By Mila Profit, Myrrhita White and Yasmein Oweida
- March 31, 2010
One idea? Turn off the lights. Myrrhita White, Mila Profit and Yasmein Oweida take the initiative. (Bruce Bottomley Photo)
Energy Conservation is an important aspect of nature conservation and the sustainability of Earth’s resources.
The need for renewable energy resources and the need to conserve non-renewable resources are essential in terms of sustaining the developing human economy. Many efforts have been put forth to reduce energy use: switching to solar and wind powered energy sources are an excellent example of current conservation efforts. However, these methods can be inaccessible to many people around the world. Some cannot even comprehend the necessity for such changes.
We’re here to say: Energy conservation needs to start with you! Becoming an energy conscious individual is easy and will end up saving you lots of green (by which, we mean money). If that does not motivate you, though as poor students ourselves we can’t see why not, then how about knowing you’re saving the environment.
We want society to know that working towards a better and more sustainable Earth is not that far out of reach. By conserving energy, we reduce the demand for fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Conserving energy is not only easy to accomplish, but is also cost-efficient and will end up saving the average person hundreds of dollars a year. Whether you live in a tiny one bedroom apartment, with your parents, or in a spacious mansion on Young Avenue, we’ve got easy and accessible energy saving tips for you!
Source
Energy Saving Tips
The Money You Save
Lighting
- Use LED lights during the holidays
- Trade in your old light bulbs for CFL bulbs. CFLs use 75% less electricity and last for up to 5 years
- Decrease background lighting and turn off any lights in rooms not in use
- Install a low-flow shower head for a 5-minute shower every day
- LED lights use 90% less electricity and last 10 times longer
- $50/year
- Limit your use of light bulbs during the day
- $50/year
Heating
- Limit your dependence on home heating by investing in some good sweaters!
- Insulate your home. Caulking is an excellent and inexpensive way to protect your home against air leakage.
- Open curtains during the day to attract natural heat and close curtains at night to keep heat in.
- Use an EPA certified woodstove to reduce energy costs, instead of oil or electric heating.
- Seasoned/dry firewood is more efficient and will add to your savings
- The sweaters themselves can comes really cheap ... if you know where to look.
- Air leakage represents 25-40% of the heat lost in an older home.
- Limit your dependence on home heating.
- $950/year
- $50/year
Appliances
- Fix leaky faucets! A steady drip of hot water can end up costing you big time.
- Wash only full loads of clothing in cold water and clean the lint trap after each load
- Pull the plug on energy waste. Unplug all appliances when not in use, including cell phones, chargers, laptops, desktop computers, TVs, toasters and lamps.
- Use the microwave to cook or warm leftovers.
- Use power bars with shut-off switches to easily turn off unused appliances at night.
- Do you like to fall asleep to the sweet nothings of your television? Tip: Put your TV on sleep.
- Don’t idle when it comes to your car!
- $100/year
- $104/year - A clogged lint trap can increase energy use by 30%
- Shut down your laptop at night. It saves your $12/year - Switching from a desktop to laptop: $34/year
- You can save up to 30% of the energy required to cook in a conventional oven..
- $66/year
- Ten minutes of idling every day can add up big when it comes to gas and money
Mila Profit, Myrrhita White and Yasmein Oweida are students in Bill Freedman's class, Nature Conservation.
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