SA Energy Co-op

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Why Deregistration?

As announced elsewhere on this website, The South Australian Energy Co-operative no longer operates as an active organisation, and has applied for deregistration.

While members were made aware at the time of the Special General Meeting that took this decision, many outside our membership have asked why this change took place.

Most Efficient Heater?

With every salesman shouting the merits of radiant, or convection, or ceramic, or what ever other kind of heater they have to sell, it can be a nightmare trying to figure out which is the best to use, and the cheapest to run. However, if it has a power plug - working out the comparative running costs is easy...
Read more...

How much power does it use?

All electrical appliances use power, but do you know how much?

Power is measured in watts, and your bill is charged in watts per hour, or more accurately kilowatts (thousands of watts) per hour. 1 unit of power, is 1 kWh (kilowatt hour), or put another way, 1000 watts used for an hour.

How much energy is too much energy?

A big part of saving cost, is reducing energy consumption. But how can you tell how well you are doing? One measure is to compare your own consumption with that of other energy consumers. You may already be using much less than others with the same size family, or perhaps you may find that you have room to do better on the energy conservation front.

In this article, we present for you some statistics on average South Australian houshold energy consumption, so you can compare your own figures and see how well you are already doing...

Insulate and Save

The single biggest improvement you can make to the energy efficiency of your home is to insulate it.

It doesn't matter how efficient your heating or cooling system is, if your home isn't insulated most of your warmth or cool will be vanishing before you even notice it. Trying to heat or cool an uninsulated house is like drinking directly from a tap - you can quench your thirst, but a lot of water goes right down the drain!

Energy News

Energy Science

Juiced-up bug builds better biofuel
(Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:42:00 +1100)
US researchers have engineered a synthetic version of the common E. coli bacteria that could help build a better biofuel, according to a new study.

On the Edge...

Energy Return Wheel by Britek Tire and Rubber
(Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT)
The BriTek Rubber and Tire BERW is a complete re-imagining of a wheel that is safer, more efficient and still maintains an incredible sense of style and can be bolted onto any vehicle on the road today. It's just very expensive. (PESWiki; Dec. 17, 2008)
Son of T. Henry Moray Releases DVD (Interview)
(Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT)
(Interview) - John Moray's new DVD, 'The Sea of Energy in which the Earth Floats', reviews the work of his father, T. Henry Moray, who allegedly built a device that harnessed "radiant energy" from the cosmos; witnessed by hundreds, but never successfully commercialized. (PESN; December 16, 2008)
Event:Algae Biofuels World Summit 2009
(Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT)
San Francisco, California on March 18-20, 2009. The Algae Biofuels World Summit will be a major event where the nascent algae biofuels community will come together to discuss how to build a new international industry. (PESWiki)
The NEC Endorses Breakthrough Power
(Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT)
After a month-long review and voting process, the New Energy Congress now officially recommends that the book, Breakthrough Power by Jeane Manning and Joel Garbon, become the flagship public education tool for the new energy movement. Consider adding it to your Christmas giving. (PESWiki; Dec. 12, 2008)
Energy Message for Investors
(Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT)
With oil prices headed for a 1.00 dollar/gallon on gasoline and possibly below, investors might think that alternative energy investments are a sucker bet. Rest assured nothing could be farther from the truth. (PESN; Dec. 11, 2008)

New Technology

Allegro ETRM Solution Wins Top Award in Energy Technology (Centre Daily Times)
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:56:13 GMT)
Allegro, the leading provider of energy trading and risk management (ETRM) solutions, announced today that it has received the Energy Business Awards 2008 Gold Award for Excellence in Energy Technology.
Energy-harvesting RF chip aims at Mars, Earth (EETimes)
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:43:55 GMT)
Energy harvesting radio technology targeted for future Mars missions could make use of a single-chip microtransceiver being developed at Kansas State University.
Valence Technology to Participate in the Deutsche Bank 2009 Auto Analysts of New York Detroit Auto Conference (The Auto Channel)
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:27:34 GMT)
AUSTIN, Texas January 6, 2009: Valence Technology, Inc. , an international developer of safe lithium phosphate energy storage solutions, announced today it is participating in the 2009 Auto Analysts of New York Detroit Auto Conference, hosted by Deutsche Bank, being held Jan.13-15, 2009, at the MGM Grand in Detroit, Michigan.
Octillion Boosts Engineering to Harness Energy from Moving Vehicles (The Auto Channel)
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:27:14 GMT)
WASHINGTON January 6, 2009: Octillion Corp. (OTCBB: OCTL), a next-generation alternative and renewable energy technology developer, today announced the appointment of energy-capture experts and engineers, Mr. Stuart Brown, PhD, MBA, and Mr. Brian S. Hendrickson, to the Company’s Advisory Board.
Day4 Energy Announces Reduction in Workforce (T-Net British Columbia)
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:40:06 GMT)
Vancouver, BC, January 6, 2009--(T-Net)--Day4 Energy Inc. (TSX: DFE), a solar electric technology developer and manufacturer of superior performance solar modules, today announced the company has implemented a reduction in its overall headcount affecting approximately 95 people primarily at its Burnaby production facility.