Lights: As the old lightbulbs burnt out we've phased in those stupid CFL bulbs that save so much electricity by training you not to turn on the lights - every time you do: AGGHH!!! negative reinforcement. After a few weeks you're totally trained to work in dim light. No really, since I've put one in my office I only use the light half as often. They contain mercury so if I ever drop one (and you know I'm a klutz) we'll have to call Poison Control and evacuate the neighbors before they go into convulsions and die. We drive out to IKEA to recycle them properly, burning gas all the way. Is this really green?
Renewable Energy: We've always paid extra to have 100% of our electricity come from renewable sources (or pay to build renewable sources in the future, or whatever). They tell us that 76% of our electricity comes from wind turbines and the rest comes from Biomass - burning garbage (is that really safe?)
Fewer kWh: We've cut our consumption of electricity. Saves wear and tear on the wind turbines. I did that last month because I was broke. But it's green, anyway! We're down to 11kWh/day for the whole apartment. Our bill is only $21.25 per person. Our March usage in a 4 room apartment with two people, is the same or lower than my March usage in a two room apartment by myself. Having a roommate saves electricity! (Especially when that roommate insists on using CFL's.)
The changes we made used 6kWh less per day, and saved us $20 this month. The thermostat used to be set at 65*F - last month we turned it off. Even when it was 48* outside at night. We studied sitting in our beds with quilts over us, or brought laprobes to our desks. My feet are always cold and cold air sinks so I wore two pairs of socks. When it got hot we refused to turn on the AC. (Our best estimate is that AC uses about 20kWh per day - more than double our current consumption.) We opened the windows at night to cool down the apartment and closed them during the day, drew the shades against the sun, and pointed box fans at ourselves - we even shut off my little oven-room for two days when it got really hot. So we haven't run the climate control all month. Strangely, it wasn't that bad. It sounds bad - but it's totally comfortable to snuggle with a quilt while doing my homework. And if you've got the fan pointed at you while you're sitting at your desk, you doan really care that the kitchen is approaching 100*F. It's going to cool off tonight when you open all the windows, anyway.
A long time ago I had, in a fit of romantic folly, bought tons of candles and, since I live in the real world, never used them. When we were both here studying I would light a candle in the bathroom and we wouldn't turn on those lights at all. That wasn't really burdensome - showering by candlelight actually feels nicer than showering by cheap white florescent light.
Phantom Power: I've totally protected my office from Phantom Power draws. My computers / lamps / speakers / printer are on a power strip on the desk that I turn off at night, and when I'm in class. All my gizmo chargers and the bread machine are on a table with a power strip and don't get plugged in at all, unless they're working.
To Do List:
- Brian is going to do the power-strip thing to stop phantom power from his huge desktop, speakers, television, and four gaming systems. Right Brian?
- Manky is going to stop taking the elevator just because because she's tired.
4 comments:
I was good today! When I did laundry, I walked up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
I have completed the power-strip thing, look at me being good for the environment.
Wow, I didn't realize how often I took the elevator until I stopped doing it. I did laundry again today and on the trek up the stairs figured out that I'd saved about 7 elevator trips since I swore off abusing electricity like that. It's only been 4 days! I must make 10 - 15 trips a week! The elevator weighs a lot so I bet it makes a difference in the electricity for the dorm's common spaces. Unless they're using the downward trips to generate electricity against a resistance gear. (Looks around at dorm circa 1972) no, I guess they're not. My 10-15 trips per week (400 - 600 trips per year) are probably making a difference then.
Whoa, I forgot groceries. It's probably more. But I dunno if I'll stop using the elevator for groceries. I barely make it down the hallway as it is.
Hrm. Not so great. If the Otis Elevator Company is correct regarding the energy consumption of their elevators (not that this dorm has an Otis but whatever, it's an elevator)... if I skip 10-15 trips in the elevator every week, 40 - 60 trips a month, I am saving between half a kilowatt hour and one kilowatt hour every month.
So I could save like 450-900 watt hours in a month. For an apartment that just recently got down to 330,000 watt hours a month that isn't much. Taking the stairs might make me FEEL better but I'm not sure it's making a difference.
On the other hand, wasting 900 watt hours on the elevator is like leaving a light on for three hours every day when I don't need it. Or running a tv for 6-8 hours. I think most people would agree that leaving the tv on all day while you go to class would be a pretty egregious waste of electricity. And if that's what I'm doing when I take the elevator I shouldn't be doing it. Unless I'm carrying groceries. Because Advil comes in plastic bottles and that's bad for the environment.
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