Use Efficient Lights
The new electronically ballasted compact fluorescent light bulbs a great way to save energy. They produce better quality light with less glare, and without the buzz associated with the old fluorescent lights. A single 18 watt compact fluorescent bulb produces as much light as a typical 75 watt (incandescent) bulb.

Yet over the course of its life the fluorescent bulb (compared to the incandescent bulb) will save the burning of 770 pounds of coal or 62 gallons of oil — enough to fuel an efficient car from Chicago to Miami.

The cost of this blessing? Nothing. In fact, less than nothing. This one bulb will save up to $100 in electricity costs. Even a 27 watt compact fluorescent bulb can lead to substantial savings. Compact fluorescent bulbs can seem intimidating because they are much more costly to begin with. But in the long run they will save a great deal of money because they last so much longer and use so much less electricity.

Save On Heating and Air Conditioning
Inside our homes we rarely know what the temperature is outside. We keep our homes at "room temperature" by chilling the air if it's hot and heating the air if it's cold. With the simple flip of a switch we can change the climate of our homes.

We have sweat glands for a reason: they produce moisture that evaporates from our skin to cool us off on hot days. If it's hot out, we can let ourselves know it and be more connected to our local climate by sweating. If we want to be more cool we can dunk our heads in cold water, dress lightly, or even (in extreme conditions) wear damp clothes. We can also drink cold liquids that will cool us off from the inside. If we plant trees in the proper locations they can provide shade to our homes, cutting the energy we use for air conditioning in half. These things might seem like common-sense, but unfortunately most Americans aren't practicing them. Isn't it ironic that we are creating global warming by cooling off our air with fossil fuels that make it hotter?

Sixty four percent of all American homes now have air-conditioning. Air conditioners usually use CFCs or other chemicals that destroy our ozone layer, and require large amounts of power. If those of us with air conditioners were willing to turn our thermostats up by 4° F., we could save 130,000 barrels of oil daily. If enough of us were willing to use less air conditioning, finding other ways to cool off, the positive impact on our planet would be immeasurable.

Heating our indoor air leads to the emission of more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere every year. If every US household lowered its average heating temperature by 6° F. for a day we'd save 500,000 barrels of oil. If we were to put on another sweater instead of cranking up the heater, the benefits would be cleaner air and a healthier future for all of us.

There are other things we can do to conserve energy:

• We can turn down the temperature on our water heater and make sure our hot water tanks are wrapped by insulation.

(Excellent, energy saving "on demand" water heaters are available from Real Goods Trading Corporation, 966 Mazzoni St., Ukiah, CA 95482-3471 (800)-762-7325.)

• We can buy and use more efficient refrigerators and freezers. These appliances use 7% of our nation's electricity. If ever you or your family get a new one, check out the energy-saving models. There are refrigerators and freezers that use only 10% of the energy of conventional models, and provide better service. (For information on the most energy-saving models, contact Real Goods.)

Huge amounts of warm or cold air are now escaping through our windows. By installing double or even triple-pained glass, we can cut this energy loss down immensely. If a new brand of "Super Window" that uses special coatings and gases were installed in every American home and office, we would save more than twice as much energy as we now get from Alaska.

As we become more efficient with our lifestyle, and as our government comes to support efficiency, we will save huge amounts of energy. And we will also save a great deal of money.

"If Americans were now as efficient as our Japanese and Western European competitors are — and even they have a long way to go — we'd save an additional $200 billion a year, which is more than last year's federal budget deficit. Buying the economically optimal amount of energy efficiency for the rest of this century could lead to net savings of several trillion dollars — enough, in principle, to pay off the entire national debt."

(Amory Lovins, The Atlantic,
December, 1987)