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Conserving EnergyBy Josh Miller Since the 1970's, people have been developing different ways to recycle common materials such as glass, aluminum, paper, and plastic. Recycling has become very simple, and convenient for society. We have local transfer stations, and grocery stores will now accept our bottles and cans. In spite of the simplicity, some people are still resistant to the concept of recycling. They say that it is not cost effective to recycle. For instance, it costs money for extra personnel to take care of recycled waste. Energy is useful in many ways; it can heat and light homes, power motors for many types of machines, power fans to cool us and fuel our automobiles. Energy can be misused as well. For example the more we waste, the more we will be depending on it when we absolutely need it in the future. How much energy do we waste? The internal combustion engine, which is in most of our cars, for instance, is only 20% efficient. That means that 80% of the energy in the gasoline in our cars is wasted! Here are some ways we can save energy in the household. To conserve heat, set your home thermostat as low as comfortable (65° to 68° F is suggested) when you are home. Set back the thermostat by as much as 10° F at night or when the house is not occupied during the day. You can do this automatically with a programmable thermostat. Close curtains and shades at night. To conserve hot water, repair leaky faucets, adjust water heater temp, and add an insulating blanket to your water heater. Another way to save water is to install low-flow shower heads. You can also wash clothes in warm or cold water and be sure to use the appropriate water level setting for the load. And the next time your water heater needs to be replaced choose an energy-efficient model. Lighting is another area where it is easy to save energy. Turn off lights when not in use. Use task lighting whenever possible instead of brightly lighting an entire room. Install compact fluorescent lamps in the fixtures which are used most often. Cooling plays a major role in energy conservation, too. Open windows at night and close them during the day. Shade the west-facing windows. You could also install an evaporative cooler. Maintain an air-conditioned house at 78F or higher. One more thing you could do is plant deciduous shade trees on the west and south sides of your home. Energy is important to all of us and should be used — not wasted. Without energy we would not be able to live on Earth. There are many ways that we can conserve energy without too much sacrifice. With your help and support, we can all be a part of making our world more energy efficient. Josh Miller is a member of the Class of 2009 at Messalonskee High School. | ||