With nighttime temperatures dipping into the 30s, who isn’t thinking about how to stay warm?

Looking at last year’s heating bills got me to wondering how I might save money and make more sustainable energy choices.

It also made me curious about where our energy comes from.

According to Wikipedia most electricity is derived from heat engines, usually steam turbines.  Most of the sources to heat these engines are from three fossil fuels: coal, natural gas or petroleum, with coal accounting for 48.5% and natural gas 21.6%, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).   A significant smaller source of fuel is from nuclear fission, 19.4%, and the remaining, approximately10%, from renewable sources such as wind, falling water, biofuels, solar energy, wave and tidal power, and geothermal power.  Given the concern over rising petroleum prices and supplies, and global climate changes, renewable energy alternatives are being increasingly sought.  According to Wikipedia, in 2006 nearly one fifth of global energy generated was from renewable sources.  Clearly other countries are using more renewable energy sources than the U.S.

Natural gas is the other major fuel used for heating.  According to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Government in 2005 approximately 52% of residences in the U.S. used natural gas for home heating.  Greenhouse gases associated with natural gas are primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane.  Although U.S. gas, and electric prices are predicted to drop a bit, due to decreased demand and a large storage capacity, prices over the long hall continue to rise.  For both environmental and personal costs, it makes sense to do what we can to save energy.

There are some relatively easy and inexpensive steps all of us can take to save energy around the house.

• Get a home energy audit.  Energystar.gov provides a list of certified home energy raters.
• Buy a programmable thermostat and/or set the daytime temperature no higher than 68 degrees in the winter, and in the fifties at night.   Lux digital thermostats are relatively cheap, starting at about $35.00, available at Ace Hardware or luxproducts.com, and rated highly by Consumer Reports for ease of programming, temperature reliability and readability.
• Learn to layer clothes in the winter to keep warm.  Keep moving and get plenty of exercise.  
• Replace incandescent bulbs as they burn out with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).  Be aware that CFLs have a tiny amount of mercury in them, so they need to be disposed of properly and, if broken, you should open the windows and wear gloves to clean up the debris. Seal the debris in a glass jar and take to Home Depot, which has a CFL recycling program.
• Take showers instead of baths.  Showering can cost 50% less in energy and even more if you install a low-flow showerhead.
• Caulk and replace weather stripping around air leaks in doors and windows. 
  
• Turn down the temperature on the hot water heater to 120 degrees.  Hotter than that means we’re only adding cold water to bring it to a tolerable level. 
  
• Change the furnace filter every three months or more often if it is dirty.  

Some additional, and more expensive steps, are to plant conifers to block the prevailing winter winds, replace windows with more energy efficient ones, use heavier curtains and drapes, insulate the attic and/or walls, replace an old furnace with a more energy efficient one and replace older model refrigerators and freezers. The government is helping individuals to pay for some of these upgrades, including appliances.  Go to www.energysavers.gov to see what rebates or tax credits are available. 

Now that you’ve done what you can to tighten up the house to prevent cold air from entering, and have reduced your overall energy usage, what kind of energy should you choose?  National Grid customers have several options available to them, generally a combination percentage of wind power and small hydro power.  

First go to www.nationalgrid.us.com and click on “Join the Movement” on the left hand side.  This will direct you to a “Personal Energy Evaluation.”  This is a short little survey that results in a detailed list of recommended ways to save energy that shows you how much you will save in money and greenhouse emissions per year. 

Just below the “Join the Movement” button is a “Green Up” button.  Click on that and you can see a list of alternative energy providers, the kind of renewable energy each uses, and the amount extra it will cost you to utilize that provider.  Sadly, at this point it does cost a bit more to use alternative energy.  As more renewable energy is developed hopefully the prices will become more competitive.  This is a very personal decision for each of us.  Using less fossil fuels will reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.  If you feel that renewable energy is not in your budget at this time, consider other steps you can take to reduce your overall energy consumption. 

Your turn:  Share with us what steps you are taking to reduce energy consumption. 

References and inspirations: 

ENERGY SMART EXPO, sponsored by WPBS TV, at Jefferson Community College, Jules Center, Friday, Sept. 25, from 5pm-8pm and Saturday, September 26, from 9am to 5pm.  Learn how to save money on energy.  For more information go to wpbstv.org to download a flyer. 

www.EnergyStar.gov

www.energysavers.gov

www.nationalgridus.com

“The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget,” by Josh Dorfman. 

Next week:  Fashionably green