This October is Energy Awareness Month, and it is a good time to go over your energy routine and think of ways to conserve energy in your home and daily life.
Pay attention to the energy use in your home so you can monitor how much you are using. Simply unplugging some large energy consumers when they are not in use, such as home entertainment systems, and turning off lights when you leave a room, can save you money on your utility bill each month.
Stay up-to-date on new appliances and technologies that save energy and money, so that when it comes time to replace something, you know the most energy friendly options. You can find information on energy efficient appliances at EnergyStar.gov.
You can also help your kids understand the importance of energy conservation by teaching them how they can make a difference and why it is important to care about preserving our planet. Energy Star Kids is a fun, interactive, and educational tool your kids can explore.
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. This video is a tour of the 2011 winning entry from the University of Maryland.
Transcript
Student Leah Davies:
During our design process, we wanted to integrate simple design, vernacular design, and modern design. So a very technologically innovative and modern home that’s comfortable to live in. We’re really excited that our message and our mission goes beyond solar.
Student Allyson Wilson:
But our story is also about water, and how we can capture that resource and cycle it through our house, and reuse it on site instead of letting it become runoff to areas down the stream. To do that, we have a number of technologies. We have a green roof. We also have a constructed wetland that runs through the core of our house, which filters our gray water and stores our storm water.
Student Leah Davies:
We have two liquid desiccant waterfalls. It’s a dehumidifying system that basically combines engineering and architecture to become a design feature. What it does is it draws moisture from the air and mixes it with a lithium-chloride solution. So the air that’s released into the back into the house is dry, which significantly reduces the loads on our mini-split system.
Student Allyson Wilson:
It really does take a village to build this house. We would not be here without the ridiculous amounts of help we’ve received from our teammates. It really is a team effort, and I think that’s one of our greatest strengths is that we’ve all really been there for each other in the last week, in terms of somebody needs help and everybody’s stepping up. It’s a great project to be a part of.
Why will either of them matter when I shop for light bulbs?
Not sure? Watch a new video from the Federal Trade Commission to be illuminated. You’ll learn how lumens and the FTC’s Lighting Facts label can help you compare different bulbs when you shop.
Newer light bulbs — like halogen incandescents, CFLs and LEDs — use less energy by design. But that means you can’t use watts, which measure energy use, to tell how bright they’ll be. That’s where lumens come in: Lumens = brightness. The more lumens, the brighter the light.
You’ll also get a sneak peek of the Lighting Facts label, due on packages for everyday bulbs by the end of the year. The label helps you compare bulbs by telling you a bulb’s brightness (in lumens), yearly estimated energy cost, expected bulb life, and how warm or cool the light will look.
