Back to Conservation
What can I do to conserve energy?
The answer is: A lot!
Conserving energy comes in many forms. Electricity, natural gas, gasoline, and heating oil to name a few.
We'll tackle electricity first.
Turn off the lights.
That is the cheapest (saves you money on your next energy bill) and easiest way to conserve energy. When you leave a room, turn off the lights. A 200 watt lightbulb uses one kilowatt (1 thousand watts) of electricity in 5 hours. A coal burning power plant produces over 6 pounds of CO2 emmissions just to run that light bulb for 5 hours. That's over one pound an hour!Replace your regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).
Don't wait for them to burn out, you'll actually save more money by replacing them all now. It's because they last so much longer and use about one-fourth of the electricity of a regular bulb. Did you know that 90% of the electricity going to a regular incandescent bulb just becomes heat? Only 10% of the electricity produces light. Halogen bulbs are just as power hungry, and some are a fire hazard. In case you're having a hard time finding CFLs that will fit your fixtures, here's somewhere to look. Top BulbAttack your "Phantom Loads"!
Phantom Loads are things that drain electricity 24 hours a day that you might not think about. For instance, VCRs, T.V.s, CD Players, DVD Players, tape decks, alarm clocks, microwaves, computer equipment, etc.. Almost all remote control equipped appliances draw between 1 and 8 watts an hour, even when they are off. That's because they have to be able to detect the remote control power button. What we've done is put our entertainment center, bedroom TV/VCR/radio, microwave and computer equipment on power-strips that we turn off when we're not using them. This conserves about two-and-a-half kilowatts a day. We also switched to a battery operated radio alarm clock (made by Oregon Scientific), switched all of our lights to CFLs, and turn them off when we're not in the room.The refrigerator
This important appliance uses more electricity than anthing else in a typical home without air-conditioning. Refrigerators more than 4 years old waste quite a bit of electricity. If you've thought about getting a new one, go do it. This is the biggest single way to save electricity in most people's homes. We sold our chest freezer, because we didn't use it much and it took up too much space. We also have a garage fridge that stays off except for special occasions.Install solar (photovoltaic) panels.
It is more affordable than you think. However, businesses will quote you a wide variety of prices. Shop around, and if you are going to do it, email me at: Solar@Chrisp.com. You can read the solar part of this website by clicking here.Natural Gas
The furnace
The furnace is the biggest guzzler of natural gas in most peoples homes. Turn you thermostat to 68 or lower, put on a sweater, and when you leave, or are asleep, turn it down to 55. If you are interested in new equipment, there are new, much more efficient, furnaces on the market now. Another option would be an efficient wood burning stove or pellet stove. These devices are very good at heating and use no fossil fuels to do it. Don't use your fireplace. Fireplaces draw warm air in your house up your chimney with most of the hot air created by the fire. Most fireplaces actually make your home colder, not warmer. Fireplaces also pollute far more than an efficient wood burning stove or pellet stove. We heat our entire home with one pellet stove.Insulation
Insulation is of utmost importance for keeping your home an even temperature while conserving resources. Make sure that your walls and ceilings are well insulated. Cracks in doors and windows add to the problem, but can be helped with weather stripping. Single pane windows throw away a lot of a homes heat, but those nice double pane windows are very expensive. If you're on a budget, a new furnace and some insulation would save more than replacing the windows in most homes, and for less money.The water heater
Conventional natural gas water heaters, waste a huge amount of energy. They keep 30 to 50 gallons of water hot 24 hours a day, so that when you want to take a 20 minute shower you'll have hot water. It's a little like leaving your car on all the time, so you don't have to start it to go to the store for 20 minutes. Conventional water heaters also don't last very long and end up in landfill. They are one of the biggest contributors to landfill in this country. A tankless water heater, either electric or natural gas is the way to go, and the wave of the future. We have one, and it is wonderful. They use a fraction of the natural gas, provide endless hot water, are made of recyclable matierials, save space, and last a lifetime. Go to the water section of this website to learn more.Gasoline
Find another way
Driving behind a smelly car spewing smog into your lungs really points out what we're doing when we drive. We are polluting the atmosphere with every mile we drive and every minute we sit in traffic. Find another way. Walk, bicycle, ski, skateboard, or telecommute if you can. Public transport is a great alternative if you've got it, and carpooling saves resources and time when you're in the HOV lane.What do you drive?
Do you drive an SUV (Super Unenvironmental Vehicle) or light truck? Did you know that SUVs and light trucks are exempt from putting extra tons of greenhouse gasses into our environment? They don't have to meet the same emission standards as cars. Why do you think they are so "cool"? They are being pushed on you by oil corporations that will make money off the 15 miles per gallon you're getting, going to the store by yourself to pick up some ice cream. Do you actually use your 4-wheel drive to get to work? Did you know that you might be safer (except you're more likely to roll over) when you're in an accident, but you are much more likely to kill someone you hit that is driving a regular car? Better them than you? Yikes! That attitude will get the human race a long way towards going off a tall cliff. Hey, I admit, I used to own a Honda CRV, a very small SUV. I sold it and bought a super efficient hybrid car.What could you drive?
Electric cars are much more practical than you might think. Do you have two cars? Do you commute less than 50 miles each way to work? Do you have electricity in your home? If you drive less than 100 miles a day, chances are, an electric car would work for you. There have been many versions of electric cars in the past, and there will be more to come. One of the coolest new vehicles is the Toyota RAV-4 electric. That's right you can have your cake and eat it too, an SUV and almost zero pollution. Not only that, but Toyota is allowing you to purchase them instead of the traditional lease that's been required for most electric car users up until now. There are also great benefits like: driving in the HOV (carpool) lane by yourself, free tolls on many bridges, federal tax rebates, etc..If you drive more than 100 miles a day, like I do, than you should consider a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid cars (yes they will come out with SUVs and vans soon) run on regular fuel, gasoline or diesel, and rechargeable batteries. The great thing about hybrids is you don't have to plug them in to recharge them. They recharge themselves with the engine, coasting and braking. I drive a Toyota Prius now and I love it. Check it out on this website.
"Weird" fuel
There are other alternatives to that gas guzzling SUV. There are cars that run on natural gas (still a fossil fuel, but pollutes a lot less than conventional car fuels). You can convert that noisy diesel car to burn biodiesel for very little money. What is biodiesel? It usually comes from soybeans or vegetable oil, but there are other types as well. Another "weird" fuel that's coming into the spotlight recently is hydrogen. Hydrogen is everywhere and it can be used in fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have only one byproduct, warm water. They use no combustion and get you where you want to go at the same time. Fuel cell cars are still in development, but many people believe they will eventually be the standard cars in the typical American garage.