11 Simple Things to Reduce Energy Consumption

This post is the second in a series related to 11 simple things we can do to reduce environment impact (and save money). As I mentioned in the original post, this idea was inspired by the movie 11th hour. Today's post focuses on how we can reduce our energy consumption.

11 simple things we can do to reduce our energy consumption.

1) Turn off the lights. It's really simple. When leaving the room, turn off the lights--both at home and work.

2) Turn off appliances or electronic devices. If a TV emits a signal and no one is there to hear it, does it really make a sound? Ask a philosopher, but the TV certainly uses energy. Turn it off when you're not watching it.

3) Unplug the electronic devices and chargers. If your electronic devices are plugged into a power strip, it's really easy to "unplug" them by turning off the power strip. Cell phone chargers? Plug them in only when you're using them. If you have appliances that you use only occasionally, consider unplugging them. This article provides useful information about appliance "vampires" that use energy needlessly.

4) Set the computer to sleep or hibernate. In Windows, the power management settings are within the control panel. For Macs, use the Energy Saver within the system preferences. This article describes power management with Linux. Consider turning off your computer at night.

5) Use revolving doors. Yup. We can save energy by using revolving doors. I'm not even getting into the disconcerting trend that an increasing number of revolving doors have become motorized, or that perhaps we could harness energy from revolving doors (or merry-go-rounds?). Less air is exchanged when using revolving doors, which means less air conditioning or heating required to moderate temperature.

6) Use curtains, blinds or shades strategically. During the summer, consider closing them on days when you're using the air conditioner. During the winter, open the blinds to capture heat and sunlight (but close them at night to retain heat).

7) Clean the filters. In particular, clear the dryer's lint filter after each use, and the clean the air conditioner's filter regularly. Some new air conditioners have a light that comes on when it's time to open up the front panel, remove the filter and dust it off and clean it. A clean filter ensures peak performance and efficiency.

8) Use cold water to wash your clothes. I suppose there might be some stubborn stains that require extra attention (or maybe hot water), but perhaps those could be dealt with separately in a pre-wash effort? Clothes can be washed perfectly well using cold water, which will use less energy. If you can combine clothes into fewer, larger loads, you'll save even more energy.

9) Adjust the thermostats. There are many recommendations for cooling and heating, but since this is a "simple things" list, I will make the following recommendation: adjust the thermostat by one degree (make it one degree higher when using the central air conditioning and one degree lower when using the central heating). If you can manage this simple adjustment, consider adjusting it another degree. Try the same approach for your refrigerator. If your milk has icicles in it, you can probably turn down the thermostat.

And now the items that take some more effort (but offer greater benefits)...

10) If you can afford it, buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. From the Energy Star website:

"If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."

If you can believe it, WalMart has launched a new Green campaign that includes an emphasis on compact fluorescent light bulbs. BTW, WalMart includes a "10 Easy Things You Can Do to Help" list on their WalMart Green website. I am aware of WalMart's poor track record with labor practices. Only you can decide if you want to support their Green movement.

11) If you can afford it, buy energy efficient appliances. The Energy Star website has information on such appliances and WalMart has listed all their energy efficient appliances into one category.

All of these ideas focus on reducing demand for electricity, but it's also worthwhile to think about the supply as well. We generate most of our electricity from burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which is a major contributor to air pollution. If you're feeling really motivated, consider purchasing renewable energy credits in the form of wind energy at Renewable Choice Energy. You can also ask your electric utility company what percentage of their energy they generate from renewable sources. If their answer is zero, you might ask them what their plan is for increasing this percentage. If they don't have a plan, you might ask them why not.

Thank you for reducing our impact on the environment.