Conservation before Generation

I browsed the discussions on Renewable Energy here in the Green Home Huddle and felt I had to add a "conservation first and foremost" thread to the mix.

It's pretty simple:  the best thing that utility companies can currently do regarding energy production is to lower the demand with optimal practices and technology before increasing the supply.

People tend to put a great deal of emphasis inside and outside the green world on solar power technology, debates about nuclear power, optimal wind turbine shapes,etc. without acknowledging the clear benefits of reducing power demand first.  There are a lot of sexy devices being created that are elegant and efficient, but that tends to get much more press than the great new tools we have to monitor and subsequently reduce our power demands.

It's also a matter of putting way too much faith in future technology and its required  mass-consumption, with the localized goal of reducing very easy to fix energy losses being overshadowed.  The truth is, the new power grid and new solar advances are still going to mean small potatoes if we keep making more humans and we humans keep wasting energy left and right.

My question is, will we simply stop talking about energy conservation if sometime in the next 10 years we find a way to capture 90% of the sun's energy in every solar panel?  What if we all actually did have a magic 8KW paint-on solar roof?  Would we think it's okay to waste power uneccesarily?  I hope not.  A kilowatt saved is worth more than a kilowatt generated no matter how you slice it or how cheap solar energy might become.

Aaron Campbell Energy

I agree conservation is the one thing we can all do immediately and without cost. I have heard so many times it costs too much to go green. I like to tell people to consider energy conservation as a first step that is not only free, but will likely save you money. You can start by adjusting your thermostat by just 1 or 2 degrees, turning off lights, unplugging appliances that use standby energy. You can then use the savings to by products that will make it easier to do these tasks, dimmers, timers, light sensors, power strips with switches etc.

When I finally talked my husband into investing in solar panels, he became invested in energy conservation. I think it was I want to make the most of our investment mentallity. We were able to cut our electric usage by almost 1/3 before we got our panels and most items cost nothing. The biggest savings was due to the way we use our climate control. I keep the house warmer, I open windows in the morning and use the ceiling fans I've always had, but rarely used. I find it easier to go outside on hot days without overheating and our utility bills were much lower. My first full month with my solar panels my bill went from over $200 to less than $20, much less than estimated by the installer.

Wow - that's fantastic.

@Aaron Campbell - I totally agree with you. That has been one of the tricky things about explaining the value of this community to people. We get "dark green" people saying, "You can't buy your way to sustainability!!", to which we respond, "we're not selling anything."

First and foremost we want to be a fun community that brings passionate people together and can act as a resource for those who may not know as much. I think one place where there truly is a dearth of knowledge is in what sustainable options are for everyday products and why they matter...I hope we're contributing in that way as well.

As far as some great resources we have in place already:

How To Save Energy Around The House
How To Save Water Around The House

How To Reduce Vampire Power

Introduction To Energy Efficient Lighting

All of the wikis are worth browsing and the "H's" have lots of how to content: http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/alpha/h

If you have any idea on how to better feature this content, let us know! Thanks!

@Deej , It's a good phrase to investigate "buying sustainability".  It needs to be unpacked from multiple viewpoints.  I offer a service at my company, energy efficiency audits.  They cost money, but they return more than they cost nearly every time.  People who take the plunge and buy solar panels do a similar thing on a larger scale. 

Some folks argue that @whsgreenmom's purchase of PV panels was hasty and indulgent, but upon reflection others would say it was the triggerpoint to their family's further conservation and sustainability investments.  I see the discussion as a system issue, and I simply try to  improve the system where I can while watching and learning from others doing the same.  We're all doing what we think is best given the information we have access to and levels of passion/awareness.

For some, they absolutely are doing the right thing by buying into sustainability!  They are simply shifting their funds from less green things to more. I feel no shame at all for instance, in donating money to the Obama campaign or buying a relatively more expensive TDI Jetta to run biodiesel.   Perhaps some are purging their eco-guilt with eco-shopping.  I can't judge either way, I can only do my part to inform and discuss.  That's what the Green Home Huddle means to me.  A place to vote with my dollars, do a better thing, and yes, purge some guilt.  As long as you're continually striving to be more aware of yourself and the reality around you, there are many paths up the deep green mountain.

whsgreenmom has basically touched on a point that is often not mentioned:  You can't "solar power" your way out if inefficiency...   Conserving is where you start - once you get your home/business where you think it should be consumption wise with efficient practices, then incorporating solar is something to consider...

Conservation is probably the biggest piece of the energy puzzle out there!

I whole heartedly agree with the 'energy conservation first' approach.

What disappointed me during the elections was that both presidential candidates kept talking about they will drill for more oil or build more nuclear power plants or ..... i.e. their approach was to finance the supply side of the energy supply / demand equation.

We've been collecting energy conservation tips on our home web site for the past year or so and came up with around 100. We then ran this contest for folks to submit one energy conservation tips with each entry for some gift cards to an international building supply retailer (sorry, contest over now). 

Here is what surprised us. We thought at 100 tips we were doing pretty good. Not by a long shot. We had over another 100+ energy conservation tips that were not yet on our home web site's tips list.

And further more, the vast majority of these new / addtional tips were cheap and simple to do....somewhere in the neighbourhood of around 90% of the new tips received thru the contest.

While that made us think about things and decide to focus on energy conservation in the home during January on our home web site to cover all / most of the now over 200 home energy conservation tips we have, it just goes to show that before folks spend much money on this or that energy conservation appliances / products there are literally hundreds of cheap and easy ways to conserve energy in the home, which will help the environment and which will save them money ...... perhaps to then pay for the energy conservation products to take them to the next level .... or perhaps just to pay for the next month's mortage payment, what with the current state of the economy and all.

Dan

Conservation is only a sacrifice to most people because their homes are way too big for their needs. Downsize by 50% and your bills will automatically reduce by nearly as much, and you won't even feel the pinch.

Gina

www.my-green-home-project.com

Great points all.  And especially @Cactus,  for your point about downsizing your home.  My favorite eco-tip of all is a very simple but difficult solution that has many long-term and short term energy savings:

Live within walking distance to work. 

However long that walk means to you, just be able to walk there.  Almost no other "upgrade" can do as much for energy savings, or more importantly, life satisfaction levels.

  It might mean quitting a job, changing careers, or just asking for more flex-time, but the closer you are to your work, the less carbon you're putting up in the atmosphere.  Whether it's the big carbon creators like the car you use to get to work, or the slightly smaller carbon creators like going out to lunch at a restaurant versus coming home to a bowl of soup and a homemade sandwich, the value of working near your home cannot be overstated.

When I do my home and small business energy audits, I tell people all about CFLs, low-flow showerheads and duct leakage, but my biggest impact can often come when they take my advice about working near home.  I put it into perspective for them, and often engage in a conversation about job and career satisfaction as well.  You'd be surprised at how much energy you save just being a bit happier on the job, no matter where it is.  And if it happens to be in your own living room, so much the better!

Aaron

Campbell

Energy

www.campbell-energy.com

Great to see everybody encouraging conservation.

One of the biggest savers of energy in both large and small homes is a solid insulation strategy for the roof system. Solar is a great solution in some cases, and fun to show neighbors - but the ROI numbers don't always pencil.

There are many insulation products on the market. Reflective insulation is very effective in acting as a radiant heat barrier for your home (Low-E blocks 97%). Some reflective insulation products can be used with existing fiberglass/cellulose insulation to gain higher R-values in the roof system. In the summer, the lower you can get the temperature in your attic space, the less the cooling load on your a/c system. The opposite is true during winter.

Take a look at insulation for your home. A watt saved is the same as a watt generated only cleaner.

Brian Townsend

TierraPath.com

Great to see everybody encouraging conservation.

One of the biggest savers of energy in both large and small homes is a solid insulation strategy for the roof system. Solar is a great solution in some cases, and fun to show neighbors - but the ROI numbers don't always pencil.

There are many insulation products on the market. Reflective insulation is very effective in acting as a radiant heat barrier for your home (Low-E blocks 97%). Some reflective insulation products can be used with existing fiberglass/cellulose insulation to gain higher R-values in the roof system. In the summer, the lower you can get the temperature in your attic space, the less the cooling load on your a/c system. The opposite is true during winter.

Take a look at insulation for your home. A watt saved is the same as a watt generated only cleaner.

Brian Townsend

TierraPath.com

We now have that list I referred to above of over 240 home energy conservation tips up on our home site if anyone is interested.

Yes, it is quite lengthy so next month we will write different articles focusing on different groupings of energy conservation ideas for the home.

The list can be found here on the Energy Conservation page of our home blog.

Dan