Save Energy without Using Energy

The two main excuses for not saving energy are not having time and it''s too much of hassle. But there are energy saving techniques that everyone can do without too much effort.

Environmental organisations around the word keep informing citizens to save energy and water where possible, but few actually do. The average person would love to help the environment but he or she is a bit unsure on how to do it. People also say they don''t have the energy to do it either. Recycling is a good example of people not having enough energy to do their part to protect the environment. The energy to create about 6 bins for every type of material is too much for some people. Even if they manage 6 bins separating different materials, with labels on the bins for tin, paper, plastic, etc., the process of remembering to recycle only lasts a few months.

The good news is that there are other ways to save energy and help the planet stay a bit greener without using too much energy on your self. Saving energy doesn''t have to involve you going out of your way. For example, a simple energy saving principle can be used not only at home but at the office as well. All it involves is closing a door. If your office or home uses heaters or air-conditioners, closing a door to unused rooms saves energy.

By closing the door, you trap the heat or cool air in the room you are using. Thereby the heater or air-conditioner only has to maintain the temperature in one room instead of two. This not only saves energy but will also save you money on your electricity bill.

Even better, instead of dressing for style and letting machines maintain your body temperature, just dress for the weather instead. By wearing long pants, socks and shoes, and a jersey, you don''t have to even turn the heater on. Take the jersey off and it''s instant coolness without a fan.

Another energy tip, which doesn''t take much effort, is to turn off your screen monitor. Most people believe that screen savers are there to save energy. To some extent they do save some energy off the overall energy cost of a PC. But turning the monitor off completely saves all the energy from the screen. If you touch the top of your monitor after a long day you can feel the heat it has generated while inactive. By turning it off you can save all that heat, which is essentially energy.

Most people know that turning off plugs to appliances saves electricity, but few people do it. With some appliances it is understandable, for example microwaves that you have to reset every time you switch it on. But small things, like kettles and toasters, can and should be turned off at the plug. Most small items don''t have long extension cords, so the plug shouldn''t be that far away.



Switch a light off when you leave a room. I know, everyone knows this one, but then explain to me why others don''t do it. People are often leaving bathroom lights, bedside lamps and garage lights on when they go to work. Light switches are placed close to the door frame, so they are easy to find and can be turned on as soon as you are in the room. This also means they can be turned off as soon as you leave a room.

Tumble dryers are fantastic inventions. They were invented so people could dry their clothes even when it is raining outside. Today people use tumble dryers regardless of the weather outside. By checking out of your window and seeing if the sun, which is nature''s clothes dryer, is out and using it instead you can save energy.

Hanging clothes on the line might be a bit more of a hassle than popping them in the tumble dryer, but remember that you are going to be using more energy with the tumble dryer.

Not to mention all the knots that sleeves and trousers cause when you use the tumble dryer. By simple hanging it up, you don''t have to hassle with it. Another way to think about it is that there will be less ironing to do if you hang your clothes up as the will dry themselves straight.

The whole point of saving energy is so that we don''t use it all up. So we can look out the window and still see the sun. Taking time out and going through the hassle of putting trash into different bins for recycling is brilliant. If people say they don''t have the time to do it, then that is fair enough. I don''t know your schedule. But saying that you would save energy if you knew how, or if you had the time, is not an excuse. There are plenty of ways to save energy, without using much yourself.

Celeste writes for Sustainable Projects who specialize in Total Solar Energy