Are there certain little things are incredibly simple that people could do to save energy/the environment, but for the most part just don’t do?
I’m thinking of things like certain lightbulbs, timers on lights, etc., but I’m looking for things that most people don’t ever think about.
I couldn’t really figure out which forum to put this in, but I decided there are factual answers, so I put it here.
Any information on websites/books that offer good information about saving energy and helping the environment in your daily life, I’d be interested in.
I’m really focused on every day things, like using public transportation and such (again, that’s just an example I can think of, I’m looking more for things that most people don’t really think about)
Sorting and recycling garbage; for the actual garbage producer to do this really is the most sensible stage in the whole handling process. Of course this assumes the existence of recycling facilities that will accept the pre-sorted recyclables, it also assumes that they are economically (in terms of energy) recylable.
Biasing your shopping toward items with minimal packaging (or at least trying to avoid those items with excessive, non-recyclable or mixed packaging).
I recently got an mp3 player which seems to plough through a fair amount of batteries per week. Probably 2 or maybe 4 if i listen a lot. Roughly 8 hours listening per AAA battery. The obvious option was to get a battery charger so i wasn’t shelling out for new batteries each time but it occurred to me that it must be possible to get a solar-powered battery charger. And it is!
I get approx 2x five(ish) hours of usage from 21/2 days charging in my admittedly fairly dark North London area. I figure i can charge up around ten hours of listening time per week on one charger. I may also get a second charger so i can have one at home and one at work. It’s not going to totally replace my need for other sources of energy but i like it as a small solution
Fluorescent light bulbs are now available that fit in a standard socket. They cost more but last much longer and use far less energy.
Another thing many people can do is to lower the temp of their water heaters. Many people set them WAY too high. The result is that you can’t even put your hands in the scalding water that comes out of the hot tap.
Run appliances like dishwashers and washer/dryers after 6 pm. You don’t use less power but the power will come from more economical and possibly more environmental sources.
[ul]
[li]Use cold water for laundry. You can buy cold-water detergent.[/li][li]Close A/C vents in rooms you seldom use. Close the doors to those rooms too.[/li][li]Minimize clothes dryer usage. Most things you can hang outside or in the bathroom to dry.[/li][li]Get a programmable thermostat for your A/C.[/li][li]When doing errands, plan ahead to minimize driving distance and to get more done with fewer trips.[/li][li]Bike to the gym rather than driving there and then using the stationary bike.[/li][li]Even when indoors, dress cool in summer and warm in winter. This allows you to set the A/C to a weaker setting. For example, in summer allow employees to wear short-sleeve shirts and no tie, then set the thermostat higher.[/li][/ul]
On fluorescent lightbulbs - I’m starting to think these are a con. I moved into my current flat less than six months ago and have had at least one “six year” light bulb go on us. We don’t have the lights on excessively so I don’t understand that, although it may be our electrics (we’re having them checked soon).
Can anyone actually verify that these lightbulbs last longer? If I’m spending £10 on ONE I’d like to last longer than one that costs £2.
Here’s a little tiny thing that might be what you’re looking for; on single-lever kitchen and bathroom faucets, make sure you have the handle swung over to the ‘cold’ side if that’s all you really want. If the handle is in the center, you are blending the hot and cold. You may not realize this since it takes awhile for the hot water to reach the spigot, but all this time hot water is flowing from your water heater and cold water is flowing in to replace it.
Another thing, make sure your A/C filter is clean. Replace or clean it every 4 - 6 weeks, even in the winter, to prevent your evaporator coil from getting clogged and losing efficiency. Also, check and clean the A/C condenser coils once or twice each summer, more often if you have cottonwood, mimosa or other sources of contamination in your neighborhood.
While you’re at it, clean the condenser coils on your refrigerator 2 or 3 times per year, make sure your dryer vent and lint screen are clean, and drain your water heater to remove sediments from it every couple of years.
Anything you can do to increase or preserve the efficiency of your appliances will save energy and extend their useful life (which also saves the energy of manufacturing new ones). Even little things help.
I can. I’ve used them ever since they came out, and (on average) they certainly last the many years that is claimed. I outfit my entire new house with them, and that’s been 5 years with only 1 or 2 failures.
And they really do save A LOT of energy.
BTW, one reason why people generally don’t cotton to CF bulbs is that many of them give off a light that’s too “cool” for home use. Certainly all the kinds that I see in the local home stores and hardware stores are that way.
If you check around, though, you can find ones that have a “warmer” light (more red, less blue) that approximates incandescent bulbs. You have to watch it, though, because the light quality is described as it’s “color temperature”, and the LOWER the color temperature the “warmer” the light is (in a subjective sense). Look for something around 2700 kelvin.
They also come in many shapes nowadays, not just the spiral kind.
I suppose this might not work quite as well for plastic bags, but re-use paper grocery bags. Just bring them in, put them in your cart, and when you get to the checkout, say “No, use these,” and you can lower overall demand for paper bags. If you do this at Trader Joe’s, they let you enter a drawing for a gift bag, and I think they might also give you a discount of a few cents.
I’ve had very good luck with flourescent lightbulbs in the U.S. I don’t know if there is a difference in the U.K. I use them in every fixture that can hold them. They do take up a little more room than normal bulbs so they may not fit in some covered fixtures.
They do last for years and they don’t “blow out” like regular bulbs. When they begin wearing out, they just take longer and longer to come on.
Make sure the weatherstripping around your doors and windows is in good shape. Make sure to caulk up any gaps around the outside of your house. Its amazing how much energy you lose to drafts.
Out of the dozen or so fluorescent bulbs I have in a number of places in my house, I’ve had to change only one, once, in the last six years (the one in the basement stairwell). As far as I’m concerned, they’re just as good as advertised, although they aren’t quite as bright as I’d like, so I can’t use them in the bathroom or the kitchen.
You can save water and fuel to heat it by taking shorter showers. And why
stop there–you can double your savings and perhaps your fun if you invite
a friend.
That would depend upon what the power company uses to generate electricity, would it not? Or is it based on a lower demand when many businesses aren’t operating?
They certainly have been lasting longer for me. I replaced all of the incandescent overhead lighting in my retail store with those “spiral” fluorescents, and I’ve only had one burn out in two years. But these may not be the same bulbs. You’re paying £10 for one light bulb? Holy cow! I’m buying these things for about US$3.50 from the local hardware store, and they’re available in bulk for under US$2.00 each – that’s just over a tenth of what you’re paying.
I often wonder about this one. I set mine quite high for one simple reason: I don’t get enough hot water otherwise. At 120, I run out of hot water before the (admittedly large) bathtub is full. We don’t have enough hot water for my wife and I to both take showers in the morning. By raising the temp on my water heater thermostat to 165, I can set the hot/cold mix differently, and there’s enough hot water for two showers or to fill up the tub.
Would it really me more energy-efficient to buy a bigger water heater rather than just setting the temperature on my current little one higher?
In theory, yes. If you set the temperature higher, you increase heat loss from the tank and plumbing. But it may take a long time before a new water heater can pay for itself (i.e. save enough energy to offset the monetary and/or environmental cost of manufacturing the new water heater).
Yep, I find that they do last longer. I’ve used them for over fifteen years (although sometimes re olde traditonal bulb is better). They used to cost a lot, but not now.
Well, they DO cost a bit more than “ordinary” ones but it should’t be anything like as much as ten quid by now. I used to pay that much when they could only be bought in terribly “ethical” wholefoody shops and so on, or from Fair Trade. Nowadays you can get them in Safeway, Tesco and so on.
As for your bulb that died, I suspect just sheer bad luck or, as you mentioned, a possible problem with electrical gremlins in the household. ( I do sympathise: my fusebox throws fits with alarming frequency.)
Or you could get a German flatmate. Many Hans make light work.
(All right, I’ll get my coat)
