Free Teacher Resources: Teaching Energy Efficiency in Class

Teach energy efficiency, meet curriculum standards, and help your students' families lower utility bills -- all for free!

For elementary and middle school teachers, the painful reality of the current round of budget cuts stemming from the international credit crisis mean only one thing: fewer dollars to meet state curriculum standards.

Electric utilities provide teachers free curriculum resources. In particular, books and educational websites. Also, many government agencies provide free resources for teachers.

Here are a few:

• National Energy Education Development Project: Provides workshops that help teachers and students learn how to teach energy conservation to students back in the classroom.
• Energy Information Agency: A page for students that provides facts, fun and games -- a resource for educators, who will have to build an education plan around this
  
• California Energy Commission: Energy Quest -- an online game/resource that includes teacher resources
  
• Wisconsin Energy Center: K-12 Energy Education Program

In addition, local utilities promote energy efficiency education, delivering booklets and teachers' guides for free to any educator in their service area. Many include website that support their programs.

Look for:

• Portland General Electric
• National Grid
• Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, Georgia Power, Alabama Power
  
• Pacific Gas and Electric
  

There are many more. If you are a teacher, call your local utility and see if they're offering free resources. If you're a parent, help your kid's teacher learn about these great tools.

Sarah Palin's Energy Efficiency Stimulus Veto Overturned

Alaska politicians overturned Sarah Palin's earlier decision to not use federal stimulus funds that were earmarked for energy efficiency improvements.

Alaska's new governor, Sean Parnell, announced he will use the $28.6 million to reduce energy costs in public facilities and to support ongoing programs that will help Alaskan's improve energy efficiency and lower utility bills.

You can read more about the article at The Huffington Post.

Alaska May Overturn Sarah Palin's Anti-Energy Efficiency Stimulus Package Stance

Former Alaskan Governor Sarah turned down some $28 million in federal funds that would be used to improve energy efficiency of local state, federal and municipal buildings. That now may be overturned, according to Alaskan news outlets.

Politics aside, this is good for Alaskans. It allows municipal utilities to garner extra dollars that can be used to improve their electric utility grid.

Due to the extreme nature of the credit crunch, municipal utilities have been the hardest hit in the energy sector. They've had to put nearly all of their improvement projects on hold while just trying to maintain cash flow and deal with massive debts. The same is true of many municipalities and states as their bond ratings have crashed with the crisis.

Now they can use money that will lower their costs -- and improve productivity. And we'll increase national security by making sure we extract the maximum amount of value from every kilowatthour produced on our own soil -- while ensuring we maintain and increase our reserves of other energy resources.

The energy efficiency stimulus will pay for these types of improvements:

• Repairs and energy efficiency upgrades to federal, state, and local municipal buildings
• Upgrades and renovations to Department of Defense facilities
• Replacement of the aging electric utility grid with a new electronic grid that will allow businesses and residents to take advantage of time-of-day pricing
• Low income weatherization projects, which allow low-income people to at least save a little on their energy bills and possibly live in greater comfort too
• Renewable generation projects (wind, solar, etc.)
• Research into advanced battery technologies, with the intention of having these new technologies manufactured in the United States instead of in China or Japan
• Education and training for Americans for jobs in the energy sector
• Investments in public transportation, improvements in water utility infrastructure and more

Some of this is flowing down to the average American too. Look for tax credits on improving furnaces. And as utilities improve the grid, we'll start seeing opportunities that will allow us to lower our home heating and air-conditioning costs.

For some tips on how to save right now, without waiting for the trickle down effect of these stimulus dollars, check out:

• 20 Energy Efficiency Tips for Summer
• Analyzing Your Home Energy Use
  

Energy Efficient Buildings: With Just a Little Planning You Can Avoid Excessive Utility Bills


A brief run down on installing insulation in your home.

Improving building energy efficiency isn't all that hard, and it does not require investing in any new technology. In fact, it only takes using your brain -- and a little work.

The New Republic Magazine wrote a little piece about this in a recent issue: Efficient Buildings a No Brainer.

You need only remember a few key steps when thinking about your home and making the building more efficient.

• Put in enough ceiling insulation. Any do-it-yourselfer can install a roll of fiberglass insulation. The stuff is available in various grades and from various manufacturers at most large household supply stores. Just make sure you put in the right amount of insulation for your geographic region. Colder climates warrant more insulation.
• Patch up leaks. Again, a little caulking and weather stripping will go a long way to reduce unnecessary drafts around windows and doors. Older homes may need some patch work on the exterior, perhaps to seal up cracks in plaster walls. It may take a few days this summer, but you can seal up your house on your own, and save money in winter.
• Weatherize heating and cooling ducts with insulation. Roles of insulation material are available at most hardware supply stores and you can wrap ducts in a weekend, while still stopping to watch the Tour de France.
• Clean you furnace filter, and get a furnace check-up/tune-up before the heating season starts. If you have the need for a new furnace, be sure to invest in the most energy efficient furnace possible -- and check for government tax breaks!

Simple steps, and they'll not only increase energy efficiency while lowering utility bills -- they'll also improve the value of your home!

U.S. Electric Upgrades Mean Higher Bills

Here’s proof you need to prepare for increased rates -- the electric utility system is going to be upgraded, and the cost of these upgrades will appear in your electric bills.

Read the Reuters story: U.S. electric grid needs major overhaul: utility

And then come back for more energy efficiency tips and recommendations.

LED Lights -- An Emerging Alternative to CFLs

Drawbacks and benefits at a glance.

The photo was taken by Rinto Jiang and posted on Wikipedia and shows how LED lights are being used in large office spaces. Note that these lighting fixtures are similar to the fluorescent lighting fixtures that appear in many office buildings. This same technology is now becoming available for home use.

LEDs use less energy than incandescent bulbs, run cooler than either incandescents or CFLs, and they don't have the hazardous waste issues that CFLs have.

LED stands for "light emitting diode." These were developed in the 1920s, but they did not become commercially available until the 1960s and 1970s, when they were used in LED clocks or in hand-held calculators (remember those tiny red lights on those wafer-sized calculator black screens?).

Recently, they have been used on cars, in traffic signal lights, and some specialty street lighting. LEDs are relatively more expensive than their alternatives, and LED manufacturers have only recently begun to offer LED light bulbs that can be used in the home.

Also, due to their small size, brightness, and diversity of colors, they are used with some holiday lighting. (Check out holiday lighting at Amazon: LED Holiday Lights)

Importantly, however, manufacturers are now introducing a wide range of LED light bulbs for the home. See this listing of LED light bulbs for the home on Amazon: LED Light Bulbs for the Home

The key to understanding this technology is that it uses less energy than an old-fashioned incandescent bulb. CFL bulbs designed to produce a similar amount of light use the same amount of electricity as an LED bulb. CFL light bulbs are also relatively cheaper.

However, CFLs do contain hazardous substances and must be disposed of using your local garbage company's hazardous waste process (the same that you would use for batteries).

LED manufacturers also report that their light bulbs will last for years -- much longer than either an incandescent or CFL light bulb. That means the higher cost of the LED light bulb should be off set by the fact that you will not have to replace it as often as the other bulbs.

In discussing the uses of LED light bulbs, I have heard from some engineers that the quality of light cast by an LED light is not as bright as an incandescent, which is similar to the poor lighting quality of the first fluorescent light bulbs that had been introduced in the 1960s and 1970s.

This is a technology worth looking into.

U.S. DOE Scores D- on Internal Energy Audit

Failure to use or fix programmable thermostats wastes energy.

It's a simple fix -- one that any homeowner can make on his or her own to save energy at home.

The U.S. energy department flunked its own energy use audit.

According to a new story published July 23, 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy is wasting enough electricity to power more than 9,800 homes a year.

The problem: keeping the building heat and cooling systems running after DOE employees have left for the day.

The solution to this problem is to use, or replace broken or malfunctioning, ‘set back’ thermostats. Setback thermostats are thermostats that can be programmed to make furnaces or air-conditioner turn on and off at specific times of the day. They also allow you to pre-program thermostats to operate at specific temperatures.

In winter, these devices turn the temperature down when you leave the house, raising it back to a more comfortable level when you return home. And they perform a similar function in summer -- raising temperatures when you leave home, and lowering them to a more comfortable level automatically at the time when you are scheduled come back from your workday.

Some models of these smart thermostats come with such helpful features as a:

• Signal that reminds you when to change the furnace or air-conditioner filter
• Lock that prevents random changes to the thermostat’s settings
• Automatic modification of temperature settings with changes of the season
• Low battery warning indicator
  

These devices are available at most hardware stores, and online. They aren't cheap -- but then they are a lot less expensive than leaving the heat on during the winter when no one is at home.

So check them out and let a digital device manage your thermostat automatically -- while improving energy efficiency and lowering utility bills.

Read more about the DOE's ironic little failure at http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=10781251

Time to Analyze Your Home Energy Use ...

With an easy to follow checklist that helps you examine how you use energy at home.

Here is a simple quiz you can take to analyze your energy usage.

1. Do you regularly maintain and service your heating and cooling system? That is, do you clean or replace filters regularly, according to manufacturer's instructions, and do you conduct an annual system tune-up?
2. In summer, do you keep your air-conditioner thermostat set at 78 degrees Fahrenheit?
3. In winter, do you keep your furnace thermostat set at 68 degrees Fahrenheit?
4. Have you sealed windows with and exterior doors with weather stripping, and/or have you used caulk around windows and exterior doors to block out drafts?
5. On hot summer days, do you block out the heat by closing drapes and blinds?
6. In winter, do you open the drapes to allow natural daylight in to light and heat your home?
7. Do you wash your laundry in cold water?
8. Do you use water saving showerheads in your bathrooms?
9. Do you only dry full loads in the clothes dryer?
10. Do you only wash full loads in the dishwasher?
11. Do you turn off lights, televisions, and computers when not using them?
12. Do you use compact fluorescent lights in your home?
13. Do you unplug appliances that are rarely used?

If you answered yes to only 5 of these questions, there is a lot you can do to improve energy efficiency and lower utility bills.

If you answered yes to at least 10 questions, then you're doing a really good job. Congratulations!

Online home energy check up tool

The Alliance to Save Energy, which has been promoting energy efficiency for decades, provides an online tool for assessing your energy use. It's not super intuitive to use, as tools go. But it can provide you with some ideas as to how you can improve energy efficiency.

The tool is here at http://ase.org/content/article/detail/971

Obama Supports Research to Improve Fluorescent Lighting

But are fluorescent lamps the only energy efficient alternative to help lower utility bills?

The Obama administration has established new energy efficiency standards for fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps used in residential and commercial buildings.

The administration has embarked on a $346 million effort in research and development of lighting products that will increase energy efficiency and lower utility bills by $1 billion to $4 billion annually.

View the video:



Incandescents are being phased out in numerous countries, including parts of the USA and Canada, to be replaced by fluorescent bulbs. CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) are becoming more cost competitive with the old incandescents, mainly due to their lower energy use -- I've seen estimates ranging from one fifth to one third the energy use of a comparable incandescent light bulb.

That said, one must remember that CFLs contain mercury, a hazardous substance, and need to be disposed of properly to prevent mercury from entering our water.

Also, there appears to be some concern about ultraviolet lights, although what I've read suggests this may be a minor issue.

Technologies other than the proposed improvements to fluorescent bulbs may be better in the long run. For instance, many utilities are talking about the use of LED technology as a way to improve lighting efficiency.

Learn about these at a cool industry supported website, the Lighting Research Center.

The LRC is supported by government agencies interested in promoting energy conservation, including the California Energy Commission, the US EPA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency, and the Iowa Energy Center.

Air-Conditioning – Won't Live Without It

Five sure-fire tips for improving air-conditioner energy efficiency.

A new national survey shows that only 14% of Americans are willing to give up air-conditioning if they knew that doing so would hurt the environment.

The flip side of that: about 86% of Americans are telling us they just can't live without air-conditioning in summer.

Few of us live in environments where the air cools naturally in summer and is not humid and muggy. Air-conditioning is more than a convenience. Air-conditioning is a modern necessity.

But electricity powers our air-conditioners, and electricity does pollute. So, how can we best use our air-conditioners to keep pollution at a minimum?

Here are five sure-fire ways to better manage your air-conditioner without feeling muggy and uncomfortable.

1. Set the thermostat of your air conditioner to 78 degrees. That may sound like it’s too high, especially in some areas of the country. But keeping your thermostat to 78 degrees will delay turning on the machine. And even a short delay can help reduce energy usage.
2. Clean your air conditioner. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and thoroughly clean you’re unit. Be sure to clear away leaves and other obstructions from outside condenser coils and grilles, and replace or clean the filters. Other tips: Make sure the fan spins freely. Oil the fan motor. Check duct insulation for tears and repair as needed.
3. Use natural cooling in mornings. You can bring down the temperature in your home by opening windows early and allowing the cool morning air inside. Before the sun begins to bake the ground, however, close the windows and keep what cool air you’ve got.
4. Shade out the sun. Draw draperies and shades, close shutters, or install awnings, solar screens, and reflective window screens to block out sunlight and heat. Even shading north windows, which are not directly affected by the sun, can help keep heat reflected from driveways, porches, and sidewalks.
5. Avoid using heat-producing appliances inside. On hot days and nights, try to not use your big heat generating appliances, such as the oven or dishwashers. Wait until it's cooler. Hang your laundry outside instead of using a dryer. Cook outdoors or use the microwave.

Check out the press release about the survey.

The survey was conducted by the Shelton Group, an advertising agency located in Knoxville, Tennessee, that focuses on issues involving sustainability. The survey is conducted each year and is called the Eco-Pulse survey.

Make the First Day of Summer Your First Day of Energy Savings

10 Top Summertime Energy Efficiency Tips

The first day of summer is just around the corner -- June 21, 2009 -- the day of the summer solstice.

While you take advantage of summer to relax at the beach or by the pool, be sure to also take advantage of the warm weather and long sunny days to save some energy and lower your utility bills.

Here are a 10 simple steps to lowering utility bills through energy efficiency. You'll probably save money that you can use toward a vacation.

1. Turn off the furnace.
2. Clean or replace the air-conditioner filter.
3. Set your air-conditioner thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit -- although senior citizens or people with medical conditions should consult their physicians before changing their normal home temperature.
4. Set the water heater thermostat to its energy efficiency setting.
5. Hang wash on a line to dry whenever possible.
6. When using a clothes dryer, dry only full loads.
7. Use cold water in your washing machine, and always wash full loads.
   
8. With a dishwasher, wash only full loads and skip the drying cycle if the machine's instructions allow.
9. Pull drapes and blinds and close doors and windows during the day to keep cool air in and hot air out, and open windows and drapes at night to let cool air in.
10. Replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs).

We've Posted an Article on Squidoo

Check out new web page focusing on summer energy efficiency tips

The URL to visit the page is: http://www.squidoo.com/energy-efficiency-for-all

Bottle Water -- Bad for Energy Efficiency

If you want to reduce energy use overall -- not just your energy use, but usage everywhere -- maybe you should stop buying bottled water.

According to a recent study, the energy needed to create the plastic bottles, process and purify and bottle the water, and ship the stuff to your store, used somewhere between 32 million to 54 million barrels of oil -- in one year (2007).

A barrel of oil goes for $70 right now -- that's $2 billion to $3.75 billion wasted -- because the stuff comes out of our taps!

Check out the study.

Even if you don't believe in this stuff and think these guys are wacko, if we cut their estimates by 80% that would still result in $448 million to $756 million spent in one year on making plastic to ship water that already comes out of the faucet on our kitchen sinks.

Is Energy Efficiency Reducing Demand for Oil?

BP Thinks So

A recent report from BP Oil suggests that energy efficiency trends are reducing demand for oil -- which means that rather than running out of oil due to dwindling supplies (i.e., peak oil), we will see usage drop and so the pressure on demand will decline.

But that's not all: BP also reported that in China, India and other so called 'developing' economies the demand for energy was greater than the demand in the USA and other developed countries.

The entire story appears in the Times Online.

This suggests that energy efficiency will help us import less oil -- certainly a strategic and national security advantage -- but it will conversely help make it easier for China and others to import oil they need for their growing economies.

Energy efficiency and the Google PowerMeter

Those of us who support energy efficiency do so for a number of reasons, depending upon who we are and what we care about.

I care about lowering my utility bills -- the rates our utilities will be charging in the future will continue to rise: I don't want to get stuck with a bill that is any higher than it has to be.

Further -- all unresolved issues in the debate not withstanding -- common sense tells me that humanity has had a great impact on the environment. Reducing waste is a way of mitigating the impact.

Waste is everywhere -- in what we throw away; the fresh water we allow to run down the drain; and the amount of electricity, natural gas, oil, propane, wood we use to heat our homes and make our lives healthier and more productive than the lives of our forebears.

Which is a long way of saying: I think there is something to climate change. Is it CO2 or some equivalent? The scientists are still trying to find the answers.

But we can do things now that will have a positive impact one way or another.

I read on a PG&E blog that a home in the United States produces twice as much CO2 emissions as an automobile. Maybe so.

But a home definitely uses more energy than it should.

If you want to realize energy savings then you need to know how much you're using right now.

There are a number of tools that will help you estimate usage -- but a new one of great promise is coming over the horizon: The Google PowerMeter.

Twenty years ago my company was involved with a similar project that included Microsoft -- that other big monolith in the IT world. The technology we were looking at would allow you to track energy use in real time. The technology was not ready in the 1980s.

But now, the world has changed and Google is once again way out in front.

Utilities are investing in new IT infrastructure that will allow them to give you the power to analyze in real time the electricity and natural gas usage in your home. PowerMeter takes advantage of that new infrastructure to help you monitor household energy usage.

PowerMeter is being tested now. A few Google employees have been working on the pilot test. Here are some of their experiences.

Check out PowerMeter on Google's website.

We still have a few years to go before this technology is available widely.

But you don’t have to wait – and you shouldn’t wait. You’ll be paying more for energy than you really need to.

To get an estimate, if not a real-time assessment, of your household use, try the resources listed on this earlier entry of Energy Efficiency and Lowering Utility Bills.

A rug that is a heater?

Ever think about generating heat from your carpets or floor rugs? Apparently someone has and is adapting nanotechnology to do the job.

A university in Poland developed a prototype carpet that uses carbon nano tubes for heating. The floor covering is plugged into a wall outlet to make the heater work. Apparently it uses very little energy.

Sounds like a great way to heat a particular room, or keep your toes warm when the temperature drops.

You don't have to wait for nanotechnology to heat under your rugs. Products exist today that allow you to put an electric "heating blanket" under your rugs today.

Again, this sort of task-oriented heating is a good way to target your heating and perhaps minimize your energy bill. Remember, however, you should avoid using your furnace to heat the entire house while using a targeted electric heating device such as an electric rug warmer. Running both at the same time may cause your utility bill to skyrocket!

Want to buy one of these rugs? Check out this link: Rugbuddy

Other people's money ... Other people's energy

Back when, a guy I knew was always starting a new business. He rarely used is own money (he didn't have much anyway). But he was a master at using other people's money to pay for his business ideas.

(There was a film with that same phrase as its title, with Danny Devito.)

Reviewing a video by Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility in San Francisco, California, I was reminded of this technique. And I realized you and I could and should consider using other people's energy to stay cool on hot summer days.

Using other people's energy will help you lower your utility bills ... because you'll be using less energy at home. Instead, you will be turning off the lights, locking up the door to your home, and finding someplace else to read, listen to music, watch videos and, ultimately, stay cool.

I can think of three relatively easy ways to do this.

1. Visit a shopping mall, library, or other indoor but public place that has air-conditioning. You don't have to pay to be in some of these places. But if there's a movie you like to see, try going to a movie theater during the afternoon when it's hottest.

On really hot days, visit a designated cooling center.

2. Drop into a coffee shop -- one with the a/c running and if you're lucky, free Internet access. Price of admission -- a cup of coffee.

3. Go to the beach, if you're near a coast, or a lake or stream ... or find a quiet place in a cool shaded wood to hang out until the sun sets and the day begins to cool.

Of course, when outdoors you won't be using any energy at all. But that's the pay off.

Obama Girl Energy Conservation Video




I've been impressed by the recent Obama Girl video on clean energy. SmartPower, a nonprofit, wanted a commercial that would help educated young men about energy efficiency.

SmartPower needed only $5,000 to get Amber Lee Ettinger and company (a.k.a. Obama Girl, a YouTube personality) to produce this fun PSA. It was picked up quickly on YouTube and elsewhere, helping spread the word about energy efficiency -- for a fraction of the cost of using traditional advertising media.

Now compare Obama Girl's effort with that of a traditional ad agency. The video below, well done, was funded by the European Union.

EnergyFacts: Oil Price Drop, Energy Efficiency Report

This article points to two issues of concern: oil prices may drop, soon and suddenly. A sudden drop could wipe out investments in energy efficiency by institutions (schools, prisons, and hospitals) and businesses of all sizes.

This happened once before, during the years following the oil price shocks of the late 1970s. Government programs and tax incentives for efficiency investments were abandoned. Admittedly, the federal government made some big mistakes. However, many individuals and businesses woke up to the fact that if they spent a little more now on investing in energy efficient technologies, their overall utility bills would be lower, over time, than they would have otherwise been.

What is more, these individuals and businesses discovered that they could continue living comfortably or producing as much as they did before they made these investments.

In other words, people and businesses experienced productivity gains.

Yet I am amazed at how many commentators oppose efficiency investments! Review any blogs or news websites and you will find hundreds of people characterizing such investments as a bizarre plot to end the American way.

My research suggests that energy prices will rise -- especially electricity prices. They will rise for this reason: Utilities must invest in their infrastructure -- they must build and upgrade substations, power lines, and so on -- to make money. They don't make money on the electricity they sell. They make their money off of the capital investments that they make.

However, the capital markets which used to fund these investments have dried up. That means utilities will be funding projects out of revenues -- and they will have to increase revenues to continue to pay expenses and attract shareholders/investors.

Your rates will increase. Do something positive now, for yourself and your wallet: Cut the amount of energy you are using through energy efficiency ... and if you can, through alternative power sources such as rooftop solar.

True energy independence takes place at an individual level.

Facing south

A compass point that directs you toward energy efficiency

In winter, homes and apartments with extensive south-facing walls and windows are in a better position to benefit from passive solar heat. The winter sun beaming into the room adds light and increases warmth. This obviously improves the natural energy efficiency of the building and helps with lowering utility bills.

In summer, however, such homes are at a possible disadvantage: They collect and trap heat indoors -- when what the people inside really want is to prevent or reduce heat gain.

Blocking the sun to stay cool in summer is the key. There are numerous steps one can take to mitigate the effect of summer sunlight. Some, such as replacing old single pane windows with high-efficiency units, can be very expensive.

Shade is the cheapest and the most natural way to stop the sun’s heat-building rays. There are handful of things every person or family can do to prevent heat from building up inside their homes during the summer:

• Apply window films to block out unwanted heat. These reflect heat away from the window, in many cases allowing in light but not the heat.
  
• Indoors, close drapes or blinds during the day. These will block some of the sun's rays as well. When you leave your home for a time, close the drapes and windows to keep heat out anyway. Best keep the rooms dark and relatively cool while you're away.
  
• Outdoors, use awnings or shade trellises to create attractive barriers that prevent the sun's rays from ever touching your walls and windows in the first place. This provides an attractive first line of defense against heat build-up.
  
• Plant trees and shrubs that are green and leafy during the summer, but which lose their leaves in winter (so as to allow the sun's rays to come inside). Trees and plants block the sunlight before it comes into contact with your walls and windows. They are attractive, and they help the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving back oxygen we need to breath.
  

So look around your living space, considering the points of the compass. South-facing windows provide interesting and attractive opportunities for keeping cool and comfortable in summer.

The following video discusses benefits of planting trees and shrubs on south-facing windows:



And TAP Plastics has posted an instructional video about window films, which offers some ideas as to how you might consider using these: