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| How "eco" are you? | Rating: 
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| Posted: Mon Mar 31st, 2008 07:18 pm |
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1st Post |
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ALephart Administrator 
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Curious to know how many smart car owners are "eco friendly" just like the smart car itself? With gas as high as it is and set to go higher I ditched the Corvette's and CTS-V's that where getting between 10-15MPG city for a little Mercedes Benz SLK that gets 20 MPG city. Around the house I have switched allot of lights to CFL's and LED. Also trying not to leave the PC on all the time. I have ALOT of lighting in my garage and often times I turn them all on "1 switch for all" just to do laundry or get something out of the garage. An idea I had recently. I bought a rechargeable cordless 60 LED work light off Ebay a few weeks ago. Curious I started taking the light apart to see what powered it (six AA battery's BTW). I then thought "I love ambient light" "I love indirect lighting". Why can't I use this light for both, and not have to turn on all the lights for simple tasks? I hardwired the AC adapter that was originally intended to charge the light, to power it. I then sealed up the end to prevent dirt and dust from entering the light capsule I then installed the light on the garage door opener track, and ran the power cable to a timer plugged into the ceiling. I have it set for all night which is overkill I know; but it's good for security as well.  Another really good tool to use is the "Kill-a-watt" usage meter that tracks exactly how much electricity an item plugged into it is using. The LED garage light is 10watts with the AC adapter with the 3 watts from the mechanical timer it's plugged into! Beyond that, little stuff. Extra blanket on bed, turn down furnace. I've cut my electricity bill by 25% and still counting! Motorcycle that gets 50MPG and growing. The savings add up in a hurry! Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Mon Mar 31st, 2008 11:25 pm |
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2nd Post |
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wizard of ahs Member 
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I too have CFL's throughout the house. I ride a Helix scooter to work whenever possible, comfy and 60+ mpg. And try to recycle where I can. I know that must NOT be YOUR garage!!!!!!!!!  If it was, it would look like mine; room for only 1 car (2 car garage) and full of s____!!! 
____________________ Oh, if I only had a smart! |
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| Posted: Mon Mar 31st, 2008 11:26 pm |
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3rd Post |
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wizard of ahs Member
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OBTW. Great job on the light!
____________________ Oh, if I only had a smart! |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 1st, 2008 02:35 am |
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4th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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Helix; cool! Whats that CN250? My first venture on powered 2 wheels was on a 1986 CH250 aka Elite 250. Allot of Elite 125,150 deluxe, Elite 250's later I bought a 1989 Ninja 250 which started this whole motorcycle thing. It might not have been much but I felt proud to have all these scooters. It's my garage, I spend allot of time there so I want it clean and organized. The exact opposite of how it currently is! Supercharger off, exhaust manifolds off on my sisters 97 GTP. Oh and I was looking at a Reflex ABS and Silverwing's before the little Ninja. Here is a picture from me @ 16! All the best, Aaron Lephart Attachment: scooters.jpg (Downloaded 109 times)
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 1st, 2008 03:30 pm |
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5th Post |
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wizard of ahs Member
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Yes, it's a CN250. Been riding them since they came over in 1986. More comfortable than my GW and more suitable for my commute. (now only 28 miles round trip) I used to ride in CA from San Bernardino to LA everyday! This is my 3rd Helix. Nice collection you have there! Mike
____________________ Oh, if I only had a smart! |
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14th, 2008 06:34 am |
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6th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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Round #2. LED MR 16 bulbs for recessed lighting. .5 watt each! http://www.smartcar451.com/gallery/LEDhouse/ All the best, Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Mon May 12th, 2008 03:55 am |
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7th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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Just recieved higher lumen output 3x 1watt surface mount LED bulbs for office. These are bright enough to use! Electricity bill went from $44.00 to $31.00 by turning my PC off at night, and down to $22.00 with the LED bulbs! Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Mon May 26th, 2008 05:28 am |
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8th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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Better pictures up @ http://www.smartcar451.com/gallery/LEDhouse2/ They are working out to be nice lights! Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17th, 2008 04:04 am |
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9th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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And the electric bill keeps on going down! Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18th, 2008 05:00 am |
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10th Post |
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IngenereAMG Member 
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All this 'Al Gorianess' is making me want to: leave the lights on... Do a few track days Crank the AC, and go buy a Hummer H1! 
____________________ Ciao....Dino SL55 AMG M3 Ferrari 348 SS Testarossa Mondial t cab March/Cosworth Indycar MCS http://www.VelocePerformance.com |
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18th, 2008 05:39 am |
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11th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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Bah! To each his own.  Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19th, 2008 04:02 am |
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12th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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More fuel for the fire. Even I like to visit the track!     All the best, Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 20th, 2008 03:35 am |
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13th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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OK just for fun I tried something this week. 8.6 miles from my house to parents house 1 city over. Now I thought for fun I could see how cheaply I could make the trip. 1998 Mercedes SLK 230 12 minutes travel time. 18.5 MPG of premium fuel. $4.46 round trip. <revised 11-24-08 $3.18> 2008 smart fortwo 12 minutes travel time. 29.5 MPG of premium fuel. $1.29 round trip. <added 11-24-08> 2008 Ninja 250R 17 minutes travel time including suiting up in leather jacket, boots, gloves, helmet etc. 53-55 MPG of regular fuel. $1.44 round trip <revised 11-24-08 .77 cents at 49MPG> 2007 Schwinn ST1000 1000 watt scooter 29 minutes to parents and 25 minutes back. Infinite MPG. $.08 worth of electricity round trip to recharge. 2009 Brammo Enertia electric motorcycle 17 minutes travel time including suiting up in leather jacket, boots, gloves, helmet etc. Infinite MPG. $.64 worth of electricity round trip to recharge. <revised 1-9-12> Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24th, 2008 08:23 pm |
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14th Post |
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IngenereAMG Member
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Did you guys see Top Gear where they pitted a Prius against an M3 for economy. They took them to a track. They set the Prius out at full tilt. They only thing that the M3 needed to do was keep up. The Prius got 17 mpg and the M3 got 19.5.
____________________ Ciao....Dino SL55 AMG M3 Ferrari 348 SS Testarossa Mondial t cab March/Cosworth Indycar MCS http://www.VelocePerformance.com |
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| Posted: Sat Sep 27th, 2008 07:18 am |
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15th Post |
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ALephart Administrator
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BOOYA! Paydirt! All the best, Aaron Lephart
____________________ I got my smart car! |
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