With all of the rain coming down in the Northeast, it looks like Niagara Falls is right outside the window’s at IDT Energy.  Wouldn't it be great if someone harnessed all of this energy and transformed  it into electric supply?  Oh wait – someone has! In fact, if you live in NYS you can choose to have 100% of your electricity supplied from IDT Energy’s hydro power.

How does hydro power work?

Water power is generated from the energy of falling water and harnessed for usefully purposes. It can be derived from waterfalls and rivers.

Of course you could also be harvesting all of this water for your garden!

Energy Efficiency Road Trip Style

Did you go on a Memorial Day road trip? Have any exciting trips planned for the summer?

In addition to taking steps to make your home energy efficient, IDT Energy wants to help you make your car energy efficient. All these steps lead to real savings on energy bills!

1. Keep your tires inflated. Proper inflation can lead to a savings of around $61 a year!
2. Use the correct oil. Using the wrong product reduces efficiency and can waste up to $40 annually.
3. Get your junk out of the truck. Reducing the weight of your vehicle reduces efficiency  An extra 100 lbs  can add up to $40 a year.
4. Keep the speed limit. Going over 60 mph reduces your gas mileage and can add up to 31 cents per gallon. 
5. Put it on cruise control. Staying at a steady pace which helps save money.

Have fun on your road trip and save on your annual energy costs.

Of course, one easy way to save is to sign up with IDT Energy!

Is Your House Ready for the Summer? Make it Energy Efficient!

Right now is a perfect time to save on energy! The heat is off and the AC hasn't been turned on yet.

It's also a great time to start preparing for the summer - keeping your energy bills low by conserving energy.

Here are IDT Energy's top 5 energy efficiency tips to get ready for the summer:

1. Change the filters once a month.  Don't make your A/C work harder than it has to. Pushing air through a dirty filter takes more energy; plus, who doesn't want clean air!
2. Install a programmable thermostat.  You have heard this one time and time again. So why are you waiting? Your couch and favorite lazy chair don't need to stay cool while you are busy at work. And who has time to remember to adjust the temp when you are running out of the house barely remembering to put shoes on! Set the thermostat to automatically adjust.
3. Clean the condensation lines.  Keeping this clean of sludge and debris is important to maintain the efficiency of the AC unit.
4. Check that the condenser (unit outside) is level.  If the cement pad that the condenser sits on outside is not level the machine has to work harder.  That means you have to work harder to pay those energy bills!
5. Clean the condenser.  While you are outside making sure that the condenser is level, make sure it's free of any debris. Debris blocks air flow, making the unit work harder.

Looking for more energy saving tips? Check out IDT Energy's Facebook and IDT Energy's Pinterest.

Trash to Treasure

"One person's junk is another person's treasure."  It's something I heard a lot growing up. Meaning just because you no longer want it, doesn't mean that the item won't mean a lot to someone else.  The implication, of course, was meant towards used furniture or perhaps donating clothing.  But how about literally turning someones junk, or garbage, into a necessity - energy?  (Remember - energy cannot be created or destroyed - it can only change forms.)

Yep, your dirty tissue, mismatched sock, even that nasty old ______.

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So who thinks your husbands old gym sock is a treasure? The people of Northern Europe! According to the NYT "Across Northern Europe, where the practice of burning garbage to generate heat and electricity has exploded in recent decades, demand for trash far outstrips supply. "

They are even running short on garbage.  The plants have stated they might even take some from the United States because sea transport is cheap enough.

Can you imagine the US turning our landfills into energy? What turning the garbage at the curb into energy to run your TV?

The good news is all electricity that comes into your home smells the same. It doesn't matter if it's made from garbage or from walking or if you buy it from your utility or an energy supplier like IDT Energy. It all smells and works the same.

Looking for more energy fun fact? Check out the IDT Energy Pinterest!

Energy Generated by Green Slime

Growing in your fish tanks and slimming up the rocks at the beach lies your next energy source.  It's green, it's mean, it's algae! (No, the energy geeks have not lost their mind.)

An apartment building in Hamburg, Germany has developed a net-zero energy structure - derived from the building's 'siding.'  Taking three years and $3.4 million euros to build, it was designed for the International Building Exposition (IBA).

Alternative Energy - Algae via

From the IBA's website:

"The sides of the building that face the sun have a second outer shell that is set into the facade itself. Microalgae – tiny plants, most no larger than bacteria – are produced within this shell. They enable the house to supply its own energy. The only thing that the algae have to do is simply to grow. They are continuously supplied with liquid nutrients and carbon dioxide via a separate water circuit running through the facade  With the aid of sunlight, the algae can photosynthesis and grow."

Net-Zero Energy Via

So what do you think? Time to cover your home in algae and start farming your own energy?

No? Not ready for that? IDT Energy offers electricity from green energy sources if you think that might be a better option! 

Check out the IDT Energy Facebook and IDT Energy Pinterest for more crazy energy ideas!

Happy Birthday Earth Day! With Love from IDT Energy Geeks

Earth Day turned 43 today! Happy Birthday Earth Day!

How many countries do you think celebrate Earth Day?

Earth Day via

Did you guess 192 countries? If so, you are correct! That is 98% of the world.

According to www.earthday.org "the idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara."

Over 20 million American's took part in the first Earth Day. "The first Earth Day lead to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts."  The focus was about air and water pollution.

In 1990, there was a big push to go global and it reached 200 million people in 141 countries.  This gave a huge boost to recycling efforts.

Ten years later, in 2000, there was another push for Earth Day.  This year the focus on the need for more clean energy.

What can you do to make the world a more clean and green place?

• Sign-Up for IDT Energy Green
• Support Efforts for New Technology in Energy Generation
• Maybe create a little power from potatoes? ;)
• Be Green in the Garden
• Follow the DOE Energy Saving Tips
• Just use LESS energy!
• Follow IDT Energy geeks on Facebook and Pinterest for more energy saving tips and trip

IDT Energy's CEO on Boston Marathon

A message from IDT Energy, Inc. CEO, Geoff Rochwarger: 

Geoff Rochwarger

Our hearts go out to everyone in Boston dealing with the bombings at the Boston Marathon earlier this week and our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this horrific tragedy. In response to the impact felt in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, IDT Energy set up a donation portal supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross. As many of you know, the American Red Cross in Boston has a long history of supporting the marathon with volunteers and first aid stations all along the marathon route. Since the explosions, the Red Cross has provided both blood and support to several area hospitals to help meet the needs of those injured and will continue to assist whenever and wherever necessary in the days and weeks to come. We encourage everyone to join us in acknowledging the Boston City Police and Fire departments, first responders and volunteers, and would like to once again call attention to the wonderful work of the American Red Cross.  Please click here or visit www.idtenergy.com/in-your-community. You can make a donation directly, or continue on to the American Red Cross website to explore more ways to get involved. Thank you!

New Developments in Genie Energy Stock

In a recent article for Seeking Alpha, a leading trader offered his insight on Genie Energy and its subsidiaries, including IDT Energy.

He wrote, “Last year in June I profiled this stock and argued Genie Energy was a microcap value stock with a theoretical free call option attached. The stock is up over 70% since my article but most of that move has come in the last few weeks….

“I would argue that this company’s story is even better than it was last year although now you do have to pay slightly for the “call option” since the stock has moved higher.”

The expert went on to explain that although he is not necessarily making a purchase recommendation, he is “laying out the facts of why I have been long and the upside potential I see.”

He explained that he believes the company has the potential to be worth $100 per share over the next few years.

Supplying Energy: One Step at a Time

"Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another." - Albert Einstein
Finding ways to store energy from everyday tasks to be usable in other parts of your life would be ideal.  No energy wasted.

To the marathon runners in Paris, France this could not be a more true statement. The Paris Marathon organizers laid tiles that harvest energy across the road.  These tiles were made from recycled tires. Recycled products producing clean energy - what could be more green?

Via

Created by Pavegen Systems Ltd has created this new type of energy technology to go off-grid and "make a low-carbon contribution wherever there is high footfall, regardless of weather." (source)

Via

Each footfall creates 8 watts of electricity.  How does that compare to the usage in your house?  Well an average household uses about 8,000 kilowatt hours each month.  It takes 1,000 watts to get a kilowatt. So 80,000 watts need to be generated to supply your house with electricity. That equates to 100,000 steps.

That may sound like a lot. But according to TheWalkingSite.com you should walk 10,000 steps in a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Wouldn't it be neat if they could harness the energy from everyday walking to power your house? It would take 10 days of walking the recommended amount. (Of course this will change depending on your household usage)

Can you imagine if we could put the foot traffic of NYC to work to generate power to light  up the night?

It looks like the US Army is already cultivating this type of technology with infantrymen.

Via

As technology develops and is used more in the field, soldiers must carry that battery power to operate the devices.  Carrying that much energy storage can become very cumbersome on an already heavy load.  This technology would allow a solider to charge two AA batteries after walking 85 minutes.  In an emergency situation more energy could be generated by doing knee bends.

Of course because walking is not always continuous, the power generated comes in burst   The team working on this have built a "capacitor circuit that filters these energy spikes into a usable form for recharging AA batteries.  The energy is then stored around the ankle.  (source)

In case you don't have the technology to supply your own energy buy walking - IDT Energy still has your back! Happy to be your energy nerds, buying green and conventional energy to supply your home with the power it needs to keep working!

Find more bright energy ideas on Facebook and Pinterest.

Energy Supply - Changing the Form of Energy

Energy wakes you up in the morning, it keeps you going during the day, and sometimes it even keeps you up at night.  There are many different forms of energy - "all of which measure the ability of an object or system to do work on another object or system."

So what forms of energy is there?

• Chemical
• Electrical
• Gravitational
• Heat (thermal)
• Light
• Magnetic
• Mechanical
• Nuclear
• Sound

This energy is then harnessed and sold - companies like IDT Energy then buy it to supply to your homes!

Can you think of all the ways you use energy in a day?