Use less electricity

The Clean Power Plan: How You Can Support It

In recent weeks, President Obama has unveiled the details of his new Clean Power Plan (CPP)1, promising to be America’s most sweeping attempt to curb greenhouse gas emissions to date. There are many questions about just how effective it will be, and, being a government-run initiative, it may seem that most of it is up to politics. However, there is still much, as the president would put it, “ordinary folks,” can do to decide the degree of its success or failure.

With the first substantial snowfall in Montreal last week and temperatures dropping below zero, you might have cranked up the heating at home. In 2009, Canadians spent $26.8 billion on household energy needs, and almost two thirds of this energy was used for space heating. Nearly half of Canadian households used natural gas as their main heating fuel in 2007, emitting not only warmth but also greenhouse gases. Whether it be natural gas, electricity, wood, heating oil or propane, there are a number of ways to prepare your home for winter and to reduce your energy needs. Take a look at these ten handy tips on how to efficiently heat your home and effectively help save both the planet and your pennies (or cents).
1. Install and set a programmable thermostat

“Solarize” campaigns are a growing grassroots movement to bring the benefits of solar energy to residential communities through collective purchasing agreements. The Solarize movement began in one neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, in 2009 and has now spread to more than 150 communities throughout Portland and across Oregon and the rest of the United States. Even in areas not traditionally considered “sunny” like the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast, residential solar installations have become an increasingly popular energy source.

Did you know that the average washing machine in America uses about 41 gallons of water per load and is the second largest water user in a typical household? Between the water used for washing machines and electricity used for energy-intensive dryers, laundry accounts for a total of 847,445 million gallons of water, 241 thousand GWh of electricity, and 179 million metric tons of CO2-e emissions in the U.S. each year.
Each load of laundry produces a huge carbon footprint:

One of the important steps in combating climate change is reducing our electric consumption. Reducing power consumption should strive to reduce devices energy use or simply reduce the time items are consuming electricity ( Floyd and Webber 1998, 1.97). The good news is using less electricity might be much easier than you think.

Green New Years resolutions can be significant. Here is how my family goes about it. First my husband and I have to agree on the goal. Since we are a household, it does no good if I say that we are going to stop using paper towels when my husband will just go and buy more. If it is something that needs to be accomplished together then it’s time to call a family meeting. Once we all agreed on a goal we make sure it is not so big that we never get around to it. So let's say my goal is to reduce the household carbon footprint by 20%. On first look, I don't even know what that means, let alone how to go about doing it, this goal needs to be scaled back in doable steps. In January, my goal might be to list the quickest, easiest things we can change.