Energy Tips
Energy Tip 1 – You have the power!
Be aware of energy use on a daily basis and create new habits to reduce power consumption. At home, we turn off lights when we leave a room and we often unplug things when we are not using them. At work or school, we are also empowered to turn off lights and unplug equipment that is not in use. You have the power to save energy and you can make a difference!
Energy Tip 2 – There are simple things you can do to save energy!
Being energy-wise is not rocket science…turn off your computer or laptop instead of leaving it on all the time (turn off your printer too). Use a toggle-switch power strip and plug things into it – turning off the red switch cuts power to what is plugged in. Turn on only the lights you need in a room and turn them off when you are finished. Little choices add up to big results. You have the power to make a difference.
Energy Tip 3 – Know the amount of energy equipment uses.
The wattage of light bulbs is known because it is on the packaging. Much of the equipment we use has “standby” mode that uses energy, even when the equipment appears to be off. Computers and monitors use about 200 watts per hour when on and 26 watts per hour in standby mode. That standby power is enough to power 48 CFL bulbs for 24 hours. Knowledge is power and you have the power to make a difference.
Energy Tip 4 – Social justice and electricity generation
Most people do not think about the social consequences of generating electricity. There are LG&E power plants at Cane Run (natural gas), Mill Creek (coal) and Trimble County (coal) to supply the energy needs of our community. The families and children who live near the power stations receive the majority of the pollution, particulates and carbon emissions. While the electricity is directed across the area, we should be aware of the people who reside near the power plants and conserve energy. You have the power to make a difference.
Energy Tip 5 – Social Justice and Emissions from Power Plants
It is not easy living near a power plant. Coal-fired plants contribute 67 percent of sulfur dioxide (SO2), 23 percent of nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 34 percent of all mercury emissions in the nation, it is not surprising to notice increased rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and pre-mature and low birth-weight births in these communities. Emissions tests at coal plants have revealed 67 different air toxics. You have the power to make a difference by conserving energy.
​
Energy Tip 6 – Health Effects of power generation
One of the most misunderstood issues with electricity production is the health effects of burning fossil fuels. Air pollution from coal fired power plants affects lungs and hearts of people who have constant exposure to power plant emissions. Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides can increase wheezing and coughing in those with asthma, airway inflammation, and can also increase susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections. You have the power to make a difference by conserving energy.
UofL 10/16
Energy Tip 7 – Health effects of burning coal
Burning coal releases mercury. After mercury is released to the air, it is deposited in bodies of water where it is converted to methylmercury (an organic form) that accumulates in fish tissues. Humans are exposed to mercury primarily through the consumption of contaminated fish. Methlymercury’s neurotoxic effects are particularly threatening to child development. Continued exposure in early childhood can result in learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.
Energy Tip 8 – Understand Vampire Load on Halloween
Vampire load, phantom load, or ghost load all refer to the way electricity is consumed by electronic devices and appliances while they are switched off, but are designed to use some power in standby mode. Such devices often have remote controls (TVs and entertainment), digital clocks (microwave or coffee pot), or power adapters (wireless or cell phones, laptops and computers). These devices draw power without using any features. Happy Halloween, but think how this can cost you without benefit!
​
​Energy Tip 9 – Vampire Load
Vampire loads come from equipment that draws power, even though it may be turned “off”. The following items use the most “stand by” power in a home or a school (and they are all entertainment oriented). The Set Top boxes with our TV (DVR, digital cable, digital cable with DVR, satellite, satellite with DVR) average 28.28 watts when “Off” and 30.20 watts when “On”. That is the number of watts used every hour – 24/7/365. You have the power to make a difference in what you plug in.
​
​
​
Energy Tip 10 – Vampire Load – Home and Office
Home and work office equipment such as desktop computers, monitors, printers and anything with a digital display such as microwaves and coffee machines are also working against the electric bill. Many of those chargers around the house that keep cell phones, power tools and MP3 players at the ready constantly draw power when plugged in. You have the power to make a difference in what you unplug, or you can plug items into a toggle-switch power strip and turn off the switch to stop energy draw.
Energy Tip 11 – Vampire Loads – Unplug it!!
You can eliminate an energy drain at work, school or home – the easiest thing to do is to unplug items when not in use, especially things that are not used regularly. This week while you are at home for the Thanksgiving holiday, look for what is plugged in around you and consider if it is necessary to keep it plugged in. Reducing the vampire load saves money, improves public health and requires less power generation by the utility company. You have the power to make a difference!
Energy Tip 12 – Vampire Load – Power Strips
The average home or classroom has about 20 vampire loads and the case with these appliances is that, “off” does not really mean “off.” By installing new power strips where electronic clusters originally existed, you will save up to $200 in your electricity bill this year by turning the toggle switch off. If you are satisfied with your results and the simplicity of installing power strips, inform others about the vampire load phenomenon. Chances are, they have never heard of it!
Partnership for a Green City Tip 13 – Heating and Energy Efficiency
According to the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey, about 51% of the gas and electric used in schools and office buildings goes to heating, ventilation and air conditioning throughout the year. Use the sun for free heat - open the curtains or shades on your south-facing and west-facing windows during winter days to bring free heat into your home. Close your window coverings when the sun goes down to keep the heat inside.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 14 – Heating and Energy Efficiency in Winter
Heating and cooling work and school buildings can be expensive, but indoor temperatures must be comfortable so people can concentrate on work or teaching and students can concentrate on learning. Thermostat settings of 68 degrees for heating and 78 degrees for cooling are recommended and people should dress appropriately, keeping a sweater, sweatshirt or hoodie available to wear if needed to warm up. For every -1 degree change on the thermostat, you can save 514 kWh each year (Seattle City Light).
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 15 – Heating Tips for Increased Efficiency
Don’t block the airflow around vents. Keep bookcases and other bulky items away from the heating and cooling units so they don’t block and/or absorb the warm (or cool) air that should be coming into the room. Where offices or classrooms, or other areas that are uncomfortably cold or drafty, find out why and fix the problem. Facility personnel, employees, teachers, and students should work together to increase building comfort.
​
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 16 – Increase Heating Efficiency – Things we can all do
Students and employees can help save energy in different and easy ways! Determine areas of energy loss by using “draft-meters” made from tissue paper and pencils to study where drafts are entering. Then, anyone can help replace insulation, seal, and stuff energy loss “holes” with innovative measures, like making translucent window quilts (coloring on plastic sheeting or thin material) to hang in classrooms or offices and “insulation snakes” to put at the bottom of windows and outside doors..
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 17 – Light bulbs and lamps
People bought incandescent bulbs for years…their average usable life is 3,000 hours, they use a lot of energy and give off significant heat. Now, light emitting diode (LED) bulbs are popular –using 90-95% less energy than incandescent bulbs without nearly as much heat and last up to 50,000 hours. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) use about 75% less energy and last about 10,000 hours. They continue getting more efficient lighting at work and school, but we can make good choices at home or in the fixtures we bring to school. Stores routinely put LEDs on sale so you can try them out to see what works for you. You can also look for the color temperature to determine whether you like your light more yellowish 2000 – 3500 degrees Kelvin (K), natural white – 4000K, or bluish 5100 – 6000K.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 18 – More about LED Bulbs
Energy Star writes that LED lighting differs from incandescent and fluorescent in several ways. When designed well, LED lighting is more efficient, versatile, and lasts longer. LEDs are “directional” light sources, which means they emit light in a specific direction, unlike incandescent and CFL, which emit light and heat in all directions. That means LEDs are able to use light and energy more efficiently in a multitude of applications. However, it also means that sophisticated engineering is needed to produce an LED light bulb that shines light in every direction.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 19 – Computers and Energy
After HVAC and lighting, computers and monitors have the highest energy consumption in school or office environments. First, do not use screen savers, they make the computer work constantly to scroll something on the monitor. Instead, set computers to go into “sleep” mode when not in active use. Energy Star reports a possible savings of $6.38 per computer/per year placed in sleep mode (or $6,380 for every 1000 computers). If UofL has 15,000 computers, that is $96,000 a year, so let them sleep.
For example, JCPS has approximately 60,000 computers, if all were set for “sleep” mode, the school district would save $383,000 a year.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 20 – Computers and Energy
Approximately half of all office, school or home computers are left on overnight and on weekends. Evenings and weekends account for 75% of the week, so ensuring computers are turned off at night dramatically reduces their energy consumption. Tip for work, school and home – a high tech gaming computer uses three times the energy used to power your kitchen or breakroom refrigerator/freezer. All computer equipment should be turned off at the end of the day and on weekends, unless your network technicians specifically instruct otherwise.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 21 – Computers and Energy
​
Manual power management, which relies on users to turn off their computers, can achieve impressive results with ongoing education and reinforcement. It takes a few weeks to change behavior and retain new habits. Automatic power management relies on software, or built in energy saving features. Theoretically, automatic power management can achieve 100% power management, with all computers turned off when not required and in low power mode when idle.
Remember: enable sleep mode or turn it off.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 22 – Computers and Energy
Turning down the brightness of the computer monitor (or any other monitor) saves energy. This is actually a good tip for users with laptops, netbooks, two screens and other mobile devices (including cell phones). It can also be helpful on desktop systems. It is enough to turn the brightness down to 50%, as you won't get much benefit when you turn it down further. Save 50% on energy costs by using Energy Star computers, monitors, printers, and other equipment. Visit www.energystar.gov for more information.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 23 – March is a "Green" Month
We can all take initiative and organize energy conservation learning opportunities for the people who work or take classes with us. We should educate and encourage employees/coworkers who identify and implement energy savings, then reward the students, staff and faculty who work at the Partnership organizations (JCPS, UofL, JCTC and Metro Government) for their innovative, money-saving ideas. We will recognize and celebrate the implementation of successful energy efficiency measures. Everyone can help!
​
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 24 – March is a "Green" Month
There are a number of “green” behaviors that we don’t always think about. Please don’t use the handicapped access button to open building doors unless you need assistance with building entry. These access pads do use energy to open the doors, but when people use it as a convenience, it lets the conditioned air out of the building and the outside air in. Use stairs if you are able, rather than using the elevator. Not only does this save energy, but it is also a healthier practice.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 25 – Stay "Green" in March!
Start a new habit of making sure that you turn off all your equipment at the end of each day at work, at school and at home. A few things to consistently turn off are lights, computers, monitors, printers, scanners, etc. SMART power strips have a “main” plug for your computer or TV and additional plugs for other equipment around your computer or entertainment center. When you turn your main item on, all other items turn on, but when you turn the main item off, the other items are powered off automatically. These save up to 75% of energy use for equipment and they double as surge protectors.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 26 – It's Spring, Stay "Green"!!
Compact refrigerators are designed to use space efficiently, but are not as efficient using energy according to Consumer Reports. In their latest testing, most mini fridges use as much energy, if not more, than a full-sized refrigerator/freezer. Most compact fridges cost $80 - $100 a year to operate while many of the energy efficient home refrigerator/freezers cost between $47 and $54 a year in energy costs. Share a mini fridge with a “work neighbor” or see if you can share a full size unit.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 27 – Year-round energy and paper saving tip!
Reduce Paper Waste and Save Energy: 1. Print only when necessary. This will not only reduce paper wastage but also helps to cut energy required to run printer which in turn reduces your energy cost and makes life of your printer longer. 2. Set your printer/copier to copy on both sides of the paper when you must print. 3. Don’t print every email – keep things filed or archived electronically. Little behavior changes DO add up to big results!
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 28 – Brainstorm energy savings ideas
Saving energy is not the sole responsibility of administrators. Students and employees must be delegated responsibility to come up with their own innovative ideas to decrease energy use and costs. Public institutions often underestimate their constituent’s ideas, so having an open dialogue about things that could be changed about energy usage at work/school is very important. This allows for the creation of an energy efficient work culture in your organization.
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 29 – Do what you can to reduce energy
Encouraging faculty, staff and students to be more energy efficient is a challenge faced by many K – 12 schools as well as higher education institutions. Putting a focus on behavior change initiatives at school or work still has the potential to achieve a considerable reduction in energy consumption without a huge investment in major infrastructure changes. Do what you can to help – especially in this time of budget cuts When everyone does something to help, little things add up to BIG results!
​
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 30 – Do what you can to reduce energy
Energy behavior change also involves the energy used in transportation. When possible, carpool, vanpool, bike, or use public transportation. All four partners have “Idle Free” policies, so don’t let the vehicle engine idle for more than 10 seconds while sitting at drive through or pick up lanes. To be more fuel efficient, drive the speed limit, accelerate and decelerate more slowly, plan your trip route to eliminate back-tracking and make sure tires are inflated to the correct pressure.
​
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 3 1– Do what you can to reduce energy
​
Two quotes apply to how we think about sustainability. George Bernard Shaw wrote “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Sydney Smith wrote “It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can”. We can all do a little to be better consumers of energy, so commit to one change and make it a habit.
​
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 32 – Do what you can to reduce energy
Get energy tips, professional development or a mini energy assessment from the Partnership for a Green City to examine your work or school space to determine more efficient energy behaviors. It is part of what we do for Jefferson County Public Schools, Jefferson Community and Technical College, Louisville Metro Government and the University of Louisville. We can also do lunch and learns or other training. Find out what energy hogs are lurking in your vicinity. Call us at 502-852-8854, if you want to learn more. We want to help you to do what you can!.
​
Partnership for a Green City Energy Tip 33 – Do what you can to reduce energy
In sustainability/behavior change research, Social Empowerment Principle states “institutions and people who feel they can reach desirable goals – often do”. The Partnership involves people in the program design and processes through different teams. As we learn more about conserving energy, we want to control our use; get better what we do; and be part of something bigger to create positive change. Call 852-8854 to join a team and make a difference.