It's That Time of Year...

Cold. Dark. Rainy. Dreary. This is a list of those words that often describe the weather for the next several months - at least in Seattle. To be honest, I actually like this time of year. It means curling up on the couch with a quilt, warm apple cider, fall colors, and holiday get-togethers. Unfortunately, it also goes along with increased electricity bills due to heating and the basic necessity of light. I know its common sense, but there are a few things that will make a huge difference in cutting your electricity bill and allow those extra dollars to go towards Halloween costumes, holiday festivities, and that Ski pass you mean to save for every year.

First things first - embrace the fall, turn off the heat. Well, maybe not all the way, but this is the time of year to lounge in PJs with the down comforter and a cup of cocoa. By adjusting your thermostats down just a few degrees, you can save yourself 10% or more on your heating bill this fall and winter. Most thermostats will also allow you to program in times for optimal temperatures. Take advantage of this, and enable yourself to have higher temperatures when you are home and active, lower temperatures when you are sleeping, and OFF when you are at work or running errands. Check out these 10 simple tips on how to save money, as well as getting used to keeping your house a few degrees cooler.

If you are like most of us, you will soon be going to and from work without ever seeing the light of the sun. This often leads to us using more lights & lamps to compensate for our bodies need to see the light of day. If you are in that 2% of people that are affected by Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD), then this is especially true. All I can say here is think green, and think strategic. If you aren't going to be in a room, try to keep the light off. If you haven't make the switch to compact fluorescent, please do, and think strategic about your lighting. Consider purchasing a natural Daylight Lamp, and place it in a room or locale where you spend most of your time.

If you are looking to save money for your company, consider some of these same strategies. Also, remember that computers, TV's, printers, and copy machines take inordinate amounts of power, even when not in use. Remember to hit that shut-off button before you lock your door, or better yet, unplug the power strip. You would be surprised how big a difference this can make in your energy bill.

Last week, TeslaVision exhibited at the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) Expo in Chicago, Illinois at Navy Pier. It was a great show for us, and an interesting look into an industry that has, until recently, been dominated by junk food, sugar, and highly inefficient vending machines.

It is hard to open a newspaper or web browser today without reading something about climate change or various green initiatives that countries, companies, and industries are undergoing. The vending industry is no exception. Not only are the goods within vending machines becoming healthier (www.fitpick.org), but several machine manufacturers are touting their decreased energy draw, light fixtures, and increased cooling efficiencies.

Although it is a step in the right direction, I would argue that some of the "green" progress made in this industry, may actually be hurting participants more than it helps. While talking with one owner/operator, I was shocked to find that when he retrofitted his vending machines with an LED lighting from incandescent bulbs, his energy draw actually increased. This was because it took many more lights in order to provide the same amount of lighting. Another green "improvement" in the vending industry that may not be the best business solution is the introduction of motion sensors, which allow the machine to idle with no lighting when they do not sense a nearby customer. This might seem like a good idea, but with some research, one quickly finds that this leads to a significant decrease in the use of said machine, mostly because an approaching customer who doesn't get close enough to trigger the sensor thinks the machine is off or broken.

In an industry where profits are measured in cents per unit sold, one cannot afford even the slightest dip in traffic to a machine. Is there a better solution that would provide both eye-catching lighting & animation, while still maintaining a green initiative? I think so.

Green Batteries?

Is anything that you use once and then throw into a landfill for all of time green? I was sitting on my couch last night, watching TV, and staring at the 4 remotes on my coffee table (yes four- I've never been able to figure out that whole "program your cable remote to do everything" thing). Now, rechargeable batteries have been around for ages, but let's get real, they just don't last nearly as long as our guilty pleasure; disposables!

Fuji has a new solution...sort of. They are branding it as EnviroMAX, but is it really all that better for the environment? True, it is made free of mercury, cadmium, and some other particularly nasty substances, but you still use it and throw it away. Touting that "there is nothing inside a Fuji EnviroMAX that will harm the environment if it is disposed through normal waste systems" is great, but isn't the whole point of going green and environmentally responsible to reduce the amount and volume of things that we "dispose of?" Less garbage, less landfills, less environmental impact.

I admit, it's a valiant attempt, and I will probably buy them as opposed to my standard copper tops, but let's call it what it really is. Kudos to Fuji for making it less bad to use disposables, but what about other alternatives? I for one am truly excited by companies like Powercast Corporation and the Wireless Power Consortium, organizations that are looking to eliminate batteries all together. Wireless power for smaller devices? No batteries for my four remotes? Nikola Tesla would be proud.

Nikola Tesla - Dream or Reality?

It might be obvious that someone who works for a company called TeslaVision might write about Nikola Tesla. Tesla, the namesake of our company, is arguably one of the most brilliant & interesting scientific minds to have ever lived. And yet, most people do not know who he was beyond the science class Tesla Coil toy. Are Einstein, Da Vinci, and Isaac Newton really more noteworthy than the founder of light, radar, and...the internet?

Yes the internet, sorry Al Gore. I am not naive enough to say that Tesla actually invented the internet (there were no computers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), but the concepts he described fully outline a wireless age, describing to his largest backer, J.P. Morgan, "When wireless is fully applied, the earth will be converted into a huge brain, capable of response in every one of its parts." Sounds like the internet to me. Tesla even went so far as to build a device he called the "Teleautomaton," which allowed him to wirelessly control a boat on the water.

Beyond that, Nikola Tesla believed that wireless power is how the world will eventually run - no more clunky plugs and outlets. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is only now beginning to be able to achieve some of the things Nikola Tesla envisioned, and began to build. Shouldn't this winner of the "War of Currents" receive a little more respect? In an age where we are all concerned with more environmentally friendly approaches to energy and are driven by greater technological advances perhaps we should review Mr. Tesla's theories more closely and give him the respect he is due.

Clean Energy Revolution?

I read a great article from TIME this week. It detailed how, although we have been a recent world leader in energy advances in some areas (wind-power), as a country we are just not doing enough when it comes to the fight for green energy. The science is not where it needs to be at this point in many areas. According to the experts, that means we need to aggressively invest in new research. The article compares our $125 billion (in today's dollar) investment in the 60's to get us to the moon, to President Obama's pledge for $150 billion for energy related research moneys over the next ten years.

The pledge is a step in the right direction; however, countries like China and South Korea seem far more committed to the battle for green energy than the United States. China is reportedly spending over $600 billion over the next decade, and South Korea is investing cost to 2% of its GDP - $85 billion over 5 years. Both of these countries appear to have stepped up to the plate with greater fervor than the United States. Apparently, they recognize the environmental need and more likely the economic benefit that such an approach will yield.

Unfortunately, missing from this article were focus on energy efficiency and curbing consumption. While producing cleaner electricity is a goal we as a country MUST take seriously, if we continue our current consumption levels of over 11,000 kilowatt hours per household per year, we will be in trouble. We need an overhaul of our green energy policy, and in addition to investment in new technologies, it should be solidly founded with energy efficiency & consumption curbing programs.

Summer Time & The Cooling Blues

Being a Seattle-based company, the recent heat wave has left many of us tired from sleepless nights in our 85 degree bedrooms. I know we shouldn't complain and for those of you in the South and East it may seem cool but in Seattle - 95 degree days are few and far between, and in this neck of the woods man it's HOT! So how do we deal with this? Fans and open windows only do so much. The problem is not just a summer rarity here in Seattle, even the Idaho Power Company is asking customers to conserve power at night, and that means no AC.

So how should we cool our houses when its unbearable out? Of course, windows open and efficient fans are a start, but if you must use an air conditioner, think of a smaller one to only cool your bedroom or main living space; and of course, make sure it has Energy Star ranking. Also, think about times when you run other appliances that generate heat. Does this dishwasher need to be run right after dinner? Can the dryer wait until you head to bed? Do you need that extra light on? All of these minor questions can lead to your house staying that extra degree cooler, perhaps enough to leave the AC off.

You might already follow all of these tips in your home, but what about your business? A report by the EPA estimates that the Hospitality Industry spends more than $4 Billion on energy a year. You can check out the EPA's list of the Top 20 Retailers who use Green Energy, which is over another $250 million in energy expense. Much of this is heating & cooling expense, and much of it is the heat generated by appliances, light bulbs, computers, and other electronics. What impact could reducing the heat signature of just their signage and lighting do to their HVAC bills?

The world of marketing & advertising has long been driven by technological advances to gain share of mind and market. First there was print, and ad space, sold by the inch, word, and placement was a huge business. Ads started mostly as text then evolved into graphics, then pictures and then even color. This well established market has matured and with the recent rash of Newspaper Bankruptcies, has faced a significant decline. Next came radio where live reads were the initial currency (and still exist). They evolved into far catchier jingles, slogans and "theater of the mind" creative. Television brought the two forms together, making pictures & sound equally important and far more impactful. The evolution of these media and the technologies that served them brought continued marketing advancements that led to better and more effective advertising. In the last 10 years, the internet has taken a dominant position in marketing, spawning numerous multi-billion dollar companies, (Google, Facebook, Yahoo), all of whom create their substantial revenues from ad dollars.

Although as an industry advertising has followed cutting edge trends and medium, the speed at which we have utilized some technology in this latest internet age has been slow. Marketers still design logos, ads, and full campaigns using old tools and mindsets. Static copyright & still photos are what you predominantly see on the web. Boring, old, and stagnant tools instead of the wonders of animated gifs & flash.

Looking at one of advertising's titans a change of tide may be occurring. In recent commercials McDonald's has begun to animate it's famous Golden Arches, scrolling from the middle out. How a company lights up their logo can be as much a signature as a slogan, jingle, or other brand extension, yet as an advertising society we have yet to fully embrace our technology and use computers, light, and signage to its potential. When an advertising juggernaut such as McDonald's, with a decades-old, globally recognized logotype, has begun to see the value in designing animation effects to evolve their look , isn't it time to consider the same?

Macro & Micro Green Solutions

I sat down this fine morning to write our blog, when all of the sudden my computer screen went black and my heart just about stopped. After getting over the initial shock, I realized that it wasn't just my computer but my entire office. The lights were off, the phones were down, and it became quickly apparent that the HVAC system was off. At that point I was pretty glad to only be on the third floor, no elevators. The power disruption got me quickly thinking though about our extreme reliance on the luxury we take for granted: electricity.

In 2000, and 2001, California experienced their "Rolling Blackouts." Since then we have seen other strains on our infrastructure with everything from steam pipes bursting in New York City to sinkholes in Seattle. You've probably also seen the recent series of IBM commercials where they talk about the waste of energy in our overall grid. It is clear we need to fix our aging country, but how do we do it in a green way?

In a macro sense, one way we can have a huge impact on the environment and the efficiency of each and every one of our homes is an upgrade to our power grid. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability has a fantastic site with some staggering facts. In America, over 40% of our energy consumption is for the production of electricity. Of that, almost 10% of our electricity is lost in its transmission. That's nearly 400 billion kilowatt hours wasted annually (yes billion...with a very big B). Talk about a whole lot of waste without even taking into account your house's standby power requirements. The grid is one thing we can change, and is something that will have immediate and profound results.Check out the Smart Grid.

But what about the more micro approach? The You and Me solutions? Over the past several years we have had an abundance of what I call 'green consumerism' enter the marketplace. Organic food, more energy efficient light bulbs, and hybrid cars are all examples of this. Sometimes however, we forget some of the most basic ways we can 'green up.' Do you turn your computer in your office and at your home off every night? What about leaving lights off when you leave offices or rooms? Are you buying more energy efficient bulbs? Are you seriously taking steps to change your behavior and do your part? What about your company? Have you asked them to take steps? You should.

Going Green to Save Some Green

It's clear that going "green" is not just some impulse that will pass like so many fads of days gone by. Consumers are paying attention (and dollars)to those companies that are making concerted efforts to help (or at least minimize their affect on), the environment. It's no surprise that some of the largest and well known companies and brands are taking significant steps to improve their behavior toward the environment in recognition of the green trend. Some are even beginning to advertise their "green" initiatives to the world. One of the best at this I have seen is the Starbucks Coffee Company. Their Shared Planet initiative is both well thought out and well communicated. A commendable brand, Frito Lay's Sun Chips, are set to launch a fully biodegradable chip bag next year - Wow!

If you have examined a green approach for your business you know that, in general, the costs associated with most of the steps you need to take are not small. In fact, in many areas, despite the obvious benefits to our planet (and possible upside of gaining some press or socially conscious consumers) going green oftentimes means taking on some serious "red." Many companies are struggling with the decisions associated with going green. Whether it's building a LEED certified building or upgrading a current one, using post-consumer waste recycled paper and eco-friendly inks, or purchasing only renewable energy, the decisions are not coming easy. In fact, some are being shelved because of the economic impact on a company's bottom line.

But what if going green could be easy, save you some green, and allow you to decrease your carbon footprint? In fact, what if we got really outlandish and suggested a green approach could add to your bottom line? We did a case study for a major U.S. food service chain, and the results we found were staggering. By using TeslaVision signage to replace two traditional neon or box-light signs in their 12,000 locations, they could greatly decrease their annual electricity consumption while saving over $500,000 a year in energy costs. In addition, when comparing shipping and delivery methods, and including the impact of vast energy savings, we could also reduce their carbon footprint by over 7,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. Green can be good for the environment and good for business too.

Calculate your carbon footprint here.