Consider these actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while saving money. Consider these actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while saving money.
These suggestions create jobs for people who live near you.
You may wish to:
Recycle, reuse and reduce to renew the materials, products, or appliances you use and purchase those products with a high post consumer waste content, high energy star ratings, and low operating costs.
- Promote geothermal energy solutions for electricity, heating, ventilation and air conditioning to reduce long-term costs.
The earth deep heat can flash water into steam that can turn turbines to generate electricity.- Purchase energy saving appliances when replacing old stoves, water heaters and refrigerators.
- When buying new cars, look for the best mileage or mile per gallon ratings (CAFE standards short for Corporate Average Fleet
Efficiency) or if you can afford to buy a hybrid automobile–or better a hybrid plug-in vehicle.
- Test drive and consider buying a hybrid fuel vehicle, now marketed by Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia in several models to choose from.
- For new air conditioning units ask about efficiency of operation. Then buy the most efficient unit in terms of its cost to run from year to year measured in electricity used
and the cost of electricity in your service area. What passive geothermal and related but different heat pump systems can do is use the more constant temperature of the ground to reduce the need to run heaters and air conditioners over longer periods of time and thus reduce electricity supplied to run these units. Because the ground's stable temperature changes less than more extreme surface temperature fluctuations buildings need less heating in winter and cooling in summer to maintain comfortable indoor air temperatures.
- Put a timer on your hot water heater and set the appliance to on only when you need to use the hot water -- say an hour before you use it -- and insulate the appliance.
Plant shade trees on the warmest side of your home or heavily occupied buildings.
- Awnings, blinds, or shade and insulating window treatment can and may be used to cool windows that are exposed to direct sun and become very hot. Windows and doors are also huge holes through which the interior heat or cooling is lost to the exterior of a building.
Plant a green roof in your school, church, or community buildings and cool down neighborhood, By combining the beauty of scenic foliage and the insulation of green plants the solution reduces the building's inefficiency, keeps water from running off impervious surfaces and polluting your drinking water supplies, and employs people locally.
- Invest in solar thermal for making hot water, or solar electricity for
some of your appliance needs. Solar water heating is the most efficient use of sunlight striking the surfaces of streets, buildings or structures with expansive roofs.
Thin film micro solar devices to power small appliances.
- Call the Florida Solar Energy Center for expert advice.
- Insulate your roof and your exposed duct work, patch the holes and be sure that you are not using excessive electricity when heating the outdoors on cold days or air conditioning your yard on hot days.
- Wind energy reduces the need to use (waste) water!
Every small savings mounts up because if one in every ten homes had solar the demand for electricity at the two peak times of day in the morning and evening would be diminished considerably.
The Department of Energy has shown that a white roof decreases the electrical energy needed to heat an cool the structure below because white reflects light and dark colors absorb heat that accompanies the sun's light.
Wind power then and generating electricity today.
Becoming an energy miser
Saves money, and what can be wiser?
Using well this planet's heat,
Will forever coal defeat.
last updated on 6-30-2012 from 8-5-08.
