Blog

Psychologists tell us that 90% of our daily activities are habits.

We have the same morning routines. We drive the same routes to work and back. We eat many of the same meals at the same restaurants. We watch the same television shows and listen to the same radio stations. We even repeat the same phrases regularly.

That’s pretty astounding.

It helps explain why change can be so difficult.

And it also provides some clues about how to make change stick.

First, we have to learn to focus on the habit itself, not the result we’re hoping for.

For example, our goal may be to get healthier. Specifically, we may want to lose weight, and so we focus our attention on the scale.

Instead, we’ll have a better chance of success if we’ll focus our attention on the specific habits we’ll need to alter in order to achieve that result: how we eat, sleep, and exercise.

Next, we have to focus on changing one habit at a time.

Because our habits are so ingrained, it takes a significant amount of energy to change them. That energy, also called willpower, is a depletable resource.

Just like a car stops moving when it runs out of gas, humans stop changing when they run out of willpower. It doesn’t matter how excited we are to get started and to achieve the results, there will come a time when making the change gets very difficult. Maybe it’s when we’ve had a bad day at work, and that tub of ice cream sounds like just what we need to calm down.

If we’ve tried to affect too many changes at one time, we’ll be out of gas. We won’t have the willpower to stick with any of them, and we’ll likely return to square one or regress even further because of the disappointment we feel.

In order to preserve our willpower for when we really need it, we have to plan ahead.

To do that, I’ve provided a 30 Day Habit Development Guide that will walk you through this process.

–

At 3eWerks, we’re focused on transforming lives as well as homes and buildings. This post is the first installment of our Live Better series. Click here to watch a video and learn how small changes and new rituals can help you feel better, find more time for your family, succeed in your career, take charge of your finances, and live the life of your dreams. If you want to get started, you can even sign up for a Peak Start Session.

Leave A Comment

Last month, 3eWerks completed the first installation of a 4k vertical axis wind turbine in Corpus Christi at Johnstone Supply on SPID near Ennis Joslin.

Here’s a video of the process:

Special thanks to Gibson Electric for their participation in the project. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Click here for more information on our wind turbines.

Leave A Comment

Last October, Corpus Christi became one of the first cities in the U.S. to allow residents to install wind turbines to power their homes. Today, the vision behind that ordinance is becoming a reality.

We’re nearing completion on the installation of an UGE Eddy GT 1 KW vertical axis wind turbine at the home of Mr. Butch Holley in Flour Bluff. A pioneer in green technology, Mr. Holley is already utilizing solar and other alternative energies. With the power generated by his Eddy system, Mr. Holley will soon be able to see his meter spin backwards, sending electricity back to his provider.

To combat our corrosive salt air, we utilized an RS Standard Fiberglass Mono Pole. It has an 80 year life span and is stronger than steel. The turbine is attached using a 316 Stainless Steel Coupling developed by Naismith Engineering, who also designed the attachment system for the unit.

If you’re interested in powering your home with wind or solar energy, please contact us to get started.

Leave A Comment

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our updated website. In many ways, it also represents a relaunch of our entire company. Based on feedback from you, our friends and customers, we’ve learned how we can help you achieve your goals to save money, be green, and live better.

From the homepage or Start Here menu, you can go directly to a tour focused what’s most important to you:

• Be Green
• Save Money
• Live Better

More specifically, you can also meet the 3E team and learn more about our systems approach for residential and commercial solutions. We’ll also show you how to go “all in” with wind or solar energy.

If you’re ready to get started, you can let us know or sign up for a Peak Start Session to take the first steps in living at your peak.

Much like IBM or Apple, we’re organized around an idea, rather than a specific product or technology. We believe that the 3E revolution represents a lifestyle – a choice to pursue excellence, independence, and sustainability. We choose to embrace change every day, and we hold each other accountable to achieving our dreams.

Our mission is to revolutionize the way people live, and to transform the way their homes and buildings operate.

Are you ready to join the revolution?

Thanks to our friends at Neovia Solutions and Rippke Design for helping turn our dreams into a reality. They certainly deserve extra kudos for all the tweaks and enhancements after we were “finished.” And special thanks to MediaSpace for helping us to integrate the Live Your Peak project.

Leave A Comment

Our most recent installation of an Urban Green Energy 4k system in north Texas

Aside from the breathtaking sunset and the sleek shape of our most recent 4k wind system, what makes this photo picture-perfect is what went on behind the scenes to construct and capture this beauty. For this particular installation, we designed a custom-made fiberglass pole with 316 stainless steel coupling to retrofit Dr. Yeaman’s first 4k wind system.

Our client was beyond satisfied with his investment into renewable energy.  Below is a photo of his monetary and energy savings!

Dr. Yeaman’s energy monitor

This energy monitor was linked to Dr. Yeaman’s new Urban Green Energy 4k System.

As you can see, not only is Dr. Yeaman’s energy monitor showing the turbine is generating more energy than his residence is consuming in addition to reducing his carbon footprint, but his wind turbine is practically eliminating his electric bill!

For a first-hand look at the turbine in action and to hear how whisper-quiet it actually is, check out this video.

Leave A Comment

While calculating life cycle costs of vertical axis wind turbines we ran into something interesting. Small scale renewable energy is in its infancy and still has a bit to be desired in terms of payback or return on investment (ROI). What we found in our exercise was if you combine an electric car purchase with a UGE 4K vertical axis wind turbine the end result is TRUE carbon neutral transportation with an astounding payback. A typical UGE 4K vertical axis wind turbine’s ROI, including installation, is directly $29,400 after a 30% federal tax credit. The annual electricity production in Corpus Christi will range between 10 to 14 thousand kwh a year. It takes 25 KWH (9,125 kwh annually) to completely charge a Nissan Leaf for a typical range of 100 miles. Assuming gas costs 3.00 a gallon and your car gets 25 miles per gallon you would spend $4,380 on gasoline annually. By purchasing a UGE 4k to produce electricity for your car you produce clean renewable fuel and bring the ROI to 6.71 years. The calculations that were used here were very generous, especially with the escalating prices of fuel. While electric cars are supposed to make you feel good about not using fuel, there is still a major carbon footprint associated with the production of electricity. If paired together an electric car and a UGE 4k vertical axis wind turbine is a perfect combination for truly green/carbon neutral transportation.

Leave A Comment

Meet Byron Lofin and his company 3eWerks. Byron uses this video as an opportunity to educate people on the uniqueness of Corpus Christi. Find out how 3eWerks plays a role in the community and much more.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlSe1i2oteg[/youtube]

Leave A Comment

Christmas is just around the corner and ’tis the time to start decorating your home from the inside out with holiday decorations. In preparation for everyone’s favorite holiday, we thought we would give you some helpful links that will make your Christmas a green one. From Christmas trees, LED bulbs, to Green presents we hope that these offer a cheery way to be Green all the way up until Christmas.

Keep an eye out for our weekly “Collection of Green”, a helpful list of links to different topics. We will provide the latest updates, news, and tips to provide you with all you need to know about Green Energy, and how it can even save you money.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas:

Tour extreme Christmas lights (and get LEDs for yourself). LED Christmas lights are the way to go this year. Many stores even offer incentives if you trade in your old Christmas lights for LED ones. This one even offers pictures of astounding homes decorated from head to toe in LED lights.

How to Have a ‘Green’ Christmas. This article gives plenty of helpful tips to have a green Christmas all together. From lights, Christmas trees, wrapping paper, presents, and much more.

Green Gifts for Everyone On Your List. 2010′s Top Green Presents entails 100+ items for children to adults that will save you money, and the environment too!

Preparing for a Green Christmas: Gift Wrap. This site offers many great tips to use recycled items as wrapping paper. What better way to save money on all that wrapping paper than using stuff you already have around the house?

Go Green this Holiday Season. Even more ideas to go green for the Holidays and save some green also.

Leave A Comment

Solar Energy is one of the many well known sources of renewable energy. But did you know that there are other forms of solar to better serve your home or business? Solar screens are one of the options to take part on to make your home a more energy efficient home to save money. Solar screens have many other benefits besides cutting your energy costs. They can also block the sun’s heat and UV rays which can greatly reduce your power bill, reduce carpet and furniture fading, and can even stop dust from entering your home. So yes, we are trying to say that you won’t have to clean as often too! For further information on solar screens and their benefits, it would help to continue on reading.

Why choose Solar Screens?

Sun Control Screens absorb and dissipate a large percentage of solar heat and glare before it hits the windows and doors – this keeps the glass and interior cooler. Of course you know that we are going to tell you that Solar Screens are going to help cut energy and money off your electric bill, 30 to 35% to be exact, especially in the hot months of July and August. Many Sun Control Screen payback period estimates fall between two and three cooling seasons. A University of Texas study predicts a 32% savings for an average home.

Solar screens are made out of Phifer material and the frames are aluminum so you won’t experience nasty rust like we are prone to here in South Texas. Solar Screens are suitable for both home and business, and are each uniquely different to your window. Even those odd shaped windows with arches are not a problem for us because these are custom fit to any window. The option to choose from 5 different colors and solar grade types gives you the option to pick where on the home you would like this unique product. The view from the inside out is easy and attainable to see outside with ease, but will give you privacy from the outside in.

Leave A Comment

Green is the new thing. Not only does going green save the planet, but it saves you money. As a business, saving money is very important whether it’s a small or large business. Many are unsure of how to go green, but why not go green and become certified at being a green company? Having a certification has it’s many benefits, with one being that it can pull more customer basis in because they see you are doing your part to being green and have a knowledgeable basis on it. Not only will it pull more clientele your way, but the savings you will have will be tremendous because you took that extra step to find out what all you needed to do to be green as a whole. Yes, every little bit helps to becoming green, but to save the big bucks sometimes means to take that extra step. Wouldn’t you agree?

Keep an eye out for our weekly “Collection of Green”, a helpful list of links to different topics. We will provide the latest updates, news, and tips to provide you with all you need to know about Green Energy, and how it can even save you money.

How to Be Green Certified:

How to become a Certified Green Business. Tips and advice on how to become a certified green business right before your eyes.

Green Seal Certified. One of the many ways to be Green certified, and the Green Seal Certification is one of the many.

USGBC Green Certified. Want to be the best informed with being green certified? United States Green Building Council, the governments form to being green certified is the way to go.

Green Eco Certified. Includes steps, tips, and benefits to becoming economy green certified for you and your business as a whole.

Leave A Comment

Keeping a carbon footprint in a green business or in general is in your best nature. If you demonstrate commitment to being green, having a green car will show just that. In an article from Management-Issues he talks about demonstrating commitment by saying, “I have heard repeated anecdotes of Managing Directors announcing a new low carbon direction for the business, then showing up the next day in a brand new gas guzzling company car. They then wonder why their staff get cynical.” If you want to go in a green direction, your car should be included because it won’t only show your commitment but save you tons of money in gas. These cars are even better for our environment by producing less CO2 and other pollution into our air. This is why we are providing you a list of green links that provide you with the best green automobiles so you can get a better fuel efficient and economic car for personal or company usage.

Keep an eye out for our weekly “Collection of Green”, a helpful list of links to different topics. We will provide the latest updates, news, and tips to provide you with all you need to know about Green Energy, and how it can even save you money.?

Green Automobiles:

The 7 Most Affordable Fuel Efficient Cars of 2010. These 7 cars run around 30 mpg and cost less than $20,000. Can’t beat that.

2010 Best Green Cars. Descriptions and all about which cars are greenest from cars, trucks, to minivans.

Green Car of the Year Finalists: Hybrid, Electric, and Gas Models. Top 5 Green Cars of 2011. This article even mentions the new electric Nissan Leaf.

Leave A Comment

Saving money is one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about how green will be beneficial to you. Well we all know more importantly, from a business perspective it is all about making and saving that money then letting it go down the drain. Green has been proven time and time again to improve profit and sales in your company and many have the potential to receive tax incentives to get money back from going green.This is why we found several links all about about saving money for your business by going green.

Keep an eye out for our weekly “Collection of Green”, a helpful list of links to different topics. We will provide the latest updates, news, and tips to provide you with all you need to know about Green Energy, and how it can even save you money.

How to Make your Business a Green One

Green at Work: Green Your Business in 4 Steps. Provides the know how to get started with converting your company to green.

25 Ways to Green Your Business and Make Money. The title speaks for itself, and we know the words “Make Money” stand out to you like they do to us.

How Your Small Business Can Become A Green Business. Gives small tips for small businesses on going green from office supplies to green programs.

Guide to Making Your Company More Green. This one tells you how going green is going to save you money and become beneficial and even gives some interesting tactics to enforce upon.

Leave A Comment

As many of you already know from our previous blog that we moved locations from 1201 N. Shoreline Blvd to 10201 South Padre Island Drive. We gave you some pictures of our old office, but since we are starting off fresh and new, we are giving you a virtual tour instead. We are quite proud of our new office because we went from leaky ceilings and a small office to a much more spacious office with a window and no leaky ceiling. Hope you enjoy the video!

Leave A Comment

CEO of 3eWerks, Byron Loftin, offers us another Tip for Going Green at home or business. Did you know that most households pay thousands of dollars a year for electricity? The Energy Detective (TED) can easily help you save 10-20 percent on your electric bill – hundreds of dollars – and the more you save, the more you help your neighbors, the community, and protect our environment. How could you turn down this option when all it does is help you save money. The Energy Detective tells you how many kilowatts are being used as well as money. Thus, if you walk by and notice that your kilowatts are skyrocketing upward, you can find the problem and turn the lights out!

Keep an eye out for more “Tips on Going Green” videos in the future. Pass the tip on to friends and family! Every bit of energy conserved can save you green (money that is) and the world.

Check out our 3eWerks YouTube page to find more helpful videos to go green!

Leave A Comment

Since our product of the month is pertaining to wind energy, we thought it would be great to carry out the custom and talk about it in our Collection of Green links this week. Just like solar energy, wind energy is something that has been around for centuries, but is just starting to become really well-known to us currently. People have used wind as a reliable source for many alternatives to energy. One example of this could be about how ships and boats were and are still being powered to travel on the open seas by sails and the wind propelling them. This is very much something sailors still abide by today in many circumstances. Another great example of wind energy is using wind mills to power and turn water for crops for farmers. Wind is a great source of energy that is being used now a days to power electricity at our homes and businesses to cut our energy bills down tremendously. We all know saving money is important and wind energy is the way to go if you want to do just that!

Wind Energy

Thinking Small, and Still Smaller, on Wind Power. Energy innovators are working around the clock to produce even smaller wind turbines.

Where Wind Could Become the Primary Source of Power. Ireland plans to have 42% of their power be based upon wind by 2020. How far along will the U.S. be?

Using Wind To Generate Electricity And Other Kinds Of Power. Talks about the history before and after the creation of wind turbines. Much like I said before about how wind has been a source of energy for a long period of time.

The case for a new design of a vertical-axis wind turbine. New design ideas for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. Which one do you like better, the one in the article or the ones we have now?

Leave A Comment

There are many ways to become more energy efficient in your home or business, but one of the most useful of them all is by utilizing something we have in our windy city, wind turbines.  Not just any turbine though, a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, or in our terms a “VAWT.” We all know that being close to the coast has given us plenty of wind to come our way. Just look at all the many, large wind turbine farms in towns closest to Corpus Christi.

Why choose a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine?

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine’s are installed differently than the wind turbine’s you are use to seeing. There configuration is perpendicular to the ground. These vertical axis wind turbines from Urban Green Energy have many great advantages to them over the everyday wind turbines.

Many owners of wind turbines fear the wind changing the direction, therefore not propelling the turbine the correct way it should go to get the use out of it to propel it. The VAWT’s are unaffected by this problem, and can even be installed onto rooftops of homes or businesses. These turbines are extremely quiet and do not produce a lot of noise like many horizontal wind turbines do. Lastly, I would have to say these products are very simple to be installed for you and easily maintained.

There are four different types of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine’s that we sell, each with their own uniqueness embedded within them. They consist of Eddy, Eddy GT, UGE-4K, and Sanya. For more information on each turbine, be sure to click on them individually so you can pick and choose which one fits your needs best. Each turbine has received third-party certification for their power curves, noise levels, vibration levels, and safety.

Leave A Comment

October 31st, Halloween, is a time when people get together to dress up and carve pumpkins for this spooky, yet fun holiday. With the thought of Halloween approaching this weekend, we thought it would be a great idea to make our Collection of Green Links pertaining to making your Halloween a green one. Many may ask, how in the world can you make Halloween green? Well, there are many ways to reuse and recycle the many items you may use for Halloween and many of these articles talk about just that.

Keep an eye out for our weekly “Collection of Green”, a helpful list of links to different topics. We will provide the latest updates, news, and tips to provide you with all you need to know about Green Energy, and how it can even save you money.

Your GREEN HALLOWEEN!

Green Halloween: How can I reuse or recycle Halloween decorations? Don’t throw out those Halloween decorations! They can be recycled/saved for next year or reused into something creative for home.

25 Unforgettable Homemade Halloween Costumes Made from Recycled Materials. Don’t spend loads of money buying a costume at the store when you can make one yourself.

Going green this Halloween? What about the candy? It’s hard to stop children from throwing there non-biodegradable candy wrappers on the ground. So why not have a green candy wrapper to hand out?

Green Halloween: How can I reuse or recycle pumpkin seeds? Don’t let those pumpkin seeds go to waste when carving a pumpkin because they can most definitely be put to good use.

Leave A Comment

We are moving locations this week from downtown Corpus Christi, 1201 North Shoreline Blvd. Suite 901, to the Wells Fargo building in Flour Bluff at 10201 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78418. We are very excited about this new change, so we thought we would give you a piece of the behind the scenes of our office downtown before we move on to bigger and better things.

Top Left: Walking into the right of the office is where you see our 3eWerks sign. As well as our desks where Byron and Amanda work at to get all necessary things done for 3eWerks.

Top Right: Amanda Ashley, Project Manager of 3eWerks, is hard at work doing Payroll at her desk.

Bottom Left: Another great picture of our office with hundreds of LED bulbs in the box.

Bottom Right: Our work station all inclusive with layout designs for green homes and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. The light in the lamp is even an LED light! See how it represents day light?

We plan to give you a piece of our temporary new office on the 3rd floor of the Wells Fargo building as soon as possible when move on over. We will even show you our before and after of our 2nd floor renovations of the what is soon to be LEED certified by sometime next year. The 2nd floor is going to be well equiped with everything green possible from LED lights to solar screen. We are even installing Vertical Axis Wind Turbines on the roof of the building to be the upmost green as possible. So be sure to keep up with our newest green renovations and we will keep you updated!

Leave A Comment

Homeowner’s aren’t the only people wanting to save money and energy on their electricity bills. Companies are slowing starting to join the trend and get in on the action of Green energy. Some of these well-known businesses are using their knowledge to help our environment and their pocket books by doing small or large steps to be more energy efficient.

I’m sure there are many more companies going green, like they ought to, but the ones that stood out to me, and I’m sure many of you know of are: T-Mobile, WalMart, Kohl’s, Applebee’s, and McDonald’s.

Keep an eye out for our weekly “Collection of Green”, a helpful list of links to different topics. We will provide the latest updates, news, and tips to provide you with all you need to know about Green Energy, and how it can even save you money.

Companies Converting to Green

T-Mobile USA Builds Its First Cell Tower Powered by Solar Cells. Your going to have to check this out to see how they are converting their towers topped with solar panels.

Walmart Gets The Solar Power Bug. Walmart is putting their money to good use and lining the roof of some of their stores with solar panels. It’s even enough to power 1,750 homes annually!

Kohl’s hits new milestone with 500 Energy Star stores. Kohl’s is aiming to become known as a carbon neutral store. They are halfway their and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Applebee’s Will Retrofit All of its New York Restaurants with LED Lights. Even Applebee’s is taking the spin with LED lights to find out how much money they are really saving on electricity because of the energy LED bulbs save and the fact that it doesn’t emit less heat.

McDonald’s Golden Arches Go Green. I guess McDonald’s decided to go not just light on their salads but there energy savings too by getting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.

Leave A Comment

Many wonder, what exactly IS 3eWerks? Well, here is a step by step breakdown of what 3eWerks means, what we stand for, and what we can do for you.

Our Green Meaning

Let’s break down 3eWerks into an easier understanding of what it means. 3e equals the 3 E’s that compromise 3eWerks. These E’s consist of economy, ecology, and efficiency. Economy in our terms means saving you money. Ecology is the effect it has on protecting our environment and world as a whole. Efficiency is all about being energy efficient and green in general. The combination of all of these, equal out to saving that money, which we all know is something that is quite enjoyable. Lastly, we can’t forget about “Werks”. Werks means high performance and that is what we and our products are. When combining all of these terms, we have 3eWerks!

Our Value

Here at 3eWerks we value providing each and every person with a unique, systems-based approach to energy efficiency for residential and commercial buildings, both new construction and retrofit. We want to help the environment by assisting those wanting to learn and go green by implementing it into their everyday lives.

What do we do?

We begin with a comprehensive energy audit to uncover any efficiency problems in your home or business. Then, we’ll recommend solutions that will dramatically reduce your energy bills. To schedule one of these energy audits with us you can call 361.288.1175 or email us at info@3ewerks.com.

Leave A Comment