4Patriots Offers Energy-Saving Tips in Honor of Earth Day

Earth Day 2016 will be celebrated on Friday, April 22. Nashville, Tenn.-based 4Patriots LLC, which provides products that help people become more self-reliant and independent, will be celebrating the occasion. Continue reading →

Apr 18, 2016 /prREACH/ -- The genesis of Earth Day is generally credited to Gaylord Nelson, a former Wisconsin senator, environmentalist, conservationist and activist. He was inspired to launch what was originally an environmental teach-in after witnessing the effects of the Santa Barbara, California, oil spill in 1969.

The 46th annual celebration of Earth Day will be held on Friday, April 22. With a global theme of “Trees for the Earth,” Earth Day 2016 will include a wide variety of environmental activities involving millions of people in hundreds of countries. 4Patriots LLC, which provides products that help people become more self-reliant and independent, will join in the celebration.

One of the company’s products is Power4Patriots, a recently updated series of videos and manuals describing how to build solar panels, wind turbines, water heaters and solar heaters.

The system includes six videos demonstrating how to build a solar panel, including choosing the right materials, finding the right site for the system and avoiding costly mistakes, as well as two instruction manuals with step-by-step, illustrated directions. It also includes four videos and two instruction manuals detailing how to build a wind turbine.

The costs are under $200 to build a solar panel and under $200 to build a wind turbine, on average. The time commitment to build a solar panel ranges from two to four hours, with the first one requiring more time than subsequent panels. A wind turbine requires a handful of hours to build.

Consumers who purchase already-made solar panels and wind turbines spend three to four times that amount. Installing solar panels and a wind turbine at one’s home will cut energy costs by as much as 75 percent.

“If the electrical grid goes down for an extended period of time, only those who have another power source will be able to keep lights on and keep the heat or air conditioning going,” said 4Patriots Partner Allen Baler.

As Earth Day 2016 approaches, below are energy-saving tips from 4Patriots:

Set the refrigerator temperature to between 36 and 42 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer to between -5 and +6 degrees.

Clean the refrigerator and freezer units once or twice a year, including removing dust from condenser coils, fins, evaporator pans and motors. The units will run more efficiently if they’re clean.

Purchase Energy Star models of refrigerators and freezers. They’ll use less energy than older models.

As much as possible, use small appliances such as toaster ovens and slow cookers rather than large ones such as ranges. Small appliances use less energy.

Use a microwave oven rather than a range when possible, as it will shorten the cooking time, which saves energy.

Clean or regularly replace air filters, including ones used for furnaces, exhaust hoods, humidifiers and vacuums.

When operating the garbage disposal, use cold water, which solidifies grease and moves it more easily through the disposal and pipes. Hot water requires energy to warm it.