Step 4 - Reduce Energy Consumption
From SolarPneumaticHybrid
This should probably be step one. In fact most alternative energy sites would tell you that this is step one, to prepare you to run your house primarily from solar or wind. I put this last because if you came to this site you were probably looking for solar energy and not looking for energy conservation tips. This will however by my step one. That is this will probably be the first article I write in detail because it is actually the only step I can start getting to work on without spending money. In fact, if I can do this step well, it may free up enough money that I can get started on Step 2 - Install Inverter 6 months earlier or more.
Steps for Reducing Energy Consumption
- Change your habits
- Make sure you and everyone in your family turns off all of the lights in the rooms that no one is using if you don't do that already
- Don't use lights when you don't actually need them. Just because you are in the room does not mean you need light, especially during the day. Use light for reading, cooking, eating, sewing, or anything where you need to be able to SEE something. You don't need a light turned on to watch TV, use the computer, nap, etc.
- Don't leave computers on when you aren't using them and they aren't performing a task for you. Many people will tell you that a computer will last longer if you leave it on, that may be true but what is worse? using electricity to keep the computer on when it isn't doing anything or reducing the life of the PC from 15 years to 13 years when you will probably throw it away before it actually quits working?
- Unplug electronics when you aren't using them. For example: in your living room you probably have an entertainment system. You might have one of those outlets for lamps wired to a light switch. Plug a surge protector/power strip into that outlet. Then plug your TV, your Blu-ray player, and your Wii into that. Plug your DVR into a separate surge protector plugged into an outlet not wired to a light switch. When you aren't watching TV or playing your Wii, flip the switch to the off position. Your DVR will continue to record everything you programmed it to but you will probably reduce your electric bill by $10 each month. Now most people already know how this works but in case you don't, I'll explain: phantom loads. A phantom load is the electricity that your electronics and appliances use when they are turned off. Your TV has a timer in it that you probably never use plus it listens for the IR signal from your remote, these both use electricity while your TV is off unless you unplug it. Your Blu-ray player waits for signals from your remote plus it probably keeps it's RAM energized so that when you turn it back on, all the Java apps from the movie you left in it are already loaded so that you don't have to wait for the disc to load the way you do when you first insert a disc, it also will keep track of where you were on the disc when you turned it off. Your Wii, just like your TV and your Blu-ray waits to receive a radio signal from your Wiimote. But the Wii, while turned off, once a day, maybe more frequently, boots up, turning on WiFi (probably leaving Bluetooth turned off) and checks for messages from Nintendo. If you have any new messages from Nintendo or anyone else, the Wii flashes some blue LEDs. Thus your Wii, turned off, probably uses more than your TV or Blu-ray player use when turned off.
- When a light bulb quits working, replace it with something that uses less power, namely florescent or LED, never incandescent. LED are the best choice, they use less than florescent and last longer. The only downside is for the same brightness and quality of light that a florescent produces, you need to spend a lot more. I have noticed one advantage over florescent that both LED and incandescent share: twice I have had a compact florescent light that after only a couple of years trips the breaker each time it is turned on. I don't know if this is common or if they were both defective, but I have never had that happen with an LED array or an incandescent light. If anyone else has had a compact florescent light trip a breaker, let me know because I want to make sure I didn't just imagine it.
More steps coming soon...
