Friends asked me recently how to reduce their energy bills. Here are a few basic ideas.

As I write this I wonder how effective it is to know what to do vs. actually doing it. Too often I know what I should do, but for some reason, laziness, ego, or desire for immediate comfort, I don't do the things I know I should do. So, here is the information, it is up to you to overcome your own barriers and act. By the way, when I was the manager of the Solar Office at the California Energy Commission my staff suspected that I was not keen enough on solar energy. Why? Because too often when they tried to sell me a solar project I showed them that users can save five to ten time the potential energy from solar by simple conservation methods that were already available. Don't let the glamour of technology mislead you. Simple solutions are usually more cost-effective and more reliable.

You have to balance these suggestions with the amount of money you want to spent and the level of comfort you wish, but remember, THE MORE ENERGY YOU USE THE MORE YOU POLLUTE OUR LITTLE PLANET. The greenhouse effect is real and it is already impacting our globe. It is not a joke! The US is uniquely bad among advanced countries about admitting and doing anything nationally to reduce the greenhouse effects. Please do your part. Yes, to conserve you will have to reduce your accustomed level of "comfort." Take a few small steps at a time, but do them.

I. Natural gas for heating:
The cost of natural gas to consumers in California increased from 25 cents per therm (100,000 BTU) some 30 years ago to $1.00 now, a larger increase than any other energy source available. Price varies often, but conservation always worthwhile.

0. Add attic insulation if at all possible, at least to R-30 value in non-mountain areas. This is the most cost-effective investment you can make here. Use blown-in, fire-resistant, cellular material in most cases. You could do it yourself, if you are the type, it is quiet easy, but needs two people for some 3 hours typically. Or get several estimates from utility-approved vendors. Always study the requirements/details, even if you are not a technology minded person. If you can not understand the explanation and process, go to another vendor. It may be desirable, in colder climates in California, to add under-floor insulation too (R-13 minimum). Increasing R-value (insulation level) increases the cost only marginally.

1. Reduce the temperature in the house in winter. The higher the temperature the faster it leaks to the outdoor. Dress heavier to compensate for it with long johns, sweaters, etc. Reducing temperature by two degrees equals about 5% saving. Cut temp. at night to 60 degrees max Use automatic thermostat, with seven days programming.

Space heating is the largest energy user, cooking is not significant, water heating is moderate, just cut shower time moderately. Reduce water heater setting to the lowest temperature you wish your water to be. (Dishwashers need 140 degrees for sterilization). Hot water pipes should be insulated when possible. Insulation is low cost, labor needed if difficult access.

2. Shut curtains at night, but better during the day too; use CFL, compact fluorescence lights, it is more economical. Full curtains are effective insulators. They can make noticeable differences in comfort and energy waste. Narrow, multi-sections curtains are useless as insulators.

3. Keep all heat outlets in areas you do not use almost close. Shut the doors of these areas too. They could be your buffer zones. For example, adjust the outlets to reduce heat to bedrooms. You use them basically at night, under good blankets. We use light blankets when we read in our family room since we stay in the same spot for long times.

4. Check all windows for leaks, add strip foam insulation (typically 1/4 inch wide and 3/8 thick, one side is backed by light glue, so they are self-gluing, and easy to remove or redo) where needed.

5. We recently installed plastic-frames dual glazed windows, mostly to reduce noise. They are not economically justified, in mild climates, but they do provide more insulation and more stable room temperatures. The cost, after 4 estimates, was $4,000 for 6 windows and one patio door (higher now). Good quality, but not the highest possible energy saving since the increase in cost was way beyond the small increase in performance. No need for triple gazed windows in central CA.

6. Replace old gas furnaces if you use a lot of gas and your unit is older than 20 years, or start to have trouble. Older units are in the order of 50% efficient, new ones can have up to 95% efficiency! (80% units, 2 stage units are more cost-effective). Note that the air duct system is likely to leak with time. Utilities often provide nearly full rebates ($75) for checking the leaks, and list of approved shops. Do not use duct tape to seal ducts. Use special tapes for this purpose.

7. Wood stoves may provide cheaper heat, but they do pollute the environment significantly, even good units. Don’t use.

8. Ventilate the steam out of your shower and bath into the house, it will overcome the air dryness and heat the air. Leave the warm water of a bath in place until cooled, then drain. A lot of heat in bath water which can warm the vicinity.

II. Electricity:

1. The obvious things are: shut unneeded lights, and any other appliance, especially TV, bring lights down closer to the place you need them, illumination is reduced significantly with distance. You can reduce the lamp wattage by bringing the lights closer to its use.

2. Replace standard lights with compact florescent lamps in areas you leave lights longer, kitchen, garage, outdoors, and hallways.

3. Shut off computers if not used for over an hour, or put on standby.

4. Do not use "torch lights" they are dangerous and waste a lot of electricity. Get used to dimmer environment rather then bright reflective (ceiling) lights. Direct lighting is much more cost-effective.

5. When buying electrical appliances look for the highest efficiency units. Check, but often they will pay back their higher costs with energy savings during their lifetimes, but not always! (Estimate, using ten years as life expectancy.)

6. Do not buy solar systems to heat your water or home! Prices, even with rebates, are way over priced. Your actual energy use is not significant if you use low water shower heads and do not waste hot water. It takes 50 years to payback.

7. Do not buy photovoltaic systems to generate electricity. They are extremely inefficient and not cost effective. Even with many rebates they are a waste. Better spent your money to cut your energy use then encourage ineffective, high technology wasteful solutions. The hype around them is unjustified. Put your money into conservation/weatherization.

Note: Hire a reputable, recommended, energy conservation/weatherization expert if you are serious about saving energy and are willing to spend significant money for it. Good ones will save you much more money then their consultation costs. Read utility's literature and other books on energy efficiency for your home. Financial support typically available.

III. Your car:
We all know that:
1. Buying more energy efficient cars with high reliability, such as some Honda or Toyota models, will cut gas use and reduce pollution significantly. Honda is especially advanced in reducing pollution, and having high reliability. The low-energy hybrid cars by Honda and Toyota are excellent for normal driving; very small cars are less comfortable for long distances. There is a premium price of some $4,000 to 5,000 comparable to similar-size standard gasoline engines. Also, use regular gasoline, most cars do not need higher-octane and it does not improve mileage or protect your engine.

2. Don't idle a cold engine; they get warmer faster by driving for 2 to 4 minutes at moderate speed. Idling takes much longer to heat the engine since there is little energy expanded by an idle engine.

3. Change oil at intervals, and other maintenance, specified by the carmaker, NOT THE DEALER! Typically 7500 miles, or every six months. Even if you do not use the car the oil still deteriorates. It is a small cost to change oil. Note! Dealers usually recommend much unneeded maintenance that the manufacturer never asked for. Use the regular maintenance schedule, not the “special-operating conditions”. It is rarely needed. Keep records. Do not neglect longer-term maintenance required, they can be critical. such as transmission oil change and timing belts change, typically every 90,000 miles. Often for a acceptable increase in cost (less than $100) during timing belt change you can also change the water pump.

4. Keep tire pressure at 32 for most uses, measured cold after less than one mile of driving. Otherwise, fill to 35 and re-measure in the morning. Fill spare tire as needed at every six month. Keep three flares, readily accessible, and tire replacement tools. Have a set of battery-start cables: 12 feet, heavy gage, not larger than number 6 wires. (No. 4 is superior).

5. Take driving refresher course every 5 years. You will be surprised how much you forgot.
In the last 20 years car paints are covered by a layer of protective clear plastic (since paints are now soft due to pollution requirements). Without this layer the paint deteriorates fast. Repair your clear plastic scratches, or your paint will deteriorate fast and the plastic layer breaks further.

WELL MAINTAINED CARS CAN LAST OVER 200,000 MILES.

Replace car if heavy gas user. Pollute the air, sends our money to our opponents, and increase global warming.

Matania Ginosar, Dr. of Environmental Science & Electrical Engineer. Emphasis: cost-effective alternative energies.
March, 2001. Updated 11/09

As you may remember from some of my previous blogs here I believe global warming is a critical issue, one of the most significant issues of this century.
As an environmental scientist and electrical engineer and previously the manager of the Solar Energy Office and the Wind Energy program for the State of California I have been involved in global warming issues for many years.

You may, therefore, be interested to read my other blog on global warming:
Ginosar on global warming.org but NO SPACES

Ginosaronglobalwarming.org

Please mention this site to other people too. I would appreciate it.

Matania

Outstanding Israel

While we are in the middle of continuous verbal attacks on Israel by the Arab-dominated UN and much of the rest of the misguided nations, we need to remind ourselves how outstanding Israel really is . We can be very proud in our support of this outstanding nation.

Israel is a little over sixty years old, and it had its share of mistakes, like all nations. But I am extremely proud of the way Israel has been conducting itself in many areas, even before its liberation from British occupation. I was there, I witness it. We were educated to learn Arabic, to respect their culture, to try to build the region together. We were so surprise by the violent attacks on Israelis on so many occasions. And that before Israel was a free nation.
Let me focus here only on Israel military conduct after its independence.

With one or two exceptions, all countries have been born by wars. War of liberation or by revolution, but they did not emerge pure and clean without spilling a lot of innocent blood. Just think about the many European wars, some lasting a hundred years, Remember WWI and WWII and the spilling of blood of millions of civilians, not only by Germany, Italy and Japan, but also by the U.S., and England, the “liberators” of Europe. Churchill wanted to poison German civilian population after the Germany bombed London with V2 rockets. The USSR murdered millions of its own people, and Stalin sent one million of his soldiers to death trying to stop the German advance on just one city alone- Stalingrad. There are many real stories of inhumanity by most nations, from the support of Hitler’s Germany by Sweden, Spain, and Switzerland to the surrender of France and Norway to Hitler and France sending Jews to German concentration camps even when they were not forced to do so
And many of these nations have the temerity of accusing Israel of immoral behavior by defending its civilians from murderous, continuous rocket attacks from Hezbollah on the north or Hamas in the south.

There is no nation on earth that even remotely could imitate the tremendous tolerance of the Israeli people and government to the unstoppable hate, anti-Semitism and anti Israeli propaganda coupled with military attacks by the Arabs. Some 23,000, twenty three thousands! Israelis were murdered by Arabs in the different wars imposed on Israel and by terrorist attacks. Under similar circumstances most other countries would attack their tormentors and would spill blood all around, military and civilians alike, but Israel rarely attack back, and always with great concern about enemy lives.
Israel has one of the strongest military in the world. It has the third most powerful air force in the world. If it wanted it could destroy all the Arab countries combined in a few days. But not. Israelis are more concerned about the life of the enemy civilian population than the Arab themselves, more than the Palestinians themselves. Most Palestinians do not care about their own brothers and murder one another at will. Just witness the frequent murderous fights between the different fractions of Palestinians terrorists, from Hamas against Fata, and one branch of terrorists against the other. And often they hang their private enemies by accusing them of being Israeli spies.

It is simply amazing how much care Israel took to reduce Gaza’ civilian casualties during its attack on Gaza. It used leaflets, phone calls and laud speakers to warn the civilians ahead of attacks. It is amazing how an Israeli pilot under orders to blow up the main bridge between Beirut and Syria during the 2006 Lebanon war, refused to do it since he felt he may kill too many civilians. And although I personally do not agree with his conduct since he probably caused more Israeli casualties, still, I am proud of him and his attitude. And there is very large number of similar stories how Israeli soldiers were going beyond the call of duty to save Palestinian lives.

Israeli feels that human life is so important that they suffer emotional pains if they kill innocent civilians while protecting themselves. The Palestinians, however, again and again emphasized that this “Israeli weakness of caring about human lives” gives the Arab extremists the upper hand, since they do not care about their own lives or the lives of their own brothers.

I am extremely proud of the ability, the willingness, and the courage of the Israel people to care about their humanity, in the midst of an Arab world that doesn’t not give a damn about human lives.
The values that Israeli hold so important that no other country, not the US, not the Europeans, not the Russians, not the Chinese, name any country that can or will do what Israelis are willing to do to remain human under the worst of circumstances.

Please watch this short testimony by a British commander on the outstanding Israeli conduct:

http://hosem.gotdns.com/Colonel-Richard-Kemp-Challenges-Goldstone-Report-e.html

Matania