QOD

Filed in National by on July 1, 2008

What steps have you taken to reduce your energy consumption?

About the Author ()

hiding in the open

Comments (23)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. jason330 says:
    July 1, 2008 at 8:26 am

    At work we tried to implement a compressed work week (four 10 hour days) to reduce the number of trips we are making in the car but it didn’t take. The five day workweek is too ingrained.

    I am alos yelling at my kids about the door being left open – but that migh tbe a function of age and not energy conservation awareness.

  2. Delaware's Hottest Blogger says:
    July 1, 2008 at 8:28 am

    a compressed work week means less internet though…bad idea

  3. No Name for Privacy says:
    July 1, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Hanging the clothes out to dry then ‘fluffing’ them in the dryer. Go check your electric meter while the dryer is on. It spins like it’s going into outer space.

    ‘Hanging out’ isn’t as dreadful as one might think and the lovely odor of the great outdoors that’s imparted makes it worth it; especially those bed sheets 😉

  4. RSmitty says:
    July 1, 2008 at 9:07 am

    At work, we stopped using the AC. I really don’t think it’s an attempt at energy consumption, tho. Apparently, it’s broke. Mutha F!

    Transitioning the home to flouresent bulbs and making a real effort to do the 55-mph thing. I will tell you that my ’03 Santa Fe logged a 300-mile tank for the first time in the five years I have driven it. That was about a 20-mile improvement over what I recall as the previous best.

  5. anon says:
    July 1, 2008 at 10:02 am

    1. CFL bulbs

    2. When the heat pump broke, resisted temptation to replace it with oil or gas, and instead replaced it with a new 15-SEER heat pump. Got sticker shock when I looked at price of installing ground-loop (geothermal) heat pump (they should be mandatory for new homes).

    3. Work from home. MPG is therefore not a priority right now. Holding out for plug-in hybrid that is not too expensive up front.

    4. Turn off A/C whenever it is cooler outside than inside. Vent house out on cool nights instead of running A/C all night. Thinking about getting a whole-house fan.

    5. Use the A/C blower with compressor off, whenever possible.

    6. Giant trees in back yard (south) keep house cool and moss-covered. Unfortunately also precludes solar panels, dish TV, and vegetable gardens.

    7. Currently thinking about a wood stove to back up the heat pump.

    Must remember to install a clothesline and flog the wife when she uses the electric dryer. Thanks for the tip.

  6. Mike R. says:
    July 1, 2008 at 10:03 am

    Switched to all CFL bulbs (starting to get LEDs when I can find them), buying local produce and meat, riding the bus to work, setting HV/AC a few degrees below/above energy star standards, buying carbon offsets for needed air travel, trying to do the 55mph thing, putting it in neutral on descents, doing regular tune-ups on the cars, vacationing closer to home, keeping the lights off in the office as much as possible, filling the fridge with extra beer to take up air space (less cooling loss when opening the door when there is less air in the fridge to escape, the beer holds its temperature), walking and riding bikes as much as possible for errands.

    Got a smaller house then we needed or could afford!

    The wife is trying to set up a community garden to further reduce the need to drive/buy shipped food, it will take a year to produce much though. Definitely need to look into a way to dry clothes without the dryer (townhouse precludes a clothes line, but basement might work with a dehumidifier, but don’t know if that would save any energy)

  7. jason330 says:
    July 1, 2008 at 10:18 am

    Man, oh man.

    You guys are flat out inspirational.

    [Is the clothesline helping you use fewer clothes?

    Americans own more clothes and change them more frequently than other cultures. A typical household washes more than 6,000 articles of clothing in machines each year. Many people consider an item dirty after one wearing. This means more washing and drying, which equals more wear and tear. In fact, the average American woman spends seven to nine hours a week on laundry.

    Despite all this washing and drying, American consumers are not getting the most satisfying results. Clothes are coming out of the washer dirtier and more worn than in other developed countries.

  8. RickJ19958 says:
    July 1, 2008 at 10:24 am

    “Save gas! Fart in a jar!”

    Man, what a t-shirt…

  9. RSmitty says:
    July 1, 2008 at 10:30 am

    filling the fridge with extra beer to take up air space (less cooling loss when opening the door when there is less air in the fridge to escape, the beer holds its temperature)

    Mutha! I am so guilty of wasting that opportunity on things like milk, meat and other perishibles for the kids. I told the wife we were being wasteful. Now I have supporting theories!

    Who knew that back in college I was being such an energy conservationist? Nevermind the wasted tuition. That’s another topic.

  10. Von Cracker says:
    July 1, 2008 at 10:32 am

    Not getting off the couch!

    But seriously…

    Drive less, keep the lights off during the day, AC at 78….

  11. delawaredem says:
    July 1, 2008 at 11:19 am

    I bought a Nissan Maxima hybrid. Changed all lights in my house to those freaky looking energy saving kind. I use the A/C in the house less. I am only using the dishwasher and the laundry machines once a week. Also, I don’t buy bottled water anymore. I have about 10 used 24 oz water bottles that I reuse by refilling them with Britta filtered water from my tap. I take the R2 to Philadelphia for work when I don’t have to travel out of Philly for deps and hearings.

  12. G Rex says:
    July 1, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    “2. When the heat pump broke, resisted temptation to replace it with oil or gas, and instead replaced it with a new 15-SEER heat pump.”

    **sigh**

    We just discovered that our 11-year old Trane has a tiny freon leak somewhere, which would be nigh impossible to locate and fix, so we’re dropping $4500 on a 16 SEER unit that uses R-410A instead of Freon. So much for Christmas.

    Oh, and I leave the bathroom lights off when I get up in the middle of the night to piss.

  13. RSmitty says:
    July 1, 2008 at 4:45 pm

    I have about 10 used 24 oz water bottles that I reuse by refilling them with Britta filtered water from my tap

    DD – the only issue with that, assuming you mean the Deer Park, Aquafina, etc. type of bottles (not sport bottle types) is you need to be careful of bacterial build up. You can’t sufficiently wash those bottles. A friend’s daughter got sick with an E-Coli infection and it was traced back to her re-use of those bottles. I shit you NOT!

  14. RSmitty says:
    July 1, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    Oh, and I leave the bathroom lights off when I get up in the middle of the night to piss.

    Did you ever to stop and think that the water leak from the base of your toilet that you constantly bitch out at morning’s light isn’t really a water leak?

  15. Dominique says:
    July 1, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    1) CFL bulbs throughout most of the house

    2) Bought “energy saver” frontloading washer/dryer (I do NOT recommend GE, btw)

    3) Have not run air conditioner almost a month and planning not to for the rest of the summer (we kind of got used to it after about a week…the dogs, however, are not thrilled)

    4) Driving slower

    5) Making a conscious effort to turn off lights and TV when I’m leaving the room

    BTW, for those of you attempting to pee in the dark, here’s an awesome, environmentally-safe product that might make cleaning the bathroom a little less nauseating (btw, the company is locally owned)…

    http://jonnyglow.com/about/

  16. Steve Newton says:
    July 1, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    1) AC to 78 or off
    2) CFLs went in a long time ago
    3) Driving slowly in right lane on rt 1 to work
    4) Stay-cations only this year
    5) Buying food in bulk as much as possible
    6) Selling at least one of my children

  17. jason330 says:
    July 1, 2008 at 11:10 pm

    4) Stay-cations only this year

    I dream about having a good stay-cation one day. Right now the temptation to do yard work for the whole week would be too great.

  18. liberalgeek says:
    July 1, 2008 at 11:19 pm

    OK, I am recycling now with great fervor.

    CFLs in almost every spot that they are appropriate. If we had a good ceiling fan CFL and a decorative one for bathroom light bars, I’d be golden.

    I have found a new route to work that is more relaxing and gets my hybrid up to 48 MPG generally. I had a 520 mile tank last week.

    Taking the hybrid on a two week vacation to Nova Scotia. It will be tight, but it should force us to pack light which I like.

    Definitely turning off the lights more often when I leave the room.

  19. jason330 says:
    July 1, 2008 at 11:30 pm

    I have a confession to make. I really don’t like the light from CFL’s.

    It is too white. Too stark. I need a more mellow lightbulb.

  20. RickJ19958 says:
    July 2, 2008 at 6:51 am

    Try Candles.

  21. Dana says:
    July 2, 2008 at 8:58 am

    Absolutely nothing. As a conservative Republican, I believe that we have a perfect right to consume as much energy — or anthing else — we want. If we have to take it by force from the Arabs, then so be it!

  22. liberalgeek says:
    July 2, 2008 at 9:05 am

    Jason, there are several different CFLs out there now. Try some of the other CFLs.

  23. RSmitty says:
    July 2, 2008 at 9:07 am

    Please tell me there is intended snark in there, Dana.

«
»