I walk out of my room with Law and Order muted on the TV, the air conditioner on full blast, my iTunes blaring and all the lights on. My shower shoes squeak as I shuffle into one of four showers in my residence hall bathroom. I enjoy my gloriously hot 25-minute shower. I finish and return to my room, and I of course leave all the bathroom lights on for whoever comes in next. I am ready to start my day.
What did I do wrong?
I consumed far too much unneeded energy. The activities I listed above all were convenient and easy, but terrible for the environment. For starters, my 25-minute shower used somewhere between 125 and 250 gallons of water. According to a study by Texas A&M University, the average shower uses 5-10 gallons of water every minute. By cutting my shower down to 15 minutes, which is still a fairly long shower, I would have saved 50-100 gallons of water. Over the course of one month, assuming I shower daily, I would save 2375-4650 gallons of water.
My electricity usage was also unnecessary, especially when I was not even in my room. By turning off my lights, air conditioner, TV, computer and the lights in the shower, I would have saved money and energy. You may not be paying utilities directly, but I can assure you that your energy usage is factored into your rent or residence hall room cost.
Calculate your personal energy usage: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html
Fun energy facts:
*Lighting consumes approximately 75 percent of the energy used on Ohio University's campus.
*Compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) consume approximately 25 percent of the energy and last up to 10 times longer than regular light bulbs
*Shutting down your computer when you’ll be away for more than two hours can save the 65-250 watts of power it takes to operate an average desktop
*Screensavers actually increase energy consumption
*Even when you're appliances are turned off, they still use energy if they are plugged in
Hand Tool Storage In The Garden
6 years ago
Maybe for the fun energy facts you could create a column on the side to list those and keep adding to them, sort of like a fast facts section.
ReplyDeleteSo, I found out it costs me $40 a month to run my tiny space heater, on top of paying really high gas bills to keep my house barely above freezing. Seeing the number really makes a difference when thinking about whether or not I really need to use a particular advice. I like your fun energy facts. I think it would be cool if they progressed to fun ways to save energy in the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom. You could do a different room of the house until people have a few ways to be energy efficient in every room of the house. I know I could do a lot more, but having someone list a few simple ways to be more green would help in the motivation department.
ReplyDeleteErica, I really enjoyed the Calculate your own energy link--I certainly use a lot!!! Maybe you could mention Res Hall Energy Challenge....and I think you do some awesome pics of energy use and sustainability. Great start!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting statistics! Many people go through their day not realizing the amount of energy they are wasting. Putting energy waste in quantitative terms really delivers an informational punch.
ReplyDeleteWas the personal usage link supposed to be active?
Erica, yesterday on NPR they were discussing the water shortages in California, and in other parts of the world. Overall the topic was using resources efficiently. Certain business such as the clothing industry, heating and cooling companies, and cola companies that use large amounts of water are reevaluating their usage. Check out the link to the story--this is Tuesday's article, but on the same page there should be more about water and resource depletion.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101368699