If Energy Awareness Month Were Your Parent They’d Say: Stay Aware

Stay aware. It’s not easy when we’re so busy staying busy. But parents know. They know if we don’t stop to think about our actions, we pay with consequences. Take for instance, Mother Earth. We’ve done our part as humans to cause irreparable harm. The consequences are playing out right before us with cataclysmic climate change events.

Maybe it’s time we start paying attention to what we’re doing in our own homes, starting with energy consumption. And not just during this important month marking energy awareness, but every day of the year.

Here are few ways we can “stay aware” year-round (and they’ve been verified by a group of parents we know):

The lights! The lights!

Turn them off. How many times does a parent need to repeat this? When you leave a room, flip the switch. Tall tale: it doesn’t suck up more electricity for the lights to be turned off and on. You will actually save a chunk of change by turning this simple energy saver into a daily habit.

Nix the incandescent

This is ancient news to most, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. The average 60-watt incandescent lightbulb wastes up to 90% of its energy as heat – that means only 10% of its energy is spent actually producing light. More energy used but less light. No thanks.

Light Emitting Diodes

LED for short. Who knew? Anyway, they’re the most efficient bulbs for home illumination. Efficiency = lower electric bill. Also, not affected by the number of times you turn them on or off. 

Unplug Energy Vampires

These energy suckers can account for 5-10% of an energy bill. Coffee makers, computers, printers, wall chargers, and game consoles just to name a few. Quick tip: put your electronics on a power strip and just flip to OFF when not using.  

Harness the Light

That is, be the boss of natural daylight. Instead of turning on air conditioning, close curtains and shades when sun is blaring through the windows. Open them back up for natural light when the days cool down.

Check Appliance Use

Are you running a half-full dishwasher? Washing a single pair of pants? Do we need to talk about consequences again?  Full dishwashers and full washing machines reduce the number of loads and hot water usage drops. That’s a two-birds-with-one-stone story. Thank us later.

Until next time, stay aware, and power on with less energy usage. It’s good clean fun for everyone!

About Orange County Power Authority

The Orange County Power Authority is a not-for-profit public agency that offers clean power at competitive rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling reinvestment in local energy programs. To learn more, visit www.ocpower.org.