When you conserve energy in your home, you can maintain or
actually improve the quality of your life. To conserve
energy doesn't always mean to 'cut-back.' Conservation can
simply be a result of increased awareness. A small example
would be to turn off the lights when you leave a room.
By noticing how you use power, you can also find where
you're wasting power, and change that by taking some
painless and positive steps.
A seemingly endless supply of electricity streams into our
homes without any effort on our part. The only time most
people think about it is when there's a black-out or power
outage due to weather, and when it's time to pay the
monthly bill.
The first benefit of conservation is that your electric
bill is less - giving you more money to spend on other
things.
I don't have an electric bill. My home is off-grid. That
is, all the energy used in my house is created with my own
systems: solar panels, a small hydro-electric generator,
and a wind generator. Because my system creates all the
energy we use, my family has a heightened awareness of the
ways to avoid wasting electricity, and we still have a very
high living standard.
Forget the image of a rustic cabin with two light bulbs
and a wood stove. The truth is that our house is just very
energy efficient by design, with state of the art
appliances: dishwasher, washer and dryer, three computers,
a sound system, TV and DVD, and definitely more than two
light bulbs.
We are able to have all these conveniences on our stand-
alone power system because of our practices of
conservation. We run our entire house on about 3 kilo-
watts a day - less than the daily usage of most
refrigerators.
The reason this is possible begins with our heating and
cooling system. This is the biggest energy user in most
houses. If you're starting from scratch and building a new
house, simply design an energy efficient building from the
beginning - properly situated houses can use passive solar
for heating, and ventilation with overhangs for cooling.
Existing buildings can be remodeled, or fitted for gas.
To use electricity for heating is utterly wasteful. Heat
is a by-product of electricity. Gas is an alternative that
is much better.
The second reason we can run a modern house using so
little energy has to do with appliances. As the ones you
currently have come due for replacement, make their
efficiency your top concern in choosing new appliances.
Our refrigerator, for example, is so well designed for
energy efficiency that in a 24 hour period it draws less
power than a 100 watt incandescent light bulb would in 5
hours. The fridge was more expensive initially, but over
time the reduced electric bill (or in our case the fewer
solar panels necessary) makes it worth it.
Take heart. You can be conservative about power without
remodeling or buying expensive new appliances. A very easy
and cost-effective place to begin is by using compact
fluorescent light bulbs. They give excellent light for 23
watts, compared to a regular 100 watt bulb.
The compact bulbs come in every style and size so you can
use them for everything from lamps to overhead fixtures.
They last much longer than incandescent bulbs, and the best
part is that they are affordable now. When they first came
on the market they could cost as much as $19 apiece. Now
you can get them for $2 or $3 if you watch for sales.
When you conserve, you save money, and have more
disposable income. That adds to the quality of your life.
But what's even better is that a consciousness about how
your electricity is being used is actually a source of
satisfaction.
It takes Earth resources to create most of our
electricity: rivers are dammed, coal is mined, etc. If
everyone does a little bit to conserve, that much less
drain on Earth occurs.
Roy Macklin has been a journeyman electrician for 12 years,
and is passionate about renewable energy. Visit FB Home , FMP Tools , and Full Storage for
articles by Roy Macklin.
