independently owned transportation businesses, from the single truck owner operator, to the small business fleet owner with 500 employees or less.

While the small business trucking industry has been systematically forced to the side of the road, this has steered more of the transportation needs to the mega transporters who have surcharge rates to the small manufacturing and supply businesses. The “mom and pops” of this country, who cannot fill a truck with their goods. These folks have to pay more to get their products to market. We as consumers are forced to buy more imported goods, often of lesser quality, either because they are cheaper or just simply available, where regionally produced goods are not.

Go Green Fleet Solutions has been affected by this downward trend as well, only not so much in a negative way. We have been working on and developing strategic partners that will provide a number of solutions for the transportation industry which can reduce the fleet or individual trucker’s operating costs by as much as fifty percent across the board. Here at Go Green Fleet Solutions we like to say “We have no problems, only solutions.”

Our challenge has been in the way we deliver these solutions to an industry struggling just to get by, much less prosper, in this economy.

have found a way to make that happen for any small business fleet, or owner operator, having a beacon credit score of 630 or above. You can be approved for a low interest $25,000 low interest Small Business Association Loan! If the beacon score is under 630 we have a team which will write a business plan and submit it on behalf of the individual owner operator or small business fleet for a small fee, to be paid from approved loan funds.

With this owner operator/small business Peak Profit Program we can take a business that is barely surviving in the face of rising fuel and operations costs, supply them with fuel savings products from our partner suppliers, which will reduce operating costs sufficiently to pay back the loan and put profit back into the operators pocket for business operating capital. The best part is, there is no money out of pocket to get our Peak Profit Program into action helping your business grow.

We are very proud and excited to be able to make our living, helping you, make yours, while saving a part of our American Heritage that is owing to small business. We welcome Bill Harris to our all American Prosperity Team. We are dedicated to prosperity, security and fostering sensible environmental stewardship within the struggling small business transportation industry.

www.gogreenfleetsolutions.com

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Los Zetas drug cartel seizes 2 U.S. ranches in Texas

hhotek — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:07:30 +0000

I dont usually post News but this article ccompletely shocked me. I am blown away that our govt is allowing this to take place. Our govt is constantly poking its nose into other countries business and right now in our very own back yard we have Mexican Drug cartels seizing ranches from Americans, completely astonishing.

Article from San Diego County Political Buzz Examiner-Kimberly Dvorak

In what could be deemed an act of war against the sovereign borders of the United States, Mexican drug cartels have seized control of at least two American ranches inside the U.S. territory near Laredo, Texas.

Two sources inside the Laredo Police Department confirmed the incident is unfolding and they would continue to coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol today. “We consider this an act of war,” said one police officer on the ground near the scene. There is a news blackout of this incident at this time and the sources inside Laredo PD spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Word broke late last night that Laredo police have requested help from the federal government regarding the incursion by the Los Zetas. It appears that the ranch owners have escaped without incident but their ranches remain in the hands of the blood thirsty cartels.

Laredo Border Patrol is conducting aerial surveillance over the ranches to determine the best way to regain control of the U.S. ranches, according to the Laredo Police department.

The approximate location of the U.S. ranches are10 miles northwest of I-35 off Mines Road and Minerales Annex Road. Just off 1472 (Mines road) near Santa Isabel Creek north of the city of Laredo, Texas.

The Los Zetas drug cartel is an offshoot of the elite Mexican military trained in special ops. The mercenary organization is said to include members of corrupt Mexican Federales, politicians as well as drug traffickers. The group was once part of the Gulf cartel, but has since splintered and now directly competes with the Gulf cartel for premium drug smuggling routes in the Texas region.

The new leader of Los Zetas is Heriberto “El Lazca” Lazcano and is considered the most violent paramilitary group in Mexico by the DEA.

Recently the drug organization has kidnapped tourists, infiltrated local municipalities and continues to smuggle narcotics into a very hungry U.S. market.

The violence south of the border continues to spin out of control and has left Nuevo Laredo, Mexico on virtual lockdown with businesses refusing to open the doors. Last week a particularly violent attack by the Los Zetas included the use of grenades and resulted in a dozen deaths and 21 injuries.

The hostile takeover of the ranches has met with silence with local and national media; however sources say they could be waiting to report the stories once the ranches are back in U.S. control. This journalist questions if this was a Middle Eastern terrorist attack if the media would sit on their hands.

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Cheap way to save money

hhotek — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:55:17 +0000

Most of us know that compact Fluorescents commonly known as CFLs will save you “some” money. But they have been quite expensive for a long time, now they are very affordable. I was at Wal Mart tonight and picking up some odds and ends and my new house had incandescents throughout and I have been replacing them with CFLs as they need. Usually i spend about 10-12 bucks per pack of 3 at Lowe’s. Tonight while at Wal Mart I noticed they had the Great Value brand for $5 for a 3 pack of 100 watt replacements. These bulbs only use 26 watts vs the comparable 100 watt incandescent. The life of the CFL is 10,000 hours, not even taking into consideration the long life benefit of these the electrical savings are quite substantial over the 10,000 hour life the 26 watt CFL will save nearly $75. I have 26 light fixtures in my house, that totaled up will save me $1,950 over the 10,000 hour life, you can tack on an additional $7 savings per light, for not having to replace your incandescents. This brings the total savings up to $1,999, almost $2,000 just by switching light bulbs, and with them only 5 bucks at Wal Mart there is no reason why everyone cant do this.

By: Trevor Hunter

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Gas Prices Continue to Fluctuate

hhotek — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:05:57 +0000

Over the past two or three months, we’ve seen wild fluctuations in the economy, stock markets, and commodity markets. People have been spooked that austerity measures will hurt the worldwide economic recovery (which, I would argue, never really started), which, in turn, would drive down consumer spending and demand for pretty much everything.

This, of course, affected the price of both oil and gasoline, as you can see in the chart below:

As you can see, this chart shows pretty wild fluctuations in the price of both oil and gasoline, with the most “violent” fluctuations occurring in the price of oil. That being said, at least the general direction of both prices is downward.

As of this morning, oil futures were trading at $75.70, and the national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline stood at $2.72, which is down one cent from where it was last month, and exactly where it was one week ago.

Currently, only Hawaii ($3.45), Alaska ($3.38), California ($3.09), and Washington, D.C. ($3.06) are reporting average gas prices above $3 per gallon. South Carolina currently has the lowest average price, at $2.40 per gallon.

Since we’re currently at the peak of summer driving season, it’s hard to envision a scenario where we could see gasoline prices spike higher from current levels. That being said, a rough hurricane season or a major impact from the offshore drilling moratorium could change things and are worth keeping an eye on.

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Pentagon plans ‘flying submarine’

hhotek — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:14:56 +0000

Pentagon researchers are attempting to develop a military vehicle which can travel underwater like a submarine before bursting out of the waves and flying like an airplane.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the US military science and technology department, has set about creating an aircraft that can fly low over the water until near its target before disappearing under the sea to avoid detection.

It would then creep closer in submarine form before attacking its target, probably a ship or coastal installation, and fly home.

New Scientist reports that the project, which has been in development since 2008, has reached design proposal stage, and several outside developers have submitted designs. DARPA could start allocating funding to developers in as little as a year.

While the principles of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic flight are similar, the technological challenges are profound. Aircraft need to be as light as possible, so that they can use a minimum of power to get airborne, while submarines need to be dense and strong to withstand water pressure. Heavier-than-air aircraft get their lift from airflow over their wings – submarines simply pump water in and out to change their buoyancy.

One method of getting around the latter problem is to design a submarine that is lighter than water, but – like an upside-down aeroplane – uses lift generated by its wings to force it away from the surface. Then, after surfacing, the wings’ “angle of attack” would be changed to generate upwards lift instead, allowing it to fly.

Graham Hawkes, a submarine designer, believes that modern lightweight carbon fibre composites could be used to build a craft that is both strong enough and light enough to fly above and below the water. He has already designed and built a submersible craft called the “Super Falcon” which uses stubby wings to “fly” down to 300 metres. He says that if it were given jet engines and larger wings, it could fly at up to 900kph (560mph) in the air, while still being capable of underwater travel at around 18kph (11mph). At these speeds, the behaviour of water and air over the control surfaces is similar. “Think about it as flying under water,” says Mr Hawkes. “It can be done. It just needs a lot of work.”

One problem could be overcome in a dramatic fashion – in order to get the wings to start generating downward lift, the craft would have to get underwater; but a lighter-than-water vessel would struggle to do so. Mr Hawkes suggests copying birds: “You might have to put the nose down and literally dive, smack, into the water. It would certainly be spectacular.”

There are a variety of other design problems to overcome. Ordinary batteries capable of giving the craft a 44km (28 mile) range – as specified by DARPA – would weigh more than the rest of the vessel, but running it on ordinary fuel would require a supply of air, meaning a snorkel and a maximum depth of just a few meters.

Also, jet engines – which run at several hundred degrees celsius – would most likely explode from the sudden change in temperature if they were rapidly submerged after airborne use, but piston engines would not survive being immersed in water. Jim McKenna, an engineer at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, says: “You can’t let cold seawater get at a hot engine because the thermal shock will blow it apart.” The Pentagon’s dream of a flying submarine is still some way away yet.

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Bethune gets two year suspended sentence

hhotek — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:23:35 +0000

A protester against anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd holds a placard of New Zealand environmental activist and former Sea Shepherd member Peter Bethune during a demonstration calling for strict penalties for Bethune, before Bethune’s verdict is announced, outside the Tokyo District Court

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Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd admitted they had “done a deal” with Japan to get Bethune out of jail.

“We are quite relieved to get him out of prison,” he told TV3. Watson said they had spent US$500,000 on Bethune’s defense. “We did not abandon him.” Auckland anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune, 45, has been sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for five years, for obstructing the activities of a Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic Ocean, the Kyodo news agency reported.

The former activist of the US-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has been held in custody since February after he boarded the Japanese whaling fleet’s security ship the Shonan Maru II during its annual whaling hunt in southern waters. Watson said Bethune had played a key role in saving 528 whales in the past season, and the fact that the whale chaser had to return him to Tokyo early directly saved 40 whales. He said Bethune would not be on the Sea Shepherd protest later this year. “We made a deal with the Japanese.” He said they knew Bethune would get a suspended sentence as Sea Shepherd had already purchased his ticket. Sea Shepherd officials would greet him on his return to Auckland.

“I think Pete is writing a book, I think he will want to spend some time with his family.” Sharyn Bethune, his wife, said the decision was “awesome” She did not know when he would be coming home. “We are letting it all sink in, we’re about to open the bottle of bubbles to celebrate.”

“I think it would come as a huge relief to Pete Bethune and his family that he is in a position now to return to New Zealand. And I’m sure there will be celebrations in his household.” Prime Minister John Key told Fairfax from Japan that governments did not generally comment on judicial verdicts in New Zealand and it would not make sense to do otherwise in this case. “All I can say is that if you are Pete Bethune then he will be reasonably pleased with what has taken place.”"We had to respectfully take a step back – we did everything we could and provided all of the consular support to Pete Bethune as was humanly possible.” “Whatever his motivations for the particular incident, he’s going to be relieved that he is spending his next week in New Zealand and not in a Japanese prison.”

Protests outside court

Earlier, protests were under way outside the Tokyo District Court in advance of the sentencing, with some placards branding the New Zealander as a “racist and eco-terrorist”. One of Bethune’s lawyers, Dan Harris, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he had been hoping his client would get a suspended sentence and will be released but said the New Zealander had still steeled himself to serve a jail term.
“I would say he is … prepared for a long jail term, to the extent anyone’s prepared,” he said, before the sentencing. He noted that jail meant being moved from the city’s detention centre into a fully fledged prison: “and Japanese jails are not good places to be”.
Bethune’s wife, Sharyn, earlier said that she was looking at taking his two teenage daughters, Danielle, 15, and Alycia, 13, to visit him in jail if it turned out that he was required to serve a long jail sentence. He admitted four charges of obstructing commercial activities and trespass, vandalism and carrying a knife, which he used to cut security netting on the whaling ship he boarded. But Bethune denied a charge of assault, in which prosecutors said a 24-year-old whaler suffered chemical splash burns to his face during a February 11 confrontation in which Sea Shepherd activists hurled butyric acid stink bombs. I did not have the intention of hurting crew members. I took action because I wanted to stop Japan’s illegal whaling,” Bethune said in his final statement last month, which he tearfully delivered in Japanese. Japan hunts whales under a loophole in an international moratorium that allows killing of the ocean giants for what it calls “scientific research“, although the meat is later sold openly in shops and restaurants.
The Sea Shepherd group has pursued and harassed Japanese whalers in Antarctic waters for years most recently in the 2009-2010 season, a campaign which both sides said reduced the Japanese cull by several hundred whales.

The New Zealander was captain of the group’s futuristic carbon-and-kevlar powerboat, the trimaran Ady Gil formerly his round-the-world record-setting trimaran Earthrace which sank after a January 6 collision with the fleet’s security ship.

On February 15 Bethune boarded the Shonan Maru II from a jet ski before dawn, with the stated intent of making a citizen’s arrest of its captain and presenting him with a US $3 million bill for the Ady Gill. Instead, he was detained and taken back to Japan, where he was formally arrested on March 12 and has been in detention since.

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TUV Laboratories Certifies XADO

hhotek — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:09:40 +0000

XADO Engine Treatment is approved by TUV Laboratories XADO was tested by TUV Laboratories to Study the effectiveness of XADO Gel-revitalizant for gasoline engines according to the following parameters: exhaust gases toxicity reduction (CO2, CO, HC), fuel consumption reduction, engine power increase, compression increase and noise level reduction

After their test was completed the summary they issued is as follows:

Based on the confirmed properties:

Reduction of carbon dioxide emission
Reduction of carbon monoxide emission
Reduction of hydrocarbon emission
Fuel consumption reduction
Engine power increase
Compression increase

“Approved Certificated Effectiveness” was granted to the product XADO Gel-revitalizant for gasoline engine.

To order yours today visit The XADO Page

View the Complete TUV Report

What does this mean exactly? It means that XADO is proven AGAIN to do exactly what we say. It increases horsepower, engine life, Decreases emissions, and increases MPG and the best thing is XADO is a one time treatment and it is very affordable, less than $100 to treat your entire engine.

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Operation Gulf Rescue Ramps Up

hhotek — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:04:18 +0000

Sea Shepherd News

The problem: On the morning of April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit exploded, killing 11 people.

On the afternoon of April 22, a large oil slick began to spread from the former rig site, and today this disaster is the largest offshore spill in U.S. history. Estimates vary as to how much oil is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, but experts agree that it is between 50,000 and 150,000 barrels of oil per day.

On May 19, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and elsewhere stated that oil had reached the Loop Current. By June 4, the oil spill had landed on 125 miles of Louisiana’s coast, washed up along Mississippi and Alabama barrier islands, and was found for the first time on a Florida barrier island at Pensacola Beach. The greatest concern has been that severe weather, as we enter hurricane season, might push the oil inland and over a far wider area, simultaneously rendering many clean-up and wildlife rescue operations useless or redundant.

On June 30th, Sea Shepherd Gulf Operations Liaison Dr. Bonny Schumaker and Sea Shepherd CEO Steve Roest attended a New Orleans Gulf oil spill coalition meeting. Extensive discussion was given to strategies for coordinating and implementing public sector support for the oil cleanup, for protection and rescue of the Gulf wildlife, and for recovery of the local economy.

The questions: Have the US government and BP implemented the best strategies for oil clean-up and animal rescue? Why is a solution taking so long? What can be done to save marine life over the long term? Who should be involved? These are the questions everyone is asking, and while debate rages, Sea Shepherd is preparing for multiple operations to help in the rescue of animals.

Some answers: Sea Shepherd has already begun training volunteers and crew for hazmat/hazwoper (hazardous materials safety compliance) operations, and is preparing them for conditions in the Gulf. Sea Shepherd has been conducting reconnaissance surveys by air and sea across the affected areas for weeks, and trained volunteers will soon be in the area to carefully study and report on wildlife and ecosystems in the most contaminated areas.

Sea Shepherd is also currently preparing a large vessel in Europe to serve as a floating support facility for authorized, qualified experts working to rescue and protect wildlife and habitat in the Gulf. Veterinarians, scientists, researchers, and highly qualified oiled wildlife rescue experts will join our ship in the Gulf, and Sea Shepherd will also have qualified personnel available to assist with construction, transportation, and other needs. The Sea Shepherd floating Wildlife Care Center will be available to assist all authorized operations.

We need the help of Sea Shepherd’s amazing supporters once again. We need you to urge the U.S. government to use everything at its disposal to help clean up the Gulf and to rescue the animals. Sea Shepherd needs funds for Operation Gulf Rescue. We will be in the Gulf for as long as we are able, and we need help with equipping and fueling our ship, training our volunteer crews, making regular surveys of the affected areas by air, sea, and land, and we need to keep appropriate pressure on BP and all authorized agencies to accept our and other help from the public sector. We can’t do any of this without your continued help.

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27 Tips to Stay Cooler and Save Money Without Breaking The Bank

hhotek — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:45:33 +0000

I live in North Carolina where we frequently see 95 degree days and 60% or 70% humidity, its HOT to say the very least. Staying cool during these hot times of the year is usually quite expensive, well here are some ways you can continue to stay cool and save a few bucks while doing it. Most of these tips require little if any cost to implement.

First and foremost our ES 1200 Power Conditioner will make your AC much more efficient and reduce the amount of energy it uses each time it fires up. In hot climates like i am in it will pay for itself in a very short period of time. http://hhotek.com/homeproducts/current.html.

Now for the Free Tips

• Open windows and use portable or ceiling fans instead of operating your air conditioner. Even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler. Make sure your ceiling fan is turned for summer — you should feel the air blown downward. If you live in a relatively dry climate, a bowl or tray of ice in front of a box fan can cool you as it evaporates.

• Use a fan with your window air conditioner to spread the cool air through your home.

• Without blocking air flow, shade your outside compressor. Change air filters monthly during the summer.

• Use a programmable thermostat with your air conditioner to adjust the setting at night or when no one is home.

• Don’t place lamps or TVs near your air conditioning thermostat. The heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer.

• Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house. Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.

• Install awnings on south-facing windows. Because of the angle of the sun, trees, a trellis, or a fence will best shade west-facing windows. Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows.

• Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity.

• Grown on trellises, vines such as ivy or grapevines can shade windows or the whole side of a house.

• Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides. It increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.

• Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides will keep your house cool in the summer. Just three trees, properly placed around a house, can save a few hundred dollars in annual cooling and heating costs. In summer, daytime air temperatures can be 3 degrees to 6 degrees cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods.

• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or LED; they produce the same light but use substantially less energy and produce less heat. • Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle as the dry cycle creates heat.

• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.

• Plug home electronics, such as TVs and VCRs, into power strips, and turn power strips off when equipment is not in use.

• Lower the thermostat on your water heater; 115° is comfortable for most uses.

• Take showers instead of baths to reduce hot water use.

• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

• Caulking and weather stripping will keep cool air inside during the summer.

• If you see holes or separated joints in your ducts, hire a professional to repair them.

• Add insulation around air conditioning ducts when they are located in unconditioned spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, and garages; do the same for whole-house fans where they open to the exterior or to the attic.

• Check to see that your fireplace damper is tightly closed.

• You can help get rid of unwanted heat through ventilation if the temperature of the incoming air is 77 F or lower. (This strategy works most effectively at night and on cooler days.) Window fans for ventilation are a good option if used properly. They should be located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Interior doors must remain open to allow air flow.

• Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels at higher thermostat settings. The standard human comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. To extend the comfort range to 82 F, you need a breeze of about 2.5 ft/sec or 1.7 mph. A slow-turning ceiling-mounted paddle fan can easily provide this air flow.

• Try not to use a dehumidifier at the same time your air conditioner is operating. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder.

• Don’t air-condition unused rooms.

• Clean your A/C’s air filter every month during cooling season. Normal dust build-up can reduce air flow by 1 percent per week.

Here are a couple other articles that have some additional tips and information to reduce energy costs.

http://hhotek.com/blog/green-tips/green-tips-light-home-staying-cool-summer/

http://hhotek.com/blog/green-tips/energy-saving-tips/

By:Trevor Hunter

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