Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well with the Carrie Connection

During the 1970's, many Americans practiced energy conservation. Newspaper headlines and lead stories on the six o'clock news constantly reminded us that we were experiencing an "energy crisis." Some of us got really good at turning off lights when we left a room, weatherizing our home to stop energy leaks and car pooling with our family and neighbors to save gasoline. Unfortunately, as energy costs dropped we slowly but surely went back to our old ways of using energy as if there was a limitless supply.

In early April the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a joint oversight hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing, America at Risk: U.S. Dependency on Foreign Oil, was broadcast on the Internet and television and reminded us that once again the cost of energy was escalating.

We count on our leaders in Washington to take action when the price of oil skyrockets. We should also count on each other to cut back on energy use and decrease our nation's dependence on foreign oil.

The following tips are simple things that almost every household can do to contribute to the cause and more importantly, save money!

About 10-13 percent of your home's electrical bill goes to lighting the house.

If you have light fixtures that operate four or more hours each day, replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. Today's fluorescent bulbs are smaller, cheaper and brighter than they were when they were first introduced.

The U.S. Department of Energy compared a 100-watt incandescent bulb to a 23-watt compact fluorescent bulb to determine savings. The total cost for using incandescent bulbs for four hours a day for three years was $39.54. The cost for using a compact fluorescent bulb for the same amount of time was $19.06. Although the fluorescent bulb costs more to purchase, it lasts longer and uses much less energy.

You may be surprised to know that the average home has enough leaks around its windows and doors to equal a 3-foot by 3-foot open window.

To determine if that is the case in your home, wet your fingertips and run them around your doors and window frames and see if you feel a draft. You can also hold a tissue near the frames to see if it waves. If leaking is detected, seal leaks with caulking.

Fifty-five percent of your energy bill goes for heating or cooling.

To save money close vents and doors in rooms that you never or seldom use. Use fans to keep the air circulating. Set the thermostat at 78 degrees during the summer and 68 degrees in the winter. For each degree that you set the thermostat lower than 78 degrees in the summer, expect your energy bill to increase by about 3 percent.

Keep your air conditioning and heating unit filters clean. Check them monthly. Wash aluminum filters or replace fiberglass filters. Clean filters allow your unit to operative more efficiently and extend the life of your unit.

Here's some things you can do in the kitchen.

Never run your dishwasher unless it is full. Allow dishes to dry naturally rather than using the drying cycle. Refrain from opening the oven door when baking. Twenty percent of the heat escapes each time you open the door to check the food. Buy a timer or use the oven's timer and avoid frequent "peaking."

Use a microwave when at all possible. These handy appliances use less energy and cook food much faster than a conventional oven. A watched pot will eventually boil...but to speed up the process, put a lid on it! You'll save time as well as energy.

High prices at gasoline pumps have everyone's attention. To improve your car's fuel economy do these three things:

1) Get a tune-up. This can improve your fuel economy by 6 to 9 percent.

2)Drive slower. For each mile per hour that you drive under 65, you save about two percent.

3) Check the air in your tires. You lose one to two percent in fuel economy for each pound of under-inflation.

Practicing the above tips will not dramatically change anyone's lifestyle. However, if all of us practiced these energy saving tips, collectively we could reduce our nation's dependency on oil and energy expenditures.