Conservation
A Tale of Two Cities: Cutting 30% in 3 days...
05/06/08 11:06
...Just
by better managing lighting (including switching to
CFLs), heating and other resources. We think that
with a few water heater blankets, weather stripping,
timer thermostats, and a few other
Quick
Wins, Juneau will
shortly be using half without much change at all.
Honolulu
Hawaii: An ocean away, Honolulu is also reacting to
electricity costs that have jumped
42% in the past year. The article notes that the
University of Hawaii has set a goal of reducing
its power consumption by 30% in four years.
However students in the Saunders building have
changed some lighting, reset thermostats to more
comfortable temperatures, started turning off PCs
that are not in use, and will have achieved 30%
reduction in 6 months.
Whether in warm or cold climates, this tells us Americans can quickly and easily dramatically reduce energy consumption and save money with little inconvenience.
If we as a nation reduced our electricity consumption by 30%, we would need to build no more new power plants, and could even shut down the oldest and most polluting ones. Utilities can profitably lead the way by retailing lighting, insulation, smart power-strips and other energy conserving services & equipment directly to their customers. (They already have our billing info and if we don't pay, they simply turn off the lights!)
Honolulu
Hawaii: An ocean away, Honolulu is also reacting to
electricity costs that have jumped
42% in the past year. The article notes that the
University of Hawaii has set a goal of reducing
its power consumption by 30% in four years.
However students in the Saunders building have
changed some lighting, reset thermostats to more
comfortable temperatures, started turning off PCs
that are not in use, and will have achieved 30%
reduction in 6 months.
Whether in warm or cold climates, this tells us Americans can quickly and easily dramatically reduce energy consumption and save money with little inconvenience.
If we as a nation reduced our electricity consumption by 30%, we would need to build no more new power plants, and could even shut down the oldest and most polluting ones. Utilities can profitably lead the way by retailing lighting, insulation, smart power-strips and other energy conserving services & equipment directly to their customers. (They already have our billing info and if we don't pay, they simply turn off the lights!)
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