Blog Archives

Saving energy, part 3

3/29/2022

Leaving the refrigerator door open while you make decisions increases the amount of energy your refrigerator uses. Plan ahead before you open the door. Replace the rubber gasket around the door if it no longer seals well.
Defrost freezers when ice builds up on the coils and walls of the freezer, because the ice reduces the efficiency of the freezer.
Per the Natural Resources Defense Council “some 23 percent of the electricity consumed in U.S. homes today vanishes as standby power, constantly feeding our perpetually plugged-in phones (or e-readers or tablets). If you can, charge in the morning when you’re getting ready instead of letting them sit fully juiced and still sucking energy through the dead of night.”
Lower the water heater temperature. For most households, a setting of 120 ⁰F is sufficient.
Wash clothes in cold water and wait until you have a full load to run the clothes washer.
LED lightbulbs cost more to buy, but last many years longer and use significantly less electricity so will quickly pay back the extra upfront cost. Some governments and utilities have a rebate program to offset part of the cost of buying LED bulbs.
When you want to add heat to your house, open curtains or shades on windows when the sun can shine through the window. Solar gain through a window can be a very effective way to add heat to a room. Conversely, when you want to keep the heat out, closing the curtains or shades on windows when the sun is shining on the window will reduce the amount of heat entering the room from solar gain.

Climate change and what you can do

3/19/2022

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its 2022 report. You can find it here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2. The planet continues to warm. The report describes some of the consequences of climate change. While larger actions are needed by governments and corporations, there are things that individuals can do that will make a difference. And I as always point out, small changes add up, especially when performed by large numbers of people, so pick a few things you can do and get started. Here is a link to an article that briefly summarizes the IPCC report and describes several ideas for things that individuals can do. The article contains several links to more detail.

https://earth911.com/diy/the-2022-ipcc-report-on-climate-change-what-you-can-do

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Saving energy part 2

3/12/2022

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Here are more suggestions on saving energy:

Keep the lint trap in your clothes dryer clean and clean lint out of vent hoses.
Preheating an oven requires a lot of energy. Plan to cook more than one item while the oven is already hot. If your items require different temperatures, cook them one right after the other so you only have to preheat once. If you have a smaller baking appliance such as a toaster oven, use it for cooking small items.
If no one is watching the television, turn it off. Turn off printers and other electronics when you are not using them or set an automatic energy-saving sleep mode if you use them often.
Let hot food items cool before you put them into the refrigerator or freezer, but don’t leave them out so long that food safety becomes a concern.
Your driving techniques can have a significant effect on your gas mileage. Don’t drive above the speed limit and avoid idling when possible (perhaps you can find a different route when traffic is really heavy). Safety note: do not drive significantly lower than the speed limit (unless road conditions are bad) or the flow of the traffic around you. It’s not safe for you or the drivers around you if you are impeding traffic flow. Here’s a link to additional energy-saving driving tips. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp

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Saving energy, part 1

3/4/2022

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With a new climate change report out from the UN and gas and electricity prices rising quickly, we have many reasons to reduce our use of energy in our daily lives. Reducing our energy use saves money, conserves resources that future generations will need, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Some of us will be able to make significant changes while others may only be able to do a few things. Either way, every little bit helps. Here is the first set of ideas:

Check your heating and air conditioning vents to make sure they are open and not blocked by furniture or curtains. If the vents are blocked, it reduces the efficiency of the HVAC unit and keeps the conditioned air from reaching the room so you can feel its effects.
Put furniture such as sofas and bookshelves against outside walls. The furniture will act as extra insulation. Make sure you don’t block heating and air conditioning air vents, though.
Set your dishwasher to “air dry”. If you open the dishwasher door when the wash cycle is recently completed, the hot dishes will air dry quickly without using additional energy. Modern dishwashers use less water and energy than handwashing dishes.
Install or repair weatherstripping around doors. Roll up a rug and lay it along the bottom edge of the door.
When you use your clothes dryer, using low heat uses less energy than high heat even though the drying cycle is longer. When you can, air dry laundry for even more energy savings. Before I got my outdoor clothesline and laundry room drying bars, I used to put clothing to dry on hangers on the shower curtain bar.
If you own your home and have the financial resources, get an energy audit and implement some of the suggestions.

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Primary elections

3/2/2022

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Because the primary elections in our area are not until later this month, I didn’t think about primary elections until yesterday. Many US states have already completed their primary elections and caucuses to select the candidates that will run for election in November, but many states have not completed the process. It’s important to participate in the primary selection process so that you can affect who you will be voting for in the general election later. Check to see if you have primary elections or caucuses in your state, region, or country and participate in selecting the candidates that you will vote for later.

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