Tag Archives: conservation

Simple ways to save energy

Posted on by
2

Many of my day-to-day decisions are driven by conserving resources. There is simply no reason to waste energy. Not only is it unnecessary but it’s expensive. Why would I want to throw away money on purpose?

Most people try their best at:

  • Turning off the lights when not using them
  • Turning down the thermostat when leaving the house or going on vacation
  • Keeping the refrigerator and freezer doors shut when not in use
  • Fixing leaky faucets and running toilets
  • Replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient ones
  • Replacing broken appliances with energy efficient ones

These are all excellent ways to save energy. Nonetheless, what I found made a huge difference in our energy bill was to unplug appliances that were not being used. Many appliances have clocks and draw energy needlessly. When we got our new gas stove, it had an electric ignition, which also powered a clock. At that point, our kitchen would have had three clocks; another clock was totally unnecessary.  Luckily, we were able to program the stove to not illuminate the clock.

This action started us to think and look at all the other appliances that were needlessly drawing energy. The microwave, VCR, television, stereo, computer, printer, and calculator – they all draw some energy while plugged in– vampire energy. Most of them are already on a power strip, so it was pretty easy to remember to simply turn them off. The others we unplugged or put on a power strip. Our first bi-monthly electric bill went down $20, and continued to remain low. It was quite amazing how easy and cost effective it was when we did this.

Most cost saving methods take a bit of time and effort but after awhile they become part of our daily routine and are not a big deal. Besides, why do you want to simply give away your hard earned money? Most of all, conserving our valuable resources is better for you, your family and our planet.

What do you do to save energy in your home? Please share and I will continue to share.

Please hear what Bill McKibben is telling us

Posted on by
Reply

The time is now, we need to focus on conservation and utilizing renewable energy. We must reduce our carbon output. We are running out of time!

June broke or tied 3,215 high-temperature records across the United States. That followed the warmest May on record for the Northern Hemisphere – the 327th consecutive month in which the temperature of the entire globe exceeded the 20th-century average, the odds of which occurring by simple chance were 3.7 x 10-99, a number considerably larger than the number of stars in the universe.

Meteorologists reported that this spring was the warmest ever recorded for our nation – in fact, it crushed the old record by so much that it represented the “largest temperature departure from average of any season on record.” The same week, Saudi authorities reported that it had rained in Mecca despite a temperature of 109 degrees, the hottest downpour in the planet’s history.

These facts were taken from Bill McKibben’s article in Rolling Stone Magazine. Please read.