Saving Electricity

A tremendous amount of electricity is wasted every year in the US. Since taxes and regulation are dirty words in this country, we have some of the cheapest power in the world which means that there is very little economic incentive for people to lower their usage. This translates into rolling blackouts and increased reliance on foreign oil since generating plants and burn oil are the fastest growing segment of the industry.

There are some very easy things that you can do at home and at work to cut down on your power usage. Here are some ideas.

• Make sure your computer monitor and base units correctly "sleep". The monitor accounts for 80% of the system power usage and most CRTs use at least 100 watts. At work, if you monitor stays on 24/365 it will use an additional 590 kilowatts and cost the company $35/year in power -- this is also not taking into account extra cooling cost in the summer due to the excess heat generated by the monitor. Most Windows and Macintosh computers have Energy Saver, Power Settings, or some other configuration program where you can tune how fast your computer's monitor turns off or the base unit sleeps. You should set your monitor to sleep after 30 minutes and your hard disks after every 60 minutes let's say.
• Many of the appliances around your house use more power than you'd might think. Consider buying a power meter and testing all of your appliances, lamps, etc.. The results will surprise you. Many appliances around the house waste a lot of electricity even when "off". Your TV for example, if it has a remote control power button really never turns completely off -- it can't. There is always a circuit that is live waiting for the remote. Some TVs waste up to 75% of their "completely on" power levels when they are "off". Consider bringing a power meter to a store to test TVs to pick the one with the best savings. It could save you $50 or more per year. Consider putting wasteful units on timers, unplugging appliances that waste even when "off", and replacing older equipment.
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs have come a long way. These days you can buy them in the same shape, color, and brightness as most incandescent bulbs. They are certainly more expensive but they will last longer and save you a lot of money. They use 70% less power than incandescents and usually last 10 times longer. Replacing a 75 watt incandescent with an equivalent light output compact fluorescent will save $14 per year.
• Your refrigerator is often one of the most inefficient appliances in the house. Many electric companies have programs where they will give you some money to lower the cost of a new, more efficient model. All new models have efficiency ratings on them so you can use that information when you buy. Units with the freezer unit at the bottom are often much more efficient.
• In many of the southern states, people don't have gas to their homes so heat their water with electricity. Consider replacing your electric water heater with a tankless water heater. These units are small and efficient since they heat the water only when the faucets are on. They can save 50% of the power used by a electric water heater tank and they never run out of hot water.

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