Michigan Renewable Energy Success Stories
What WE Can Do With Energy Efficiency and RenewablesUse Energy More Efficiently
There are many opportunities to lessen pollution by reducing energy use within our homes. Light bulbs are a great example. Ordinary (incandescent) light bulbs are very inefficient; most of the electricity they use is converted to heat, not light, wasting fossil fuels and increasing pollution. Compact fluorescent bulbs produce as much light with only one fourth of the electricity. Not only does this save money and energy and reduce pollution, it also reduces the amount of energy needed to cool homes and offices in the summer. These bulbs cost more to purchase, but the electricity they save more than pays for the difference. As a bonus, they last ten times as long as an incandescent bulb, so you don’t have to replace them very often. Compact fluorescents are now sold side by side with regular (incandescent) light bulbs in local stores. Talk to the adults in your household about using efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs to cut electricity bills.
> Hot water heaters are another great opportunity to use energy wisely. Most hot water heaters lose about as much heat through their top and sides as they put into the water. This makes the gas or electric heating element run more often than necessary. Wrapping the hot water heater in an insulating blanket can cut this heat loss in half. For less than $15 and a few minutes of your time to install the blanket, you can make a real difference in the amount of energy your hot water heater uses! Such an investment often provides a 25% to 100% annual return. Water heater wraps are for sale in most hardware or home improvement stores. When buying new appliances such as a clothes washer, dryer, dishwasher, furnace, hot water heater, TV, VCR, DVD player, or computer, look for an Energy Star® label. The U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency awards this symbol to only the most energy efficient appliances. They use less energy to accomplish the same task as other appliances. This is especially important when buying a refrigerator or air conditioner, because these systems use more electricity than any other appliance in your home. For more information on Energy Star®, see: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home.index > Entire buildings including office buildings, hospitals, grocery stores, schools, hotels, and homes can also be Energy Star® rated. For a listing of Energy Star® homebuilders in Michigan, click here. There are other ways to save energy too. Factories account for about a third of Michigan’s energy consumption. It takes a lot of energy to make things! This is called the "embedded energy" of the item, so the energy it took to manufacture a TV is the TV’s embedded energy. We can save energy by purchasing energy efficient products, repairing, reusing, and recycling. Buying quality items that last a long time, or buying used items saves energy by avoiding the manufacture of new items. Create Your Own Success Story There are hundreds of thousands of homes across Michigan using renewable energy to provide some portion of their energy needs. While some systems need to be designed into a house when it’s built, most can be added onto an existing home. There are dozens of solar contractors in Michigan who can install manufactured systems on your home. Solar hot water heaters and solar space heaters are available to anyone with a home and a view of the sky. Solar swimming pool heaters are especially cost effective. You can even supply your own electricity using solar cells (photovoltaics) or a wind turbine. As an alternative to buying a renewable energy system, you can build your own. Adding a solar space heater to a home is a good do-it-yourself project. Buy Green Power Not everyone can add a renewable energy system to his or her home. You may live in an apartment building, rent a dwelling, or have a heavily shaded house in a forest. You can still use renewable energy by buying "green power". Michigan now allows every home and business to choose the company that will supply them with electricity. Some suppliers guarantee that a certain percentage of their energy (up to 100%) comes from clean, renewable sources. By purchasing your electricity from them, you’re supporting the construction of more renewable energy systems. For more information on this option, see: Contact Your Legislators Numerous studies have shown that state and federal legislators listen to letters from citizens in their home district. Write to your state and federal legislators and let them know you support energy efficiency and renewable energy. * Ask them to pass laws to encourage the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Our energy choices today will affect the world you live in. You can contact them directly on the web: U.S. Senate Michigan House of Representatives Michigan Senate Keep Learning The world of energy is a fascinating place. Much of the study of science and engineering is about energy – how it’s converted from one form to another and transported from one place to another. Understanding energy is also important when studying ecology, because many of our environmental problems are a result of energy production and use. Many of the important decisions facing our society are related to our use of energy. Even our nation’s foreign affairs are being shaped by our present need to find supplies of oil and gas. As a citizen of the world, it is important to understand the implications of where we choose to get our energy and how we use it.
Table of ContentsMichigan Renewable Energy Success Stories The History of Renewable Energy Use What WE Can Do With Energy Efficiency and Renewables
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Learn More Renewable Energy Success Stories
Learn More Renewable Energy Success Stories
