Small Moves You Can Take at Home to Conserve

It seems to me the real need for change, ability to save energy, cut costs, as well as restore faith in a secure and positive future for America, lays with regulating the government and industrial sectors. These are the two wolves that can be tamed and must be soon. We the people need to monitor our government, and this government needs to monitor the corporate and military sectors more effectively. Every government employee should be accountable for their

work and be paid according to their performance (and reprimanded if needed). We the people are their employers, and the creators of our laws, or at least we should / can be. We should review all the rules / laws on the books legislate these by popular vote done incrementally on a monthly basis, adding new ones in a similar fashion. The new advances in telecommunications makes this

possible, as never before in our history. Then we the people should do the same for the rules concerning all non-private sector scenarios.

If we can wean off any gluttony, laziness, greed, and negativity, then we can make a difference that is lasting and healthy. Moderation, balance, and honesty are elements in our society that face extinction, it seems. Saving in energy costs will benefit the entire world, if done correctly. It could also pollute it and cause reason for unnecessary death and destruction. The answer is simple: know and be ourselves, while choosing to do the right thing (as outlined by our super-ego

/ greater man / holy spirit / etc.).

Just as we should not be forced into doing the right thing by a totalitarian government, we need to allow for differences amongst individuals in our and other societies, and preserve everyone's freedoms who abide by our mutually agreed upon rules. The time has come to return to the tenants of our founding fathers, review the changes made through time for current relevance, and be the person / country we want to become.

Consider these cost saving tips:

-Ban law office advertisements designed to enlist large class-action suits (and legal fees in the process). These generate huge costs to every consumer indirectly.

-Encourage government subsidies for purchases and upgrades that result in tangible energy efficiency and conservation (instead of an extremely limited number of vehicle models that change like the wind, or paying farmers and other businesses to not grow a certain crop or do anything, as it is now).

-Create a system of credit for all politician’s personal and professional expenses, while removing their ability to increase their wealth outside of an agreed upon yearly budget and post-service benefits. Any bribe or incentive received in connection with their role while in office should have stronger consequences, including mandatory jail time and government seizure of all assets -

regardless of when obtained - when convicted. Spending some money watching them very closely, starting when they accept a position in our service, would more than pay for itself, and we would be assured the highest quality of government..

-Create and follow through with a plan to eliminate all foreign debt and / or dependence as a priority of our government, and do so in a way that does not affect the private sector other than as noted above.

of VT 2:00PM April 27, 2008

Keep in mind that the manual for the Kill-A-Watt indicates that you should let your tests run for a "period of time" ("the longer, the better") to get a "true indication" of actual usage of an appliance, which means that such appliances that cycle on and off could take up to a month to determine an accurate power consumption rate, in order for you to see how much energy you're using in a year. So, depending on how many items you have to test in your home (and how many others you buy throughout the year and test when you bring them home), it may take you almost a year to find out how much it's costing you.

Upon reading the users manual for the Kill-A-Watt, it indicates that it uses 10Watts, which comes to 87.6KWH per year. At a low rate of 14-cents/KWH, that comes to 12.26/year.

So, to find out that your microwave oven display clock is costing you $2/year or a 4W night-light is costing you $3/year or that your 5W desk lamp is costing you $6 year (if these were all left on 24/7), you have used more power trying to determine how much you can save, than it cost you to determine the costs of those units.

When you're doing your cost analysis, don't forget to add in the $20 average cost of the unit... after all, those pennies add up. Has anyone asked how much energy the manufacturer is using in a year, to build these units? How much is this adding to the "greenhouse effect" on the Earth's environment.

And while we're calculating the costs to the consumer... it would be interesting to find out if the company received any federal grants to design & build the device and if they get tax credits/deductions for their contribution of an energy-saving device. If so, then we would have to determine how much this is costing the average taxpayer each year.

How much would we all save if we threw out our computers? Instead of sitting here reading about how much energy we could save by buying one of these units and unplugging our microwave or toaster when not in use. Of course, that would lead to more landfill rubbish and the environmental problems that would cause... and the cycle continues... we're doomed?

Jim F of TX 10:26AM April 27, 2008

I read a lot of worthless garble. The old fashioned lawn mower was the only "tip" that I read. The other posts belonged on a political site.

Grandma of IN 9:03AM April 27, 2008

It's too bad that some inconsiderate people have tried to take the thread off-task. Perhaps they were absent the day their local elementary school taught manners and respect. However, I read to the end of the comments and most were interesting.

Manual reel lawn mower? I used one when I was a stay-at-home mom with less about 1/3 an acre of grass. Now I work outside the home and have about 3/4 of an acre of grass and can't even imagine how much time it would take to cut the grass with one of those. It takes us an hour for the front yard and two hours for the back yard as it is...

Bummer that it's the refrigerators bought before 1993--I was hoping I'd need to buy a new one. LOL I guess this one will be good for a few more years. I did get rid of my heavy metal antique freezer a few years ago--it worked beatifully, but I suspect it sucked tons of electricity.

Flourescent lights are NOT good for some people with Irlen Syndrome and/or those with some neurological disorders. They can cause shadows to appear, headaches, and the minute flickering can trigger seizures. So test them out...we've found that we can use the twisty flourescent bulbs in hallways, utility rooms and outdoors--but not in the house. They make me crazy--it's actually painful. However, I can put them in my daughter's room (they don't bother her) because I don't spend vast amounts of time in there. I don't have such a strong reaction to the twisty bulbs that look like regular bulbs. It costs a little to experiment, but it's worth it. (I also have a small flourescent bulb under the counter in the kitchen. I can handle it because the fixture is not exposed. I couldn't deal with the flourescent lights in the ceiling and we had to replace the fixtures.)

As for gasoline/diesel usage...we have Park-n-Ride lots all over this city. Considering the use I've observed, they have cut down significantly on air pollution and fuel consumption. I don't use one...I live 11.1 miles from my job, 1 mile from shopping, and 10 miles from church--when I'm feeling the pinch, I'll air up the tires on my bicycle. (My 17 yr old daughter already uses her bike when she goes to the store...no driver's license. It works for us.) I foresee a time when we'll both use our bicycles when the weather is nice...or at least not freezing. Here in Texas, that could be 10 months out of the year. We'll have to get used to getting ready and leaving earlier, but it's doable.

To noank of NV..."Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Oh, my! He couldn't have said it better! We are in a political bind...and a financial bind...and an energy bind. Last week, when I griped about the cost of groceries, my son told me I'd been predicting it for a year and asked why I was complaining. He's right...I had been and now it is here. I guess I was hoping that I was wrong.

volleyballgranny of TX 8:56AM April 27, 2008