Sunday, April 22, 2012

Earth Day Number 3 (of 4): Energy Efficiency (EE)


Number 3. Energy Efficiency. The savings for energy efficiency at home (and at the office, church, etc) can easily be 20% to 35% with a fractional investment. Ring up the local power company to schedule an energy audit. With very inexpensive fixes like duct tape, caulk, programmable thermostats, and timers, the utility savings can easily be $30 to $100 per month. (Payback in a couple months.)

ToDo
: Buy a couple Compact Florescent Light (CFLs) bulbs and start to use them in place of the most frequently used incandescent light bulbs. CFLs (and LEDs) cost more but they will save $30 to $40 in electricity over the life of the bulb. (Save 5-15% on utilities, payback 2 to 8 months.) Oh, make sure to buy the special versions if the light is adjustable on a rheostat.

ToDo: Get (and program) a programmable thermostat. Adjusting the thermostat 1 degree warmer (and 1 colder in winter) can result in about a 10% savings. 


It makes you wonder. If your power company suddenly charged you an extra $1,000 or $2,000 per year, you would break out the shotgun and go have a talk with them about it. Right? (Well, maybe not the shotgun, but ...) 

But virtually everyone everywhere can take $1,000 to $4,000 off of their annual bill, starting within one month. AND, that savings would be realized for years. Forever, really, if you continue to pay attention to the WATTS.

And we are all not doing this.... Why?

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