Several colleagues asked why we have to turn off monitors and power strips if we turn off the computer. It's because the computer draws power even when not in use.
Here is a helpful article on When to Turn Off Personal Computers: http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/appliances/index.cfm/mytopic=10070
Regarding Surge Protection:
http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green-your-home/electronics_guide/surge_protectors.html
Also, check out the latest article on energy news on the employee gateway. The New York Times article is on the Energy tab under the Energy Talk Portlet. It is titled: Plugged in Age Feeds a Hunger for Electricity: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/business/energy-environment/20efficiency.html?_r=2&emc=eta1.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
How to Operate a Prius
Have you wondered how to operate a Prius vehicle? Some of our Department Investigators already use them on the job through the Division of Fleet Services.
If you are interested in a Prius, here is a YouTube video made by one of our sister agencies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi6tVzCRA1g.
If you are interested in a Prius, here is a YouTube video made by one of our sister agencies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi6tVzCRA1g.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Employee Testimonials and Energy Savings Ideas
10/12/09 - from Glen Minson - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF DIVORCE
I read a study that says part of global warming and our carbon footprint can be attributed to the climbing divorce rate. A single person consumes nearly as much power and energy as two people living in the same dwelling. Here's the address of the study - http://www.pnas.org/content/104/51/20629
10/12/09 - from Dan T. Jones - TIPS FOR COOL WEATHER
Tip #1
Don't be in hurray to drain that hot bath tub or sink water- let it stay in the tub or sink until it cools- then drain it, a bath tub full of hot water can put a lot of heat into the house. A sink full of hot water can heat the bathroom.
Tip #2
If you are working in the kitchen and it's cold- just turn the oven on to its lowest temp usually around 100 degrees- Open the oven door. This will heat the kitchen and dining area nicely without turning on the heat in the entire house.
9/23/09 - From Eric Orton - SCOOTERS & MOTORCYCLES
Have you ever considered motorcycles or scooters as energy savers? If so, here's what Consumer Reports wants you to know: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/cars/scooters-and-motorcycles/overview/scooters-and-motorcycles-ov.htm
9/23/09 - From Phil Powlick - REMEMBER TO TURN OFF CONFERENCE ROOM LIGHTS
"One energy saving idea that you might remind people of at some point is to turn off lights in conference and hearing rooms when their meetings are done. These rooms don't have sensors in them (at least not on 4th floor) and I find myself turning off the lights from other peoples' meetings on our end of the floor at least once a day."
9/22/09 Anonymous - FOUND LIGHTING OPTIONS AND SAVINGS!
"I was impressed at our previous energy presentation at the information provided as to how much energy could be saved and used elsewhere if everyone just changed one bulb. Imagine the savings by changing all of the bulbs!. It took some time, as there is an expense to get changed over, but eventually our family discovered benefits aside from a savings on our power bill. As we all work at different times of day, our lights are basically being used all day. Myself and daughter work during the day while downstairs, my son sleeps as he works swing shift and stays up most of the night working on other things at home. His wife works from home writing computer programs and is “on call” 24/7 for electronic meetings with clients around the world. Basement recessed lighting all has the energy efficient bulbs needed for her to work on computer at night. The basement stairway light stays on all night to prevent falls when midnight snacks are required or when large Great Dane dogs need to go out. The kitchen overhead stove light stays on as a “night light” all the time, as does the overhead carport light needed at night. I even found one that discourages bugs from hanging around. The front porch also has an energy bulb. As these are all in use much of each day, they have been lasting much longer than the old bulbs which we were forever changing. As for myself, I have spent much time in my bedroom over the past three years due to knee surgeries. I need the light on during the day in order to see well enough to read or do anything else. By replacing the bulbs in my ceiling fan, the temperature in my room dropped substantially which was a great relief in our pre-central air days. I am sold on the energy efficient bulbs and try to buy an extra pack or two to have on hand."
9/14/09 From Daniel T. Jones - Re/AWNINGS
"One thing I have done at my house is to put those inexpensive roll up awnings out side, and roll them down in front of all of my sun exposed windows and doors. Temp difference in the house is about 10 degrees cooler. I roll them or remove them in the winter so we can have the solar gain during the day."
9/14/09 From Michele Madris-Orrell - EXPERIMENTING PAYS OFF!
"We, like most people have rooms that are too hot or too cold. We have had representatives out to our home to determine if we have the right equipment for our size home. Each representative explains that we have more than enough. Hearing commercial after commercial, we then had window replacement representatives out to our home and asked the same questions. Again, we were met the same answer that our windows were not the issue. It was recommended that we replace our back door. Still no one has any answers for us. Out of frustration, Fred & I began our own experience.
First item on the agenda and probably the most expensive was to add new insulation to our existing insulation. We were told that we should experience 20% - 30% drop in our heating and air conditioning. More like 10%. But that was a start. We spent a little more to have over the garage insulated just so we could keep the garage cooler in the summer.
Second, during the winter, I bought 2 inch thick garage door insulation panels from the hardware store and cut them to fit each window of the house. I place them in the windows during the winter months only. This saved 20% on our heating bill. We are nice and cozy without the heater on continuously.
Third, during the summer, the back of the house gets south/west sun. Long, consistent sun light. We lived in the low desert and always had solar screens to keep the house cooler. Our hardware stores here in Utah do not have more than 40% blocking sun screen...not good enough for what we wanted to accomplish. So, the last time I went to Las Vegas to visit family I stopped into the hardware store and bought 90% blocking sun screen materials. I purchased enough for the back of the house and I could match the colors of our home so to maintain a nice look. We measured the windows, cut the frames and made "full" window coverings. We left up the old window coverings that typically only cover one window so if we wanted to take the solar screens down during the winter it would be easy. This was awesome!! Our power bill stayed down during the entire summer, I have been able to maintain a cooler and more balanced environment plus I can work, cook and read in my kitchen without having extra fans blowing to keep me cool. This has been our greatest savings. Our summer powerbills are lower by 30% - 35%.
Fourth, concerned the front of the house. We have one large front window and one bedroom window in the front of our home. We were concerned with curb appeal first. We sought out window film with the same blocking power as the solar screens. This was really dual purpose. We get a lot of glare off the window in our living room so we wanted to prevent glare, block the sun and not the view of the mountains. This one window cost three times as much as our supplies for the solar screens. However we were able to maintain curb appeal, our view of the mountains, block the glare and the additional heat that we would get in the morning sun. Since only one window, there isn't much to calculate in monetary value. It was really about comfort and appeal.
Fifth, we replaced all old lighting fixtures, placed CFL bulbs in all including our outdoor lighting.
Sixth, we replaced our washer/dryer with New energy efficient. I'm not completely sold on this....
Seventh, we replaced our hot water heater and water softener with new energy efficient equipment.
Eighth, we attempted to have our back door fixed. These were French doors, however the company that installed them either did a poor job or the quality of the doors were poor. Either way, we ended up replacing the back door with a single door with a sidelight on either side. No more leaking of cool air.
Ninth, we replaced our kitchen stove and microwave with new energy efficient models.
It seems like a lot of work as I recap what we have done but it truly has paid off in cost, comfort and appeal our home. Our home is 31 years old and we are always looking for ways to save on energy. Now if I can just find a way to the dogs open/close the door for themselves, I think we would be good as ever."
9/10/09 From Irene Gayheart (DOPL) - WAY TO GO, IRENE!
"EVERY lightbulb in my home is a CFL. I have an energy efficient fridge, dishwasher, washer, and dryer. I keep any lamps, etc. unplugged unless in use (which is seldom). I keep blinds closed during the day to keep the heat down and have only used my energy efficient air conditioner 4 times this summer. My utility bills have been very low for the past couple of years. I recycle all paper, do not use paper towels or napkins to save on the landfill, and recycle all aluminum. I use Green Products for cleaning."
9/10/09 From Steven Cooley (DCP) - GREAT JOB IN CONVERTING AN OLD HOUSE!
"I live in a 100 year old house that was never intended to be energy efficient. The walls are solid brick, the windows are historic and can't be replaced with double pane glass. In short there is no insulation in my walls and no where to put it.
My electric bills were averaging $160 per month. Last year my wife convinced me to replace all the light bulbs with cfcs. It was no small task. Since the house is shaded with large porches on front and back we always have lights on. With in 3 months we realized that our electricity bills had dropped about $30.
We had never considered the insulation in the attic since we knew we couldn't insulate the walls. When a contractor contacted us about the rebates from Questar and Rocky Mountain Power, I blew him off explaining that it was useless to insulate our drafty old house. He maintained that just insulating the attic would save me money. There was no out of pocket expense so I let them install attic insulation. While they were at it I sealed up the fireplace chimney that we never use.
The insulation has been in for about 6 months. We have seen a huge drop in the electric bill again. We decided to make sure we are using less electricity so we pulled the usage records. Our usage has dropped about 50% overall. Needless to say our bill is much lower now.
The total cost to us was for about $200. for 40 cfc bulbs and $0 for insulation. We have saved more than we invested in less than 6 months."
I read a study that says part of global warming and our carbon footprint can be attributed to the climbing divorce rate. A single person consumes nearly as much power and energy as two people living in the same dwelling. Here's the address of the study - http://www.pnas.org/content/104/51/20629
10/12/09 - from Dan T. Jones - TIPS FOR COOL WEATHER
Tip #1
Don't be in hurray to drain that hot bath tub or sink water- let it stay in the tub or sink until it cools- then drain it, a bath tub full of hot water can put a lot of heat into the house. A sink full of hot water can heat the bathroom.
Tip #2
If you are working in the kitchen and it's cold- just turn the oven on to its lowest temp usually around 100 degrees- Open the oven door. This will heat the kitchen and dining area nicely without turning on the heat in the entire house.
9/23/09 - From Eric Orton - SCOOTERS & MOTORCYCLES
Have you ever considered motorcycles or scooters as energy savers? If so, here's what Consumer Reports wants you to know: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/cars/scooters-and-motorcycles/overview/scooters-and-motorcycles-ov.htm
9/23/09 - From Phil Powlick - REMEMBER TO TURN OFF CONFERENCE ROOM LIGHTS
"One energy saving idea that you might remind people of at some point is to turn off lights in conference and hearing rooms when their meetings are done. These rooms don't have sensors in them (at least not on 4th floor) and I find myself turning off the lights from other peoples' meetings on our end of the floor at least once a day."
9/22/09 Anonymous - FOUND LIGHTING OPTIONS AND SAVINGS!
"I was impressed at our previous energy presentation at the information provided as to how much energy could be saved and used elsewhere if everyone just changed one bulb. Imagine the savings by changing all of the bulbs!. It took some time, as there is an expense to get changed over, but eventually our family discovered benefits aside from a savings on our power bill. As we all work at different times of day, our lights are basically being used all day. Myself and daughter work during the day while downstairs, my son sleeps as he works swing shift and stays up most of the night working on other things at home. His wife works from home writing computer programs and is “on call” 24/7 for electronic meetings with clients around the world. Basement recessed lighting all has the energy efficient bulbs needed for her to work on computer at night. The basement stairway light stays on all night to prevent falls when midnight snacks are required or when large Great Dane dogs need to go out. The kitchen overhead stove light stays on as a “night light” all the time, as does the overhead carport light needed at night. I even found one that discourages bugs from hanging around. The front porch also has an energy bulb. As these are all in use much of each day, they have been lasting much longer than the old bulbs which we were forever changing. As for myself, I have spent much time in my bedroom over the past three years due to knee surgeries. I need the light on during the day in order to see well enough to read or do anything else. By replacing the bulbs in my ceiling fan, the temperature in my room dropped substantially which was a great relief in our pre-central air days. I am sold on the energy efficient bulbs and try to buy an extra pack or two to have on hand."
9/14/09 From Daniel T. Jones - Re/AWNINGS
"One thing I have done at my house is to put those inexpensive roll up awnings out side, and roll them down in front of all of my sun exposed windows and doors. Temp difference in the house is about 10 degrees cooler. I roll them or remove them in the winter so we can have the solar gain during the day."
9/14/09 From Michele Madris-Orrell - EXPERIMENTING PAYS OFF!
"We, like most people have rooms that are too hot or too cold. We have had representatives out to our home to determine if we have the right equipment for our size home. Each representative explains that we have more than enough. Hearing commercial after commercial, we then had window replacement representatives out to our home and asked the same questions. Again, we were met the same answer that our windows were not the issue. It was recommended that we replace our back door. Still no one has any answers for us. Out of frustration, Fred & I began our own experience.
First item on the agenda and probably the most expensive was to add new insulation to our existing insulation. We were told that we should experience 20% - 30% drop in our heating and air conditioning. More like 10%. But that was a start. We spent a little more to have over the garage insulated just so we could keep the garage cooler in the summer.
Second, during the winter, I bought 2 inch thick garage door insulation panels from the hardware store and cut them to fit each window of the house. I place them in the windows during the winter months only. This saved 20% on our heating bill. We are nice and cozy without the heater on continuously.
Third, during the summer, the back of the house gets south/west sun. Long, consistent sun light. We lived in the low desert and always had solar screens to keep the house cooler. Our hardware stores here in Utah do not have more than 40% blocking sun screen...not good enough for what we wanted to accomplish. So, the last time I went to Las Vegas to visit family I stopped into the hardware store and bought 90% blocking sun screen materials. I purchased enough for the back of the house and I could match the colors of our home so to maintain a nice look. We measured the windows, cut the frames and made "full" window coverings. We left up the old window coverings that typically only cover one window so if we wanted to take the solar screens down during the winter it would be easy. This was awesome!! Our power bill stayed down during the entire summer, I have been able to maintain a cooler and more balanced environment plus I can work, cook and read in my kitchen without having extra fans blowing to keep me cool. This has been our greatest savings. Our summer powerbills are lower by 30% - 35%.
Fourth, concerned the front of the house. We have one large front window and one bedroom window in the front of our home. We were concerned with curb appeal first. We sought out window film with the same blocking power as the solar screens. This was really dual purpose. We get a lot of glare off the window in our living room so we wanted to prevent glare, block the sun and not the view of the mountains. This one window cost three times as much as our supplies for the solar screens. However we were able to maintain curb appeal, our view of the mountains, block the glare and the additional heat that we would get in the morning sun. Since only one window, there isn't much to calculate in monetary value. It was really about comfort and appeal.
Fifth, we replaced all old lighting fixtures, placed CFL bulbs in all including our outdoor lighting.
Sixth, we replaced our washer/dryer with New energy efficient. I'm not completely sold on this....
Seventh, we replaced our hot water heater and water softener with new energy efficient equipment.
Eighth, we attempted to have our back door fixed. These were French doors, however the company that installed them either did a poor job or the quality of the doors were poor. Either way, we ended up replacing the back door with a single door with a sidelight on either side. No more leaking of cool air.
Ninth, we replaced our kitchen stove and microwave with new energy efficient models.
It seems like a lot of work as I recap what we have done but it truly has paid off in cost, comfort and appeal our home. Our home is 31 years old and we are always looking for ways to save on energy. Now if I can just find a way to the dogs open/close the door for themselves, I think we would be good as ever."
9/10/09 From Irene Gayheart (DOPL) - WAY TO GO, IRENE!
"EVERY lightbulb in my home is a CFL. I have an energy efficient fridge, dishwasher, washer, and dryer. I keep any lamps, etc. unplugged unless in use (which is seldom). I keep blinds closed during the day to keep the heat down and have only used my energy efficient air conditioner 4 times this summer. My utility bills have been very low for the past couple of years. I recycle all paper, do not use paper towels or napkins to save on the landfill, and recycle all aluminum. I use Green Products for cleaning."
9/10/09 From Steven Cooley (DCP) - GREAT JOB IN CONVERTING AN OLD HOUSE!
"I live in a 100 year old house that was never intended to be energy efficient. The walls are solid brick, the windows are historic and can't be replaced with double pane glass. In short there is no insulation in my walls and no where to put it.
My electric bills were averaging $160 per month. Last year my wife convinced me to replace all the light bulbs with cfcs. It was no small task. Since the house is shaded with large porches on front and back we always have lights on. With in 3 months we realized that our electricity bills had dropped about $30.
We had never considered the insulation in the attic since we knew we couldn't insulate the walls. When a contractor contacted us about the rebates from Questar and Rocky Mountain Power, I blew him off explaining that it was useless to insulate our drafty old house. He maintained that just insulating the attic would save me money. There was no out of pocket expense so I let them install attic insulation. While they were at it I sealed up the fireplace chimney that we never use.
The insulation has been in for about 6 months. We have seen a huge drop in the electric bill again. We decided to make sure we are using less electricity so we pulled the usage records. Our usage has dropped about 50% overall. Needless to say our bill is much lower now.
The total cost to us was for about $200. for 40 cfc bulbs and $0 for insulation. We have saved more than we invested in less than 6 months."
Lighting Information
Lighting is one of the biggest energy users in our homes.
· You can start saving 70% simply by using a new CFL (compact fluorescent light bulb). New CFLs last 10 times longer than regular light bulbs. They generate a lot less heat, which means lower cooling bills.
· Use motion sensors for inside and outside lighting. Motion sensor switches for indoor lighting costs as little as $10 at a home improvement store; fixtures for the exterior cost around $25.
· Use the lowest wattage bulbs for lights that are always on, like stairways. Replacing a 75-watt bulb with a 15-watt bulbs reduces energy usage by 80%. Replacing them with CFLs saves even more.
· Turning off lights in unoccupied rooms can save $10 per year for each office area, $5 per year for each restroom or storage room. Post turn off reminders on light switches!
· You can start saving 70% simply by using a new CFL (compact fluorescent light bulb). New CFLs last 10 times longer than regular light bulbs. They generate a lot less heat, which means lower cooling bills.
· Use motion sensors for inside and outside lighting. Motion sensor switches for indoor lighting costs as little as $10 at a home improvement store; fixtures for the exterior cost around $25.
· Use the lowest wattage bulbs for lights that are always on, like stairways. Replacing a 75-watt bulb with a 15-watt bulbs reduces energy usage by 80%. Replacing them with CFLs saves even more.
· Turning off lights in unoccupied rooms can save $10 per year for each office area, $5 per year for each restroom or storage room. Post turn off reminders on light switches!
Campaign Kickoff Monday September 14
Commerce Think! Energy
Campaign Kickoff
Monday, September 14, 2009, from 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. in Rm 210
· Bring a light bulb - Exchange for a CFL
· Cookie Tree Cookies Served
· Door Prizes
Campaign Kickoff
Monday, September 14, 2009, from 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. in Rm 210
· Bring a light bulb - Exchange for a CFL
· Cookie Tree Cookies Served
· Door Prizes
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