Established Homes, Inc.
Team 1
Environmental Politics
November 3, 2009
Retrofit: Saving Money through Energy
Efficiency 4019549422
“How to Save the World from Your Own
Home”
Kevin Luczak: luczak@rpi.edu
Deborah Kraft: kraftd@rpi.edu
Mangesh Tamhankar: tamham@rpi.edu
Adrienne Wilson: wilsoa4@rpi.edu
Joshua Nunziante: nunzij@rpi.edu
Have you heard the story of the ant and the grasshopper? There was once a
grasshopper that liked to play. He would chirp and dance all the time, and did so all
through summer. One day, the grasshopper came across a very busy ant that was
gathering grain to store for the winter. The grasshopper asked the ant to stop
working and chirp and dance along with him for a while. The ant responded that it
was too busy to play at that time because it had to keep storing up food for the winter
and advised the grasshopper to do the same. The grasshopper declined, exclaiming
that winter was still far off and that there would still be plenty of food around. So the
ant turned down the grasshopper’s offer and continued to gather food while the
grasshopper continued his play. When winter did come along however, the
grasshopper found himself starving while the ant enjoyed the benefits of his work.
Now, if the grasshopper had listened to the ant he would have survived the
winter, right? But he didn’t. It just goes to show how important responsibility and
making plans for the future really is. So what if you were to find out that we are
slowly digging our own graves? Currently, 84% of the United States’ energy comes
from carbon emitting pollutants1. The carbon dioxide that is being pumped into the
air is causing massive climate change that will have adverse consequences of
astronomical proportions. In addition, these pollutants are products of
nonrenewable resources, so we will also soon run out of them. Will we be like the
grasshopper, and wait for catastrophe to occur before we act? Or will we be like the
ant, and address the issue before it is too late? In order to be like the ant, we need to
cut back on our carbon emissions significantly and quickly. Acting as the
grasshopper would mean doing nothing, which will result in things like this:
Image source: Brand Republic
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This is just a theoretical image, but scientific evidence shows that this future is
very possible12. The ice cap on Mount Kilimanjaro may be gone in 20 years. About
1/3 of Mount Kilimanjaro’s ice field has disappeared in the last 12 years and 82% of it
has vanished since it was first mapped in 1912. Furthermore, sea ice in the Arctic
Ocean is thinning. Massive Antarctic ice sheets have collapsed into the sea with
alarming rapidity. Since the end of the last ice age, 18,000 years ago, sea level has
risen by over 120 meters. Geological data suggests that global average sea level
may have risen at an average rate of 0.1 to 0.2 mm/yr over the last 3000 years.
However, tide gauge data indicate that the global rate of sea level rise during the
20th century was 1 to 2 mm/yr. Some of these effects are illustrated in the following
images.
Source: We Are Change
Source: PBS
In addition to simultaneously increasing our supply of electricity and
integrating new and improved alternative energy technologies into our grid, we
should make use of cheap technologies that already exist that can reduce our
electricity consumption by over ten percent2. Small changes in the behavior of
Americans can also reduce electricity consumption at home. Pursuing alternative
options such as these could have an immediate impact on the United States’ carbon
dioxide emissions. Technology has made it considerably easier to reduce electricity
consumption within the home; newer appliances are more energy efficient, using
less electricity without the homeowner having to do anything.
This solution is simple and will have a more immediate effect than trying to
implement alternative energy options because the technology has already been
researched and perfected, and is now readily available on the market. In addition to
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replacing older appliances with more energy efficient machines we plan to effect
behavioral changes in America. It’s often hard to influence the behavior of people
because they are resistant to change. However, our project outlines clear financial
incentives to change behavior to more environmentally friendly practices. Simple
changes in behavior such as raising the temperature of the thermostat one degree in
the summer (or lowering it one in the winter) can make your heating or cooling
system over five percent more efficient and save thousands of pounds of carbon
dioxide emissions per home annually3. Because technologies already exist and there
are clear financial incentives for homeowners, this project has a great chance to be a
success. Most Americans simply lack the knowledge that such options exist. Our
project aims to inform Americans of the benefits of making their homes more
efficient so that they can make use of these technologies and change their behaviors
to reduce America’s carbon footprint significantly.
“How to save the world from your own home" is a new information campaign
proposed by Established Homes, Inc4. It is meant to provide easy, appealing, and
innovative solutions for U.S. residents to save money and the environment at the
same time. Through this program we aim to cut electricity consumption in
residencies by 10% by 2015. Since 84% of electricity in the U.S. originates from a
greenhouse gas emitting source5, it will not take much conservation to see a
decrease in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from residential energy use. This
will be accomplished through various methods of conservation and applications of
existing technologies.
Figure 1. An exploding pie chart that shows renewable energy made up 7 percent of total
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U.S. energy consumption. Of that 53 percent was from biomass energy, 34 percent from
hydroelectric, 5 percent from geothermal, 7 percent from wind and 1 percent from solar. 1
Figure 2. Producers of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the U.S. 5
To serve as a proof of concept, Established Homes is initiating a pilot project
that requires fifty homes to be retrofitted with various technologies that have been
proposed through our campaign. These retrofits will include a special electricity
meter that will be discussed later on. The results will be used as a media tool to
expand the project to a nationwide scale. In addition, they will be used as a research
tool in order to find the best ways to make a home more efficient. Our predominant
focus will be on the upper east coast region of the USA, and for the pilot project,
specifically Long Island, New York. This is because we feel that our company’s
message will be the most effective in this particular area. Other factors include how
our target audience, residents and homeowners, are highly concentrated in this
region where we believe the most difference can be made in making the area more
sustainable.
The resulting information campaign from the pilot project will direct the
consumer to sources of information about energy savings and various other
resources. The media will promote the project in their constant coverage of global
warming initiatives and federally, state, and locally funded commercials will also
provide awareness on the campaign. Outside funding will also cover the cost of a
website, establishedhomes.com, and streamlined informational packet. In addition,
public awareness of our campaign will be raised through local awareness days and
presentations at public educational institutions.
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Ways in which this campaign will reach U.S. citizens shall include: a
comprehensive, streamlined packet of the below actions and information that will be
available online, at every library, town hall, public school, etc., going to high
schools and elementary schools and giving lectures while handing out packets, and
national television commercials funded by local and state governments.
Government funding into energy sector is largely based on a growing energy
demand and not on programs that look at conserving the energy we already use,
which could accomplish the same ends for much less cost. We are also hoping for a
political uptake in this matter in that a potential candidate will support our cause,
which will give us more publicity. In this way we will also be depending on overall
word of mouth and advocacy initiative.
Our project is intended to follow a reasonable timeline. The pilot project will
begin in spring 2010 and last six months. The goal is for those fifty homes to have an
average reduction of ten percent of their energy consumption. Through our
information campaign, we hope to have ten percent reduction in household energy
consumption for Long Island by 2012. After that we will bring the word to a national
level, with the goal of achieving a ten percent reduction in household energy
consumption for the United States.
Although many people are pushing for the use of alternative energy sources
we cannot completely rely on them just yet. It is important that we do what we can
now to conserve energy because alternative energy sources will take some time to
develop. In order to cover all of our energy demands, we must take action now to
conserve energy to lessen the strain on the developing alternative energy sector.
Our energy consumption increases every day. Instead of trying to increase our
supply of electricity and at the same time improve our alternative energy
technologies and implement them into our grid, there are cheap technologies that
already exist that can reduce our electricity consumption by over ten percent. In
addition, small changes in the behavior of Americans can reduce electricity
consumption.
If our project were successfully implemented in Long Island, we would
expand our work to the rest of the state and eventually the rest of the country, saving
even more energy and cutting even more carbon emissions. Since President Barack
Obama’s new mandate will order federal agencies to cut greenhouse gas emissions
by 20% in 2020, our project, if successful, would be able to positively contribute to
this new goal.
Reducing electricity usage at home can have an immediate impact on the
United States’ carbon dioxide emissions. Technology has made it considerably
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easier to reduce electricity consumption within the home. Newer appliances are
made energy efficient and use less electricity without the homeowner having to do
anything. For example, refrigeration accounts for approximately ten to twenty
percent of electricity consumption in the house. New energy star refrigerators are
capable of running on ten times less electricity than standard ones. Replacing old
refrigerators alone can reduce electricity consumption by nearly ten percent. This
amounts to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by tens of millions of tons. Other
appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers, which
account for another ten percent of electricity usage in a home, are also available
with higher efficiency. These energy efficient appliances are already available to the
consumers making it relatively easy to switch to these appliances.
This project will be implemented at a crucial time period as well. The national
economy is currently in a state of crisis and people are looking to save money
wherever possible. The cost of owning a home is large and many homeowners are
looking for ways to save energy. This project shows homeowners ways to save
money while at the same time saving the environment. By informing homeowners,
we can use these technologies and behavioral changes to reduce America’s carbon
footprint significantly.
Because this project is primarily an information campaign, designed to effect
behavioral changes in Americans that will lead to the desired reduction in energy
consumption, our main focus is to have people believe that making their homes
more efficient will truly benefit them. The pilot project that was discussed earlier will
accomplish this. We hope that the state government will agree to fund this project
(after all, it is within the government’s intent to cut consumption down by 20% by
2020). As mentioned, these houses will be retrofitted with the main improvements
that we will be encouraging Americans to get which are: insulation, temperature
control, power strips, energy efficient appliances, and the electricity meters that we
have designed.
The attics and walls will be insulated to ensure that heat does not escape
through the roof. Weather stripping will be added to doors and windows will be
properly caulked. Any breaches in the house will also be repaired. Old air
conditioning systems will be replaced with energy efficient ones. All vents will be
cleaned out and will be checked to make sure that nothing is blocking the airflow.
The homeowners will be encouraged to set their thermostats at a certain
temperature (for example the temperature is advised to stay at 78 degrees
Fahrenheit during the summer). In addition, we will plug all electronics that are in
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close proximity with each other into power strips that have an off button. And we will
ask the homeowners to agree that they turn these power strips off when these
devices are not being used. Finally, we will install our energy meters that will inform
the homeowner not only on his electricity consumption but also on the amount of
money that it is costing him or her.
The residents of those houses will then go about their lives for the next six
months. The latter three months, summer, will be the most important. After the six
month period is over, we will compare the energy bills of the fifty homes with their
energy bills from the six months of the previous year. The desired result is that the
total carbon emissions resulting from those houses will be reduced by about ten
percent. This will be calculated according to how much energy they consumed and
what percentage of that energy produces carbon dioxide (roughly 84%).
Participating homeowners will then receive a catalog that advertises energy efficient
appliances for their home. In this way we can also acquire funding from green
companies by advertising their products. The next step will be to take our gathered
information to the people.
We will bring the information on how cost effective energy efficiency is and
on how to achieve energy efficiency to the general public through various forms of
media. One major element is our website, EstablishedHomes.com. This site will
contain much information on how to make a house more energy efficient at low cost
and high convenience. Information on the more costly ways of doing so, such as
solar panels, will also be available. Solar panels will eventually become less
expensive and we will keep up to date information on that as well. The main focus of
our website will be the main changes that will be applied to the fifty test group
houses. The costs and benefits of these changes will be displayed in a way that is
very easy to understand. For instance, we will give the information that caulking cost
only about one dollar per window and weather stripping costs only ten dollars per
door. We will also provide instructions on how one may do these simple things by
oneself. The website will also give a catalogue of the most energy efficient
appliances out there and their respective prices.
Another critical form of media is, of course, television. We will advertise on
the CBS station. Commercials will be simple and informative, but also memorable.
For instance, one commercial will feature people carrying around large,
cumbersome carbon footprints. These people will attempt to do everyday activities
and fail because of the burden of the carbon footprint. A voice over or caption will
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make the suggestion that energy bills are too much of a burden, showing that you do
have to “carry the weight” of your carbon footprint. The commercial will advertise
our website as well as display the methods of reducing energy consumption and/or
the amount of money that can be saved. These things will likely be given in text.
Another idea is advertising a “healthy home” through a sort of “weight loss”
program. This will encourage people to get their house into shape, in shape being
energy efficient. The effectiveness of commercials like this is that they will reach the
common person that maybe is not thinking about the environment. Everyone is
thinking about saving money nowadays, so commercials like this will be particularly
impacting. Radio advertisements such as jingles and short, informative messages
will also be used. Another component will be the production and distribution of
pamphlets that contain the major points that our website contains. Many stores will
be likely to allow the distribution of our pamphlets because the image of “going
green” is becoming more and more appealing even from a business standpoint.
Another key component of our project involves informing children at a young age.
We will go to schools (mainly elementary schools but middle and high schools as we
see fit) and give presentations about saving the environment and the economy all in
one shot. One or two speakers will talk to the kids with the accompaniment of a
power point presentation and likely some physical object. Our carbon footprints
from the commercial may serve as our “golden skeletons.” The speakers will also
distribute pamphlets to the teacher and every student. The kids will be encouraged
to go home and tell their parents about it.
Securing funding is one of our two biggest obstacles that we face in carrying
out this project. We are hoping to secure funds through government support. A
report by Vice President Joe Biden stated that the federal government is currently
looking for solutions to reducing energy consumptions in homes. Because the
government itself is interested in this same sector of energy usage, the government
will be more inclined to support our cause and our organization. At the beginning of
this project we would like to retrofit fifty homes in order to show the possible savings
from using greener technologies and changing behaviors.
After setting these homes up to greener technology we can use the results to show
exactly how effective these solutions are. These fifty homes are the only ones we
would like to use government funding for.
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This funding will give our project a strong start. Following these first fifty
homes, we can show homeowners the financial benefits the making their homes
more environmentally friendly. With this data we can show other long island
homeowners the financial incentives that exist to retrofit their own homes with their
own funding. The solutions we have chosen are cheap and cost effective and most
families will be able to afford them without financial support.
The state government will have incentives to support this plan because it will
decrease the state’s energy usage. Long Island will set an example for the rest of the
nation on how to lower electricity consumption and lower greenhouse gas
emissions. This will improve the state’s reputation as a greener state. The federal
government has incentives to support our project for more than one reason. First of
all, America can decrease our dependence on foreign sources of fuel, which is a
major concern of the federal government. Secondly, the United States can reduce its
carbon footprint, which is currently the largest in the world. Implementing these
solutions can reduce the carbon footprint by 10% percent. That amounts to over half
a billion tons of carbon dioxide. Continued government funding is not necessary
because there are clear financial incentives for homeowners to retrofit their homes.
As a result, the project will not be too costly for the government. However, continued
government support will help make the project run more smoothly and make it
easier to achieve our goals in reducing carbon emissions.
Established Homes, Inc. is focused on having programs in the northeast
because the average cost of electricity is higher in this region, meaning that the
financial incentive for energy efficient technology is at a maximum in this area. We
also want to have the pilot program be in a suburban area because we can institute
community outreach efforts to increase knowledge about energy efficiency and
environmental awareness. This will be accomplished by having programs in schools
extolling the benefits of our program. Programs like this will ensure that the
community becomes dedicated to protecting the environment, as the next
generation will grow up understanding the importance of global climate change.
For these reasons, our pilot project of retrofitting fifty homes will be implemented in
Long Island, New York, where they are known to have high energy bills7. There is an
annual savings of nearly one thousand dollars that is a direct result of energy
efficient appliances and environmentally friendly homes located in this area8. The
savings generated by houses in our program would offset the costs involved in
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making these homes energy efficient. The end result is that the environment is
protected and at the same time consumers save money. After the pilot program is
shown to be a success, and the benefits of this program are evident, we plan to
expand to other locations, starting with the rest of New York. Our overarching goal
is to have the program implemented in all regions of the country, not just the
northeast. If this program spreads throughout America the total amount of carbon
dioxide saved could be up to hundreds of millions of tons.
From its commencement to its actual implementation, this project will include
an extensive list of stakeholders. The most important one, or the stakeholder that can
potentially make the biggest difference, is the homeowner and residents. This is
because the focus of our project is saving and reducing wasted energy in the home.
Therefore, if all homeowners embraced this project and committed to using less
energy, there would absolutely be a noticeable change in the amount of energy that
this country consumes. For our specific project, other stakeholders include:
landlords, electric companies, environmentalists, federal and local governments,
architectural firms, contractors, engineers, advertisers, and the media. While some
of these stakeholders must be involved in the development of the project, some
cannot be of assistance until the actual implementation of the project.
Most homeowners do not have the proper qualification and/or training to
contribute to the development of this project (or the knowledge of such technologies
even existing). The best they can do is to follow the advice of others. The same thing
is true for landlords, who have the power to enforce this advice as well. Our project
requires extensive research on the best ways to save energy, and for this reason a
few of our other mentioned stakeholders will be very useful.
First of all, environmentalists know a lot about the environment and how to
protect it. For this reason, they are typically well informed about what can be done
to help ease our negative impacts on the earth9. Therefore, environmentalists will be
very helpful and useful in determining which energy saving tips are legitimate and
worth pursuing.
Secondly, support from the local and federal government will be very useful
in the development of this project. While the aspect of helping the environment and
cutting back on the monthly energy bill may entice some homeowners to change
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their habits, not all will be so willing. If we had a tax incentive from the government,
though, it is likely that more people would be willing to modify their lifestyle and
support this project10 Also, as previously mentioned in the paper, in order to truly
prove ourselves, part of our project would include retrofitting fifty homes free of
charge, and comparing the post-retrofit energy bills to the pre-retrofit bills. The
results of this “test group” would be another large incentive for people to retrofit
their own homes because the positive results would be right there for them to see
firsthand. However, in order to perform this example, we would need additional
funding from the government.
Next, architectural firms, contractors and engineers can basically all be
grouped together because their purposes in this project will be very similar. Also,
these three stakeholders will be used in not only the development of our project, but
the implementation as well. During the implementation process, these stakeholders
will be necessary to help households conform their homes to the standards that were
set during the developmental process.
Electric companies and electricians will also be used in the development and
execution of this project. In the developmental stage, we will rely on electricians to
diligently create and test reliable and efficient appliances. Then, when our project is
actually carried out, we will need these electricians to provide assistance with the
installation and repair work associated with these appliances.
Finally, advertisers and the media will play a tremendous role in our project.
Since our project is mostly an information campaign to raise awareness, one of our
best publicity tactics will be extreme advertising. When done well, advertising can
be the best way of getting your word out to the public. In preparation for our project,
we would need advertisers to help us design commercials, fliers, radio ads, and
even billboards. These forms of advertising will be a major part of our project to
help us raise awareness and convince people to change their habits.
CBS is our first choice in terms of media support. We will give them exclusive
news in order to grab their attention and spark their interest in helping us. This
means that we will only interview with them and only inform them of any new
findings. Also, in order to insure CBS’s continued support, we can arrange a deal
where we will advertise for them as long as they support us. For example, our
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pamphlets, billboards and other forms of advertising will have a specific spot
designated to an advertisement for CBS. Also, we hope to gain the media’s attention
by the fact that global warming is a huge issue that everyone should be worried
about. With the support of the media, we can inform everyone about how we can
combat global warming together. Without their support, it is likely that everyone will
remain as they are now and few changes will be made in order to save our world.
Lastly, this is a huge political issue, and the media has been known to go crazy over
such things. For these reasons, they are likely to take interest and support us.
As for social alliances that would assist our project, almost any community
club or organization would be appropriate. Since these types of groups are usually
interested in bettering the community, our project would be a perfect one for them
to support. Healthy communities cannot exist without a healthy, clean environment.
As studies have shown, if we do not act now, our colossal consumption of energy and
other natural human activities will eventually have extremely harmful and dangerous
impacts11.
If we could gain the support of groups such as the local rotary club, boy/girl
scout troupes, and the library, we not only have more places to advertise, but more
possible funding and just general support to get the project started and keep it
going. Also, if we could receive support from the local television channels, radio
stations, and newspapers, it would be much easier to start and continue the large
advertising portion of our project. The advertisers from our stakeholders list could
join forces with the television, radio and newspaper companies to really help raise
awareness.
If we had the educational system on our side as well, we could reach out to a
larger portion of the population just by simply giving presentations at schools. As
mentioned earlier in the paper, this would also be optimal because if we visit
elementary and middle schools, we can reach a lot of people before inefficiency
becomes a way of life for them. If someone is raised being shown how to live
efficiently and do what is best for the environment, they are more likely to stick to
that lifestyle and continue it in the future. Also, if they are strong in their opinion and
have conviction, people are likely to rub off on others and lead them to want to save
energy as well.
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The current status quo amongst the people of the United States as well as
international relations will likely reflect in many social, political, economic, and
cultural implications upon this project. These implications can be sorted as either
catalyzing to the progress of the project or hindering to it. Perhaps the largest
contributor to making behavioral changes at the home level to reduce energy
consumption would be the current global economic crisis. With costs of living rising
and jobs becoming increasingly sparse, society, as a whole, is looking to save
money where it can. Our project presents a win-win situation to the U.S. homeowner
or resident, because not only can one lessen his or her carbon footprint, but he or
she can also cut costs of energy usage by adhering to the information campaign’s
guidelines.
Another likely trend to affect the uptake of this project would be the
widespread media attention on climate change. With a campaign title like “How to
save the world from your home,” it will become increasingly apparent that
individuals can and will affect global warming from their individual choices.
Politicians are also becoming increasingly more into climate change initiatives, and
therefore are likely to contribute to the uptake of this project. The U.S. Governmental
philosophy on energy has not been very “green” in the past however, and this may
provide a few road bumps to the project uptake. For example, former President
George Bush once said that Americans were entitled to all of the energy that they
were using. So although social behaviors are not entirely defined by a governmental
philosophy, they still act as external influences. Furthermore, this type of
consumerist, high-waste lifestyle is reflected in the American culture. It therefore
seems that all aspects of the American life could either hinder or assist in this
situation.
In addition, other barriers include but are not limited to peoples’
unwillingness to change, troubles in acquiring monetary and media backing. These
three roadblocks to our project being a success can be interpreted as one issue
under a certain light. For such responses to take effect immediately, a consensus
needs to be reached among all individuals because sometimes people are quick to
see the advantages to such technologies, but it is not immediately apparent to
others. Also, there seems to be a trend in that individuals find security in their daily
routines. It therefore seems most likely that many people who seem to be resistant to
change are in actuality not being exposed to the new technologies. In this case, the
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new technologies would be the more energy efficient lifestyle changes, home
retrofits, and new efficient appliances. This is why advocacy projects like ours could
ease the resident and energy consumer into a lifestyle of greater energy efficiency.
Our information campaign offers the best options both financially and
environmentally to the consumer. In many cases, if not all, the total cost savings off
home energy bills from the outlined retrofits in both lifestyle and to the residence
would compensate for the initial investment of such retrofits within the first year of
implementation.
Our goal for this project is to cut down energy consumption in U.S. homes by
10% by 2015 simply by raising awareness about simple ways that people can save
energy. Since residential energy consumption accounts for approximately 21% of
carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S., cutting residential energy consumption by
10% would bring the entire country’s energy consumption down by 2.1%. This
means that carbon dioxide emissions would be cut by hundreds of thousands of tons.
At the end of 2008, our country estimated about 5,800 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide emissions. If we cut that by 2.1%, we would be down to approximately 5,678
million metric tons, which means we cut roughly 122 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide emissions6. President Barack Obama’s new mandate will order federal
agencies to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% in 2020. Our project will be able
to positively contribute to this new goal. Al so, besides just helping the country
reach its goal, our project would also just help the country in general by making it
more environmentally friendly and safer to live in.
Our project is a step towards a cleaner, greener future. Consider a world
where there is no threat of global warming. In this scenario all of our energy is
produced by green, renewable technologies and the United States is energy
independent. This would signal the end of a political and economical crisis. Our air
will be cleaner and the climate will be stable and safe. Now, to be completely
realistic, we are not saying that our project alone can accomplish this. However, our
project is a significant step in that direction. We still need to develop better green
technologies for producing energy, but upping energy efficiency and getting into
the habit of conserving energy on a day-to-day basis will be a great aid. Our two
percent reduction in U.S. carbon emissions is an immediate action against global
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warming. It will also significantly reduce the pressure on the new renewable energy
sources that are being developed.
John Adams once said, “I must study politics and war so that my sons may
have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study
mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture,
navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to
study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.” The
men and women in the American Revolution made many great sacrifices so that their
children and grandchildren could grow up in a free nation. These great men and
women would be considered “ants”. It also just goes to show that throughout history,
we are constantly reminded that actions we take in the present will affect the future.
Currently, we are faced with the critical threat of global climate change. What
decisions, if any, should we make now? Should we be like the grasshopper and
neglect the future generation, or should we be like the ant and plan for the future so
that our children won’t be stuck with the consequences of our bad choices? This
project can affect the thought process of American families. Picture a family sitting
down to dinner and discussing how much energy that they have saved that month.
They discuss not only the money that they have saved, but also how they are helping
the environment. Although such a scene is scarcely found today, our project can
educate Americans in a way that makes the event commonplace. Think about it. If
we commit now, we can achieve a ten percent reduction in the United States energy
consumption by the year 2015 and save the American people a lot of money.
Through “Retrofit” Americans really can save the world from their own homes.
Footnotes
1. "Renewable Energy Consumption and Electricity Preliminary Statistics 2008".
United States Department of Energy. 10/26/09
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/rea_prere
port.html>
2:.“U.S Household Electricity Report.” Posted July 14, 2005.
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.html>
3. Air Conditioning Store. “Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tips.” Accessed
10/26/09. < http://www.air-conditioner-store.com/energy_conservation_tips.htm>
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4. Established Homes Inc. is a non-profit organization that we have created that is
focused on making the homes of the United States more Environmentally Friendly.
“Retrofit” is the pioneer project of this company.
5. "Why Green?". Show Me Home Energy Solutions. 10/26/09
<http://www.showmehomeenergysolutions.com/green.html>.
6."Southern California Edison Encourages Customers to Slay "Energy Vampires"
This Halloween". Reuters. 10/23/09 <http://www.thedailygreen.com/greenhomes/latest/green-remodeling-energy-efficient-kitchen-appliances-460212>.
7: "Average Retail Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by
State". Energy Information Administration. 10/26/09
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html>
8: “Your energy savings”. Greenpeace. 10/26/09 <
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climatechange/take_action/your-energy>
9: Snoonian, P.E., Deborah. "Record Houses 2005: Solar Umbrella House".
Architectural Record. Oct 23, 2009
<http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/residential/archives/0504rhe-1.asp>.
10: “ ecoENERGY Year 2 Anniversary Results - Part 1 - Participation". Daily Home
Renovation Tips. 10/26/09 <http://dailyhomerenotips.com/2009/04/19/ecoenergy2-year-anniversary-results-part-1-participation/>.
11: Mckie, Robin. “Climate Change: melting ice will trigger wave of natural
disasters.” September 6, 2009, <
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/06/global-warming-naturaldisasters-conference>
12: Jeffrey, Chanton. "Global Warming & Rising Ocean". American Institute of
Biological Sciences. 10/26/09,
<http://www.actionbioscience.org/environment/chanton.html>
Appendix
Lighten the Load. Retrofit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKHoLvYUMns
Energy Bill too much burden to carry?
17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOhSvt8BC3o
Energy Bills affecting your game plan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dj3ff4Ghg8
ESTABLISHED
HOMES
18
Established Homes, Inc.
Contact: public@establishedhomes.com
Tel: 8118-2105
Website: http://www.establishedhomes.com
Copyright © Established Homes, Inc. 2009.
Confidentiality Agreement
The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided by
_________________________ in this business plan is confidential; therefore, reader agrees not
to disclose it without the express written permission of _________________________.
It is acknowledged by reader that information to be furnished in this business plan is in all
respects confidential in nature, other than information which is in the public domain through
other means and that any disclosure or use of same by reader, may cause serious harm or damage
to _________________________.
Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to _________________________.
___________________
Signature
___________________
Name (typed or printed)
___________________
Date
This is a business plan. It does not imply an offering of securities.
19
1.
Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 4
1.1. Objectives ........................................................................................................... 4
1.2. Mission................................................................................................................ 4
1.3. Keys to Success................................................................................................... 4
2. The Company .............................................................................................................. 4
2.1. Start-up Summary ............................................................................................... 4
3. Market Analysis .......................................................................................................... 6
3.1. SWOT Analysis .................................................................................................. 6
3.2. Market Segmentation .......................................................................................... 6
4. Strategy and Implementation Summary.....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1. Competitive Edge................................................................................................ 9
4.2. Market Strategy................................................................................................... 9
4.2.1.
Promotion.................................................................................................... 9
5. Management Summary ............................................................................................. 11
5.1. Organizational Structure ................................................................................... 12
5.2. Personnel Plan................................................................................................... 12
6. Other ......................................................................................................................... 12
6.1. Sample Advertisements .....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
20
1. Executive Summary
Established Homes is a respectable company that provides homeowners with energy efficient
appliances and a wide range of sustainable installation options through retrofitting. The benefits
of supporting such a business is vast: such an industry can save money, slash carbon emissions,
create jobs, and add aesthetic appeal, all while maintaining a high level of comfortable livability.
Best of all, retrofitting allows the homeowner to upgrade their current home: there is no need to
tear down or move to another location just to be environmentally responsible.
1.1




1.2
Objectives
Effectively target homeowners
Appeal to different market segments through design and location
Sustain revenue growth
Establish environmental responsibility among customers
Mission
Established Homes aims to provide homeowners with environmentally friendly and
affordable options to upgrade homes with. In doing so, we hope to foster a sense of
environmental responsibility that will plant a seed of initiative for future environmental
sensitivity.
1.3
Key to Success:
Create a demand and rapport with the public
Ensure high quality products at affordable prices
Establish a positive environmental image
Promote sustainability
2. The Company
2.1
Company Location
Established Homes predominant focus will be on the upper east coast region of the USA.
This is because we feel as if our company’s message will be the most effective in this
particular area. Other factors include how our target market audience is mostly
concentrated in this region and where we believe the most difference can be made in
making the area more sustainable.
3. Market Analysis
3.1
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Saves money
Weakness
Lack of capital
21
Affordable
Opportunities for technology advancement
Environmentally friendly and efficient – reduces
the effects of global climate change.
Educates the public/promotes awareness which
fosters initiative
Opportunities
New products can be advertised and introduced
Since it’s a cheap alternative compared to other
activities it can be promoted as something that
allows people to be environmentally
friendly/doing their part without a lot of effort
Making sustainable practices a “norm”
Income dependable on public
Specific target market
Energy efficient appliances use less
energy however it doesn’t help people
change their behaviour to consume less
electricity
Energy efficient appliances can
potentially promote more electricity
usage because people will use more
when given a more efficient appliance
Threats
Lack of local interest
Un-established brand
Competition might drive business away
3.2
Market Segmentation
Established Homes has a generic market segment of “homeowners”. However, aesthetically,
Established Homes focuses on two main areas which are contemporary design (ages 30-45) and
traditional design (ages 45-65). Location does not play a major role in product differentiation
because the company is mostly focused on the same area.
Percent of forecast sales
Price sensitivity
4.2
4.2.1
i.
Market Segment 1
60%
High/medium. Most are given fixed
and average incomes and thus will
try to not spend too much money
right away.
Market Segment 2
40%
Low/medium. Depending on
their income, those with lower
income will be discouraged from
too many upgrades while those
earning high income will not
have this issue.
Marketing Strategy
Promotion
Advertising, including key message, media type. In other words, who do you want to
communicate to, what do you want to say, where are you going to reach them.
1. Catalog
2. Commercials
3. TV specials
4. Internet
22
5.
6.
7.
8.
5.
Newspapers
Word of mouth
Magazine specials
Billboards
Management Summary
The CEO of Established Homes must ensure that all tasks are being completed efficiently
and purposefully. He or she also makes decisions for the company, completes paperwork, and
deals with legal matters and finance. This individual must show excellent communication, time
management, organization, and problem solving skills. The CEO is organized, social,
understanding, cooperative, open to new ideas, loyal, creative, and knows what it takes to sell a
product.
The Marketing Director is in charge of designing the company logos, ads and business
cards. This person must have promising creative and artistic talent that will come useful for the
development of Established Homes. The Marketing Director will work alongside the CEO to
create the most effective advertisements within the company's budget. This person will also be
approving or rejecting advertisement ideas and relations with other companies.
Aside from being responsible for the staff members under them, the Operations Director
is also in-charge of overlooking the operations at Established Homes, ensuring the business be
run as smoothly as possible.
5.1 Organizational Structure
5.2
Personnel Plan
Position
# Per Position Salary Per Month
Operations Director 1
$4,000
Marketing Director
1
$3,000
Cleaner
2
$700
23
Receptionist
1
$600
Total
7
$8,300
*The CEO will not be receiving a fixed salary.
6.1
Sample Advertisements
24
25
26
Annotations
Kevin Luczak:
1. The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) put out a report in fall 2007
titled “Federal Electricity Subsidies,” which thoroughly outlines the extent to which the
government provides financial assistance to benefit citizens, companies, and global
warming initiatives over the previous five years, taking an unbiased and transparent
glimpse into the clockwork of the U.S. Government. The areas which the government invests
in include Research and Development (R&D) within the Energy Sector, tax expenditures
provided to support electricity production, and electricity subsidies. Government funded
research initiatives include R&D in clean coal technology, solar, hydrogen for
transportation, biofuels, and safer nuclear. Tax expenditures were provided to electricity
producers in an outlined format, where fossil fuel based electricity was undeniably invested
in most by the government. The financing provided to power producing entities was vast
and sometimes indirect, as could be seen from the investment in insurance leverage for
nuclear power plant operators. Also, financing was provided as lowered electricity costs for
rural agriculture endeavors. Overall, it appears that there is a high level of intervention from
government in the electricity sector, as electricity provides the lubrication for a smoothly
operating social system. There is undoubtedly a trickledown effect; as fiscals are distributed
amongst many areas, their individual impact becomes less significant. In addition, it can
only go so far when accounting for money spent after the fact, for the gov’t is a vast and
complex network that is not always boldly defined. Indeed, energy investment is sometimes
more indirect and in need of being examined on a closer level.
This is pertinent to our project because residences make up a large part of the electricity
sector. If government actions are taken to support electricity production, then there is no
doubt that the government would have interest in altering the electricity usage and worth in
this country. Undoubtedly, there are alterations in the power industry daily. The price of
electricity may continue to stay constant, and undoubtedly the cheapest source of power
available to American citizens as long as government expenditures and good faith in the
source of power that provides citizens with their daily life remains. The U.S. government
needs change particularly on this topic because power prices will continue to rise as long as
the availability of new power sources is limited. In a time where it is unsure whether or not
fossil fuels can continue to provide more and more power; therefore, not only would
investment in alternative energy be necessary, but also would investment in a healthier use
and thus newfound respect for the energy commodity. In under the past hundred years,
electricity has become to be taken for granted. The government needs to think more long
term on the topic, and start investing in programs to lessen or justify its use in American
homes. One way of doing this would be through more efficient technologies on the
household level, R&D into electric power coupling, and thus a lessening of the overall
demand for energy usage per capita. Statistics are available that show how much wasted
27
electricity at the home contributes significantly to many individuals’ carbon footprint – from
which, it would be good to add, that American’s have the largest per capita in all of the
world.
2. The low-carbon lifestyle that could potentially lead to a severe cut in the Current
American carbon footprint was tracked by Americans of different facets of life, as was
presented in National Geographic's section on Energy Conservation. Fluctuations in
everyday lifestyle led to minimal changes in the organization and order of things. Included
was an estimation by McKinsey and Company who estimated that the United States could
avoid 1.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions a year, using only existing technologies that would
pay for themselves in savings. They claim that instead of growing by more than a billion tons
by 2020, annual emissions in the U.S. could drop by 200 million tons a year. It is now
apparent that the amount of demand for energy from developing nations would present a
challenge to meet energy demands period, never mind the global ecological disaster that
would follow. Similarly, people adapt practical means of accomplishing life’s daily routines
with ease. Global carbon dioxide levels have been on the rise since 1990 (up 30%) and have
reached levels that need to be cut back in order to restore a sense of natural order, as
prescribed by reputable Australian scientist Tim Flannery.
To me, it seems that such a drastic transition in lifestyles - an 80% decrease practically
overnight would cause severe dissent and hardship amongst many families if implemented
immediately, for not all technologies are particularly applicable in the sense that they would
be beneficial. Indeed the only way to gain an upper hand on climate change is to act now,
instead of picking up the slack . On Tim Flannery and his book Weather Makers, it is evident
that the effects of global warming are already affecting the daily lives of so many. Along with
the number that was collaborated on by leading environmental engineers as a safe number
for carbon dioxide ppm, Weather Makers also proposes a neccessary decrease in carbon
dioxide emissions. These are undoubtedly the facts because one can already see the
changes and inflicted instability in local climates and ecosystems caused by global
warming, which if one wished to eliminate the repercussions of would have to digress on
amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. The ideological framework of
Flannery is one of direct impact to such environmentally catastrophic scenarios. For
Australia prospers amongst its land and materials, contributes just pre-par to the U.S. in
greenhouse gas emissions per capita, and has much to look forward to in the future as long
as material/energy craven society can put to rest the issue of using less and respecting the
source. Indeed Australia does have much to lose, but also are iniatives being taken to deal
with such issues. Perhaps being out there on a bloody, hot island, would assist in not
lingering on a decision by making issues more complex. Instead, the country decides to act
through grass roots campaigns funded by and sometimes founded by the government.
These campaigns may be more conservancy groups, but the idea is that the Earth must be
better respected as is out in nature.
3. The current government policy regarding responsible use of energy at the home is
28
limited to ad campaigns and publicly available information on the world wide web. In
essence, the Department of Energy supplies citizens with the correct sources and places to
go, yet doesn't provide any incentive for doing so. This type of newfound respect for energy
usage could trigger a larger effect.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, space heating takes up the most energy in
typical homes. Most all systems for space heating are not electrical and therefore not within
the scope of this project. However, it is likely that the remaining 69% of energy use could be
in the form of electricity, and therefore, not easily traceable by the consumer in terms of its
magnitude and effects. Electricity is sourced from mostly coal, therefore it is imperative that
such use and its effects be acknowledged by the consumer. Simple acknowledgment of the
issue would undoubtedly result in less electricity use per capita, for people who find no
hardship in implementing such new habits would do so.
At first, I thought that the U.S. Department of Energy is apparently offering tips and action
plans for people to save energy and money at the home. It does not make sense to me
because this is not the financial sector. Indeed, they are funded primarily by the
government alone, however, what does the department of energy really do besides audit
the U.S. and themselves. It just seems to me that the government should define in more
detail and innovation the role of the department of energy to encompass individuals
[holding a position similar to what we are doing through the advocacy projects. These
people would simply be for the increased future and quality of life for Americans]. It has
been said that "sometimes you have to be a little ignorant of standard procedure to come up
with innovation."
4. Based on a report put out by the Department of Energy's Energy Information
Administration (EIA) put out in 2001, the largest percentage of electricity use in the home is
from appliances, including lights and climate control (heating and cooling systems). The
report included energy consumption data for various types of appliances and how each type
of appliance contributed to the total household consumption of energy in the United States,
which came to be 1,139.9 billion kWh in 2001. Putting this in perspective, it is interesting to
note that the number of households has increased from 107 million in 2001 to 130 million
nowadays. The appliance that most contributes to electricity use at the home was the air
conditioner in 2001. The air conditioner was reported to make up 16% of the electricity
drawn from the grid by homes, accumulating an estimated 182.8 billion kWh. Similarly, the
refrigerator used 156.1 billion kWh in 2001. Though the air conditioning unit appeared in
about half of all homes, refrigerators appeared in virtually all homes. Furthermore, color
televisions were the next most commonly appearing appliance in American homes,
representing 2.9% of electricity use in homes. As an aside, this statistic alone provides a
testament to just how powerful mainstream media can be in American society. The
VCR/DVD player appeared in about 95% of American homes and contributed to one
percent of all electricity usage at the home level. The clothes washer appaeared in 86% of
homes and the clothes dryer in 60% of homes. Clothes dryers making up 6.8% of overall
electricity consumption. Indoor and outdoor lighting made up 8.8% of all electricity
consumption. Water heating made up 9.1% of all electricity consumption. Space heating
29
made up 10.1% of electricity consumption. It is important to note that reported on was the
electricity usage at the home level and not total residential energy usage, for energy in the
home can be provided by direct application of propane or other combustible hydrocarbons,
heating oil, solar, or wind to complete off-grid energy tasks. Also, the source of power from
electricity can be from various sources depending on location and time; therefore, the
overall environmental impact of using such electricity is not easily determinable.
To determine electricity (in kWh), needed to power any of the types of appliances
mentioned above in 2001, simply divide the percent contribution by 100, and multiply that
by 1,139,000,000,000 kWh (the total electricity used in the U.S. in 2001). Also, we will
determine the average electricity usage rate over the year in 2001 (despite the daily and
seasonal fluctuations in electricity needs): total number of hours in a year = 8760, total
number of kWh of electricity in 2001 = 1,139 billion, and therefore average electricity output
= 130022831000 W, or 0.13 TW.
It will be helpful to use this data in supporting any route to more efficient homes, because
cutting back at main electricity sinks could be streamlined and could make a significant
impact. This report did highlight some of the major issues with projections made from audits
and the innate problems of energy auditing. Most of the informaiton was based on surveys of
homes' appliances and was by no means, a direct measure of the actual electricity
consumed, simply because of the magnitude of the survey pool. Further, energy from the
electricity grid has a vast range of sources, and is difficult to be tracked to where and what it
is being used for.
5. In 2007, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, working with the Danish Building Research Institute, put
out a thorough report that analyzed behavioral change in the home from various
psychological postulates. Although the issues pertaining to energy use and global warming
are being dealt with from a more managerial point of view, such as through government, the
leading causes for behavioral change in the past are well documented and can be made a
science out of. It is interesting that just in the recent past, people have become so much
more in tune with the inner workings of the social whole. With such a global network of
human beings, and consequently monumental problems that relate to everyone, there is no
doubt that this could've been avoided, and so we are bounded by the limits of our
imagination. Our daily routines are so fine tune with who we are, that to change our daily
routines is a hardship for some and an easily adapted for others. The issue brings about the
psychological theory that states that individuals are a consequence and an enigma of their
actions and lifestyles. Moreso, nowadays, who we are is defined by things we own and the
practices at our homes. Therefore change in these areas is, in practice, is changing
ourselves. Of course, this is all based on your theory.
Excerpts from this document:
30

Daily routines are created due to changes in the social organisation of everyday life
combined with the introduction of new technologies. among others Allan Warde and
Elisabeth Shove has opposed this, stating that a major part of our consumption is mundane,
ordinary and is based upon routine.

The work presented in this paper follows this line, focusing on how routines of everyday
consumption emerge, develop and change, and focusing on the role that routines have in
establishing a secure and livable everyday life, where we are not compelled to do the
overwhelming task of reflecting on every single act.

Thus, based on a practical consciousness, we continually carry out our daily tasks, at the
same time reproducing the social structures of society. Even though the agent, in Giddens
view, is knowledgeable and competent, the acts also have to have both unintended
consequences and unrecognised conditions. In his understanding of routines, Giddens is
inspired by psychology and he explains the repetition and recognition of routines as a way
of creating safety and security; thus routines help to reduce ontological insecurity.

It it also shows that the authorities promoted the development. In some cases the households
resisted the new technologies and were not convinced of their advantages; in other cases
they were much more interested.

Questions to be asked of every society: Do norms from childhood unconsciously influence
the use of new technologies in adulthood?, Do other people influence it?, To what extent and
in which situations do people reflect on their routines, and is this reflection based on input
from campaigns and public policy, from economic reasoning, peer groups or something
else?, To what extent do the technology and the infrastructure determine routines?

Aspects to address: comfort (climate control), hygiene, cooking, communication and
entertainment.
In my opinion, everybody is made who they are by different things, whether memories,
values, parents, social status, or daily routine. It is hard to judge who humans are, when we
ourselves are human. It is consistently brought up that humans are more powerful than
machines, but the parallels between a computational processor and the human brain are
vast and increasingly evident. Humans, down to the reactions of the split-second level,
merely take in inputs in the form of neural impulses sourced from the nose, eyes, mouth,
ears, and tactile stimuli. So the most probable way of handling with humans is to provide the
correct technology and spread of education about the usage and research of new
technology.
31
Perhaps some people are not composed of their actions when they are alone, or so they see.
Perhaps individuals are composed of their interactions with others. But nowadays it seems
that even if the latter were the case, the actions of individuals have an unbounded impact on
their surroundings. The earth is too crowded and the imprint of human beings is
unprecedented in terms of changes in ecosystems over time.
Even though stimuli and routines form our daily lives are interconnected in many ways, it is
impossible to tell which event or thing has affected the person moreso than from other
things. Thus, I agree with the article in that we do not want to waste our time trying to define
and engineer such social norms, but social change in daily routines are affected by many
changeable things. The article, all in all, supports the type of project we are doing by stating
how its necessary in moving forward to provide public awareness on the issues and the
magnitude of our impact in terms of geological history.
6. There is no doubt that attempts have been made to achieve public awareness about
climate change matters, and some have worked while others have failed. This independent
researcher's blog post emphasizes the steps necessary to achieve a social awareness
campaign on climate change matters. The main issue in successfully achieving this end in
the past has been that the solutions have been too general to describe and to appeal to the
actions of people of western culture. The advocacy project is undoubtedly looking to meet
these ends successfully, and therefore it seems apparent that our solution will fall in line with
attempts made in the past at successfully educating the public on global warming to the
point where it makes a difference. That is unless, the advocacy project will be specific in its
advocated actions and provide a sensible and easy action plan to achieve such means to
reach our ends of less wasted electricity in the household.
Indeed, although the action of an individual may be small, that of a society is monumental. A
human's mind is capable of such extraordinary capabilities, and combined we are
untouchable, and somehow self-destructive.
7. This website represents a comprehensible source to individuals who wish to help the
problem of global warming and outlines the actual impact on global warming from
households in the U.S. According to www.canwesavetheworld.com, in 2005, 22% of energy
consumption is residential. It was found that in 2005, 47% of residential energy use was due
to space heating, 6% to air conditioning, 17% to water heating, and 30% to appliances and
electronics. Accordingly, $1,020 was the average annual household amount spent on natural
gas and $1,200 was the average annual amount spent on electricity per household. It was
32
averaged that 51% of home energy use was from natural gas and 41% from electricity.
Ways to save energy in the area of space heating: "...":

Use the sun’s heat to warm your home wherever possible. When the house needs heat open
shades and blinds to let the sun in. Let the sun shine onto dark surfaces, they absorb much
more heat.

Be aware of the weather forecast for the next 24 hours for your area and plan accordingly. If
temperatures are expected to drop retain your home’s heat by closing windows, doors,
shades and blinds before outside temperatures get low.

More heat escapes through attic floors and flat roofs than anywhere else, check your attic
insulation levels. Attic insulation should be at least 12 inches thick and preferably 20. Add
insulation between flat roof joists if you can.

Look for sources of drafts and air leaks around doors, windows, floor and base boards,
electricity outlets and heating registers, block up the gaps. It has been estimated that the
average US home has total air gaps of 4 square feet. Draught proofing is very inexpensive,
you will recoup the cost in days not years.

If you have ducts in an unfinished basement area seal the joints between duct sections using
a mastic filler or duct tape. Much energy can be wasted heating unoccupied basements from
duct leaks.

Reduce thermostat settings and dress appropriately. It is estimated that every 1° F reduction
in your thermostat setting saves 2% of your space heating cost . If you feel cold cover
yourself with a small blanket. In winter use thicker bed clothes.

Fit a programmable timer thermostat to your heating system. Set this to give lower
temperatures at night and when you are away from home, at work or on holiday for
example. For more information visit: espenergy.com/programmable_thermostats.htm

Change your furnace filter at least once a month.

Get your furnace serviced regularly, un-serviced furnaces can become inefficient.

If your furnace is old replace it with an Energy Star rated unit, new furnaces are far more
energy efficient and reduce space heating costs.

If you have a medium or large home, in cold periods use only a portion of your home. In
mostly unoccupied areas cover or partially cover warm air registers. It’s even better to have
a number of separate electrically controlled heating zones in your home so only the most
frequently used areas are heated.
33

Pull the shades or blinds in winter, especially at night. If possible in rooms that don’t see
direct sunlight leave the shades closed. In south facing rooms open the shades to direct
sunlight - you can get quite a bit of free warmth. Shades with dark linings will absorb more
heat than those with light colored linings.

Leave hot water to cool before letting it drain giving up it’s heat to your home, especially in
baths, cooking pots and sinks.

If you live alone in a large home keep temperatures between 58 and 68°F and heat the area
near you with electric radiant heat.

If you only have single glazed windows fit double glazing, or in winter fit secondary glazing.

If possible protect your home from cold winds, use wind breaks, plant evergreen trees and
shrubs on the north and east sides of your home.

If you replace the siding on your home chose one that insulates well and/or add an extra
layer of insulation beneath the siding.
Ways to save energy in water heating: "...":

Insulate hot water tank – an un-insulated or poorly insulated hot water tank wastes a very
large amount of energy. If the area that has the hot water tank is really warm the insulation is
probably poor. Additionally it is more energy efficient if the hot water tank is in a heated
area.

Reduce hot water use, especially when showering. Turn the water off when lathering with
shampoo or soap. Cutting your shower time in half can reduce water heating costs by a third
or 33%.

Don’t let the hot faucet run unnecessarily, turn it off when lathering or when brushing your
teeth.

Fit a low flow shower head, this will reduce hot water use.

Where possible use natural gas, LPG or propane to heat your water rather than electricity
unless you are using an electrically powered solar water heater.

Fit a programmable timer to electric and gas hot water heaters and reduce the time the
water is being heated.

Reduce water heater temperature setting, a temperature of 120°F is generally adequate,
each 10 ° F reduction will reduce water heating costs by 3 - 5%. Most hot water is used in
showers and baths. If much cold water has to be added to achieve a suitable temperature
34
the hot water is overheated, this wastes energy. Very hot water is usually needed in small
amounts only, use a kettle or pan to heat this.

Turn off electric water heating, or with natural gas powered units set the temperature low,
when you are away from home for a day or more.

Insulate exposed hot water pipes, this also reduces the probability of frozen pipe bursts.

If you have an electric water heater with a recirculation pump add a programmable timer to
the pump to shut it off for most of the day.

Use cold water with the garbage disposer.

Ensure your natural gas water heater is properly maintained.

Use full loads in the dishwasher and clothes washer.

Some manufactures make low temperature washing powder, use this with a low temperature
washing cycle to save energy.

Repair leaky faucets.

Fit a solar water heater if you have a south facing roof.
Ways to save energy in refrigeration and freezing: "...":

If you can put your refrigerator/freezer in a cool room, they will operate more efficiently.

Reduce the number of trips you make to the refrigerator/freezer.

Never leave the refrigerator/freezer door or lid open for longer than necessary.

Keep your refrigerator/freezer full, especially front opening units, there will be less cold air
to escape when opened. Fill empty spaces with, cardboard boxes, empty containers or
bubble wrap.

Replace old refrigerators with new and replace old freezers with new, these are far better
insulated and operate more efficiently.

Remove accumulated ice, never let more than ¼ inch of ice accumulate in your
refrigerator/freezer, it reduces energy efficiency.

When you are away from home for days or more turn off the ice maker.
Ways to save energy in air conditioning: "...":

Where possible use cool outside night time air, and a whole house fan.

Insulate your attic floor to prevent hot attic air warming your home - insulation should be at
least 12 inches thick.
35

Fill any air gaps around window frames, baseboards, and outside doors. If you have HVAC
ducts in an unfinished basement area or an attic space ensure the duct joints are sealed
using a mastic filler or duct tape. Much energy can be wasted cooling unoccupied areas with
cool air from duct leaks.

Increase the temperature setting of your thermostat by a few degrees - each degree
increase in temperature could reduce cooling costs by up to 10%.

Use a table, floor mounted or ceiling fan in occupied areas, the flow of air over your body
will cool you down. Remember to turn fans off when you leave the room.

Only use the residential air conditioning unit as a last resort.

Add light colored outside awnings over sunny windows.

Close all external doors and windows, and internal closet doors, when the AC is on.

Fit inexpensive light externally colored roller blinds or shades to windows on sunny sides of
your home, close them when the sun shines.

Turn off appliances and lights when they are not being used. Replace incandescent light
bulbs with low energy types. Incandescent lamps convert 85 to 90% of their energy to heat
and only 10 to 15% to light.

In hot periods use only a portion of your home, partially cover the registers in mostly
unoccupied rooms. It’s even better to have a number of separately controlled heating zones
in your home permitting you to cool only frequently occupied areas.

Fit a programmable timer thermostat. For more information
visit: espenergy.com/programmable_thermostats.htm.

Check the AC filter regularly, if it’s dirty replace it, dirty filters limit air flow and reduce
system efficiency.

Ensure your AC is working efficiently, get it serviced. A 10% undercharge of freon can
increase operating costs by almost 20%. A dirty evaporator, condenser or blower could
increase air conditioning or heat pump electrical usage by 50%.

When you are away from home for periods of more than a few hours turn the AC off.

Plant deciduous trees nearby to reduce summer sunlight on your home and to shade your ac
unit.

Dry your clothes on an outside clothes line or have your clothes drier in an un-cooled area.
Vent your clothes drier to the outside in summer and check the outside dryer exhaust vent
periodically. If it doesn't fully close replace it to stop hot outside air leaking in.

Use bathroom and cooker extractor fans vented to the outside during hot periods to remove
excess heat.
36

If the humidity is high get a de-humidifier and do not rely on the ‘expensive to operate’ AC
unit to dry the air.

Replace pilot lights on natural gas appliances with electrical igniters, or in summer turn off
pilot lights.

If your AC unit is old replace it with a modern Energy Star rated unit, modern unit
efficiencies could be twice those of units made in the early 1990’s.

Close fireplace dampers when not using internal fireplaces, always remember to open them
before using the fireplace.
Ways to save energy in terms of washing and drying: "...":

Wash full loads when ever possible, full loads are more economical than partial loads, but
don’t overload the machine.

Buy an outdoor clothes line, use it on dry days and take advantage of the suns energy,
additionally your clothes will last longer.

Buy an indoor clothes drying rack, floor or ceiling mounted racks can be obtained or made,
use them on wet or very cold days.

Consider purchasing a new clothes washer that is water- and energy- efficient. Rebates are
available for qualified models. See Clothes Washer Rebates from the Saving Water
Partnership.
If you must use a clothes dryer reduce clothes drying energy:

Don’t over dry clothes.

In winter vent it inside your home if the home humidity is not too high. DO NOT VENT
NATURAL GAS DRIERS INTO YOUR HOME, THEY PRODUCE DANGEROUS GASES.

Dry full loads, they are more economical than small loads, but do not overload the dryer.

Dry two or more loads in a row, taking advantage of the dryer's retained heat.

Make sure your dryer is operating efficiently – regularly remove lint, lint build up wastes
energy.

Separate your clothes and dry similar types together. Lightweight synthetics dry much more
quickly than natural fiber clothes, and these dry more quickly than bath towels.

Use the cool-down cycle (perma-press cycle) to allow the clothes to finish drying with the
residual heat in the dryer.
37

Locate your clothes dryer in a heated space. Putting it in a cold or damp basement or an
unheated garage will make the dryer work harder and less efficiently.

Make sure your clothes dryer is vented properly. If you vent the exhaust outside, use the
straightest and shortest metal duct available. Flexible vinyl duct is not recommended as it
restricts airflow, can be crushed, and may not withstand the high drier temperatures.

Get a clothes dryer with a humidity detector – this can reduce drying costs by 10 to 15%.
Ways to save energy in terms of lighting: "...":

Always turn off lights that are unneeded.

Use daylight whenever possible, open shades or blinds and turn off lights. If privacy is an
issue, add translucent shades.

Replace all incandescent or halogen light bulbs that are used for more than 2 hours per
week with low energy light bulbs, and don’t forget the outdoor lighting. Low energy lamps
take 1/4 the electrical power for the same light output and last many times longer than
incandescent or filament types. Remember though that generally low energy light bulbs
cannot be used with dimmers. By using this new lighting technology you can reduce your
residential lighting cost by 40%.

Use local focused low energy lamps when performing a task in a small area instead of
lighting the entire room Use movable floor lamps or table lamps and place them where you
need the light.

Use floor lamps or table lamps fitted with low energy light bulbs to give background
lighting especially in rooms having energy wasting halogen spot lighting, turn these off.

Paint rooms a lighter color to reflect the light so you need less lighting and use lower energy
light bulbs, or dimmer controls on incandescent lamps.

Dust light bulbs occasionally to increase light levels.

Fit motion detectors on outside lights, especially high power security lights, so they are not
left on continuously.

Choose light fixtures that require fewer light bulbs, or unscrew some of the bulbs in existing
fixtures.
This website claims that conservation is undoubtedly the best option for individuals who are
looking to help on the issue of global warming. This presents the argument that people who
wish to help out with global warming have already done so through conservation. One might
argue, in defense of such education campaigns, that for the upcoming generation these facts
38
and initiatives must be made streamlined and comprehensible. The upcoming generation
will be presented with decisions upon the way they transition into a society outside of
adolescence. Therefore, it must be assured that such a transition comes at the lowest
possible cost to the environment, while still being made easy for the individual. The number
one advocated topic for college age students ever since climate change reports came to
light has been global warming. So it is evident that these individuals - the up and coming,
are willing to help and adapt their lifestyles to the sustainable lifestyles envisioned by many.
8. A report was put out by the U.S. Environmental protection agency in December 2004 titled
Buildings and the Environment: A statistical summary. As the name suggests, this report is a
highly statistical and influential document. It reflects the nature of the American way in a
quantitative form. It is important to note that all statistics must be accounted for with a certain
margin for error. According to the EPA, in 2004, there were 223, 114 establishments in the
building industry. There were 116 million residences in the U.S., with an annual growth rate
of 1.8 million. There has been a 24% increase in land usage over the past ten years. There
are 107.3 million acres of developed land in the U.S. In 2002, buildings represented around
40% of all energy usage, and residences made up 56.4% of that energy. Buildings
accounted for 69% of all energy usage in the U.S. and residences made up 48.8% of that.
Buildings in the U.S. contribute 38.1% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions - including 20.6%
from the residential sector alone.
It was studied and is interesting to note that in 2001, less than 15% of kids between the ages
of 5-15 walked or biked to school everyday, whereas 48% did so in 1969. It was concluded
that these behaviors can contribute to carbon dioxide emissions.
Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors. It was found that in 2001, one out of every
15 homes had radon levels above the EPA recommended levels. Radon is the second
leading cause of lung cancer and is estimated to contribute to about 21,000 deaths per year.
This report is pertinent to our project because it really puts the whole American culture into
perspective. It happens often that individuals feel that his or her individual actions will not
affect anything or anybody besides themselves or that which is immediately apparent, but in
a culture like that of the modern U.S., this is barely the case.
By noting the different statistics in the indoor air quality, it is apparent that we have not
thoroughly thought through the impacts of our actions, especially when it comes to the
building industry. There are impacts and repercussions to our actions that we can not always
easily see, and this is apparent from just a few of these basic statistics.
9. It now seems apparent that the Energy Star labels that were so mainstreamed and trusted
by greenies across America, may not be all that efficient after all. The report was put out by
the Department of Energy who is also responsible for regulating what is required to receive
the energy star certification. Obama has stressed the importance of the Energy Star
39
program by investing $300 million of stimulus money to consumers who buy energy star
appliances. Energy Star appliances range from many different kinds of appliances within the
home. It was found however, that most oversight of regulation existed in the computer and
television industry.
The problem of energy efficiency is a pressing issue felt by all appliance companies. Often,
nowadays the most efficient appliances either take a lot of energy to create or contain an
array of harmful chemicals. For example, the compact fluorescent lightbulb, although
proven to last for years longer than a regular one and use less energy, contains 5 mg of
mercury per light bulb. A further example would be plasma television sets, which require
tremendous amounts of energy to produce and emit dangerous chemicals into the
environment.
As a result of any lost faith in the energy star appliance industry, there will be a new
program to assess which energy star appliances are the best bang for their buck. It is
important to think about what the lifespan of the purchased product has to do with the
environment, either directly (by spreading of hazardous chemicals) or indirectly (by using
energy to run).
This article is pertinent to our project because it will be important for our group to outline
the absolute best options for consumers, despite fallacies in the Department of Energy's
program. The usage of energy star products in our final report will need to be put in
perspective; i.e. what is the real efficiency of the recomended energy star products. There
will undoubtedly be a shift towards smarter consumer purchasing, so our group should try
to lay down the tracks for such a shift in status quo.
1. "Federal Electricity Subsidies - Information on Research Funding, Tax Expenditures, and
Other Activites that Support Electricity Production." United States Government
Accountability Office, Oct. 26, 2007. <http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08102.pdf>. Oct 21,
2009.
2. Miller, Peter (2009) "Energy Conservation: It Starts at Home," National Geographic. March
2009. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/energy-conservation/miller-text>. Oct
21, 2009
3. The U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Efficency and Renewable Energy.
<http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/home_energy.html>. Oct 22, 2009.
4. End Use Consumption of Energy in 2001. Department of Energy, Energy Information
Administration.
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/recs2001/enduse2001/enduse2001.html>. Oct 26,
2009.
40
5. Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten. "Consuming Technologies - Developing Routines". Danish Building
Research Institute, Department of Housing and Urban Renewal. Elsevier Ltd. Aug 6 2007.
6. Henrik, Jan. "Education for Climate Change." Sept. 2, 2009.
<http://www.progaia.net/archives/133#more-133>. Oct 29, 2009.
7. <http://www.canwesavetheworld.com/>. Oct 30, 2009.
8. "Buildings and the Environment: A Statistical Summary." U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Green Building Workshop. December 20, 2004. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. <http://epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/gbstats.pdf>. Nov 23, 2009.
9. Wald, Matthew L. "Energy Star Appliances May Not All Be Efficient, Audit Finds." The New
York Times, Energy and the Environment. Oct 18, 2009.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/business/energy-environment/19star.html>. No 23,
2009.
Deborah Kraft:
Appliances and Electronics. U.S. Department of
Energy. http://www.energy.gov/applianceselectronics.htm.
This article highlights the fact that people can save a lot of money by paying more attention
to how they use electronics and appliances in their home. According to the article, about
20% of a household’s energy bill comes from their use of these types of equipment, such as
washer, dryers, water heaters, chargers and computers. What many people do not realize is
that there are plenty of easy and simple ways to save money when dealing with appliances.
For example, a lot of electronics continue to draw power even when they are off. The
solution to this specific problem is quite easy: unplug the appliance when it is not in use. The
article also offers many other helpful hints, such as air-drying dishes instead of using the dry
cycle on the dishwasher, only buying appliances with the Energy Star label, and only
washing and drying full loads of laundry.
All of the points made by the author of this article are validated by the fact that using energy
costs money, and using less of it will save the consumer money. This article is not arguing
anything about the impact of our reliance on electricity or anything environment related, it is
simply giving numerous tips on ways to save money dealing with energy. Three specific
examples are: not using a dryer, buying Energy Star appliances, and unplugging
electronics that aren’t in use. All three of these have been proven to use less energy and
save money.
While this article is not environment related and our advocacy project is, the article is still
very useful to us and can be used to support our cause. This is because when you use less
energy, even if your motive is to save money, you inadvertently end up helping the
environment as well. The less energy we use, the less we pollute our environment with
41
dangerous gases and fossil fuel emissions. All of the tips listed in the article for the purpose
of saving money can also be used in order to help the environment. For example, one tip
from the article is to air dry your clothes outside instead of using a dryer. If you think about
this, it is obvious that it will save money because you will clearly use less energy, but it also
helps the environment for the same reason.
While there are many ways to reduce your personal energy consumption, a lot of them
require commitment and a large change in your habits/lifestyle. However, there are also
many easy things people could do to save energy that they are just unaware of. This article
highlights many simple and perhaps unobvious ways to reduce energy consumption. Almost
all of the tips listed are very undemanding, such as unplugging appliances while they aren’t
in use, or setting your computer so that is uses less energy. This fact also supports our
project because it shows that people don’t have to completely change their lifestyle in order
to use less energy and help the environment.
How does energy conservation help save the environment? Yahoo!
Answers.http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081008170517AAgN9GE.
This article hits on all of the main effects and negative environmental impacts of our extreme
reliance on energy. For example, the author discusses how the greenhouse gases that we
produce trap heat in the atmosphere, and have led to the gradual warming of our planet.
The author then scratches the surface of the immense list of negative impacts specifically
related to global warming. In this list, he includes the increased occurrence of extinction
among the animal population, melting of the glaciers and polar ice caps, and the shifting of
rainfall patterns. He also discusses how the burning of coal releases mercury into the
atmosphere, which is very toxic. On top of that, the extraction process of coal alone is very
harmful and damaging to our landscapes. Coal mining eliminates any existing vegetation
and often times it relocates or seriously harms local wildlife. Similar to coal, the process
necessary for extracting oil from the earth has very damaging consequences as well, such as
contaminating the surrounding area and
Since this article is answering the question about how energy conservation helps the
environment, each piece of scientifically proven information that he brings up legitimizes
his point. All of the impacts of global warming that he discussed exist because of our
reliance on energy. Therefore, if we conserved energy, these effects would be lessened and
not as harmful. Since climate change and its consequences have been directly linked to our
methods of producing energy, each point he makes is evidence that supports his argument.
Three specific points that he makes are: the fact that our reliance on energy produces
greenhouse gases, the fact that using energy requires the burning of coal, and the fact that
oil and coal must be extracted from the ground for their use in energy production. All of
these are very harmful to the environment, and are directly related to our consumption of
energy.
This article is helpful to our advocacy project because it shows exactly how conserving
energy is directly linked to helping the environment. The less energy we use, the less we
will need to mine for coal and drill for oil. Also, we will produce fewer greenhouse gases
and other dangerous emissions.
42
From this article, we can use all of the information that was stated about the negative impacts
of climate change to bolster our argument. This article discusses plenty of problems that
could be avoided if people simply consumed less energy, or at least tried. For example, as I
stated in the first paragraph, the extinction of animals, the melting of the ice caps, and the
change of rainfall patterns are all very serious problems that we can steer clear of by
conserving energy if we want to make a difference.
Green homes use less energy, have more high-tech features. Governor’s Energy Policy
Task Force.http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/energy/node/1850
This article is all about a residential home that has been altered to be more environmentally
friendly by using less energy and fewer resources. The new and improved household is said
to use about 65% less energy during peak hours than the conventional home. In this house,
residents have the ability to monitor all of their energy use via a touch-screen computer.
Also, using new green technology, the house will be equipped with water heaters, toilets,
air conditioners and fluorescent bulbs that all use less energy than their traditional
counterparts. Additionally, the house will feature blown-in insulation, which will allow less
heat to escape through the walls. While this new green household will require some
additional costs upfront, in the long run it will be worth it to the resident and the costs will
pay off.
In this article, the author has many good facts to back herself up. For example, the article
highlights an energy efficient home. This home will feature many items that have been
proven to be energy efficient. For example, the air conditioners will have larger coils that
use less energy to cool the air around them. Also, low-E glass used in the windows will
restrict air transfer between inside and outside, while a specially insulated attic will keep
cooling costs down. All three of these examples have been tried and tested to show that they
use less energy, and are therefore contributing to this new and improved energy efficient
home.
Since our project is all about finding ways to waste less energy, this article is perfect. Similar
to the first article I chose, it shows that you don’t have to rearrange your entire life in order
to use less energy and be conscious of your environmental impact. There are many new
technologies that do the thinking for you, but they don’t stop at that. This article mentioned a
touch-screen computer that would allow the residents to monitor their energy use. This is a
great idea because often times, people are simply not aware of how much energy they are
unnecessarily consuming. Just being able to see it spelled out in front of them could have a
big impact and make people realize that they need to be more mindful of these things.
From this article, we can use all of the information about new energy efficient products that
are now available to the public. Even if people cannot commit to transitioning to an allaround green house, they can certainly start by exchanging some of their current
appliances for more efficient ones.
Emerging Energy-Saving Technologies and Practices for the Buildings Sector. American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. http://www.aceee.org/pubs/a985.htm.
43
This article first mentions a study done back in 1992. This study was interested in evaluating
newly emerging technologies that would improve energy efficiency in residential homes, as
well as in commercial sectors. This study was quite useful, seeing how it examined over 100
new energy saving technologies, and brought many new ideas to the attention of
government agencies. This study definitely helped to make a difference because once they
were aware, people started using the more efficient technologies that were available. After
this brief description, the article goes on to talk about a more recent study that updated and
expanded the findings of the earlier study. The second study that was conducted was very
intense and extremely thorough. The study consisted of an 8-step process that included
detailed research, determining the cost-effectiveness of each new technology, and
comparing these new results to the study from 1992. The article then uses a table to show all
the results of the study in terms of energy-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
After sharing the results of the study, the article then diverges into the necessary actions that
people must take, along with using these new technologies, in order to have them be fully
effective. For example, a consumer cannot simply put all of their faith in current
technologies and rely on them fully. The article suggests that new technologies be reexamined after about three years of use to see if they are working up to potential and
meeting the projected and predicted standards. If not, people can learn from how these
appliances are operating. Manufacturers can potentially take what is going wrong in the
current version and fix it for the next time around. Also, people need to be able to take care
of their appliances so that they remain operating at optimum efficiency and under prime
conditions.
The evidence used to support this article is all found in the table listing the results of the
study. The table clearly and specifically shows how much money was saved from the
implementation of the new energy-efficient technologies. Therefore, if money was saved
and energy bills were reduced, we can obviously see that less energy was consumed and
that less energy was wasted and contributed to global warming. Also, the description of the
process used to conduct the study was very thorough and meticulous, which increases its
credibility and shows that it can be counted on and relied on as evidence.
This article can be useful to our project because it discusses and makes many points based
on the fact that energy-efficient appliances have been proven to save money and use less
energy. Our project is focused around using less energy in the home. Therefore, this article
applies specifically by not only showing that this attempt at reducing energy consumption
works, but by also showing how to do it and what can be used to do it.
From this article, we can use specific information from the table provided about how much
energy certain appliances save and how using them will certainly make a difference. For
example, some of the appliances that they tested and proved to make a difference include
dual source heat pumps, sulphur lighting, and low-flow showerheads.
Florida office puts energy-saving technology on display. Energy Saving
Association. http://www.the-esa.org/news/-/florida-office-puts-energy-saving-technologyon-display.
44
This article focuses around the very current news of an engineering building taking the
initiative to make its headquarters more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The
building is known as the H2Engineering office building, and it was awarded the Gold status
under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scheme. It is the first
structure in its area to receive this award. After its extremely intense renovation, the
building is now much more energy efficient in many different areas and therefore more
environmentally friendly. Ryan Chewning, an engineer at the H2Engineering facility, says
that their renovation and all-around green upgrades have been good for business. Also, he
says that they have been receiving positive feedback from employees at the facility.
Overall, the change seems to be very popular and was definitely an excellent decision for
the company. Chewning also says “We wanted to show our clients and our clients' clients
that we are committed to sustainable design.” The finished result of their renovation project
certainly proves this statement. Lastly, Chewning stated “We wanted an environment that
would be pleasant for our employees to be in." This statement can be interpreted in two
different, but equally positive, ways. First of all, the building itself is a friendly environment
because people feel good about themselves working in it knowing that they’re helping the
environment. Secondly, the environment itself around the building can certainly be
described as pleasant because it is receiving fewer emissions than before and therefore it is
more enjoyable to live in an experience.
The main point of this article is to show that the newly improved building is emitting fewer
harmful pollutants and using less energy in general. This is proven by the fact that the
engineering structure only consumed 1.06 kilowatt hours of electricity per square foot in the
month of August this year, compared to the 2.35 kilowatt hours per square foot that it
consumed in the month of August in 2007. The fact that the building is clearly using less
energy also means that it is helping the environment, according to the previously proven
scientific fact that most conventional forms of energy harm the environment.
This article is useful to our advocacy project because it is another example of how it has
been proven that newer technologies can help you consume less energy and protect the
environment from destructive emissions. Specifically, we can use the exact technologies that
are now put into practice in the H2Engineering office building. For example, the building
currently uses occupancy sensors to control the lighting, an air conditioning unit with
variable speeds and humidity sensors, and reflective roof materials that can transfer heat
inside the premises. All of these new technologies help to reduce the overall energy
consumption of the building, and can be used in other commercial/residential building to
do the same thing.
Minimizing Heat Loss. The Renewable Energy
Center. http://www.therenewableenergycentre.co.uk/home-energy-saving/.
This article is focusing on the topic of wasted energy in homes, with a specific concentration
on heat loss, light bulbs, and under floor heating. First of all, there are many areas in most
traditional homes that have been constructed poorly in the aspect of containing heat. Since
the solution to this problem is extremely simple and fairly inexpensive, there is almost no
excuse for the fact that it still exists. The solution is insulation. Basically all areas of a home
that are not able to trap heat properly suffer from improper insulation, and it is moderately
45
uncomplicated to install proper insulation, even in older homes. Secondly, the article
highlights light bulbs. When compared to the conventional light bulb, a low energy bulb
will obviously use less energy, save money, last longer, and generally be more economical
in the long run. For example, some energy-efficient bulbs have been found to use about a
quarter of the electricity that their counterpart would use, while lasting up to approximately
twelve times longer. On the topic of under floor heating, the article gives a lot of useful
information. An under floor heater can be about twenty percent more fuel-efficient than the
equivalent radiator based system. On an unrelated but still positive side note, under floor
heating also gives a more even and balanced temperature in a room, while creating extra
space by eliminating the need for a radiator.
All of the energy saving tips from this article are tried and tested technologies, which
provides enough evidence to ensure credibility. For example, it has definitely been shown
that houses with better insulation lose less heat and contain more within the household. For
this reason, houses with better insulation use less energy and have lower energy bills
because the more energy that is contained within the house, the less they have to produce
and consume.
This article can be useful to our advocacy project because, yet again, it lists more ways that
people can modify their homes in order to use less energy and help the environment
without emptying their wallets. Specifically from this article, we can use the information
given about insulation, light bulbs and under floor heating. The article gives a lot of
information about how to install insulation in different areas of a home. For example, if you
have cavity walls, blown-in insulation is the proper method to follow. Blown-in insulation
takes less than a day to install, and pays for itself in under a year. However, floors and lofts
only require regular insulation, which is very cheap and in most cases easy to install. Also, a
sealant paste is available to minimize drafts in between floorboards and around service
ducts. Insulation is an easy product to support and endorse because once it is installed, you
don’t have to worry about it again. After installation, there is no maintenance required to go
along with all the energy it will save. Overall, there are many, many different things that
people can do in their homes to decrease the amount of energy that they use without having
to completely change their lifestyle.
Energy Saving Tips: Room by Room. All Final Electric
Inc. http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:SMlNmFb6GnIJ:www.allfinalelectric.com/energ
ysavings.php+energy+saving+tips+timers+on+thermostats&cd=11&hl.en&ct=clnk&gl=us&
client=safari
This article is yet another long and descriptive list of easy ways to save energy that many
people are simply unaware of. The article lists very uncomplicated ways that energy can be
saved in specific rooms within a household. This is good because instead of giving
ambiguous tips such as “unplug everything when it’s not in use”, the article tries to simplify
and specify the changes people will have to make by giving them a room-by-room guide.
This article targets bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and even provides some
useful information about garages. Also, the article gives general suggestions that can be
applied to appliances that are not specific to one room, such as light bulbs. In addition, the
46
author gives a lot of information on timers. Timers can be very useful when installed on
water heaters and thermostats. Timers make it so that you can program an appliance to only
be on when it needs to be. This can be very handy because all you have to do is set the timer
once, and the appliance will continue to operate the way you want it to on a daily basis. That
way, you can set the water heater so that it turns off when you are away at work and will not
be using any hot water. This is useful because when you are busy and have lots of things on
your mind, you don’t have to worry about turning off your water heater because the timer
will take care of it all.
Similar to the majority of my previous annotations and articles, the author really does not
need to use specific evidence to support their argument because it has been shown that
energy consumption causes dangerous pollution and harmful emissions. From this, we can
determine that using less energy will obviously produce fewer emissions and help protect
the environment. Therefore, all of these energy saving tips will help the environment and –
added bonus- save you money on your energy bill.
This article is extremely applicable to our advocacy project because it provides a great deal
of useful information on ways to save energy. There are so many easy and seemingly
obvious things that people can do to conserve energy that they just don’t think of. The more
we are able to inform the public, the more we will be able to make a difference and reverse
the negative impacts of global warming. Therefore, the more tips and guidelines that we
have about saving energy, the easier it will be for people to change their ways.
From this article, we can use all of the information listed for use in specific rooms, and we
can also use the general information given. For example, the article discusses how in
kitchens, people could save a lot of energy if they only ran their dishwasher when it was full,
unplugged small appliances when they weren’t in use, and maintained all major appliances.
For example, refrigerators operate better and more efficiently if the grill at the bottom is
clean and dust-free. For bathrooms, the article suggests that if possible, people should
choose to take a shower over a bath. This is because the typical shower uses less hot water
than a bath would. For laundry rooms, the article suggests using less hot water when
watching clothes because most detergents can handle the dirt in cold water as well. Also,
only wash and dry full loads. Lastly, the article brings up an interesting point about garage
door openers. Garage door openers always have safety lights running when they are on. If
you know that you are going to be away for a while on vacation, it would be beneficial to
unplug your garage door opener in order to save energy.
How does electricity affect the environment? Clean Energy: united Stated Environmental
Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/RDEE/energy-and-you/affect/index.html.
This article is basically a very in-depth explanation of how electricity and energy are
created in various ways, and the harmful effects that most of these creation procedures have
on the environment. The article divulges into the details associated with the production of
natural gas, coal, oil, nuclear energy, municipal solid waste, and hydroelectricity. Each of
these different forms of electricity generation harm the environment in their own way, and
we need to start paying attention to it. In order to fix the problem, though, we need to fully
understand it first. This article does an exceptional job of explaining the specific risks and
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harmful attributes associated with each source of energy. While a lot of the harmful effects
are similar, the different types of energy sources all have their own ways of harming the
environment that are exclusive to their required procedures. It is important to be able to
distinguish between these different types so we can appropriately address the problem with
new technologies and different lifestyles.
The entire article itself is basically one big chunk of evidence. The author discusses how
certain types of energy resources are harnessed and where they come from. Some of these
processes, excluding the impact of emissions and pollutants, harm the environment in a very
obvious manner. For example, in order for natural gas to be used as an energy source, it
must be extracted from the ground in a manner that is costly to the environment and nearby
wildlife. Also, this process can lead to unnatural erosion, a loss of soil productivity, the
damaging of plants, and dangerous landslides. Overall, the article uses basic facts about
how energy is created and the negative impacts that are associated with it in different forms.
This article is extremely appropriate and relates very well to the topic of our advocacy
project. Our project is centered around helping the environment by using less energy in
your home. This article proves that there is a need for a project such as this because energy
resources account for a large portion of environmental damage these days. This article is
especially useful because it gives very specific information for a wide variety of different
energy resources.
From this article, we can gather a great deal of information on pollutants and other
environmentally harmful effects of energy production and consumption. First of all, when
natural gas is used to produce energy, it must be burned. The burning of natural gas
produces nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide and sometimes even methane if there is a leak.
Also, as stated before, the process necessary to extract natural gas from the ground is
harmful to the surrounding environment. When coal is burned to produce energy, there are
also many emissions associated with it. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and
mercury compounds are all released with the burning of coal. Coal plants and mines also
require a large amount of water in order to operate properly. When these plants and mines
remove large quantities of water from lakes or rivers, the aquatic life is affected, as well as
the people and other animals that rely on these aquatic resources. Also, sometimes water
used in a plant is discharged into a lake or river. This can be very dangerous because water
that has already been used in a plant is full of pollutants and can very easily harm fish and
vegetation that rely on the body of water it is dumped in to. Lastly, the initial act on just
mining for coal is taxing to the environment because it can destroy habitats and negatively
impacts wildlife nearby. When oil is used to produce energy, many of the effects are similar
to those related with coal. For example, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide,
methane and mercury compounds are all produced when oil is burned. Additionally, oil
plants rely on water in a way that is very similar to the way coal plants do, so the same risks
apply. Finally, the construction of oil plants can also harm the environment, and there is
always the risk of an oil spill, which is very harmful to land and soil.
Recovering Wasted Energy. Home and
Garden. http://www.thearticlesblog.com/tag/wasted-energy/. With additional information
from Wasted, wasted
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energy.http://mnenergychallenge.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/wasted-wasted-energy/.
This article starts off by providing alarming and extremely sobering statistics about the
amount of energy that is wasted in the United States. On average, approximately 56% of all
the energy that is created for consumption in the U.S. is wasted. When taking a closer look at
the break down of specific types of energy and electricity, we find that 66% of the energy
produces for electricity is lost, and 20% of the energy that is used in commercial buildings
and residential homes is wasted. While some of this waste can be contributed to the energy
production process, it is also due to inefficient technologies and poor design. Professor
Najam, one of the author’s of the intergovernmental panel’s report on policy options, stated,
“You can do a tremendous lot with available technology. It is true that this will not be
enough to lick the problem, but it will be a very significant and probably necessary
difference.” His main point in saying this is to convince individuals to act and commit to
making a difference. The article then divulges into information about an interesting
invention that can be used to save and recycle heat energy that would otherwise be wasted.
The author discusses how it is commonly understood that showers are more efficient than
baths because baths typically use a large amount of water, and that water must be heated as
well. However, showers should still not be thought of as energy saving godsends. When you
shower, the water cascades over your body and then goes down the drain. It is estimated
that about 95% of the energy used to heat water for a shower simply goes down the drain
(literally). To reverse this problem and recover the wasted energy, all you need is a heat
exchanger. A heat exchanger transfers the heat from the waster water to the incoming water
supply.
The first part of this article does not need to be supported by evidence, because it is
evidence itself. These statistics were published in the New York Times, and the information
for the statistics was gathered from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The
second part of this article receives credibility based on the fact that there is an in-depth
description of how the heat exchanger actually functions and how it uses less energy.
The information from this article pertains to our advocacy project because we are trying to
inform people of ways that they can reduce wasted energy. First of all, the statistics in the
article really show the immense need that exists to reduce wasted energy. Many people do
not realize just how much energy is wasted, and just how drastic the effects can be.
Secondly, the heat exchanger that is discussed is yet another example of how technology
can help us reduce our amount of energy consumption and help protect the environment.
From this article, we can use the statistics to show people that they need to get their
priorities in order and think about changing their habits when it comes to energy
consumption. Also, we can explain the concept behind the heat exchanger and encourage
people to invest in that and other various forms of energy efficient technologies.
Mangesh Tamhankar:
According to this article by Christine Mann, a quantified study shows that white roofs help
cut energy costs of climate control within the house by over 20 percent. Houses that use air
49
conditioning to cool the air can be kept naturally cooler by using a white roof, which reflects
like and heat from the sun as opposed to absorbing it. In addition to saving energy, using
white roofs can cut greenhouse gas emissions. Air conditioners powered on the grid still
draw much of their energy from fossil fuel power plants that emit carbon dioxide. Just a
thousand square feet of roof area changed to white roofing can stop ten metric tons of
carbon dioxide from being dumped into the air. For those people who are not able to afford
changing their entire roof, the roof can just as easily be painted white. This will give you the
same result of a decrease in energy cost. The material used for the roof can also have a large
impact on the amount of electricity used every year for heating and cooling a home.
Different types of materials are shown to absorb less heat from the environment. Others are
able to quickly radiate heat and cool off. Using the right materials in the roof in addition to
making the roof white saves electricity. Climate control in homes accounts for a relatively
large portion of a home’s total energy usage. According to a separate report by the US
department of energy, climate control accounts for over 40% of a home’s energy usage.
Cutting this sector of energy usage significantly can greatly reduce electricity usage in
home, which is the ultimate goal of our advocacy project. While it is possible to argue that
heating a home will cost more if roofs are white, according to this article, this increase in
electricity is not significant compared to the amount saved during the hotter seasons. During
the winter months, the sun shines less hours of the day and with less intensity. As a result the
whiter roofs do not have as big of an effect. This idea of white roofs is not only
environmentally beneficial, but also economically sound to the consumer because the
money spent on getting a white roof is easily displaced by the money saved from not using
the air conditioner all the time. Less use of air conditioners can also save the grid from
blackouts and burnouts. In the middle of hot summer days, a large number of air
conditioners simultaneously turn on. This great increase in energy demand cannot always
be supported by the grid, which results in blackouts and power failures. In addition to the
results of this lab experiment, I have also personally seen that using a white roof does
significantly reduce the electricity usage of a home. It produces a noticeable difference on
the electricity bill. This simple modification of already existing roofs may be a possible area
to target to help solve the larger problem of wasted electricity in climate control. Because of
the potential to decrease electric bills not only environmentalists have a reason to advocate
white roofs, but the homeowners themselves also see a possible net profit from installing a
white roof.
Citation
“Reflective White Roofing Cuts Energy Costs 20%” http://savingenergy.suite101.com/article.cfm/energyefficient_white_roofs_save_money.
Ecomall, an environmental group, posted an article with twenty ways to cut back on
electricity usage in homes and buildings. The article addressed the two largest components
of the average house electricity usage, climate control and large appliances. The article first
outlined a way to make appliances more efficient. Turning the temperature down on the
refrigerator and conversely turning down the temperature on water heaters can significantly
50
reduce electricity usage in homes. In addition, making sure dishwashers are full before
using them can significantly increase a home’s efficiency. The article showed how minute
changes in a person’s lifestyle can have impacts that are significant and tangible. The article
next targeted climate control as a major electricity hog. Decreasing or increasing the
temperature (depending on the season) just a degree or two can greatly reduce the
electricity consumption of the home. In addition to these big areas smaller improvements to
different systems in the house can result in long term benefits. Such changes include the use
of compact florescent light bulbs, insulation of the water heater and the use of low flow
shower heads to save water. In addition to these changes in behavior and other changes, the
small investment of insulating your home can reduce carbon emission by 2000 tons annually
per person. The homeowner also has the benefit of a twenty to thirty percent decrease in
heating cost, which is a significant profit. This article focuses on the same problem that our
advocacy project is attempting to help solve. Ecomall is stating where, according to them,
the most electricity is wasted in homes and poses realistic solutions to these problems. This
is useful to our project because it clearly identifies the areas in which the efficiency of
electricity usage can be improved upon. This article also specifies and quantifies how much
of an impact every individual decrease in energy usage has not only on electricity use, but
also on the environmental impact. For example, switching to an energy star refrigerator can
save almost 2 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted in to the air in a year. The average
American produces around forty thousand tons of carbon dioxide. If a person were to follow
all of the solutions that have been outlined by this article, they would be decreasing carbon
production by over 4000 every single year. That’s a decrease of over 10%, and that’s
including carbon dioxide emitted from vehicles and other carbon dioxide emitters aside
from the carbon dioxide produced due to electricity consumption.
Citation
“20 Things You Can Do To Conserve
Energy” http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/20things.htm
This article by the United States Department of Energy outlines ways the average
homeowner can save energy. The article is highly supportive of the DOE instituted energy
star program. This program puts an energy star symbol on any large home appliance that
has been rated highly efficient. They have been approved by both the Department of
Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. These appliances will use less electricity
and thus cause power plants to release less greenhouse gases in to the air annually. This
article makes a unique point that appliances such as TVs DVD players and other electronics
that have standby modes use electricity even when in the standby mode. The DOE suggests
plugging all of these appliances into a single power strip that can be switched on and off.
This can save several Watts of electricity daily. Similarly, turning off the computer monitor
and the computer when not in use can significantly reduce electricity usage. Proper usage of
appliances can help save electricity as well. Running a load in a washing machine that is not
full is wasteful. Similarly running the dishwasher when it is not full is not efficient. In
addition, air drying dishes as opposed to running the dishwasher’s dry cycle can save
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significant amounts of electricity. The Department of Energy also addressed the large
amount of electricity consumed by climate control systems annually. The DOE suggests
insulating your home in order to reduce heating costs during colder months. As a result less
energy is needed to heat a house and less greenhouse gases are emitted into the Earth’s
atmosphere. Again, the DOE suggests using energy star products for new heating and
cooling systems in order to ensure energy efficiency. Water heaters are another large
energy consumer. Lowering the temperature on the water heaters thermostat and using less
hot water can greatly decrease a home’s energy usage. This article is important to our
advocacy project because it shows us what steps are already being taken by a branch of the
federal government in order to reduce the total energy consumption in the average
American home. By analyzing what is already being done we can target areas that are not
being addressed by the DOE or we can chose to find ways in which we can improve systems
that the DOE has already put into place. The DOE does not state anything about how much
saving using a white roof can produce such as article one. The article does show, however
that the DOE has created its own standard of how efficient a home appliance should be. One
possible area to investigate is if all appliances were switched to energy star appliances, will
we have reached the maximum efficiency possible. In other words is the DOE standard for
energy star appliances as high as it could possibly be and if it isn’t, what is the most efficient
appliance that we can put to use?
Citation
“Energy Savers” http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf
Many of the appliances that we plug into the wall sockets in our homes drain energy even
when they are in their idle state. This silent consumption of energy has come to be known as
vampire power, or standby power. Among the more common of these appliances are TVs,
VCRs, microwaves computers and basically everything that uses a remote. Most of these
appliances simply sit there draining power waiting for signal from a remote. For example, a
microwave uses more power throughout the year to keep its clock running than it does to
actually heat food, which is its primary purpose. Unfortunately most appliances will in some
way drain electricity even after they have been turned “off”. The numbers are quite
astounding as well. The average TV uses 100 watts per hour of use, but when turned off, they
still use 10 watts every hour. This means that a family watching TV 2 hours a night is
spending more money to keep the TV off than they are to actually watch the TV. There are,
however, many ways to stop the “vampire power” from being drained in your homes. Put
quite simply unplug all of the appliances that are unnecessarily draining power. This can, of
course, be an annoyance; however, there are ways to simplify the solution. This is one of the
solutions we are considering using in our advocacy projects. Many of these appliances often
reside in close proximity to each other, for example TVs, DVD players and stereo systems
are often in one room close to one another. By plugging these appliances into a power strip
instead of directly into the wall, the homeowner has access to a power switch on the power
strip that can cut power to all of these appliances and save the vampire power that would
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have otherwise been lost to them. Other than these appliances, another big culprit of
draining power is any charger that has a big transformer in it. All transformers will drain
energy when plugged in even if they are charging nothing. Americans tend to have a habit
of leaving their cell phone, iPod and other chargers plugged in at all times for convenience.
The easiest solution to stop this is to unplug them, but there are new technologies coming
out to help. For instance, some new power strips are actually able to analyze the energy
usage of each appliance and turn them off when they sit idly. In the case of computers, there
are often other electronics such as printers and internet modems connected next to you
computer. In this situation, the new power strip would cut power to other things connected
to the strip, such as the printer and the modem, when it recognizes that the computer has
been switched off. As part of our advocacy project, we hope to be able to supply every
family with a power strip in order to stop standby power consumption on their TV and its
peripheral appliances.
Citation
“Reduce Vampire Power” http://www.ecohuddle.com/wiki/how-to-reduce-vampire-power
This New York Times article outlines the benefits of using white roofed houses in terms of
electricity costs. In one specific Californian house, where the average air temperature
reaches over a hundred degrees, one family reported that they would often return to their
house to find the temperature around 115 degrees inside the house. Obviously, this
temperature is incredibly hot and the cost of running the air conditioner is extremely high.
However, recently the family had their entire roof painted white. After doing so they were
able to return to their house at a comfortable 80 degrees even when the outside weather
reached a hundred. White roofs do cost a little more than normal roofs, approximately
fifteen percent more, but they save over twenty percent in energy costs for climate control.
These “cool roofs” are the most efficient and affordable way to combat high energy costs
and dealing with the high energy demand produced by climate control units. Art Rosenfield,
who has been arguing for these “cool roofs” for almost three decades now claims that
changing all the roofs in the world would save so much energy that it would prevent tens of
billions of metric tons of carbon dioxide from being dumped into the environment. This
equates approximately to turning the entire world off for an entire year. Wal-Mart has, for
some time now, been carrying supplies for lighter roofs, and many states have been
encouraging it in order to cut energy costs. In looking further into the white roof possibility I
realized that running such a project would be more costly than expected. Repainting a
shingled roof white, with is the cheapest way to currently obtain a white roof can cost around
or over a thousand dollars. This does not make it an ideal project to carry out for an
advocacy project. The monthly savings from such a roof may only be around fifty dollars,
and homeowners may lose interest easily if the initial cost of such a project is a thousand
dollars. It is also interesting to note that warmer climate regions of the world have already
been creating lighter cooler roofs for many years now. The fact that lighter colors absorb
less light and heat is not a new technological development, but rather something that has
53
been known for a long time. For example, in southern Florida, before the widespread use of
air conditioning, roofs were traditionally lighter colors to accommodate the high levels of
heat. Technology has improved over the years however, newer types of paint that are able
to reflect light and heat better are able to save energy costs in the house as much as 40%.
That’s between 40 and 200 dollars saved in electricity every month for the average family.
Citation
“White Roofs Catch On as Energy Cost
Cutters” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/science/earth/30degrees.html
One of the things we discovered when we researched for our advocacy project was that
appliances such as TVs and computer and any device that uses a remote use electricity even
when not plugged in. Some appliances even drain more energy idling over a year than they
do for their primary purpose. New technologies, however, are attempting to solve this
problem. The new smart strip power strip is able to recognize when the main unit on the
power strip has been switched off and the strip proceeds to cut off power to all other units
connected on the strip. This is useful for appliances such as TV. Most people generally have
many peripheral appliances such as DVD players, VCRs, stereo systems and game systems
connected to the TV. None of these appliances can be used without your TV. So, if you were
to plug your TV into the “main” outlet on the smart strip, and the rest of the devices on the
remaining outlets, the smart strip would be able to cut off power to the extra devices when
you turn the power off on the TV. Similarly the power strip can be connected to a computer.
When the computer is switched off extra devices such as speakers, printers, external hard
drives and monitors will automatically be switched off. The power strip also has outlets that
are always on for devices such as a lamp. This new technology is a great solution to prevent
wasting energy for devices with remotes around TVs and for all the appliances around a
computer. It is also a relatively inexpensive investment. These power strips average just
thirty to forty dollars. Research and studies shows that implementation of such a device
could save between fifty to a hundred dollars a year in electricity bills. The device pays for
itself in just half a year. One problem with this system, however is that the control appliance,
aka the computer or the TV, will continue to draw power because it is never shut off. The
power strip keeps it on so that it can recognize when you have turned it back on in order to
turn its external devices on. The only alternative to this right now, however, is for people to
install normal power strips and manually switch the power on and off when they want to use
the TV. However, this requires Americans to remember to turn the power on the strip on and
off. This is a change in behavior that s part of the aims of our advocacy project. Many
Americans are not even aware that such devices drain power when they are not being used.
Informing the general public of this and providing power strips to Americans may be able to
save a significant amount of electricity.
Citation
“The Smart Strip: the Power Strip that
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Saves” http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/520403/the_smart_strip_the_power_strip
_that_pg2.html?cat=15
“A Power Strip that Kills Vampire Power” http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/davesdownload/2008/4/18/a-power-strip-that-kills-vampire-power.html
This article listed a series of ways to improve a person’s total energy usage efficiency. It also
gave clear statistics to exactly how much energy will be saved due to some of these changes
in behavior. This is an important aspect to our advocacy project. A large portion of our
advocacy project is advocating for changes in American behavior that will result in less
electricity usage by the average American. Having numbers and data to support these
changes will help us show the homeowners greater incentives as to why they should change
their behavior in these ways in order to conserve electricity. The first area that the article
hits on is climate control, which previous articles have shown to be the largest sector of
electricity used in the home. Solutions as simple as proper insulation and ventilation can
save over half the energy cost. That amounts to a hundred kilowatt hours per square meter
every year. This means that the average household savings can amount to thousands over
the course of a year. The next area that the article hit was general electricity consumption.
Americans consume over twice as much total electricity as any other industrialized nation.
We spend three times the electricity the EU does on lighting and twice as much as they do
on refrigeration. Clearly Americans need to improve their efficiency. The article also
describes several ways in which to accomplish this. New refrigerators are capable of
running on only 100 kilowatt hours per year. This is ten times more efficient than the current
national average. This means the average household can save 900 kilowatt hours every
year. That averages approximately a hundred dollars per year in electricity bills. Other
large appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers can also be
made more efficient and can save a homeowner money. The articles next point was about
computers. It advocated the use of laptop computers, claiming they are five times more
energy efficient. However, laptops do tend to be slightly more costly than similar
performance desktop counterparts. One of last points the article made was related to
vampire energy that was discussed in a lot of my previous week’s articles. The articles
claimed that cutting unnecessary standby usage of appliances like TVs DVD players
computers and VCRs can reduce electricity usage by as much as 120 kilowatt hours. That
amounts to approximately fifteen dollars for the average American. These figures are
important to our advocacy project. When informing homeowners of the potential areas in
which they can save on electricity consumption, it helps to know the financial side of things.
Showing how much these behavioral changes and changes in appliances can save
financially provides a greater incentive for the homeowner to actually implement the
different changes that we are advocating.
Citation
“Your Energy Savings” http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climatechange/take_action/your-energy
55
One of our preliminary ideas in this advocacy project was to start building solar panels into
already existing homes to increase their energy efficiency. However, this turned out to be
highly cost ineffective. Similar to this idea we also thought of repainting rooftops white,
which reduces thermal absorption and decreases cooling costs in the summer. This,
although cost effective, was also slightly more costly than expected. Nonetheless, we would
still like to inform homeowners of these two changes that can result in major increases in
efficiency. The following article articulates the benefits of using a solar panel system.
According to the article, it is cheaper to retrofit a home with solar panels than it is to
completely replace a home’s appliances with the government’s new energy star line of
appliances that were deemed to be more efficient that other appliances. The economics of
solar panels does work out, but only over a very long period of time. It is a very big
preliminary investment. Heating cost account for some of the largest energy costs total. In a
year people may spend a few thousand dollars to heat their homes and water. Using solar
panels you can save a very large majority of this money. In this way solar panels are able to
pay for themselves over the span of a few years. Some people even argue that with the price
of oil rising as it is today that using solar panels is clearly cheaper than conventional forms of
heating a home. This is important because it is important to inform homeowners of this
investment that they may be able to take. Although not all homeowners will be willing to
make such a large primary investment, many people who would be willing to make the
investment just are not aware that the technology is available in such a way. Others are
unsure of the cost versus benefit analysis and do not believe that solar panel usage is
actually a financially sound plan.
Citation:
“Facts about Solar
Energy” http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/keep/Renewable_Energy_Education/DoableRene
wablesWebSupport/Solar_Heating.pdf.
On this website the government outlines tax incentives in place for “greener” technology,
both the implementation of such technology and the creation of it. Homebuilders may
receive a two thousand dollar tax credit for building a house that is fifty percent more
efficient in terms of its energy usage for heating and cooling. These energy savings must,
however, come primarily from the building design resulting in greater efficiency. There is
also a tax benefit of one thousand dollars to manufacturers that are able to create more
efficient systems of cooling and heating. Similar tax benefits exist for commercial buildings
that achieve the same increase in efficiency. However, these tax benefits are proportional to
the square footage of the building. Homeowners and consumers are also eligible for tax
credits for making their home more efficient by insulating it or refitting the windows with
newer windows that are able to retain heat better. Similar incentives are available for
consumers who buy more fuel efficient cars. Hybrids vehicles have particularly high fuel
efficiencies and are thus the most recommended car. Larger Hybrid vehicles also give
commercial businesses the opportunity to get tax credits. Manufacturers are not only given
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tax incentives for energy efficient heating and cooling appliances, but for a whole range of
appliances. These appliances include most large household appliances such as
refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers. These large appliances
tend to be large energy hogs. Most of these incentives come from a government program
known as TIAP, or the Tax Incentives Assistance Program. This article is important to our
advocacy project because it shows what the government is already doing to promote
energy efficiency. However, this system may not be working properly. Our advocacy
project will be directly geared towards a specific group, the homeowners and consumers
group. Our advocacy project will inform the general public of incentives to follow the
“green” movement more directly. It will clearly outline the benefits of being more efficient
rather than provide tax incentives for greater efficiency. In addition, we will be directly
supplying consumers with some of the tools they need in order to improve their efficiency.
The meters that we will be installing in people’s homes will notify in real time the amount of
money a homeowner is spending on electricity at any given point during the month. This
allows consumers to become more aware of exactly how much electricity they use. In
addition, we will be distributing power strips in order to help people save on loss to standby
power. These changes more directly impact a homeowner and a homeowner’s behavior.
Tax incentives can only do so much.
Citation:
“Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency” http://www.business.gov/expand/greenbusiness/energy-efficiency/get-started/tax-credits.html.
“Tax Incentives Assistance Program” http://energytaxincentives.org/.
Adrienne Wilson:
The Solar Umbrella House
The main message of the article from the author demonstrates to the reader how it is
completely possible to create and maintain a completely energy sustainable home. In just a
short amount of time an eleven-person team designed and built a house with fully
functioning self-generated electricity – and it only cost $160,000 total. To put that in
perspective, a bungalow with the same size and specifications (number of rooms,
bathrooms, etc.) sells from $450,000 to $600,000 in the same area the Solar Umbrella House
resides (Venice, California). To completely remodel an existing bungalow of the same size
the cost normally ranges from $64,000-$450,000 (assuming it is $100-$700 per square feet).
These statistics completely render cost an insignificant issue and supports the author’s
argument of why it is not difficult to retrofit an existing home to be more energy efficient.
Furthermore, the argument that environmentally products are not aesthetically appealing is
defunct with the Solar Umbrella House. “Modern, eclectic, and casually funky, Solar
Umbrella is thoroughly Californian,” the article states. The creators, the California firm of
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Pugh + Scarpa, are well-known for their strong, consistent, reputation for their designs
being both environmentally responsive and aesthetically strong. Finally, the article supports
the feasibility of maintaining a grid-free home by exhibiting the house’s practicality and
livability. Not only are there two stories (the original bungalow was a one-story
establishment) to the Solar Umbrella House, the structure includes a living room, a master
suite, a combined bath/utility room, a pool, a study, a kitchen, a dining area and a second
bedroom. To further prove its livability, the Brooks and Scarpa both currently reside there
with their son. Thorough consideration of environmental, livability, and aesthetic factors at
every step of the design and implementation, the project team has rendered the Solar
Umbrella House a true exemplar of sustainable design excellence.
As our advocacy proposal centers on home retrofitting, the Solar Umbrella House is a case
study that completely supports our cause. The specifications on what the Pugh + Scarpa
team did to the original bungalow are all things we could be advertising other people to be
doing. The arguments the author of this article makes to demonstrate how it works are the
same arguments we could use to support our advocacy proposal. This involves emphasizing
the benefits of the Solar Umbrella Project’s cost, aesthetics, sustainability, and livability. Of
course, we cannot fully make everyone live in such houses as place and preferences and
other factors differ, but by showing that it can exist and that the system works, our goal is
that people will be more apt to listen to other sustainable ideas. In this way one can say that
the Solar Umbrella House (given the right circumstances) is actually our apex example of
what is possible.
Citation:
Snoonian, P.E., Deborah. "Record Houses 2005: Solar Umbrella House". Architectural
Record. Oct 23, 2009
<http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/residential/archives/0504rhe-1.asp>.
Rethinking Remodeling: Homeowners Focus on Practical, Cost-Saving Upgrades
The author of this article’s main message aims to convince readers why it is beneficial to
retrofit one’s home to accommodate for sustainability. The trade-off is of course, saving
money. One piece ofsupporting evidence the author utilizes to support their argument is
how remodeling one’s house allows a reduction on utility costs –which, according to
Appraisal Institute, for every dollar saved in annual utility costs, it is expected that twenty
dollars can be added to a home’s market value. Investments made in home energy
efficiency pay dividends for the lifetime of a home and improve the home`s resale
value. Another argument they use to support their thesis is how by using passive heating
and cooling systems a person can save on heating and cooling bills. As heating and cooling
usually account for nearly half of a home’s energy bill, the author argues that it is one of the
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most critical areas that a homeowner can target to save money and reduce costs (through
insulation, one may save as much as 30% according to the U.S Department of Energy).
Finally, the author’s third piece of evidence that supports the argument that it is beneficial to
retrofit one’s home to accommodate for sustainability is how someone can potentially save
up to $1,500 with tax credit. Apparently, as of 2010, insulation purchases (an example of a
passive heating and cooling system) qualify for a 30% federal tax credit for energyefficiency improvements. The reimbursement is due to cost of materials. In addition, other
ways one can accumulate tax credit is through windows, doors, water heaters, and roofing,
thanks to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Not only that by the author
mentions how state and local governments may allow an eligible individual for more
incentives for making energy efficiency improvements.
This article informs our advocacy project proposal on the initiative front –it supplies us with
information and statistics to convince our target audience why they would want to retrofit
their homes. It provides incentive and a tangible and on a large scale, an understandable
trade-off. The article can be used to justify and support our advocacy project proposal
through its citation of irrefutable and official sources that support the idea of making the
livability of homes into a sustainable practice. Personally, I can’t think of many people who
will turn down a potential triple return on their remodeling investment. The article then
provides many smaller examples one can do that will add up on returns. Mike Lawrence,
vice president and general manager of Johns Manville’s Insulation Systems (a Berkshire
Hathaway company that specializes in premium-quality building products manufacturer)
was once quoted in saying, “the reality of the new economy is that homeowners want to save
money while maintaining the value and comfort of their homes.” This idea is exactly the
message our advocacy plan aims to project: it is easy to retrofit your home without
compromising value or comfort – in fact, you can even improve it.
Citation:
Thomson, Reuters. "Rethinking Remodeling: Homeowners Focus on Practical, Cost-Saving
Upgrades". Reuters. Oct 23, 2009
<http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS137417+20-Oct-2009+BW20091020>.
Obama Administration Beats The Drum For Efficiency Retrofits
On October 20, 2009 the White House released a new motion called, “Recovery through
Retrofit”. The three main conclusions from the report are how retrofitting homes and
developing a residential energy efficiency industry can save money, slash carbon
emissions, and create jobs immediately. The author of this article is undoubtedly for
retrofitting homes: the website he writes for is called “GreenandSave”. Burt’s key argument
is to support the White House motion. His sub-arguments are basically pillars of support for
his initial thesis: how and why sustainable homes will benefit society and how to specifically
carry out the idea and what steps legislators should take. His sub arguments are as follows:
develop a national home energy performance measure, support municipal energy
financing, improve energy efficient mortgages, expand state revolving loan funds, and
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establish national workforce certifications and training standards. Some examples of
evidence (which are all more theoretical logic instead of concrete fact) scattered throughout
the article that support Burt’s claims include how Expanding the use of Energy Efficient
Mortgages will simplify the process of obtaining and financing energy retrofits at a home's
point of sale, establishing a standardized home energy performance measure applicable to
every home in America (this measure will make it much easier for consumers to understand
how much they can save by retrofitting their home), and helping consumers identify energy
efficient products. He also writes about how a uniform set of national standards to qualify
energy efficiency and retrofit workers and industry training providers will establish the
foundation of consumer confidence that work will be completed correctly and produce the
expected energy savings and benefits.
This article informs our advocacy project proposal that the current administration would
probably be likely to support our initiative. Many of Burt’s arguments (Burt works as the
manager of Building Energy Policy in NRDC’s Washington, D.C. office) coincide completely
with what we are proposing to do (especially the establishing a standardized energy
measure application to people’s homes and identifying energy efficient products for
consumers. By supplying options and alternatives people are more likely to be involved (by
seeing a greater range of options to choose from). Also, and this is one of our advocacy
project’s main points, is that if energy efficiency was made a strong social norm people
would accept it as part of their everyday routine. This would most likely be more easily
achieved with the federal governments and the legislator’s backing.
Citation:
Burt, Lane. "Obama Administration Beats The Drum For Efficiency Retrofits". GreenandSave,
LLC. Oct 23, 2009 <http://www.greenandsave.com/green_news/green-building/obamaadministration-beats-drum-efficiency-retrofits-5233>.
$4 billion to go toward making houses green
Environmentally-friendly products have revolutionized many industries very rapidly and
very recently. “’Green and affordable’ works”, the author quotes from an interviewee in
an article reporting on how Enterprise Community Partners, a Columbia-based affordable
housing financier, intends to funnel $4 billion toward affordable "green" housing in the next
five years. The company in questionbelieves that this investment can build or renovate
75,000 homes and apartments. Hopkins, the author, goes on to compare the implications of
the concept. With this ambitious project builders across the country are challenged to go
green on all projects aimed at lower- and moderate-income residents. This is definitely a
benefit as increasing energy efficiency, improving indoor air quality and using
environmentally friendly materials are cost-effective and new green advancements will
become more affordable for the average Joe. The three main factors that support the
Hopkins’s argument is that not only are there financial savings and lower carbon footprint,
there are also health benefits (indoor air pollution, less chance of harmful bacteria build-up,
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rotting wood which may lead to unsafe structures, reducing how easily diseases can spread,
etc ). As Dana Bourland (vice president of Enterprise’s green initiative) said, “just can't
afford not to make sure everything we do is green. This is the right direction."
This article helps support our advocacy project in that the author mentions how this specific
initiative is helping other people around the country switch over to green renovation when it
comes to home remodeling and construction. Traditional builders (those who aren’t part of
the affordable-housing movement or aren’t into green construction), for example, are
increasingly embracing green work as to attract buyers in this current market. This is
because consumers want something that is affordable but offers great “payback”. The
article also brings up an interesting side point that other articles have failed to touch base on
thus far: green buildings not only cut back on one’s carbon footprint but can also work to
reduce moisture, cut down on toxins and improving ventilation for the health of its residents.
To be specific, children with asthma were found to experience a 60% increase in attack-free
days in just a year of living in a green residency. Our advocacy project can utilize this
information in our “campaign” to convince people to follow our advice and turn their
lifestyles into a more environmentally friendly and a more environmentally aware one. As
different customers undoubtedly have different needs, arguments that cover a large
spectrum of topics and concerns will be the most effective in showing people how their
minds can be changed to accommodate a greener lifestyle.
Citation:
Smith Hopkins, Jamie. "$4 billion to go toward making houses green". The Baltimore Sun.
10/23/09 <http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/real-estate/balbz.green22oct22,0,3252950.story>.
Southern California Edison Encourages Customers to Slay “Energy Vampires” This
Halloween
Want to learn how to be more energy efficient at home? You can start by taking a good long
look at your household appliances. Although you might not have realized it, many
appliances still draw electricity even when they are turned off or in sleep mode (hence the
term “energy vampires”). This additional energy usage could eventually stack up and result
in higher electricity bills. To “slay” the “vampires” the writer of this particular article opts
for completely unplugging such devices (or using a power strip that can be turned on or off).
This actually does make a house much more energy efficient and saves on costs: as
consumer electronics account for about fifteen percent of all residential electricity
consumption (TV sets, stereos, chargers, DVD players, computers, toasters, etc) can be
energy guzzlers over time. Turning them off completely has been proven to save up to 5
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percent on the average household energy bill. The writer goes on to inform the reader
about additional ways how household appliances may be made more energy efficient: the
Environmental Protection Agency actually labels energy efficient products with an “energy
star” logo – such products include TV sets that use up to thirty percent less energy than their
competition and home entertainment equipment (like DVD players and sound systems that
can be reduce energy consumption by thirty seven percent compared to other brands). The
writer then goes on to statistically show how if every television set sold in the United States
were approved by the EPA’s standards, the savings in energy costs “would grow to be
about one billion dollars annually and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by the
equivalent of about one million cars”. This goes to show that either Americans are watching
too much television, or television sets really are just very inefficient. Even little things like
external power adapters contribute a lot to one’s energy bill: as many as 2.4 billion are
currently in use in the USA. This averages to about 8 per person and their external power
supplies can contribute to about 12 percent of the national electric bill.
Our advocacy project involves green, energy efficient homes. Appliances are just part of the
deal (and are just as important). Since our entire outreach is to educate the public and
convince people to lead much more environmentally friendly lives, we must take care to
incorporate options for every aspect of a consumer’s interest (might as well go green all the
way once you’ve committed). We can use the information supplied in this article to
supplement our assignment. As our main focus involves structural upgrades however, this
will give us a convenient way to form relations with similar companies that share the same
goals and aims as us (perhaps a dual catalog that advertises both of our complementary
services).
Citation:
"Southern California Edison Encourages Customers to Slay "Energy Vampires" This
Halloween". Reuters. 10/23/09 <http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/greenremodeling-energy-efficient-kitchen-appliances-460212>.
ecoEnergy Retrofit – Progress After 24 months
This particular article is especially interesting in that it is a first person review on the actual
process of retrofitting one’s home. Due to it being a completely personal account it offers
insights that might have been overlooked earlier. This includes 4 significant macro-types of
events that the writer views as very important as it would impact the participation levels of
the retrofit program (the writer is Canadian and participating in Canada’s ecoEnergy retrofit
program that provides monetary incentive for green living). Two, the writer claims will
negatively affect household participation in the program while another two will impact it
positively. They are as follows: loss of employment, a decrease in oil, home heating oil, and
natural gas prices, a 25% increase in grant amounts (for program participation), and home
renovation tax credit. The author’s main message in this article is to support such programs
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(and participate in one) as they are well worth it (the feel-good attitude, the saved money,
the grant given to u for it, and the self-satisfaction of seeing your own energy rating). He
supports this with how achieving an increase in energy efficiency of 45%, 22% and 17% in
the oldest categories of homes (which are typically the least energy efficient due to
improvements in construction techniques and materials) is tremendous (the program had
many elements in it one of which included a meter/scale that measured efficiency and how
houses were grouped differently due to its age and how efficient it became over the course
of the program) especially since this is the combined results from the entire program after
two years. The writers then go on to say that not only are those home owners seeing
dramatic reduction and money savings in their home’s utility bills month after month after
month, but they are also achieving a significant decrease in the generation of polluting
emissions into the air from their reduced consumption of non-renewable energy resources,
which is what supports their main message.
So according to this writer it turns out that the average energy savings per household who
has completed the second or E energy audit under the ecoENERGY program is equivalent to
14,168 (51.0 X 277.8) kWh of electricity. Why should we care? This article is pure evidence
that the system works: it is proof that retrofitting (even with governmental support) can
make a difference. 14,168 kWh seems to be a good number to me. It’s progress for sure.
And this is only after 30 months. Our advocacy project can definitely use this article and
information to take notice of how a real-life example would turn out to be like. It adds a
dimension of realism to it (as it is of course, real) as well as a rundown on all the things that
might come up during the course of the project. This article informs us very in depth-ly,
providing us with information not available with articles that argue for the theoretical use of
such practices.
Citation
"ecoENERGY Year 2 Anniversary Results - Part 1 - Participation". Daily Home Renovation
Tips. 10/26/09 <http://dailyhomerenotips.com/2009/04/19/ecoenergy-2-year-anniversaryresults-part-1-participation/>.
Why Energy Efficiency is So Important
It is of no surprise to anyone who has been keeping up with environmental news that our
energy future is in limbo. Our energy consumption is increasing exponentially and
unfortunately, we might no longer be able to support this growth. This particular article
argues how the only thing we can currently do about it in the meantime is to invest in energy
efficiency. And what they mean by energy efficiency is not just using less energy; they mean
to say to waste less energy (there is a difference!). This means doing things in your home
you normally would do, but in a smarter way. The author supports his claims by citing
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several statistics and examples. For instance, our increasing demand for electricity coupled
with rising fuel and construction costs are limiting what types of power plants we can build
(cause & effect). In addition, the U.S Energy Information Administration has reported that our
need for electricity “will climb by 30 percent between now (2009) and 2030” (statistics).
Finally, Gaskill supports his argument by supporting his solution: “With widespread energy
efficiency measures in place, including those we’ve implemented on our distribution lines
[and] measures you can take at home, annual growth in electricity demand could drop by
almost half of 1 percent, to 2.2 percent” (statistical model).
Since our entire topic regards energy efficiency (and how to deal with global warming), it
seems suitable that we use this article. It gives a lot of relevant information to the problem
and solution even though it does not specifically mention retrofitting (except to say that they
do offer those services). This article can inform our proposal by adding a more pertinent
dimension through “real-life information”. It also gives us more material that will hopefully
inspire our pitch to be more convincing (the whole using less energy vs. wasting less
energy is a prime example, as well as the “smarter way” jab). What I really liked about the
article’s argument was how they mentioned how energy efficiency is the most logical next
step while Congress was writing new energy protocols and regulations. Basically, they’re
convincing people to go one step at a time by saying that it could quite possibly be only a
temporary phase and that once it is “over” people can revert back. However, once people
realize just how much easier their lives are being energy efficient (the classic arguments:
saving money, raising house value, etc.) it could possibly very well become a large scale
habit forming development. If we utilized this same approach in our proposal, we might be
able to achieve more supporters for our cause as well since we wouldn’t just be telling
people to switch, but allowing our target audience find out for themselves how much better
it is to be energy efficient (people tend to be more convinced of their actions if they had
approached the conclusion by themselves, or at least believe it to be so).
Citation:
Gaskill, Brad. "Why Energy Efficiency is So Important". Poudre Valley Rural Electric
Association Newsletter. October 29, 2009
<http://www.pvrea.com/members/newsletters/2009/CCL%20April%2009.pdf>.
Why Energy Efficiency is Important
This particular web article’s argument centers on the notion that since it is one of the
quickest and cheapest ways to increase the amount of energy available to use, energy
efficiency is the most important thing we should be centering our energy efforts on. It
supports this by discussing how other ways of dealing with the problem are not working or
are difficult to implement. Such claims include how building new additional power plants
are too expensive and requires years of paperwork before they can be built (whereas we
are facing the energy crisis now). Another example shows that the if not for current efforts to
increase energy efficiency the US would have had to consume 2.1 times as much oil during
the period of 1975 to 2005 since during those times energy intensity (which is defined as
“the U.S energy consumption per dollar of real gross domestic product”) decreased by forty
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six percent. A third example of how we should be centering our energy efforts on energy
efficiency is how energy efficiency seemingly directly correlates to the sum of real dollars
saved. Records from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
program show how in 2004 Americans saved $7 billion on residential energy bills through
the construction of energy efficient homes. With numbers like that there would definitely be
an incentive to focus more on energy efficiency, especially with America facing the current
economic crisis.
At one point the article connects to its local readers (in Alaska) by showing how energy
efficiency would be especially important to them (thus making it become a higher priority).
It does this through this exact line, “Energy efficiency is especially vital to Alaskans, many of
whom must contend with high fuel costs and extreme winter weather.” By relating a direct
and personal problem to its audience the article becomes much more persuasive and
convincing (at least to the Alaskan locals). This would be useful in our proposal in that we
can follow the same method: since our proposal would mostly likely focus on east coast
residences (due to high numbers of population and the condensed residencies) we can
utilize this method to connect with our target audience (a strong and important business
strategy).
This article also goes on to list all the benefits of being energy efficient in general – which
can help strengthen our arguments and legitimacy (there can never be too much support for
a particular argument). More statistics that we can use in our proposal include how “the
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimated that from 2006-2020,
extended energy efficiency tax incentives could reduce consumer energy bills by $27
billion, prevent more than 51 million metric tons of carbon emissions, and reduce peak
electric demand by more than 6,000 MW (equivalent to the capacity of twelve 500 MW coal
plants)” and how there are numerous other benefits of energy efficiency (some of which are
hardly ever mentioned). These include “the psychological benefits of using natural lighting
sources, including making a home or office more comfortable, increasing worker
productivity, or making a retail store more appealing to customers, and healthier, betterventilated buildings, food that stays fresher in more efficient refrigerators, and motors that
run quieter”. In fact, one study by the Rocky Mountain Institute studied how in more efficient
buildings work productivity was raised due to the better work conditions.
Citation:
"Why Energy Efficiency is So Important". Renewable Energy Alaska Project. October 29,
2009 <http://alaskarenewableenergy.org/energy-efficiency/why-energy-efficiency-isimportant/>
Rockwool Publishes Figures on How Much Energy is Wasted Due to Lack of House Insulation
Apparently, UK home owners could have potentially saved £2.9 billion dollars on energy
bills which would have stopped 15,529,410 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released
from the atmosphere – but they didn’t. How was it that they potentially could have saved all
that money? The answer: if they had properly insulated homes, reveals new research and
analysis from Rockwool. Their report says that “if these householders were to invest in loft,
cavity wall, and other insulation they could not only save money, but also make a significant
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contribution to the Government's target for reducing green-house gas emissions.”An earlier
survey revealed that twenty eight percent of UK homes did not have loft insulation, fifty eight
had no cavity wall insulation and fifty eight had unlagged pipes. The interesting fact to take
note of is that the installation of the insulation would have cost just £510 (for an average three
bedroom property) and would have saved the homeowner up to £275 a year in fuel bills
(saving of 15,529,410 tonnes per year of carbon). Consequently, the author’s main message
is to advocate for retrofitting through insulation – raising energy efficiency in households.
The article’s arguments are supported by exampling how all the houses in England should
have been insulated by citing how much money could have been saved but didn’t, how
much carbon was released into the atmosphere as a consequence, and how it is thought that
in 2009 4.6 million households might experience fuel poverty in England due to energy
prices surpassing income growth and without energy efficiency improvements on their
homes. The situation is pretty drastic, which is what makes this article relevant to our project
proposal. According to the article, if all the homes were properly insulated (a number
around 25,350,000) the nation could save £2.9 billion a year on energy costs and experience
the obvious benefits (the considerable cut in carbon emissions, etc.) My thinking is that the
reason to why so many homes aren’t properly insulated is not negligence; it is just simply
lack of knowledge of options. This is why our advocacy project will focus a lot on marketing
and persuading the masses to invest in retrofitting. If the US can cut down its energy
efficiency substantially, other countries may also initiate programs to follow in America’s
lead. Our advocacy project could definitely use the numbers reported in this article in our
project proposal: the main point of the article is directly associated with the problem we are
trying to ameliorate, rendering it the perfect case study.
Citation:
"Rockwool Publishes Figures on How Much Energy is Wasted Due to Lack of House
Insulation". The A to Z of Materials. October 29, 2009
<http://www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=19479>
Joshua Nunziante:
Annotation 1: Biden Releases Home Energy Retrofit Report
This article outlines some key points of the Home Energy Retrofit Report, which is part of a
plan to make homes save money, reduce carbon emissions, and create green jobs by
making retrofitting homes to be more energy efficient. The author’s key argument is that
retrofitting homes will significantly reduce energy consumption but needs to be made more
practical and that this report pushes for this to be done. As of now obstacles such as cost,
inconvenience and lack of information stand in the way of this program. His sub-argument is
that these obstacles need to be overcome and he clearly states that this report gives these
66
very same goals. The argument for greater energy efficiency is well supported in this
article. The author states that, with current technology, energy consumption can be reduced
by up to 40% per home. This new efficiency could cause greenhouse gas emissions to be cut
by as much as 160 million metric tons annually. The author examines three
recommendations of the report. First, homeowners need accurate and reliable information.
Ignorance stops people from taking action. Consumers that are considering home
retrofitting should be provided with reliable information on the costs and savings that will
result. Second, upfront costs need to be reduced. Financing for such projects should be
convenient accessible, and repayable over long periods of time. The author states that the
obstacle of cost can be overcome with the aid of “State Energy Grant or Energy Efficiency
Conservation Block Grant funds for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) pilots.” These
would allow communities to aid homeowners with finances to make their homes greener.
Third, a green workforce that is certified and trained to high standards needs to be
established. This will increase consumer confidence in the home retrofitting process and
ensure that the job is done efficiently. As an added bonus, green jobs will be created in the
process for people of all skill levels. The author gives evidence that all of these goals can be
achieved in stating that the Department of Energy has announced “$454 million under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency efforts nationwide.” This
article can and does inform our advocacy project proposal by examining the benefits of
home retrofitting and the obstacles that challenge it. Our proposal is to retrofit homes to be
more energy efficient, which is what this article is highlighting. We are encouraging a
massive information campaign by way of advertising as well as companies offering more
information about their specific retrofitting costs. We wish to design a plan that will make
home retrofitting more economically friendly to the consumer as well as more convenient,
which is exactly what the article is saying we need. Our proposal is justified by the fact that
energy use can be cut by as much as 40% and carbon emissions can be reduced by 160
million metric tons. It is further supported by the article’s statement that the Department of
Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture are all working
together to achieve the very thing that we are trying to do. If we were to come up with a plan
and show that it works on a small scale (local community) this group would absolutely be
able to employ such a plan on a nationwide scale.
Citation:
“Biden Releases Home Energy Retrofit Report.” Accessed on
10/22/09<http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/19087>
Annotation 2:
“U.S Household Electricity Report” offers much information about household energy
consumption in the United States. Although this article serves primarily as a good source of
information, it also does serve to make a certain argument about household electricity
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usage. This argument being that homes consume too much electricity. This argument is
made through an abundance of facts about energy usage in U.S homes. There aren’t any
sub-arguments in this article since it is mainly purposed to be informative. In order to
analyze the argument that is made, let us examine the facts that are presented and see what
conclusions they lead us to draw. First off, 107 million U.S. homes consumed a total of 1,140
billion kWh in 2001. That is an obscene amount of power, being over 28% of the entire
United States energy consumption in 2001. According to the report, 31% of this electricity
was due to heating, ventilation and cooling. Kitchen and laundry appliances accounted for
about one third of household electricity consumption. Lighting was accounted for about
8.8% of the total household electricity consumption. Electronics accounted for about 7.2%.
The main electronic energy eaters were color TVs. It is projected that TV sales will only
continue to increase. It is projected that the increase in electronic sales through 2025 will
account for “68 percent of the projected increase in residential delivered energy use
between 2003 and 2025.” The use of electronics alone not only impedes reduction in energy
usage, but also will cause dramatic increase in consumption if things continue the way they
are going. The article states that understanding the extent of the effects of efficiency
standards requires more testing. However, it also asserts that household appliances were
more efficient in 2001 than in 1980 when the survey began. All these facts and figures
culminate to the notion that we need homes to be more energy efficient. Now, this
conclusion is heavily influenced by my belief that the U.S needs to drastically cut down on
carbon emissions and electricity usage. From this perspective, the article offers a strong
argument in the favor of improved efficiency. This article greatly informs our advocacy
project because it shows that homes account for a significant amount of U.S energy
consumption (28%). Our project is driven by the purpose of lowering carbon emissions by
consuming less energy. If homes were to be made say 40% more efficient, the U.S energy
consumption could be reduced by around 11.2%. This is in addition to homeowners saving
money and jobs being created. All of the information that has been stated aids in justifying
our project. This justification lays in the fact that making homes more efficient will help
reduce carbon emissions in the United States. The timeframe of the data in the argument also
helps to justify our project. It is important to take into account that this article is based on
figures from 2001. Since then, our energy consumption has increased. He energy consumed
by those 107 million homes in 2001 is therefore not as much as the energy that is being
consumed by United States homes today. This makes our point even stronger, in that
increasing efficiency will have an even larger effect.
Citation:
“U.S Household Electricity Report.” Posted July 14, 2005.
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.html>
Annotation 3:
“Twenty Things You Can Do To Conserve Energy” argues strongly that energy conservation
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is crucial in our fight against Global Warming. It makes the argument that, although we do
need a greener source of energy, minimizing the amount of energy is the first necessary
step toward a cleaner, greener future. Similar in nature to the second article, this article
does not have sub-arguments since it is primarily a body of information. However, it is
different in that it does clearly state its main argument homeowners need to conserve
energy as much as possible. He supports this with the rationale that saving energy means
less burning of fossil fuels, which means less CO2 emissions into the air. He substantiates the
actions to conserve with the assertion that we do not need to lack in order to conserve.
Rather, we need to choose the energy efficient alternatives for every appliance and light
fixture in our houses. The combined energy efficiency of all of the little things that you can
implement in your house adds up to very significant energy savings. This, in turn, results in
significant money savings, which is always a good thing. The author then goes on to show
the twenty ways that we can conserve energy. The first 14 ways apply to the household, so
those are the ones that we will examine. First, insulating walls and ceilings can save a
household from 20 to 30 percent of heating bills and reduce carbon emissions by 140 to
2100 pounds per year. Second, replacing ordinary windows with modern argon filled,
double-glazed windows can drastically reduce the amount of heating required for the house.
This amount varies with the type of heating (gas, oil and electricity). The author then
suggests painting houses light colors in warm climates and dark colors in cold climates to
save energy required for climate control. Planting shade trees is also suggested for those
living in warm climates. The forth method of conservation is weatherizing the house. This
means blocking up air holes in the house in order to optimize climate control. The air
conditioner and heater will not have to work as hard if the house is properly sealed. The cost
of caulking is less than $1 for each window. The cost of weather stripping is under $10 per
door. These costs are minimal considering that they can result in up to 1100 pounds less of
CO2 emissions being produced by the house each year. The four suggestions that have
been named are all methods of energy conservation by way of home improvement. The next
ten include optimizing home appliances, using home heating and cooling sparingly, and
making small investments such as purchasing compact fluorescent bulbs. In terms of heating
and cooling, the author advises that the thermostat be set to certain temperatures during
certain seasons and times of day to optimize energy efficiency while still preserving a
comfortable atmosphere. He also suggests that cleaning or replacing air filters when
appropriate will save energy because the air conditioning units will not have to work harder
due to dirty filters. The article informs our project proposal by offering specific ways to
make homes more efficient. The use of these ideas in conjunction with our own gives us solid
ground to stand on in forming a viable plan of action. The article justifies our project by
showing how much energy can be conserved through the use of energy efficient tools and
processes. Employing the first four suggestions alone can reduce the carbon emissions of a
house by almost 40 tons per year. The article also shows how these things save money,
which further supports our project to retrofit houses in order to make them more energy
efficient.
Citation:
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“Twenty Things You Can Do To Conserve Energy.” Accessed 10/22/09
<http://www.powerscorecard.org/reduce_energy.cfm>
Annotation 4:
“Your Manual to an Energy Efficient Household” is a short but helpful article that offers
valuable insight to our project. The purpose of the article is to advertise a new book” The
Energy Efficient Home: A Manual for Saving Fuel and Using Solar, Wood, and Wind Power,”
which is geared towards educating people on how to make their homes more
environmentally friendly. The argument of the article is that spending less energy is
becoming more and more of a relevant factor today. This argument is meant to be a gentle
push to motivate the reader to buy the book. However, the author’s description of the
present circumstance in society is very important to examine. First off, the author
substantiates his argument of the relevance of energy conservation. One, he says that
people are interested in efficient ways to save energy because of the monetary aspect. The
American economy has seen better days and people are struggling to pay their bills. Facing
difficulty finding well-paying jobs or jobs at all, taxes, gas prices, electricity prices and
everything else in life that costs money, people are looking for anything that they can find
that will save them money.Lowering their electric bills is certainly an effective way to do this
since some pay hundreds of dollars a month for electricity (Like my family). This especially
applies to people living in places like Long Island where everything is ridiculously
expensive. Two, he says that there is an increasing number of people that are aware of the
environment and wish to preserve it. This is very true. Years ago, the only people you heard
speaking about the environment were smoking weed and singing songs about peace
around a big bond fire (This is a facetious exaggeration intended to emphasize a
point). Today, subjects such as global warming and general environmental health are
becoming much larger topics of discussion in the public arena. The knowledge that more
energy consumption leads to increased carbon emissions which adversely affects the
environment motivates more and more people to be more energy efficient each day. Third,
the author states that environmental organizations are doing many things to educate people
on how to properly take care of our planet, which includes conserving energy. These
organizations do things like organize conferences and forums on taking care of the
environment as well as producing brochures, pamphlets and fliers with information on the
subject of environmental issues. The author supports his argument well, but he is leaving
something out. Although there are pamphlets in circulation and conferences being held
there are still many people who are not at all concerned with the environment and even
more people who are concerned but are not taking any action, either because its not
convenient or they don’t know how. The general public needs to be made aware of two
things. First, they need to know how the electricity that they are consuming is affecting the
environment. Second and most important, they need to know that there are easy, cheap, and
effective ways to be more efficient. This knowledge can be brought to the people through a
massive information campaign. The most “in your face” method of informing them would be
through the use of good advertising, primarily on television and the Internet. When
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common, everyday people that would not attend such conferences turn on TBS, they need to
see a well-made advertisement about conserving electricity and saving money. The article
informs our project by noting that people are, in fact, interested in learning about efficient
ways to save energy. It justifies our project because it states that what environmental
companies are doing cannot alone solve our problem. It offers the purchasing of the book
previously mentioned as an addendum to this. Our project goes further by offering the
valuable information about energy conservation to everyone, even those who are not
searching for it.
Citation:
Pilkster. “Your Manual to an Energy Efficient Household.” Accessed 10/26/09.
<http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/32732/home_improvement/your_manual_to
_an_energy_efficient_household.html>
Annotation 5:
“Appliances and Electronics” is a Department of Energy Article that is meant to get people
to waste less energy, which is what our project intends to do. There is no argument made
other than the assertion that twenty percent of the energy consumed by the average
American household is due to electronic appliances. The article deals with how to minimize
the electricity consumed by these appliances by recommending the use of more efficient
appliances and the efficient use of those appliances. The article then gives a plethora of
information about appliances that is very helpful in using them more efficiently. One thing
that the article says is many appliances use power even when they are switched off. This is
referred to as a phantom load. Apparently, seventy-five prevent of the electricity consumed
by appliances is used when they are turned off. It suggests that appliances that are not being
used not only be turned off but also unplugged. It also suggests plugging appliances in to
power strips that have on/off switches and switching the power strips off when the
appliances are inactive. Doing these things would save that seventy-five percent of
electricity consumed by appliances, which is fifteen percent of the total household energy
consumption. This would lead to a nice reduction of a person’s electric bill. The article
suggests using Energy Star appliances, which are more efficient. Obviously, replacing
every appliance in a household is expensive. However, when a new appliance needs to be
purchased, it would be both environmentally and economically prudent to purchase the
more efficient brands, such as Energy Star. Another, seemingly obvious suggestion of the
article is to turn off electronics when they are not being used.However this is not always as
obvious as it would seem. For instance, many people believe that when a computer screen
defaults to a screen saver that less energy is being used. This is incorrect.According to the
article, the screen saver uses up more energy that when the computer us running
normally. The suggested action is to put the computer in sleep mode and, even more
efficient, turn off the computer and screen when they are not being used. The article also
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encourages people to periodically check their dryer vents to ensure that debris form the
clothes are not building up and clogging the vents. When the vents are clogged, the dryer
has to work harder to push the hot air out and thus consumes more electricity. Regularly
cleaning the vents keeps the dryer functioning at top efficiency. Even further than that, airdrying clothes as oppose to machine drying them would cause absolutely no energy to be
consumed. If a family could do this without great inconvenience it would definitely be a
worthwhile practice. In terms of when to use things, the article suggests only using the
dishwasher to wash full loads of dishes. This will cause it to be used less frequently and thus
consume less energy. The article informs our project by giving us more information to bring
to the public. We can make all of these tricks common knowledge in order to cause houses
to become more efficient. It justifies the aspect of our project that informs people about
appliance efficiency by stating that twenty percent of household electricity consumption is
due to appliances.
Department of Energy, “Appliances and Electronics.” Accessed 10/26/09.
<http://www.energy.gov/applianceselectronics.htm>
Annotation 6:
Like a few of the articles that I am using, “Air Conditioning and Energy Saving Tips” acts as a
source of relevant and useful information rather than an outlet for someone’s opinion. It
focuses primarily on how to save energy in the summer months, which can be the most
costly to residents of areas that experience particularly hot weather. One simple suggestion
is to minimize activities that require people to go in and out of the house during the hotter
times of the day. The longer that the doors are open the more the cold air escapes and the
more the air conditioning unit will have to do to keep the house at the set temperature. This
extra work requires extra energy, which costs extra money and pumps extra CO2 into the
air. Such a small change like keeping doors closed can be such a large help. Closing the
curtains during the day to stop direct sunlight from heating up the house also will help the
air conditioner do its job. The article suggests that people set the thermostat to temperatures
greater than 78 degrees. For each degree above 78, a house saves six to eight percent of its
air conditioning costs. Personally, I am not comfortable with my house being eighty degrees
but for anyone that is it’s a great way to save money. It is recommended that a ceiling fan be
used in conjunction with air conditioners. The fan can make the room feel three to four
degree cooler so that the thermostat can be set three to four degrees higher and the room
will be no less comfortable. Ceiling fans only cost about a half-cent to operate so they are
much more efficient than air conditioners. Something many people may forget to do is to
make sure that the air conditioning vent is not blocked. Air conditioners are most efficient
when the airflow is not hindered. People that have air conditioning vents on the floor should
make sure that a couch or a carpet is not blocking the vents up. All of these little things can
add up to save a person a significant amount of money. In addition to these little things,
there are things that are particularly big money savers. One is purchasing a highly efficient
air conditioning unit if you have an old, inefficient model. This would cause about forty
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percent less electricity to be used up on air conditioning. Another useful tool is properly
insulating and sealing the attic of a house. Sealing the ductwork properly stops the leaking
of fifteen to twenty five percent of heating and cooling out of the ducts. Properly insulating
the attic, which is often poorly insulated, will make household climate control less of a
task. All of these suggestions greatly inform our project with many methods of making the
air conditioning, and thus the house more energy efficient. It justifies our project in that it
shows how a home can be made significantly more efficient through minimal expenditure of
many and slight changes in behavior. This shows that if we do succeed in educating people
and motivating them to change their behavior, the amount of electricity wasted by American
homes can be significantly reduced.
Citation:
Air Conditioning Store. “Air Conditioning Energy Saving Tips.” Accessed 10/26/09.
<http://www.air-conditioner-store.com/energy_conservation_tips.htm>
Annotation 7:
“Global warming wink to natural disasters” is a 2007 article that focuses on the detrimental
effects that global warming has caused and will cause in the future if it is allowed to
continue. Its author, Amy Goodman, makes her main argument that Global warming is needs
to be combated. If global warming continues, we will face drastic climate changes that will
be detrimental to the world’s populations. Goodman states that so far, we have raised the
global temperature by one-degree Fahrenheit. According to computer modeling, the
temperature of the planet will be raised by another five degrees by the end of the century if
we do change our unhealthy energy practices. Goodman notes the importance of
considering the cascade effect of something like a one-degree change in temperature. She
references the studies of Tom Swetnam, a University of Arizona scientist, which clearly
indicates a link between the warming, drying trend since the 1980’s to the frequency of fires
in places like California. Before considering the future, we have evidence such as this right
now. This evidence shows us that the warming of earth is having adverse effects not only on
the environment, but also on the human beings that live within it. A fire is a dangerous
thing. Massive worldwide flooding is even worse. We need to fix the problem now before
the greater effects of global warming set their feet on our doorstep. However, still before all
of that, Goodman examines the further results of fires. According to Swetnam’s 2006 article,
western U.S. forests are responsible for the removal of twenty to forty percent of carbon
dioxide from the air in the United States. As forest fires burn up those trees, there are fewer
trees to remove the carbon dioxide and thus more carbon dioxide stays in the air. Since
more carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, will be in the air the rate of global warming
will increase. This increased rate will cause dry areas to be dryer and thus more forest fires
will result continuing in an ongoing process that will have major negative affects on us. It is
estimated that a few more degrees and an irreversible cycle will occur.This cannot be
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allowed to happen. Goodman notes that things like massive rainstorms in places like New
Orleans are also a result of global warming. The point is that global warming has many
negative affects on the climate that we have grown so accustomed to. Significant change in
that climate would be more than inconvenient. Goodman also speaks about how many
carbon-emitting industries are funding unreliable science and Astroturf (fake grass-roots
groups) in order to keep people unaware of the crisis that is global warming. This is all the
more reason to fight harder against it, since there are people who are in essence hurrying it
along. Goodman speaks of Bill McKibben’s Step It Up campaign and points out three main
aspects. One, green jobs need to be created. Two, carbon emissions must be cut by eighty
percent by 2050. Three, new coal-fired power plants should be held up. Focusing on the
second point, there are two main ways to cut emissions. The first is the most obvious, namely
producing energy methods that don’t emit carbon. The second is perhaps not as mainstream
an idea, but is crucial. That is the significant reduction in our energy consumption. This will
not only reduce emissions initially, but will take some strain off of the new, “green” energies
that are emerging. Our project is informed by this article’s focus on the importance of
stopping global warming. It is justified by the assertion that carbon emissions need to be
drastically reduced. Making homes energy efficient will be a great help in achieving these
goals.
Citation:
Goodman, Amy. “Global warming link to natural disasters.” October 24,
2007. <http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/336682_amy25.html>
Annotation 8:
Global warming is being shown more and more evident as time progresses. The resulting
global climate change will cause be far more than people wearing shorts and t-shirts more
often. “Climate change: melting ice will trigger wave of natural disasters” examines these
harsher effects. The author of the article, Robin Mckie, makes the argument that
earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions will result from global warming if
it continues. He explains that reports by international groups of researchers show that
climate change will alter the geology of Earth in addition to affecting the atmosphere and the
sea. He states that melting glaciers will cause avalanches, mudflows, and floods in mountain
ranges. Furthermore, torrential rainfall is likely to cause massive erosion in the UK. He
mentions another detrimental effect in that disappearing ice sheets from Greenland and
Antarctica could let loose underwater landslides that would cause tsunamis to be
triggered. He then points out a fact about volcanoes that I have actually never heard
of. Melting ice caps will result in the pressures that act on earth’s crust to be changed. These
changes in pressures could actually cause enough imbalances that volcanoes would erupt
all over the world. Imagine the death toll that could occur from that alone. Global warming’s
current affects may be leading to a more accelerated climate change than previously
anticipated. This will be the result of large amounts of methane, a gas that is twenty five
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times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, being put into the
atmosphere. Currently, there are significant amount of methane hydrate deposits on the
seabed and in the permafrost regions of Siberia and the far north, according to Professor
Mark Maslin. Maslin asserts that these permafrost regions are melting, causing the methane
trapped within them to be released. This could accelerate global warming, and all of the
detriments that ensue. Earthquakes can also be a result of climate change. As glaciers
disintegrate, earthquakes can be triggered. These earthquakes could cause tsunamis that hit
places like Chile and New Zealand. All of these things add up to large-scale global
catastrophe if we do not do something about global warming. This article informs our
project in that it is an extremely urgent and important task to fight off global warming. The
fact that things like landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis can result from
climate change calls for immediate and proper action. A significant part of this action is
major reductions in fossil fuel emissions, leading up to a complete leap away from fossil
fuels all together. Making the extremely inefficient American homes more “green” will be a
large step toward this goal. It will not solve the problem, but our project is justified in that it
will offer significant aid in a time where we must utilize all that we have to prevent global
disaster. Temperatures in the Arctic have become higher than they have been in the last
2000 years. Global warming is real and we need to fight it, one house at a time.
Citation:
Mckie, Robin. “Climate Change: melting ice will trigger wave of natural disasters.”
September 6, 2009. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/06/globalwarming-natural-disasters-conference>
Annotation 9:
We are living in a very crucial time in which our decisions will have extremely large impacts
on not only ourselves, but also the generations to come. Excess carbon dioxide in the earth’s
atmosphere is resulting in a warming of the global climate. This warming has already had
effects, such as causing an increase in forest fires and erratic weather behavior. Still to come
are far worse effects if we do not solve this problem. Our project is designed to make the
American household more efficient. How effective will this be if it is
achieved? “Consolidated U.S. Household Energy Impact,” offers excellent insight on the
matter. The main argument of the author is that inefficient suburban homes are contributing
to global warming. The author uses a famous consumption chart that yields shocking
data. American suburban households use an average of 240 million BTU per year. This
average is for homes that are about 2,000 square feet. Many homes in the United States are
much larger than this and therefore consume far more energy. According to the graph, the
overall energy use of American homes is actually greater than the energy used by the
transportation of the people living in those homes. The author offers facts on average home
size per person in the United States as well as a few other countries. The average home
square footage per American is 770 feet, the highest in the world. The second highest is
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Australia with an average of 550 square foot per person. The lowest is Japan, with an
average of 136 square feet. Now, is it really practical or even right for people to give up the
space that they worked hard to earn for themselves and their families? Certainly not! The
author does not suggest that we all consolidate into extremely dense areas, but rather that
we use the information that is available to us to make good decisions about our lifestyles as
relating to energy consumption. This article informs our project by showing just how much
energy is consumed by American homes. The project is more than justified because the
author speaks of using available information to make good decisions. Those Americans that
are not looking for that information are not going to find it on their own. They need it to be
presented to them in a palatable, appealing way so that they are enticed to make choices
that will combat climate change, not speed it up. The author does say that people with
homes that are around 4,000 square feet can’t in any way compare to the low energy
consumption in other countries. I understand the author’s point however I do not agree that
we should all buy small homes. I believe that the proper course of action is to make all of the
homes that exist and will exist as efficient as possible. Obviously, larger homes will
consume more energy. However, if those homes are made to be extremely efficient than
they may end up using less energy than averaged sized homes today. The averaged sized
homes would consume far less energy than they currently do, causing a significant
reduction in the United States energy consumption as a whole.
Citation:
“Consolidated U.S. Household Energy Impact.” Accessed 10/29/09.
<http://www.cities21.org/HH_NRG_consumption.htm>
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