Do-It-Yourself – Home Energy

TIMES INT'L

By: K. Anthony Bissoon

So the last time, we went through some calculations for you to see what your energy consumption looks like. The entire aim of that exercise was for you to see how much energy you use, how much money you spend and with the development of better habits, eliminate or at least trim down wasting energy and by extension your money.
Now when I say habits, I really mean habits, a lot of your energy wasting habits have become so ingrained in you over the years that you may have hardly ever before given them any special thought.
Additionally you may have never considered the financial and environmental implications of wasting energy. At a time when many people are hopping on the carbon footprint wagon, and being more energy and environmentally conscious, this is the opportune time for you to do the same.
The media in print and electronic and the internet all offer very good tips on how to cut down on your energy usage by being more smart about your daily routines. With that I won’t be elaborating on a lot but rather pointing you out to some areas where you can make immediate effort to.
With that said, areas you can look at to improve on and practice better habits are as follows:
1. Change all the lighting to energy efficient bulbs and compacts
2. If you have air conditioning units installed, make sure the room is properly insulated and consider using a fan and an AC unit together, that way the AC can work at a lower setting intermittently with the fan circulating the cool air around the room
3. Turn off all lights and appliances when you are not using them, making sure to plug them out, because even when they are off and plugged in, may still use a small amount of power…this will add up over time
4. Whenever possible, air dry clothes and dishes, avoid using the clothes dryer too much
5. Wash full loads of clothes and dishes, this will use much less energy compared to washing several loads often
6. Invest in energy star appliances
7. Conserve on your water usage, do not waste water!
I hope that these tips have whetted your appetite, and you will not only implement them in your home and office, but look at other ways to conserve energy too. Until next time!
If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact me at reachkenabis@yahoo.com

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