Home Energy America
—The Good and the Ugly
At this time it looks like the Lindsay milk ad issue is much more important than the energy crisis in this country. The good news is that the economy is slowly turning around, and soon the demand for energy will increase and oil prices will once again rise as more and more people will be driving out of town going to vacation spots and using electricity at home will also increase as the economy improves.
Home energy in America consumes about 80 percent of the total energy consumption in the whole United States. And sad to say that 20 percent of the home energy in America is wasted either intentionally or unknowingly (instances like drafts etc). Americans are blessed to have many energy saving products which they can use at home to be able to save energy consumption. They are energy saving exteriors, energy saving bulbs, solar energy and wind energy. Home energy in America is draining our expense budget and a big amount goes to the heating and cooling expense. Air conditioners are very important for Americans because some places in the country have very extreme weather. To keep the temperature at a comfort level they use the air conditioner. However, there are ways to help household owners save energy at a low-cost or no-cost at all. One only needs to be innovative, imaginative, and hardworking if you want to save a few hundred dollars on your energy bill. Energy saving does not only mean saving money it also means saving the environment from global warming.
Energy consumption is part of our daily lives. We survive because of this expensive fuel but sometimes people forget about their responsibilities on how to take care of the environment. Home energy in America is a source of energy waste. Household owners may not be aware of the impact to the environment and what may seem harmless can actually hurt the environment and can greatly affect us. If we use less energy then the better we’ll be off because it would mean that there is less fossil fuel used.
Some people are too busy making money that they simply neglect their responsibilities as a citizen of this planet. As a resident of the Earth it is our duty to protect and help the environment. Do you know what is the saddest thing about this energy waste? It causes global warming and those immensely affected are the people from the developing countries. They are the ones who are suffering the heat from the scourging sun. Killing their animals, plants, agricultural products because of the unbearable heat and the painful fact is that hundreds of children die from sickness and malnutrition because they have nothing left to eat.
Home energy in America and in the whole world should be used responsibly, wisely and efficiently to avoid energy waste. The less energy you use; the better for your finances and for the environment and for the future generations to come. Remember that the little things you do can make a big difference in our environment.
Home Energy Yardstick
—Measure Your Way To Saving Money
Do you want to compare your energy use with other homes across the nation? Make use of the home energy yardstick! You can now compare your energy consumption with other household’s just by the click of the mouse. All you have to do is visit the link energystar.gov, they will needing a couple of information from you like: You’ll need your last 12 months of utility bills OR a 12-month summary statement from your utility company, energy sources for your home: natural gas, electricity, fuel oil, propane and/or kerosene and the square footage of your home, it will only take about 5 minutes of your time then puff! The result is right in front of your face. With home yardstick you can determine if your energy consumption is more or less the same with your neighbors’. It will give you an idea if you are over-using or misusing your energy.
Saving money is much easier said than done. But with the help of the home yardstick you can save money by checking out other homes in your area and if your energy consumption is way higher than the rest of the neighborhood then you better have a home energy check up to determine why your energy use is incredibly higher. That way you will be able to save energy and most importantly money. Saving money is one of the most important things that you can benefit from a home energy yardstick. And while saving money isn’t always the easy thing to do especially if it involves our comfort, it isn’t impossible. You can be energy efficient without torturing yourself. You just need to be responsible, patient and innovative.
There is luxury in being energy efficient. The money you save can be used for many other things. Aside from the saving money you can help reduce greenhouse effect if you reduce your energy consumption. Isn’t it nice to be a superhero by being energy efficient? You can save planet earth from destruction by lowering the risk of climate change.
Our earth is very beautiful and perfect but what did humans do? They created missiles, cars, planes, cigars, factories and burned their garbage in open air emitting harmful smoke because they thought these are “good” things. It’s the 21st century and people are so dependent with many hi tech gadgets and electronic devices providing comfort and making our lives easier but don’t you know that misusing these things can greatly affect the environment? Yinyang, good and bad comes hand in hand. Technology undeniably brought comfort and ease of life but what is the downside of this? Our planet is suffering from our greed, ignorance, laziness and the future generation will reap the harsh effects of what we sow today.
The home yardstick was made to help you track your energy consumption so make use of it and be aware that misusing energy is a serious matter. Our government has provided enough to educate us about global warming and has many available sources to help you use energy efficiently.
Home Energy Check Up
—The When, the How, and Children Involvement
Planning a home energy check up? It is a positive move to help lower your energy cost and to raise awareness within your household the importance of energy saving. It would be best to schedule your home check up on a weekend after lunch or when you are and your other household members are all at home and not busy. The reason why it would be best to conduct the check up when everybody is present is the chance to educate other members the efficient way of using the energy and what are the possible solutions that you can do to reduce your energy bill. You can have a professional do the home energy check up or you can do it yourself.
Is home energy check up for adults only? Is It is our responsibility to teach our young children from an early age how to handle finances and there is nothing better than to discuss to them how much it will affect your family’s budget if you will not properly use the technologies in your home. There are so many ways to be energy efficient at home so that you can also save your money for other important things. Tell them the basics of saving energy like devices which are not in use should be turned off., cellular phone chargers should be unplugged after using, to turn off the air conditioner in the room when going outside etc, many people know about this but only a few pay attention to it.
All these little things can make a huge impact on your lifestyle and on your budget. Human beings waste a lot of energy by intentionally leaving things with power sources on even when they are not in use. Home energy check up can benefit all of us. It is okay to have your teenagers around while doing the home check up that way they are aware of your home’s energy use.
If you are really serious about saving money on energy costs then you might as well try to switch your traditional lights to energy saving bulbs. If you are planning to doing some home improvement it would be best to use energy saving exteriors. Your heating and cooling expense is consuming 73 percent of your energy budget so try to check if you have home thermal energy loss by placing your hand on your roof or wall and if you feel a cool air on your hand then it means that there is a crack or leak on your wall or roof, immediately fix it to avoid energy waste.
Whether you believe in global warming or not, a home energy check up could benefit you. By doing so, you can cut off your energy cost up to 10 percent and even if you do not believe in global warming, your reduced energy consumption can really help our environment against the harmful greenhouse effects. We are so blessed because we are living in a beautiful planet but we have to be responsible and learn to take care of our environment.
Energy Saving Hour
—Why should you participate
Is it really worth the effort to participate in an energy saving hour?
Definitely. And not just participate but to introduce to the younger generation the reason why we have to switch off our electricity for an hour. Earth Hour will take place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm. It is an annual event to help bring awareness to climate change and the need to save energy world-wide. Every year Earth Hour supporter ask very individual, every business and every community throughout the world to switch off all non-essential lights and electronic devices. While it doesn’t save much energy realistically during that one hour, it does show a symbolic movement in support of Earth Hour’s message and an opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint. Usually, parents should teach their kids to respect and care for the environment by being a good example on how they use the energy. If you haven’t taken the time or did not have the opportunity to talk with your children about the condition of the environment, Energy saving hour is the perfect time to do so. For many, energy saving hour can serve as a reminder that your responsibility to the earth is a lifetime commitment. This is an inexpensive and fun energy saving.
- Everyday many species of plants and animals become extinct not giving our children or future grandchildren the chance to see those organisms as their habitat is being destroyed.
- 800 million of trees are being cut down to and being manufactured to make tons of paper—this is in the US alone.
-Did you know that it takes 500 years for a diaper to decompose? About 1 % of the garbage in the landfill is diapers.
Discouraging facts such as these may sound life threatening but these are based on facts. These are the alarming effects of climate change because of the fossil fuel we are using, technology that we have and other factors caused by human irresponsibility. One of the top reasons why there is global warming is that we waste our resources! 30 percent of our income goes to our utility bills and 5 percent of our energy bill is due to energy wastage.
Every day we unconsciously contribute in damaging our environment by our naïve actions like turning on the television even if we are doing something else and will not actually watch TV but the good thing is that the alarming damage that the human beings have caused to the environment is reversible. The animals’ habitats can be brought back to its former condition restored, the thinning forests can be replanted so that deers, birds, bats and other animals can freely roam again and polluted rivers can be cleansed so that it is clean enough for humans to drink. But it will be up to us and to the generations ahead of us to fulfill the essential changes needed to prevent added environmental damage and to take the right steps like participating in the annual energy saving hour.
