Try not to be an energy hog
We in the U.S. have been responsible for 20% of all global warming gases since the industrial age and have only 4% of the world’s population. We still produce 15%. We are energy gluttons. Besides concerns over the cost of our bills, should we not be as concerned or more concerned over the human cost of this profligate energy consumption?
Last week’s column detailed the many disastrous consequences of warming temperatures linked to the discharge of millions of tons of greenhouse gases by human activities. Since that column, Kentucky floods have led to 37 deaths, 100 people missing, 1,300 emergency evacuees, and thousands of homes destroyed by water sweeping away entire houses.
So, how should we respond as caring citizens since global warming is caused primarily by our production and burning of fossil fuels.
Fortunately, most actions we can take involve conservation that can save us money while saving the planet.
Transportation
The transportation sector is the biggest source of damaging emissions, producing 54% of Maryland’s carbon releases accounting for nine of 10 barrels of oil used. Besides reducing global warming, these actions reduce Chesapeake Bay pollution, oil spills, despoilation of natural areas, the price of gasoline, and the empowerment of oil oligarchs in hostile, despotic nations like Russia. Start with this simple solution: Use less gasoline.
Drive electric vehicles and plug into renewable electricity. Otherwise, drive hybrids that achieve 45 miles per gallon or better. You can use federal purchase rebates and HOV lanes. My wife’s 2018 Toyota Prius Prime plugs into our outdoor socket with solar power fueling most of our driving. The result: 135 mpg. My 2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid still gets 45 mpg and both cars were purchased used, another form of recycling. I have never bought a new car.
We drive less than 5,000 miles combined and keep our tires properly inflated and the vehicles properly maintained. We carpool, combine trips for errands, and avoid idling. We drive within speed limits.
Join the millions of people telecommuting and use public transportation.
We do not need a gas-guzzling tank to move from place to place. Our Priuses are comfortable and road-worthy, especially the newer and more commodious vehicle.
Remember, the federal government is forcing us to use 10% to 15% corn ethanol in our gas, adding 24% more global warming emissions than gas, costing $1 more a gallon and taking away 5 billion bushels of corn annually from our food supply as the price of corn hits record highs.
This adds to malnourishment, disease and even death as the impoverished around the world cannot afford to feed themselves.
Electricity
Electrical production causes 32% of U.S. energy-related global warming. Additionally, much more powerful pollutants like methane come from natural gas production. In 2021, fossil fuels produced 47% of Maryland’s in-state electricity with 38% from natural gas and 9% from coal. Nuclear supplied 41%. Dams produced 4%.
Despite legislatively mandated 30% renewable energy use by 2022, only 6% of electricity came from solar and wind energy. About 75% of renewable energy consumed in Maryland is imported. The law has come under criticism as it allows 35% of what counts as “clean energy” to come from controversial sources such as trash incineration, landfills, and wood debris burned in power plants and paper mills.
The goal of 50% renewables by 2030 is being weakened. We must do better.
Here are tips from a home electricity miser. These measures have resulted in electrical costs for the past 12 months of under $800 for 8,000 kilowatt-hours. Our bill paid on Aug. 5 was $51 for 32 days. This included air conditioning for an all-electric 1,760 squarefoot home with all modern conveniences and for charging our Prius Prime, lawn mower, and trimmer. We generally use 20% less electricity than the most energy efficient comparable size homes nearby. How?
We purchase direct solar powered electricity through Neighborhood Sun, which develops solar farms and sells residential customers subscriptions at less than 10% of what BGE charges. Contact Matty Guerin at 240-845-7130. We are proudly running our house, a Prius, and lawn mower on solar power!
You also can buy 100% clean wind and solar energy through an electricity supplier you choose and be billed by BGE as you always are. Better yet, have solar panels installed using tax incentives including a federal income tax credit of 26%. Installers give free estimates.
It is important to have a good, high-efficiency source of heating and air conditioning.
Heat pumps with a SEER rating of 16 and higher are best. Ours was installed last July, and it makes a substantial difference from our older heat pump that died. Change filters and have your system maintained annually.
In warmer weather, we use ceiling and stationary fans, open all windows, and try not to use the air conditioner until temperatures hit 84 degrees in the house.
Then, we keep our thermostat at 79 degrees with the fans on only in rooms occupied. Our thick, white-lined drapes and white blinds are closed to block sunlight from heating the house. When the air conditioner is not on, we open all windows.
In winter, we reverse the process and wear warm clothes including sweaters and keep the house at 65 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night using heavy blankets to sleep. Note that 42% of home energy usage is for heating and air conditioning.
Be sure you have high-efficiency windows and doors, seal leaks, and have proper insulation even for electrical sockets. We had insulation blown into our attic over old, batted insulation. Turn off all lights, computers, TVs, power bars, and radios when not in use. Purchase only Energy Star efficient appliances.
Sign-up for BGE’s PeakRewards air conditioning interruptible service program and save $200. Use BGE’s Quick Home Energy Check-up or the detailed ENERGY STAR Energy Audit. Install LED lights, faucet aerators, efficient-flow shower heads invented by the Navy, water heater pipe insulation, conserve water, and use smart power strips. BGE will install them free as part of your energy audit. You are paying for these on your bill; why not use these benefits?
Lawn care
The use of gas-powered lawn equipment consumes 800 million gallons of gasoline annually on the 40 million acres of U.S. land covered by grass. Gas-powered lawn mowers cause 5% of U.S. air pollution. A leaf blower releases more hydrocarbons than a pickup truck. So, use only electric or battery-powered lawn care equipment.
Do not use nitrogen fertilizer which is reliant on natural gas for production. Use organic, slow-release nitrogen if you must fertilize.
Besides helping Ukraine repel the Russian invaders and stop the immoral killings based on Putin’s oil and gas wealth, you can help save the Chesapeake Bay as about a third of all polluting nitrogen comes from atmospheric deposition from our vehicles and electricity. Nitrogen is a major bay pollutant.
Every time I witness wasteful energy usage, I think of the rural Appalachian women I met whose lives were destroyed by mountaintop coal mining, where forests are cleared, mountaintops blown up, and rock and dirt debris dumped into stream valleys, all to reach coal seams.
We in the U.S. have been responsible for 20% of all global warming gases since the industrial age and have only 4% of the world’s population. We still produce 15%. We are energy gluttons. Besides concerns over the cost of our bills, should we not be as concerned or more concerned over the human cost of this profligate energy consumption?