energy efficiency

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Energy Efficiency/Conservation

Energy Efficiency and Conservation is the efficient use of available energy to ensure personal cost savings, preservation of the environment and non-depletion of the energy sources (particularly the non-renewable sources).

Energy conservation is the first active effort towards reducing the release of Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and hence reducing the effect of our actions on global warming. As we cut down on energy, we cut down on GHGs emissions and lower the effects of global climate change. Also, reduction in energy usage reduces our demand for fossil fuels which are non-renewable and could be exhausted.

Some of the ways to reduce energy consumption include:

Reduce deforestation by reducing paper usage
Reduce wastes to reduce energy demands for waste disposal
Use energy friendly transportation modes
Adopt energy efficient practices

Reduce Deforestation - Reduce Paper Usage

Reduced paper usage results in less demand for cutting down trees use to make the paper, thereby discouraging deforestation and promoting carbon sequestration (capture of carbon dioxide, in this case, by the “living” trees). Activities that will ensure reduced paper usage include:

Online and telephone transactions:

Online and telephone Banking, Insurance, investment and similar transactions rather than paper statements will reduce our demand for paper and consequently prevent the cutting down of trees to make paper very drastically. Online and telephone transactions have come a long way. Most systems are very secure these days and should convince even the most cynical to reduce their high dependency on the traditional paper transactions.

Home and office printing:

Print only the pages you really need; Preview what you are about to print and make sure it is exactly what you need before sending to printer.

Use blank pages of old documents to print draft copies or better still cultivate the habit of reviewing drafts in electronic document formats, making comments in the draft (using track changes, commenting and highlighting features in editing programs)

Set your printer to print on both pages of the sheet of paper. Print multiple pages on one sheet of paper (e.g. in PowerPoint presentations)

Paper Recycling

Recycle papers rather than discarding them after first usage. Most offices sort paper to be recycled at source. Adopt similar approach at home and send the papers to recycling locations.

Instead of using paper towels to clean, use reusable cloths and rags. Instead of using chemicals and paper towels to wash your windows, try 125 ml vinegar (1/2 cup) and 1L water (4 cups) and a squeegee.

Reduce Wastes to reduce Energy Demands for Waste Disposal

Adopt the 3R's of waste disposal - Reduction, Reusing and Recycling. Buy products that come with less packaging; consider passing on unused items that could still be useful to someone else and participate in community recycling process.

Try growing organic vegetables in containers or window boxes that would have otherwise been disposed of.

Have a garage sale to help recycle your unwanted items. Someone's trash is another's treasure.

Where possible, donate electronic equipment to specific recycling groups. This will help reduce pressure on landfills.

When boating, avoid stirring up bottom sediment with propellers. Keep personal watercraft out of shallow areas that are critical habitat for spawning fish, aquatic plants, and aquatic invertebrates.

Hunters and anglers should use non-lead shot and fishing gear so birds eating spent shot or lost sinkers will not be poisoned.

Use energy friendly transportation modes

The largest sources of air pollution are power plants, industries and vehicle emissions, aeroplane emissions. Make environmentally-friendly lifestyle transportation choices to help reduce carbon emissions to our environment. Some of these include

Walking:

Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to build physical activity into your day. If you set a steady pace, you'll get a good cardiovascular workout, save money you would have spent at the GYM, and improve the tone of your muscles. The average pedestrian can walk 1 kilometre in 10 minutes. You also help to eliminate the carbon emissions that would have been released to the atmosphere if you had taken a taxi or you drove.

Cycling:

Cycling is easy to do, and the bicycle is the most efficient zero emission vehicle. The average speed for cyclists is 18 kilometers in an hour or 1 km in 3 minutes.

Carpooling:

A Car Pool can be any driver plus one or more persons in the vehicle. If you regularly drive alone to and from work, drive with a friend or neighbour who normally drives alone to cut your greenhouse gas emissions in half! Carpooling reduces the number of cars on the road, so there's less traffic congestion and air pollution.

Idling:

Idling is the practice of keeping a vehicle engine running, without moving the vehicle. Excessive idling wastes an enormous amount of fuel and money and generates needless greenhouse gas emissions. Do not start your car until few minutes before driving off. Once a vehicle is warmed up, you should be ready to drive off. Continuing to run the engine while waiting (idling) waste lots of fuel thereby costing you more, and spoils the environment.

Use plug-in timer for all night plugging:

The plug-in timer cuts the vehicle warming, thereby reducing energy usage and saving you money.

Tele/Video Conference rather than Flying Planes:

For office meetings, if you can telephone or videoconference, you will save time, money, and carbon emissions. Airplanes pump carbon emissions high into the atmosphere, producing 12 percent of transportation sector emissions.

Inflate your tires:

If you own a car, it will get better gas mileage when the tires are fully inflated, so it will burn less gas and emit less carbon. Check your automobile monthly to ensure that the tires are fully inflated. Follow this tip and save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide for every 10,000 miles you drive.

Adopt Energy efficient principles

Switching of any fixtures not in use - switch of unused lights/appliances while you are at home or when not at home or during holidays. Automatic and time/human switches might be helpful. Do not leave equipment (appliances inclusive) running when they are not in use.
Clean your light bulbs (while the power is off). Dust build up can reduce the light intensity by 25%.
Your appliances need a tune-up too; clean all filters and coils.
Change your incandescent bulbs to energy efficient compact florescent bulbs. CFL's last ten times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy and give off 70% less heat.
Use your window coverings to help warm or cool your house;
Use bright coverings to allow in more light or darker coverings reduce house light to desirable level thereby reducing the length of time light from your bulbs are required.
Wash your clothes using cold water. Many detergents clean just as well in cold water.
Make your home more energy efficient through improved insulation, caulking and weatherstripping doors and windows. Keep the heat in closing doors and windows and sealing or cracks/leaks.
Have your furnace or boiler serviced regularly - you will burn less fuel and get more heat.
Install and use a programmable thermostat. For every 1Â° C you lower your thermostat you can save up to 2% on your heating bill. A reduction of 3Â° C at night and when you are away during the day provides optimal savings and can reduce your greenhouse gas by half a tonne.
When buying a new appliance, choose an energy efficient one. Governments are now providing incentives, in terms of tax rebates for citizens that buy energy efficient appliances (example: Ontario Government PST tax rebate for energy efficient appliances)
When building new houses, build energy efficient houses as lending organizations could give rebates for energy efficient buildings and you save on energy/contribute very little to carbon emissions during the lifetime of the building. Some agencies gives premium rebates on energy efficient homes (e.g. CMHC premium rebate on energy efficient homes)
Adopt home designs that make use of natural lighting or daylighting or allow natural heating and ventilation of the house to reduce energy demands for heating and cooling.
Wise use of water: Set water heater to moderate temperature to save energy; wrap heaters older than 5 years in an insulating blanket; buy low-flow showerheads; Wash clothes with warm or clod water, Use energy-saving settings on the dishwater and let the ditches air-dry.
Carry out constant energy-audits with your utility company.
If possible plant trees
Share energy saving with others

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