Energy conservation, such as lowering your heating termostat, installing a dimmer switch for your lighting, not only saves money, it also reduces environmental impacts. These include pollution,both air and water, global warming, oil spills, loss of wilderness areas, the need for new power plants, and foreign energy dependence. There are many things you can do to reduce your energy use without greatly changing your lifestyle. Energy conservation and efficiency go a long way in protecting our planet’s diminishing natural resources and promoting a healthy environment.
Moving Forward
One way to move forward with energy conservation is to conserve all forms of energy that we use in the world today, (fossil fuel combustion, nuclear, solar, etc.). Technology development is important but just as important is to educate the citizens of the world to make an effort to conserve energy.
What we can do?
By reducing emissions, energy conservation is an important part of lessening climate change. Energy conservation facilitates the replacement of non-renewable resources with renewable energy. Energy conservation is often the most economical solution to energy shortages, and is a more environmentally benign alternative to increased energy production.
Hybrid Vehicles
Presently the U.S. is the biggest consumer of energy in the world, but with the current levels of growth, it is envisaged that China could become the leading energy consumer.The U.S. government has tried to encourage better vehicle efficiency through tax policy. Since 2002, taxpayers have been eligible for income tax credits for gas/electric hybrid vehicles. A tax has been assessed on manufacturers since 1978 for cars with poor fuel economy. While this tax remains in effect, it currently generates very little revenue as overall fuel economy has improved.Another focus in gasoline conservation is reducing the number of miles driven. An estimated 40% of car owners in the U.S use, is associated with daily commuting to work. Many urban areas offer subsidized public transportation to reduce commuting traffic, and encourage carpooling by providing designated vehicle lanes and lower tolls for cars with all seats occupied.
Working from home
Another alternative is working from home.With the advent of laptops and the internet working from home has become alot easier,this cuts out the long and sometime’s stressfull commute to and from the office and save’s on high running costs for the family car.A vehicle’s gas mileage normally decreases rapidly at speeds above 55 miles per hour. A car or truck moving at 55 miles an hour can get about 15 percent better fuel economy than the same car going 65 mph.
Conservation at Home
Everyone is guilty of it..,leaving a light on in a room that is not in use,leaving a pilot light on appliance’s when going out or when going to bed.TVs, video game consoles, cable boxes, DVDs, VCRs, along with computers, printers, battery chargers, etc., now account for about 5 percent of your monthly electric bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.The amount of money saved, and energy conservation speaks for itself just by “turning off” the pilot lights of home appliance’s when not in use.boil only the amount of water required to make a cup of tea.it all adds up to help in the conservation of energy,not to mention savings on your bills.
Energy Ratings
Every appliance is required by EU law to display a Energy rating sticker.Before you buy a new washing machine or fridge,check the energy rating located on the front of the appliance. Products are rated from A-G with A being the most energy efficient.The more efficient the product, the less energy it needs to do the same job and the more you get for your money.An A rating doesn’t nesscesary mean a higher cost,which mean you can help the environment and save money at the same time.
A new PC?
Buy a flat screen monitor instead. These save space and use far less electricity than the normal bulky monitors. Computer equipment is a major consumer of electricity within the home or office. Traditional monitors use approximately 66% of the electricity consumed by a PC. Thesel monitors will soon be classified as hazardous waste and will therefore be more difficult and costly to dispose of than flat screen monitors.