so, I was visiting
this site a while ago... it has some pretty interesting things to say about energy conservation... So I guess this entry is to encourage you to do that, and not just because it'll lower your power bill every month, though that is certainly a benefit... Power is created by burning fossil fuels, of which we have only a limited supply. Within ten years, the world's power (read: oil) consumption is expected to rise 60 to 80 percent as more of the world develops oil-burning technologies to propel them out of the third-world status.
In addition to our natural resources being non-renewable, burning them also causes a lot of pollution. Not only are we depleting the earth, we are hurting it too.
I understand that the facts about global warming are not very cohesive, and it may not be accurate, or even an issue. But that doesn't discount the fact that we are spewing pollutants into the air, and the consequences, while not apparent now, will be for future generations all too clear.
I found a
website where you can look at different cars' fuel efficiency and pollutant ratings and compare them. So I looked at the car I drive now (96 Nissan 200SX), and compared it to its 2003 version, and I find that my car gets better mileage and causes less pollution than the other.
Does that confuse anybody else? Aren't new technologies supposed raise efficiency levels? Increase mileage? Cause less pollution?
Anyway, enough digression. Here's a list of simple things to do that can reduce your power bill. Which will conserve fossil fuels. Which will cause less pollution.
For Consumers:
In the winter, turn your thermostats down to 68 degrees or below. Reduce the setting to 55 degrees before going to sleep or when leaving for the day. (For each 1 degree you turn down the thermostat in the winter, you'll save up to 5% on your heating costs.)
Turn off non-essential lights and appliances. The electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars.
Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers, and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. This also applies during the day for warm climates.
Buy Energy Star appliances, products and lights. (For instance, buying a 40watt Energy Star Florescent bulb gives the same amount of light as a 70watt incandescent light. Less wattage means less power consumed, which both extends the life of the bulb --as much as five years-- and reduces the energy demands of your home. Plus, Florescents don't generate as much heat, which enables you to control the temperature of your home better.)
For Business:
In the winter, turn your thermostat down to 68 degrees or below. Reduce the setting to 55 degrees at the end of the day. (For each 1 degree you turn down the thermostat in the winter, you'll save up to 5% on your heating costs.)
Turn off all unnecessary lights, especially in unused offices and conference rooms and turn down remaining lighting levels where possible.
Set computers, monitors, printers, copiers and other business equipment to their energy saving feature and/or turn them off at the end of the day.
Minimize energy usage during peak demand hours from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Buy Energy Star appliances, products, and lights.
Other Ideas:Turn off the lights in any room you are not using and consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
Consider three-way lamps. They make it easier to keep lighting levels low when bright light is not necessary.
Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas.
Consider using 4-watt mini-fluorescent or electro-luminescent night lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts, and the luminescent lights are cool to the touch.
If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy and can produce more light (lumens) than the halogen torchieres.
Be sure to place the faucet lever on the kitchen sink in the cold position when using small amounts of water. Placing the lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it never reaches the faucet.
Heating and Cooling Tips
Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer.
Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional.
Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans wisely; in just 1 hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed or cooled air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job.
During the heating season, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows. During the cooling season, keep the window coverings closed during the day to prevent solar gain.
During the heating season, close an unoccupied room that is isolated from the rest of the house, and turn down the thermostat or turn off the heating for that room or zone. However, do not turn the heating off if it adversely affects the rest of your system. For example, if you heat your house with a heat pump, do not close the vents-closing the vents could harm the heat pump.
Select energy-efficient equipment when you buy new heating and cooling equipment. Your contractor should be able to give you energy fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help you compare energy usage. Look for high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings and the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The national minimums are 78% AFUE and 10 SEER.
Look for the ENERGY STAR� labels. ENERGY STAR� is a program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed to help consumers identify energy-efficient appliances and products.
Whole-house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. They are effective when operated at night and when the outside air is cooler than the inside air.
Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense.
Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units but not to block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
A whole lot of info, I know... But making a difference starts with yourself.
