Conserving Home Energy and Light In Simple Ways
Sep 16 '09 (Updated Sep 17 '09)
The Bottom Line Energy conservation gets serious when your own pocketbook is directly involved.
Up until a few months ago I had never owned a house or had to pay for my own energy bills before. My employer always took care of that and, while being somewhat conservative in the energy-usage department, I never saw the bills and so I had no real incentive to think about energy conservation on a personal level.
Then, in my newly acquired house, I got my late-July electric bill! I have taken up residence in a house that was built in the late 1950s when energy was cheap, and so by today's standards it is poorly insulated. But I didn't know how poorly insulated. It is an 1800 square-foot house and my bill for one month's electricity was over $300.00! In the long term I am going to install double-glazed windows and doors in the house and insulation in the walls and above the ceiling, but in the short-term I have discovered some ways to cut the cost of energy usage.
I live in the somewhat semi-desert-like climate of dry West Texas, and it's a little warmer here than most places, and so these tips may not apply to your situation, but then again they just might.
First, I use a refrigerated air conditioner, so I set the air conditioner's thermostat up 8 degrees, from 72F to 80F. That little bit of warmer air is a little uncomfortable at first, but after I changed to lighter clothing like shorts and a light shirt, and after I adjusted to the temperature, it's just fine. Think about it- people all over the world survive without complaint without air conditioning, because in the summer they wear summer clothes instead of wearing what they might wear in the winter while expensive air conditioning energy is wasted. Adjust the thermostat and dress seasonally. This is so simple you might smack your head and say, "Hello!", but it works.
Second, even though I have compact-flourescent light bulbs (CFLs) all over the house, I find that one doesn't have to use light bulbs all that much in the daytime anyway if one has windows in the house and you simply adjust the shades and blinds a bit during the day. I spend a lot more time in my house simply using sunlight streaming in through the windows rather than using electric light bulbs now. And do you know what? It's not that different. I can read and work and do everything as effectively as when I had the shades drawn during the daytime and used light bulbs. What about when it gets dark? Only keep the lights on in the house at night that you really need; if you don't actually need 'em, kill the light. Don't be scared of the dark; it's a (cheap) friend.
There are a few are other things I have done, too.
I wash a full load of dishes each time. Same with clothes.
I have sealed some air leaks around the doors by replacing old weatherstripping.
I have linked all the computer-and-computer-peripheral power transformers into backup battery units which can be turned off with a push of a button when not in use. Those little power transformers still eat energy even when your computer or peripherals are turned off. I may even go to a timer on this one.
The result of all this is is that in the next two bills the cost of electricity had dropped 20% for each of the same time frames. I may be a miser, but I think this is wiser, and it makes me a pretty good conservation deviser. And maybe even a good money-savings adviser.
In the long run, better insulation, installed in the windows, walls, ceiling, and doors is a larger answer. But when the payment for energy is on your nickle, you pay much closer attention and you are motivated to action. If everyone in the house had to help pay the cost, everyone would pitch in on energy conservation.
Some simple steps to saving energy, and saving money, may be the starting place for you. Green is good, but green is really good when the green is in your wallet.
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Ed.Williamson
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Member: Ed Williamson
Location: Way Out West, USA
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Fight 'em till Hell freezes over, then fight 'em on the ice!
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