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Energy
Conservation
Primer
Mark Coleman & Wil Burlin
Taos Green Solar
Hello
and welcome
to the 21st century.
One hundred years ago very
few people in America had electricity
or any need for it. How things have changed!
Today it seems like everything we own runs on it.
We’ve grown so used to having unlimited power that
most people never think about it until something goes wrong
and there is a blackout. Or until we get the bill every month.
Energy prices are not going down and indeed they are
poised to go way up. This is mostly due to our dwindling
reserves of energy worldwide and the increase in demand.
There are several things that you can do about it and that
is what this booklet is about. We want you to think about
electricity, where it comes from and the impact it’s usage
has, not only on your household, but on society and world
ecology.
In simple terms the less you use the less it costs you.
We have included several ways to reduce your energy
usage. On a larger scale we point out the effects that
reduction can have on global warming and the world that
we are leaving for our kids. Finally we offer some alterna-
tives to traditional power production that are available
today and that are on the horizon.
These are not all of the answers, but it’s a start toward
energy independence for you as a consumer and for us as
a country.
Mark Coleman Wil Burlin
What does
energy cost?
We don’t pay the true cost of energy,
whether at home or
at the gas pump. It’s through increased
taxes and environmental damage that the
real cost shows up. Roughly we are really
paying three times the pump or meter
cost. Think about that!
PRICE VS.
REAL COST
- environmental crisis
- acid rain
- global warming
- co2
- smog
- military presence
in the middle east
- government subsidies
to power companies
- wasteful use
of energy
What energy crisis?
If you lived through the seventies you remember long lines
at the gas pumps and the dire predictions for the future.
Well the future is here. Day after day we hear about the
electrical problems they are having in California. What
you don’t hear much about is why Californians are having
trouble.
The reasons are complex but can be put simply: the power
companies were allowed to purchase electricity at what-
ever cost they could negotiate but the amount that they
could charge customers was capped. That worked fine
until their buying costs went above what they could charge.
Customers had no reason to lower their energy use because
their electricity still costs the same. Energy use rose... Now
it’s a mess.
Electricity bills will go up, and soon. The state is buying
power now to sell to the energy companies, but someone is
going to pay. Either the ratepayers or the taxpayers.
Electricity bills in San Diego went up 300% before the
current “crisis.” My bet is on the ratepayers. And there are
thirty other states, including New Mexico, ready to deregu-
late just like California. And the truth is that electricity
users don’t pay the true cost of the resource. The cost of
electricity will continue to rise.
As I am writing this, my solar tracker is following the sun
through the sky pouring electrons into my battery bank and
computer. When the sun goes down I will be able to
continue writing powered by stored sunshine. This clean,
nonpolluting power is available to almost everyone in the
United States but is only being used by less than 1%.
Energy crisis? What energy crisis?
How is energy produced?
Strip mining for coal
The environmental damage to the land and air is very
high with this energy source. And coal reserves are
dwindling fast, forcing more environmental damage for
relatively less energy.
Burning natural gas
Burning natural gas creates more pollution than it does
power. And with the rising prices of fuel, it is becoming
more and more evident that cost and smog are on the
rise. Furthermore, its depleted status puts this form of
energy production low on our list.
Hydro electric dams
While hydroelectric dams seem like a harmless way to
harness the awesome powers of nature, they are not a
reliable source for renewable energy. With recent
droughts, the hydroelectric producers have been ren-
dered useless and have become a costly investment.
Nuclear power
Speaking of low on the list. Waste the electricity now
and your great great great great grandchildren will still
be cleaning up the mess. Nuclear power plants last
about 25 years, their nuclear waste lasts thousands.
Oil production soars
depletion of world reserves
at an all time high
In the next ten years, world oil production will reach its
peak, an all time high in the depletion of the planet’s
petroleum reserves. Followed by an exhaustive effort to
find more fuel, the country will eventually have to face
the truth and come up with a better solution.
When production peaks, oil prices will skyrocket until
consumer petroleum is no longer available. America’s
reserve is predicted to last no longer than 100 years,
and the transition away from oil will be tough.
The energy that America, Japan, Europe and China plan
to use in the next 100 years is directly proportional to
the Middle East and the amount of oil they are willing
to sell. Sixty percent of all the oil left in the world lies
beneath five Muslim countries, explaining the conflict
in the Gulf.
When production peaks, oil prices will skyrocket until con-
sumer petroleum is no longer available. America’s reserve
is predicted to last no longer than 100 years, and the tran-
sition away from oil will be tough.
Americans alone use 25% of all the oil depleted from
world production, the US using three times more oil
than any other nation in the world. In the Saudi deserts,
the US military has fortified its airfields and is prepared
to secure its wasteful use of oil through whatever means
necessary. It seems inevitable that our youth will have
to return to the gulf, fighting to protect the lifestyle that
we have all become accustomed to.
Energy Independence
A real start to understanding energy use is knowing
how much power things use. Many appliances use a
lot of power but in short bursts. A microwave uses
750 watts per hour, but it only takes five minutes to
cook a potato.
Common power usages per hour:
Refrigerators Kitchen appliances
22 cu ft auto defrost 490 Dishwasher 1500
Vestfrost efficient AC Ref. 90 Trash compactor 1500
Sunfrost DC Ref. 60 Can opener 100
usually run 10 hrs per day Microwave 750
Exhaust fan 50
AC jet pump, 165 gal. 500 Coffee pot 1200
DC house pump 1-2 hrs 60 Food processor 1200
Toaster 1200
TV 25” color 130 Gas stove (glowbar) 200
Tv 19” color 60
Satellite receiver 43 Computer and monitor 140
VCR 30 Typewriter 200
Laser disc 30 Sewing machine 150
Stereo 15
CB system 10 Hair dryer 1500
Cellular phone 10-24 Whirlpool bath 750
Mini-fluorescent light bulb 22 Electric blanket 250
Electric clock 10 Garage door opener 300
Clock radio 10 Ozone air cleaner 40
Iron 1500
Clothes washer 450 2-hp table saw 2250
Staber efficient washer 250 Grinder 600
Gas dryer (motor) 250 Drill 300
bigusers
1. Insulate any way you can. An under-
heating insulated attic may be the largest source of
energy loss as heat rises up and through the
ceiling, into and out of the attic. Walls are
In the cold
the second place heat looks to escape,
winter months, especially in older homes where insulation
60% of energy could be worn or settled, or simply
goes toward uninsulated. Insulated window blinds or
household heat- curtains can also help contain heat at night.
ing, while an- Remember even double pane windows have
other 15% goes very little insulative value.
toward heating
domestic water. 2. Keeping the warm air in is only half the
battle. Keeping the cold air out by adding
storm windows or caulking gaps around the
Every year, outside of windows will stop the draft from
home-heating entering your insulated home.
systems pump
more than a 3. Consider alternative energy such as a
billion tons of woodstove to generate most of your house-
carbon dioxide hold heat. Stove and ceiling fans can further
into the air. By help distribute the heat to all the nooks and
turning down crannies.
your thermostat
4. Setback thermostats can be installed and
as little as two programmed to lower household tempera-
degrees, you will tures according to your needs. By lowering
reduce your room temperatures by five degrees for an
yearly pollution eight to twelve hour period, you can save
by 500 pounds. five percent on your heating bill.
hot water
The 15 percent of energy that used to heat water in an
average home can be lowered considerably by using a
simple formula of insulating and conserving. By maxi-
mizing household efficiency, you will save.
1. You can save money by wrapping your gas or
electric hot water heater in an insulative jacket. Wraps
are readily available at hardware stores and can be
installed by the homeowner.
2. Lower the thermostat to 110 degrees F, to optimize
efficiency. And if you have an electric water heater, a
timer can be installed to regulate heating cycles.
3. Too much heat is lost from the pipes coming di-
rectly from the hot water heater, and even more is lost
in unheated crawl spaces. Pipe insulation greatly
reduces heat loss in these
areas. Users will spend less
time waiting for hot water
at the tap and it will lead to
less waste. On demand hot
water circulation is an exciting
innovation in this area and can
maximize efficiency.
4. Aerators at the faucet reduce
hot and cold water flow while
maintaining the original water
pressure.
5. Low flow shower heads help
reduce water use by up to 50
percent and you can shut it off to
lather up.
kitchen
The kitchen of the modern house is the home of the big
users. If energy is conserved and use of appliances is
maximized, the kitchen can become an example of
independent living.
Consider your appliances and how you use them. Many
food preparations can be done without electricity, and
meals can be cooked alternatively with a dutch oven,
pressure cooker, or toaster oven, and three dishes
baking at once save the cook’s time and conserve
energy too.
Refrigerators are infamous for using way too much
energy. If replacing your old unit with a modern high
efficiency model is not an option, keep your old fridge
tuned up by cleaning the ventilation grilles and give it
some room from the wall to
allow for ventilation. Use
the energy saving
feature if available or
set the thermostat to the
minimal requirement of
38 degrees.
New refrigerators
don’t have to be
expensive to be
efficient; check the
Energy Guide stickers
as well as the price
tags. And last but not
least, consider a
smaller unit because
with refrigerators, bigger
is not better.
TYPE: Mini fluorescent Incandescent
LIFE: 10,000 hrs. 1,000 hrs.
COST: $ 9.00 $ 0.75 X 10 = $7.50
POWER USE: 18 watts X 10,000 = $ 18 75 watts X 10,000 = $75
TOTAL COST: $27 $82.50
lights
It is astounding that after 100 years in existence, the
standard lightbulb is still wasting power at rates of 65,
75, 85 and 100 watts. Thomas Edison would be turning
over in his grave if he knew about the available tech-
nology and the lack of its application in the multi-
billion dollar light bulb industry.
Compact fluorescent bulbs use 70 percent less energy
than incandescents without sacrificing any light. And
while lasting up to ten times longer than conventional
bulbs, the savings more than pay for initial costs.
Besides changing all of your bulbs, there are other
things you can do. Use daylight for reading, working
and living.
Evaluate your light usage. Low wattage task lighting
can replace high energy general overheads.
Lighter colors on the walls reflect more light and
skylights can be an added improvement to darker areas.
phantom loads
It is a secret among companies
that produce electronic equip-
ment. At least they don’t
advertise it, and it is rarely
talked about in public. In fact
many people have never heard
of it.
Phantom
Phantom loads loads
draw draw electricity
electricity 24
24 hours
hours a day, even when the appliance is
a day, even when the appliance is turned off.
turned off. And if that is not bad enough,
And if thatsome
is not bad enough,
appliances sometoappliances
draw close full power
draw closejust
totofull
be power just to be on standby.
on standby.
Common culprits include:
Computer equipment
Stereos
Televisions
VCR
Glow bars in gas ovens
Electronic phones
Anything with a small “box”
on the power cord
A simple solution is to plug into a power
strip. Turn off the power strip when
items are not in use.
What can I do?
If you are concerned with the state of the
world, then you can do something about it.
The first step is to be aware of what is
going on around you.
What is your local power company doing
about the power crisis? What are your
neighbors doing about the increased rates? Some things may
What are you doing to prepare for the require behavior
deregulation of utility companies? modification
and some may
The second step is to discover all the
different areas in your life in which you
involve spending
waste resources. From lighting four burn- money to save
ers in the morning just to get things going, some, but it’s all
to letting tap water go down the drain until for a good cause
it gets hot, its the little things that add up.
Third, try to cut back. Lower the thermo-
stat a few degrees. Change out your
lightbulbs. Turn off the water while brush-
ing your teeth. Get a power strip for your
stereo.
And finally, after you have tried these
three steps and you feel good about
conserving, take it a step further. Look
into renewable energy to supplement the
power you use lower your dependence
on the grid.
With passive and active solar, wind gen-
erators, grid intertie and backup power,
there are many of things you can do to
increase efficiency at home.
Passive Solar
There are three components to effective passive solar
design: Solar gain, thermal mass and insulation. Solar
gain is the amount of sunlight that you can concentrate
in one area. Thermal mass is the material that stores
the sunlight during the day and releases it at night.
Insulation holds the heated air inside, and cold air out.
By simply opening the drapes or insulated blinds on
your south facing windows during winter days, when
the sun is low in the sky, you can raise the room tem-
perature. Heat gained from the sunlight increases as it
passes through glass. Be sure to close the blind at night
to hold the heat in.
If you are designing a house or a remodel, talk to your
architect or designer about possible passive solar
choices. The New Mexico Solar Energy Association
has some excellent ideas on their website on passive
solar design and retrofit.
Active Solar
Active solar refers to systems that
convert solar energy into electricity.
In the majority of these systems sun-
shine is changed into DC electricity that
is stored in batteries. In the simplest DC
electric systems the batteries deliver power
to lights and other DC appliances like radios
and some televisions. These systems are
great for cabins and vacation homes.
Most solar systems today add a device called an in-
verter that converts DC battery power to more conven-
tional 120 Volt AC power that 99% of American appli-
ances use. By using this type of set-up you can run a
normal household on solar electricity without any basic
changes in wiring of the house.
Many people who are connected to the grid add solar
to supplement the grid. By expanding the solar capa-
bilities they are able to run mostly on solar and use the
grid as a back-up in a seamless system that switches
back and forth automatically
as needed.
Solar / Grid Intertie
Grid Intertie systems allow you to run your electric
meter backwards as well as forwards by interconnect-
ing a solar system to the power grid. Your home or
business uses the solar power when it is available,
either alone or with assistance from the power grid,
and feeds excess power back into the grid. At night
power comes from the grid. This way, you can use the
grid as a battery, which lowers the cost of your system
substantially because you never have to maintain or
replace your batteries
Grid intertie systems also increase the amount of the
solar energy which is actually used, because excess
power is never wasted. In battery systems when the
batteries are full any excess power is
lost. With grid intertie all of the
power that you don’t use during the
day is sent to the grid. Your electric
“If your electric bill will only be for the power that
bill is $100 per you used over and above what your
month or more you solar system produced. In New
can pay back the Mexico the power company gives you
cost of a grid inter- credit to be used later for power that
you produce over what you use. This
tie system in as few can be very helpful for a solar system
as 8 years.” that puts out more than enough power
for your home in the summer but runs
short in winter months.
Grid intertie systems can be easily installed in new
or retrofitted in existing homes. If your electric bill
is $100 per month or more you can pay back the
cost of a grid intertie system in as few as 8 years at
today’s energy costs, which are expected to double
in the near future.
back up power
During the Y2K scare we installed many back-up
power systems in both homes and businesses. People
were concerned about the reliability of their power
suppliers. When Y2K passed without major disrup-
tions we thought that we would see a lot of people
wanting to sell off their back-up systems. To our small
suprise not one person wanted to sell. On the contrary
many wanted to expand their systems to cover larger
power needs and to supplement the grid with solar.
A basic back-up power system takes grid
power and stores it in batteries. When
the grid goes down, an inverter instantly Think about what
switches on and runs selected loads from a headache a
the batteries until the power comes back power outage can
on. Then the inverter re-charges the be to a bank or
batteries for next time. We’ve installed
this type of system in businesses too.
supermarket, a
Think about what a headache a power retail store or an
outage can be to a bank or supermarket, a insurance office
retail store or an insurance office when when the power
the power suddenly goes off. A well suddenly goes off.
designed back-up can keep things run-
ning for up to several hours until the grid
comes back up.
These simple systems can mean the difference between
no lights and spoiled food and no worries. And a back-
up power system is the heart of a solar electric system.
Just add solar panels, all at once or a few at a time.
And because they are connected to the grid these new
solar systems can use the grid as a back-up to the solar.
Back-up power comes in many different sizes and
prices. There is one for everybody.
water wells
Across rural America a big change is happening in
livestock watering. The old familiar windmill up on a
wooden tower is disappearing, being replaced by solar
water pumping systems. The older windmills were a
constant maintenance problem. Besides the actual
windmill, which needed to be oiled and balanced, the
sucker rods that went down the well required constant
supervision. And by their nature most of these systems
were remote so a trip or two was required for each
regular check-up.
Quiet, efficient DC water pumps driven by
low or no maintenance solar arrays have
taken the windmills’ place. Usually
the array of solar panels is on a
passive solar tracker that follows the
sun across the sky to maximize the
power sent to the pump. A float
switch in the stock tank turns the system
off when the tank is full.
These systems can last up to 30 years with
only minor repairs every 10 years or so.
And they work just as well for remote
homes.
For homes that plan on using solar
electricity for all of their power, a
normal 220 Volt AC well pump
connected to a double inverter set-up
is common. This allows excess solar
power to be stored in batteries for
other uses. Either way the sun is
the best way to pump water in
almost all of the United States.
closing
At Taos Green Solar it is our business to think about power. It is
something that more and more people are thinking about nowdays.
As California struggles with deregulation now and the rest of the
states are looking on, poised to deregulate, we see that this is a
complicated and expensive problem. We won’t solve our energy
crisis by simply not deregulating: energy resources are still run-
ning out. What each of us can do is “our part”.
Understanding our own part in creating energy demand and think-
ing about how we can affect overall use is a first step. By follow-
ing some of the simple ideas in this pamphlet you can start to
lower your impact on the Earth and the cost of energy. The next
step is to further educate yourself and others about energy use and
finite natural resources. Talk to your neighbors and your congress-
man and state representatives. There are positive ways to move
from carbon based energy generation to renewable power. But
these changes won’t happen unless we demand that they do.
We don’t just vote every four years. We vote every time we buy
something. If we buy energy wasters manufacturers have no
reason to make energy savers. If we “sweep” our driveways with a
water hose how will kids understand how precious and limited our
water resource is? If we don’t demand power from wind farms and
bio-gas plants we will continue to get it from strip-mines.
Finally by supporting and buying solar and wind systems on an
individual basis today we assure that research and development
will continue and that prices will continue to drop. Ultimately it is
the next generation that will benefit the most or pay the most for
decisions that we make today. We want them to think back and say
we made the right choices.
Thanks,
Mark and Wil
KYOCERA
