energy_conservation

							Prepared for Enterprise Community Partners
Why Should You Care about Energy Use?

It saves money
• Using less energy means lowering utility bills and saving
  money
It reduces carbon emissions
• Carbon emissions are linked to climate change that
  results in more common severe weather events
  (hurricanes, heavy rains/floods, and droughts)




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Why Should You Care about Energy Use?




          Electricity is generated from power plants

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Why Should You Care about Energy Use?
Image Source: Señor Codo via flickr under a CC license




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Why Should You Care about Energy Use?

The more electricity used...




the more Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emitted
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                           Change Affecting...
CO2 Contributes to Climate Change,& Affects...




              Eco-System Changes                                                  Catastrophic Weather Events
Source: http://arcticportal.org/climate-and-sea                              Source: http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2006/09/adapt_to_climat.html




                           Hurricanes                                                           Extreme Drought
Source: http://skattertech.com/2005/08/hurricane-katrina-satellite-images/   Source: http://trendsupdates.com/poor-countries-oblivious-to-climate-change/



GREEN & HEALTHY LIVING: Energy Conservation                                                                               Enterprise Community Partners | 6
Major Home Energy Usage
Major Home Energy Usage

                                         Typical Household Energy Use
                                               Other Computers
              Space Cooling            Lighting 3%      1%
                   8%                     7%



                                                                        Space Heating
                         Water
                                                                            46%
                        Heating
                         16%

                                               Appliances
                                                 19%




                                                       Source: US EPA




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Reading an Electricity or Natural Gas Bill
Reading an Electricity or Natural Gas Bill

• There are different units of measurement for energy,
  depending on the form of energy
• Electricity is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh)
• Natural Gas, (used for heating, hot water, cooking, and
  sometimes clothes dryers) is measured in Therms
• 1 therm = 29.3 kWh




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Energy Conservation Exercise 1

How Much Electricity Do I Use?
• Input your monthly electricity use (kWh) and cost($)
  into the worksheet




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Ways to Save Energy

Heating and Cooling
• If possible, avoid space heaters
  as they are very inefficient and
  become a fire hazard if
  something is placed on them
• Buy Energy Star air conditioner




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Why You Shouldn’t Open Windows in Winter

                                                The Stack Effect

                                                1) Window is opened in
                                                   an upper floor unit

                                                2) Heat rushes out and
                                                   draws warm air up
                                                   from other units

                                                3) Cold air is drawn
                                                   from the outside to
                                                   replace air


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                                              Source: Steven Winter Associates
     to Save Energy
Ways To Save Energy

Appliances:
• Look out for Phantom
  loads – little lights, LCD
  displays, and other
  indicators that remain ON
  even if your electronics
  are OFF
• Turn off computer
  when not in use
  (not just sleep…OFF)
• Use a timer or smart
  surge protector

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How a Smart Strip Surge Protector Works

Smart strips sense when a master appliance is
turned off and switches peripherals off
When the master electronics are:
• Turned ON, all peripherals are turned ON
• Turned OFF, the peripherals are turned OFF




Control Outlet: Plug your independent          Dependant Outlets: Plug
“Master” electronics here                      your peripherals in here

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      smart Strip Surge Protector Works
How a Smart strip surge protector works

Smart strips sense when a master appliance is
turned off and switches peripherals off

“Master” electronics                           Peripherals

                                               DVD

Television                                     Cable box

                                               Surround Sound


                                               Printer
Computer
                                               Monitor


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How a Timer Strip Surge Protector Works:

Timer strips allow residents to set times of the
day to turn the outlets ON or OFF




Timer Switch: Set the time of day              Timed Outlets: Outlets switched
to switch outlets ON and OFF                   ON/OFF depending on timer setting




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Ways to Save Energy

Refrigerator & Freezer:
• Clean the coils on the back of
  your refrigerator
• Ensure back of the refrigerator
  has several inches of clearance
  from the wall
• Clean out frost from your freezer
• Set your refrigerator to 37
  degrees, no colder
• When purchasing, choose an
  Energy Star appliance
                                               Source: http://factoidz.com/how-to-clean-refrigerator-coils/




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Ways to Save Energy

Water:
• Install an efficient showerhead
  (<2 gallons/minute)
• Less heated water down the
  drain saves energy
• Set clothes washers to use only
  cold water
                                                 Source: http://www.pricepfister.com




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Ways to Save Energy

Lighting:
• Replace incandescent
  lighting with compact
  fluorescent (CFL)
• CFLs use 66% less energy
  than incandescents
• Turn lights off when not
  in use




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Ways to Save Energy Through Purchasing

Energy Efficient Products
• Energy Star is an EPA program that
  identifies energy efficient products
• Look for the blue Energy Star label
   – TVs
   – Refrigerators
   – Dishwashers
   – Air Conditioners
   – Computers
   – Clothes Washers


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Ways to save energy through purchasing
        Save Energy Through Purchasing

Water Efficient Products
• WaterSense is an EPA program that
  identifies water-efficient products
• Look for the WaterSense label
   – Toilets
   – Showerheads
   – Sink Faucets




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Energy Conservation Exercise 2

WATT Do They Take?
• How is operational cost impacted by:
   – Settings
   – Wattage
   – Usage
   – Appliance
     Size




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This Resident Cut Their Bill in Half

Before:
• Electricity used:
  540 kWh
• Bill Amount:
  $107.99




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…They Save Over $300 Per Year

After:
• Electricity used:
  216 kWh
• Bill Amount:
  $49.29




How did they
do it?

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How Did the Resident Cut Their Bill in Half?




Switch all lights                 Replace Fridge     Replace                     Line dry
to Compact                        with Energy Star   Dishwasher with             laundry
Fluorescent                       model              Energy Star model

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    Did the Resident Cut Their Bill half?
How did the resident cut their bill in in Half?




                                                  PLASMA



   No space                           No blow     Non-plasma      Almost no A/C
   heater use                         dryer use   television      use in the
                                                                  summer




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