Posts Tagged ‘money’

All about the dead Presidents?

Several months ago, a JD Power survey found that, despite declining gas prices, more than 70 percent of Americans were interested in buying hybrid cars. More than 40 percent of that 70 percent indicated they would pay as much as $5000.00 more for a hybrid.

At the time, however, hybrid sales were declining, as hybrid market share fell below 3 percent. Apparently, it’s not easy to put your money where your mouth is.

Can we change this disconnect? Finish: Time to get real about hybrids and plug-ins

Would you like to save on energy bills by making your home more energy efficient? The good news is, there are technologies these days that can make that happen – solar energy can power your home in the same way you get electricity from the grid. But with one important difference. When there is a power outage you’ll be the only one in the neighborhood still having electricity!

How do I use solar energy to reduce my electricity bill?

Solar energy is the process of using the sun’s radiant rays to power your home. For this to work, you would previously need to get some solar panels and then have this installed by a contractor. When you are looking for a contractor, find out how much it will cost to install the solar panel system. You should compare these first before you decide in picking the best one. But you should know right now that using a contractor for installing solar panel cells are a bit expensive. There are also no financing programs you can avail yourself of. Your best bet if you don’t have enough money is to apply for a home equity loan.

The size of the solar panel system is also in direct proportion with the cost. Most cost from $9 to $10 per watt and when you include installation, the bill may reach be from $10,000 to $20,000.

The cost of the solar panel system should not discourage you from investing in solar energy. People who use it are able to get tax rebates and it will also increase the value of your home. With that, the only thing to do now is to call a reputable solar energy provider. .

Or that was the case up until now. The Ambigrid system will show you how to make your own renewable energy, which will run by itself i.e. without needing additional human intervention and it will create free electric energy.

With the new, inexpensive do-it-yourself solar panel kits you will save substantial amounts of money on both the installation and operation side of it, making the dream of a solar powered home affordable for thousands who never thought they could pay for one before now.

Will installing a solar system have any effect on your property? The answer is yes. In fact, it will increase the resale value of your property without having to pay much more in terms of property taxes. If you have a lot of space to spare, you may even be able to zero out your electric bill as long as the sun comes out so you can convert sunlight into electricity.

Aside from increasing the properly value, you will also be able to avail of tax credits from the government.

One other thing you should know about the solar panel system is that this should also be connected to your grid. For this to work, you have to enter into an interconnection agreement with your utility.

This agreement will address the issue with regards to the terms and conditions under which your system is tied up with them. This also includes what is known as net metering which allows you to bank any surplus electricity that your system generates on the electric grid in the same manner that you will be charged accordingly should you consume more electricity than what you have banked

About the Author

Kelly invites you to look for more details on how to have a solar powered home on the Squidoo lenshttp://www.squidoo.com/home_solar_power_systems

[wsj] Telecom operator Millicom International Cellular SA (MICC) said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its Cambodian operations for $346 million in cash to The Royal Group, its partner in the country.

The transaction, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2009, comprises Millicom’s 58.4% holdings in each of CamGSM, Royal Telecam International and Cambodia Broadcasting Services.

It values the Cambodian operations at an enterprise value of $605 million, representing an estimated 7.1 times 2009 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda.

Luxembourg-based Millicom, which is listed on Nasdaq and the Stockholm stock exchange, earlier this year decided to divest its Asian operations and focus on Africa and Latin America.

It said July 2 that the units in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Laos will be classified as “assets held for sale” and that it had received expressions of interest from a number of parties.

“We don’t think that we have the critical mass to operate in Asia,” Millicom Chief Financial Officer Francois-Xavier Roger told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview last month, adding that the proceeds from a sale of the Asian assets will be used to invest in external growth, repaying debt, or distributing part of the money to the owners through dividends and share buybacks.

Millicom To Sell Cambodian Operations For $346M

Legacy costs

Cash for Clunkers is over. After $2.88 billion we’ve removed 690,117 fuel inefficient clunkers from society while providing a quick bump to a down and out auto industry.

Good news, right?

Regardless, according to CNN, those 700,000 clunkers represent just “2% of the approximately 42 million fuel hoggers still clunking along.” So, we have a long way to go, but at least 700,000 15 mpg vehicles were replaced, on average, with 25 mpg vehicles.

Unfortunately, if by some magic wand Cash for Clunkers could have worked for ALL clunkers, even at 25 mpg across the entire US fleet, America would still be terribly dependent upon foreign oil.

War on drugs? Why not a war on oil?

According to Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Taliban funding from Persian Gulf oil money outpaces funding from opium and heroin exports.

Good thing we’ll only be dependent upon Persian Gulf oil for another 50 years, otherwise I might be a little worried.

Guzzle in peace! May Allah be with you.