Do you remember the first time you ever heard of the term solar power? Or “green,” in relation to the electrical power coming from your wall? Building the structures behind sustainable methods of creating clean energy might seem like a recent development, the movement is as old as using fossil fuels. In our multi-part look at the history of saving energy, we hope to examine the cause of effect of humanity’s footprint left on the earth.
Energy experts agree that the level of consumption the world as a whole has shown cannot be kept at the current level without risking depleting the available energy reserves beyond recovery. In March of this year, analyst Gail Tverberg gathered a series of graphs based on BP’s quarterly statistical energy review. These visual aids better illustrate the need for a shift in thinking than a single article can express in thousands of words. It appears that current trends in energy consumption are happening in the home. Below is a list of simple tricks you can take to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Know your energy consumption
The television talk-show host Dr. Phil has a saying: You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.” Ignoring little things could lead to a lot of wasted spending. Southern California Edison is doing everything it can to help the consumer save energy. Aside from a long list of available rebated and incentive programs, they are also offering a free online Home Energy Efficiency Survey in place of an Energy audit. Unlike an audit where a technician comes out to your house to measure your consumption levels, the survey lets you honestly figure out those levels for yourself to make changes before a technician needs to be involved. The survey will list suggestions to lower your energy cost. If the survey suggestions are followed and the energy use is still too high for the homeowner, then an energy audit is recommended by a trained technician.
Save the watts!
The quickest way to cut spending is to change the light bulbs used in the home. Compact Fluorescent Lights might cost more than regular bulbs per unit they make up for it with use as they can last up to ten times longer than the other type and use only one-fourth of the energy to output the same light. Part of this efficiency in the design is due to the curly-tail nature of the bulb’s engineering. Less heat radiates from the bulb lowering energy use. The consumer can save up to $30 a year in energy use per light bulb simply by replacing the type.
While these simple steps won’t take long to retrofit an entire house, the availability of these options doesn’t guarantee their use. Everyone making a tiny effort will lower everyone else’s energy bill. The less draw on a power grid means the lower the cost of that grid’s power. For our next installment of exploring the history of saving energy, WC-Air will focus on other methods available to the homeowner for saving dollars. This puts the power of your pocketbook back in your hands. Don’t let an energy company dictate the cost of your bill. Take charge to lower it today!
Join us next time for our next installment on “It’s getting hard to waste energy,” where we will focus on simple steps you can take at home to both monitors and lower your energy costs.
