Why Should We Conserve Energy?
We all have heard before that it is important to conserve. This applies to nearly everything, from not wasting food, to saving water, to reducing electricity usage. But the last one, electricity, is a bit misunderstood. After all, we can all easily see why wasting food is a bad thing, same with water.
But in the case of electricity, couldn’t we just generate more of it? What’s the big deal with trying to reduce electricity consumption? Well, unless you like paying higher energy bills and doling out your hard earned dollars to your power company, you should definitely look into reducing energy so that your dollars can be spent on more enjoyable things to you… NOT your power company CEO’s new Lambo!
There’s thousands of power plants all over the world just producing more energy to combat this issue right this very second. So as far as your home is concerned, outside of trying to reduce electricity bill costs, there really isn’t any other reason to bother. But when we leave the home, and look directly at the places generating electricity is where the problem becomes apparent.
Most facilities where power is generated, do so through the burning of coal. Coal is burned to generate heat. This is used to boil water and generate steam which turns a generator. The process itself works fine, the problem lies in the harmful byproducts.
Why is it Important to Conserve Electricity?
When coal (and other fossil fuels) is burned, various chemicals are released into the atmosphere. One of these is carbon dioxide, or CO2. CO2 is a natural chemical which is what we exhale all day long. Even though it exists naturally in the air, too much of it will change the way our atmosphere behaves. It works to make the atmosphere better at trapping the sun’s energy on the Earth’s surface, thus collecting more heat. This gradually raises the average temperatures of the planet. While it’s not a big number in terms of degrees, realize that the Earth as we know it today is the result of a precise balance. Raising the temperature even a little bit means several things.
For starters, more ocean water will then evaporate and be held in the air. This in turn changes the atmospheric composition thus trapping even more of the sun’s energy. This cycle is called a positive feedback loop because it perpetuates the situation all on its own.
Not only that, but polar ice will melt faster/to a larger degree than before. This results in rising sea levels which can (and already has) spelled disaster for coastal areas in various parts of the world.
Ways to Conserve Coal
While it’s true that generating electricity isn’t the sole cause of this problem (the automotive industry has played a big part as well), it is definitely a major contributor. This is why it is important to reduce electricity use. When we reduce our electricity usage, we lower the demand for power, and thus, less coal will be burned as a result. While it may not feel like you are making a big difference, if many people would reduce their electricity consumption, then it would amount to far less pollutants being thrown into the atmosphere.
So this brings up to the next point, which is how to lower electric bills at home. This may seem like a very difficult thing to do. People usually think they will have to do without using electricity as they have become accustomed to, or that they will have to live uncomfortably, with the A/C set too low or high. Fortunately, none of this is true.
There are lots of different methods that one can employ in order to save electricity. These easy tips cover a wide range of electrical application, from lighting, to water heating, to appliances, to heating & cooling. Many of them are very simple to do and don’t cost much of anything at all (some are free).
There are also various devices that one can buy for their home that will work to reduce the amount of electricity used. They include programmable thermostats, electric savers, LED bulbs and others. While these do cost some money to get into use, they can easily pay for themselves after a short time.
Why Conserve Electricity?
This brings us to the added personal benefit of learning how to reduce electricity costs, and that is in the savings involved. By saving electricity, you will be saving on your monthly bill. You could easily reduce your bill by 20% (Some have reported seeing even higher savings results). Learn more ways to save money and energy in the article linked below…