by Deborah Whitman
With all the news coverage about energy use I have been researching ways to make my passive solar home even more independant from outside suppliers. For those of you who can access the internet I have found four web sites that have great informationto have us take control of our own usage. The first site is at http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide . Below is a checklist from their site of things we can check and do around our homes to get us started on conserving energy usage. To summarize, the first thing we can do is buy energy efficient lightbulbs and, if our refrigerator is over 2 years old, get a new one that is labeled by the EPA with a "Energy Star" label. The EPA has a web site at http://www.epa.gov/ with information on energy saving capabilities. They link to a refrigerator seller at http://www.cetsolar.com/Vfrost.htm that has a BSKF 375 electric refrigerator and freezer that will cost $2.00 a month to run. The cost fo that refrigerator is $949 + shipping. I will see if Hart electric in Norwich can get these (because Duffy and Donna are currently exhibiting their Adirondack furniture in the CCCA gallery and they're very nice people) Another web site that has wonderful products including energy efficient lightbulbs is http://www.gaiam.com/. They have natural spectrum bulbs for $10 that last 20,000 hours. Local stores carry energy efficient lightbulbs too but gaiam has a lot of products at one site that are natural material like hemp and unbleached cotton.
Now for consumer energy guide checklist:
1. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120 F) You'll not only save energy, you'll avoid scalding your hands.
2. Check if your water heater has an insulating blanket. An insulating blanket will pay for itsself in one year or less!
3. If you have one of those silent guzzlers, a waterbed, make your bed today. The covers will insulate it, and save up to one third the energy it uses.
4. Start using energy saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers.
5. Survey your incandescent lights for opportunities to replace them with compact flourescents. These new lamps can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. The best targets are 60- 100W bulbs used several hours a day. Measure the clearance in the fixtures to make sure they will accommodate compact flourescents, which are slightly bigger than incandescents.
6. Check the age and condition of your major appliances, especially the refrigerator. You may want to replace it with a more energy efficient model before it dies.
7. Clean or replace furnace, air- conditioner, and heat pump filters.
8. Visit the hardware store. Buy a water heater blanket, low flow shower heads, faucet aerators, and compact flourescents, as needed. If you can't find compact flourescents locally, check out ENERGYguide or Energy Federation incorporated.
9. Rope caulk very leaky windows.
10. Asses your heating and cooling systems. Determine if replacements are justified, or whether you should retrofit them to make them work more efficiently to provide the same comfort (or better) for less energy.
11. Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the biggest bill for energy conservation remedies.
12. Crawl into your attic or crawlspace and inspect for insulation. Is their any? How much?
13. Insulate hot water pipes and ducts wherever they run through unheated areas.
14. Seal up the largest air leaks in your house-- the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows or doors, but utility cut throughs for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out where the worst cracks are. All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door, without you ever knowing it!
15. Install a clock thermostat to set your thermostat back automatically at night.
16. Schedule an energy audit (ask your utility company or your state energy office) for more expert advice on your home as a whole.
17. Insulate. If your walls aren't insulated have an insulation contractor blow cellulose into the walls. Bring your attic insulation level up to snuff.
18. Replace aging, inefficient appliances. Even if the appliance has a few useful years left, replacing it with a top efficiency model is generally a good investment.
19. Upgrade leaky windows. It may be time to replace them with energy efficient models or boost their efficiency with weatherstripping and storm windows.
20. Reduce your air conditioning costs by planting shade trees and shrubs around your house. Deciduous on the south and west side and evergreens on the north side.
Know that you are making a difference!
[reprinted from the March 2001 Communicator, the newsletter of the Three RIvers Project of the Heartland Bioregion. Subscriptions are available on a sliding scale from $5 to $15 per year. Checks should be made out to Three Rivers Project and mailed to: Three Rivers Project, PO Box 252, South New Berlin, NY, 13843]
