Talking this morning about energy bills and how they are getting bigger with the use to plasma tv’s and video game consoles. Below are just a few tips that you could use everyday to reduce the amount of energy you use. My luva and I are away next week and we decided that we’re going to unplug everything while we are away to ensure that we aren’t using any unnecessary power. Check out these tips below and if you have any ideas, add them to the comment section, let’s see if we can get a massive list going…
Keep those fans buzzing in summer instead of turning on the air conditioner
Replace incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent ones. They last up to ten times longer and can use a quarter of the energy
Plug electronics into a power strip and flip off the switch when the gadgets aren’t in use. (make sure this won’t mess up clocks and recordings.)
Switch off the light every time you leave a room
Set the thermostat to no lower than 78°F in the summer and no higher than 68°F in the winter
Place your desk next to a window and use natural light instead of a lamp
Close your curtains to keep out daytime summer heat or keep in nighttime winter warmth
Turn off the TV or video game console and play outside
Rurn off the car instead of letting it idle while you’re stuck in a road closure
Ride a bike or walk instead of using the car.
Carpool.
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I am less than enthusiastic about compact fluorescent light bulbs. As someone who sells light bulbs for a living, I understand the value of energy conservation, but not at the cost of health risks posed by compact fluorescent bulbs. Any amount of mercury poses a significant danger, and there is no good justification for introducing this into homes or schools. Disposal of broken compact fluorescent bulbs is challenging at best, and toxic at worst. It is my belief that the technology should progress to a point at which the mercury levels are low or nonexistent (which we are already seeing with LED and plasma bulbs) before people changeover their entire homes.
- BrunoBC Hydro reps said if you have to use the dryer to put a clean and dry towel in with your load as it will make your clothing dry faster.
- JillGet rid of old fridge and get a new more energy efficient one. If old one is working, BC Hydro will pick it up and give you cash.
When soaping up in shower, turn off water till ready to rinse. &/or catch shower water in a bucket to water lawn/gardeen when it stops raining.
good idea to turn everything off when you leave, except security lights. my kids think i’m just a nag… have a safe holdiay. deb.
- debbie schoenbergerMost CFLs today on the market contain less than 5mgs of mercury and there are CFL options out there that contain as little as 1.5mgs of mercury- which can hardly be called a “significant amounts of mercury” considering that many item in your home contain 100s of times more of mercury including your computer. Mercury levels in CFLs can never be “nonexistent” since mercury is a necessary component of a CFL and there is no other known element that is capable of replacing it. But CFLs actually prevent more mercury from entering the environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, “a coal-fired power plant will emit about four times more mercury to keep an incandescent bulb glowing, compared with a CFL of the same light output”.
- Kristina Richardson