Unless one of us is working on a project, we keep all the lights off except in the evening. My husband would probably be perfectly content navigating through the house at night just by the flickering glow of the television. I, on the other hand, desire a little light so I can read. This isn’t a big issue either way, since all of the incandescent light bulbs have been replaced with energy efficient, long-life, compact florescent lighting.
Our computer is turned on after breakfast to check e-mails, news, etc. (yes, I admit ‘etcetera’ includes playing those time-eroding computer games) and gets turned off in the late afternoon. There are theories about the wear and tear of repeatedly turning a piece of equipment off and on, versus leaving it on and using the extra power in stand-by mode. The tech gurus I have personally discussed this with have all basically shrugged their shoulders and admitted it comes down to personal preference. Mike and I are low-tech people who have made a conscious choice not to allow gizmos and electronics to be the masters of our lifestyle and consume our time and attention, so we push the off button.
There are always exceptions, but our laundry is typically washed in cold water, so the insulated water heater doesn’t have to turn on and reheat water for that chore. I’d estimate that 80 - 90% of our laundry is dried on an old fashioned clothes rack in the garage instead of using the clothes dryer. My guilty pleasure is having soft, fluffy towels, so those are always tossed in the dryer. It might be nice to have an outdoor clothesline, but the birds that flock to our yard at the birdbath and feeder would undoubtedly create a situation leading to repeated loads of laundry. Oh sure, some of our clothes are a bit wrinkled, but then at our age … so are we! I do know how to operate a steam iron, but since this is all about conserving electricity, I’m rather quick to seize any excuse to avoid it.
Since there are only the two of us, we don’t produce many dirty dishes. Mike likes to wash them by hand daily (yes, he really does voluntarily do this and … no, he isn’t available). Once a month we fill up the dishwasher over the course of a few days and run it just to keep the seals from drying out. I know there are families large enough to fill a dishwasher twice in a 24-hour period. Obviously, those busy people have a lot on their plate (pun intended) and have better things to do with their time than a retried couple.
The bottom line is that PG&E calculated the Energy Index (averaged over the past 12 months) for ‘similar homes’ at 1,049 and for ‘efficient similar homes’ at 848. The Energy Index for our Home-Sweet-Home was – drum roll please – 834! We used 39% less energy than similar homes, which PG&E estimated saved us about $530 last year. I don’t know about you, but I can list a number of more entertaining ways I’d rather spend money than on utilities.
When the comparison was broken down by resources, we used 45% less electricity and 19% less natural gas. We did exceptionally well on our first report card, even when matched up against the energy efficient homes. PG&E even went so far as to print a ‘smiley face’ next to our results; I noticed there was no special discount or coupon as a bonus reward, however.
Since that first letter from PG&E, we have been receiving monthly updates which outline our peak energy hours. No big surprises there; the graph is basically an accurate indicator of when we are awake or asleep. Each memorandum also includes suggested ‘Action Steps’ under categories like Quick Fix (cleaning refrigerator coils, cleaning the area around your outdoor air conditioner unit, and avoiding over-drying clothes in your dryer), Smart Purchase (installing efficient shower heads, learning how much electricity your appliances actually use with plug-in power meters to calculate actual costs), and Great Investment (switching to a heat pump water heater or replacing old major appliances with energy efficient models), with estimates on annual savings.
I was delighted to see the actual validation of our efforts and, if anything, this has made me even more conscious of turning off those light switches and making a glass of ice tea instead of turning on the air-conditioner this summer. And the next time we meet, if you notice my blouse is a bit wrinkled, you’ll know it’s not because I’m lazy … I’m just trying to get good grades on my next report card. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
©2013 Roberta McReynolds for SeniorWomen.com
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