Living Green By Conserving Energy At Home

 Green Home Publishing

  

The current condition of our global environment has created a great cause for worry.  Aside from the economic crisis that the country is trying hard to survive, the environment is the next chief concern.  There may be ways, however, to start eliminating both these problems with one solution.  That solution amounts to energy efficiency.  According to President Barack Obama, “One of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to make our economy stronger and cleaner is to make our economy more energy efficient.”

The things we do subconsciously on a daily basis have a huge impact on the environment.   Although some people may feel their individual contribution to a global cause won’t really matter, they couldn’t be further from the truth.  Just like charity, going green starts at home. 

There are many effective ways to make your everyday life a little greener.  One of those ways is to conserve energy.  Energy conservation can be achieved by changing the way we view our electrical appliances.  This will require learning to unplug them when they are not in use.

Electrical appliances drain energy whether they are on or off.  But no one ever seems to give a second thought to an electrical item, once they turn it off.  They can’t imagine that it really makes a difference to actually unplug their appliances.  If one item is left connected, it’s not a big deal, right?  You’ll only lose a small amount of power.  Unfortunately, this is a common habit that ultimately leads to more items being left connected.  That includes the coffee maker, the toaster and the microwave, just to name a few.  Let’s not forget all those gadgets and attachments that go to your video games and other forms of entertainment. This can turn into a huge loss of energy, not to mention a higher utility bill.  The problem comes more into focus when you take this scenario and multiply it by millions of households! 

One household item that can be a big energy thief is the personal computer. People are sometimes unsure about turning their PC off when not in use.  Many worry that switching computers on and off multiple times will eventually have an adverse affect on the service life.  This is true, but most households tend to upgrade long before their computer will manifest those negative effects. The fact that there is a small surge in energy whenever you start up your computer is not a good reason to leave it connected.  That small amount of energy is less than you will lose if you allow your computer to idly run for long periods.

Generally speaking, you can just unplug electrical items when they are not being used.  For computers, computer accessories and other electronic equipment, an electrical power strip is recommended.  It comes with a switch that you can simply shut off when the equipment is not being used. 

While there are long-range benefits to be derived from not leaving things running, there are also more immediate benefits.  Computers and other electrical items tend to produce heat when they are left running.  This creates the need to turn on a fan or air conditioner just to cool your home off.  When you save energy by shutting things down, you also cool things down.  So it stands to reason that when you cool things down, you use appliances less.  That means saving even more energy and money!

Living green is a goal that people of all ages and walks of life are working towards.  Wendy Abrams is an environmental activist from Chicago who inspired a project that has gained national notoriety.  The mother of four is responsible for the “Cool Globes” which have been exhibited in various states.  These visual displays highlight the different ways that people can live a greener life.   Described as “Public Art With A Purpose”, the globes are colorful, larger than-life creations that depict simple everyday solutions to environmental problems.  The “Cool Globes” project has taken on prominent supporters including the Toyota Corporation.

This innovative project is just one example of how people are finding ways to improve our environment.  But taking on a lofty project such as this one is not always possible, nor is it necessary.  There are countless ways that every single household can do their part for the green movement.  Some other practical energy saving ideals include: 

Lower or turn down the thermostat in the wintertime.   Using a sweater or extra blankets will help keep you just as warm, if not warmer.

During the summer when the weather is really hot outside, try to keep curtains and drapes closed early in the day.  This will help keep the cool night air inside.  Later in the day, open windows and try to create a cross breeze instead of running the air conditioner or fan. 

Whenever possible, hang washing outside to dry instead of using the dryer and wasting precious electricity.

Since big improvements are needed in the area of energy efficiency, the Obama Administration recently made an announcement concerning energy efficient lighting.  In the year 2012, Americans can expect to see some significant changes to energy conservation standards.  The new standards will affect the General Service Fluorescent Lamps (GSFL) and lighting equipment that is commonly found in scores of households today.  The changes will have a huge impact on the fluorescent and incandescent lamps that represent around 38 percent of total lighting energy used.  Hopefully, by the time 2012 rolls around, we will have found a way to conquer some of the other major issues that continue to plague our environment.