By Amira Adarkwah
We hope that you are all safe and healthy during this global crisis. We expect that you are all staying home as much as possible, so here are some tips to help the environment while keeping yourself safe.
Why conserve energy?
Energy conservation is important and beneficial in many ways. Making these changes and investing in energy-efficient products allows you to significantly reduce your utility bills, save money in the future, protect the environment, and even increase your property value!
How does energy consumption factor into climate change?
Energy plays an essential role in our everyday lives, especially at home. We use electricity for lighting, cooling, and electronic devices. We use fuel for heating and cooking. The production and usage of energy are also related to many other aspects of modern life, such as water consumption, use of goods and services, transportation, economic growth, land use, and population growth.
All forms of electricity generation have varying environmental impacts on our air, water, and land. Still, most electricity generation requires fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These non-renewable, carbon-rich deposits supply about 80% of the world’s energy. When fossil fuels burn, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in our atmosphere. This quality makes fossil fuels significant contributors to global warming and climate change.
Simple ways to reduce energy consumption during quarantine:
Adjust day-to-day behaviors
You can use energy-intensive appliances less by performing household tasks manually, such as hang-drying your clothes instead of putting them in the dryer, or washing dishes by hand.
The behavior adjustments that have the highest potential for utility savings are turning down the heat on your thermostat in the winter and using your air conditioner less in the summer. Heating and cooling costs constitute nearly half of an average home’s utility bills, so these reductions in the intensity and frequency of heating and cooling offer excellent savings. (EnergySage).
Use less hot water
Water heating contributes a lot to your total energy consumption. There are three methods of reducing your water heating expenses besides purchasing an energy-efficient water heater. You can use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, or insulate your water heater and the first six feet of hot and cold water pipes. (EnergySage).
Shut down your computer
Turn your monitor off at night and get rid of the screensaver. One can turn today's computers on and off upwards of 40,000 times, so shutting down rather than using a screensaver does not affect your computer's lifespan. (Energy Star).
Unplug idle electronics
Devices like televisions, microwaves, scanners, and printers use standby power, even when “powered off.” Some chargers continue to pull small amounts of energy, even when plugged in (a sign of this is if a charger feels warm to the touch). In the United States, the total electricity consumed by idle electronics is equal to the annual output of 12 power plants (EPA). Unplugging your idle electronics is a simple way to reduce your household power consumption.
Use a power strip
Another way to quickly eliminate "vampire power" is to use a power strip to turn all devices off at once. Flipping the switch on your power strip has the same effect as unplugging each socket from the wall, preventing phantom energy loss. (Harvard University).
Turn off the lights (when you aren’t using them)!
Stay home and stay safe!
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