As part of our ongoing series of yesteryear’s pragmatic technologies that can improve your energy efficiency while saving you money. I would like to re-introduce you to the tire pressure gauge.
It turns out many tires are under inflated especially tires on SUVs as most of us do not check them frequently enough. A good rule of thumb is to have your tire pressure checked at least at every oil change or better yet on every third or fourth fill up at the pump. Yes most gas attendants if prompted (and tipped) will do this for you. On a recent trip to Maine I put this to practice on our own SUV.
The tire pressure was inflated to about 32 lbs upon initial inspection. Upon further perusal while checking the pressure I noticed that the max inflation was 44 lbs as highlighted on the tire side wall. Why such a high discrepancy? So I asked my local tire store and to my surprise he said most people like a cushier ride and many manufacturers suggest this tire pressure for increased handling and stability as it puts more tire on the road. Well in my book more tire on the road may lead to more traction but it also leads to more friction i.e. energy use.
So on a recent trip to Maine I decided to try an experiment. I drove half the way up on the recommended 32 lbs of tire pressure monitoring my fuel usage at roughly averaging 16 mpg on the highway. When we took a pit stop, and after the tires cooled down, I had the gas attendant fill them up to a radical 38 lbs of pressure, still below the max rating of 44 lbs (which by the way if you towing or constantly have a loaded SUV you should be closer to this tire inflation range). To my pleasant but not unexpected surprise my gas mileage jumped up to 17.5 mpg. I also noticed the car was more responsive and seemed less sluggish upon acceleration another added benefit.
Upon my return I went back to the tire dealer and further challenged him. He did admit to me that most tires could be inflated more than 32 lbs especially if it is loaded with people and cargo. I also pressed him on why recently my tires had to be replaced as the appeared to have plenty of tread left on them. He admitted that under inflated tires (at 32 lbs hauling people and cargo?) causes premature sidewall wear (not tread wear) and most SUV tire replacements are because of this. Conspiracy… judge for yourself. I also found an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal that you should also read called “What’s Inflating Your Car’s Tires?” that may help you better understand why tires wear out faster along with some other interesting information that you will find useful when you go to replace them the next time.
One last tip, on my trip I was able to yield an additional 1.3 mpg with this low tech trick. Try turning off the car’s air conditioner (AC) and use the air circulatory mode (sometimes their is actually a button that says “Econ” which does this automatically) instead to bring in fresh (cool) air. We found that we rarely need the AC running while on the highway.
By following these energy saving tips we saved enough gas money to pay for a nice meal while saving energy. A win win situation!
If this debate still rages in your home, the solution for you may be a waterless urinal. Though most often relegated to restaurant, stadium and airport bathrooms, urinals in the home can make tons of sense. If you have few men/boys in your house you can save thousands of gallons of water and they don’t have to worry about remembering to put the seat down. Add the waterless as in, no flushing requirement element and you’ve got a device that conserves a remarkable amount of water because you don’t have to flush them, it saves an astounding 40,000 gallons of water per year.
The “waterless” part of the design works like this: there’s a “trapway” at the base of the urinal, in which the “sealing liquid” goes; since it’s less dense than liquid waste, once your urine goes through, the liquid stays at the top of the trapway, providing a barrier that blocks odors and keeps maintenance to a minimum. So stay mellow!
An recent article in the NY Times indicates that the US is causing deforestation because of sales of fluffy toilet paper like Charmin Ultra. If you see paper products that are slightly brown in color, they are more environmentally friendly or green. This trend has recently started to accelerate not only with toilet paper but with paper towels and napkins as well.
Although toilet tissue can be made at very similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on this to create sales.
The United States, which is the largest market worldwide for toilet tissue, the 100 percent recycled fibers kind makes up less than 2 percent of sales for at-home use among conventional and premium brands. Greenpeace even has a list of brand recommendations. Try to stick to high recycled content and no bleaching. so try to stick to standard recycled toilet paper as much as you can.
The NRDC states: If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees.
One way to save energy is to use a bike to do local chores especially with gallon of gas topping $4.00 per gallon. Buying an American made one saves energy and creates jobs in the USA. However, if you think you’re going to walk into a Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart or Sears and find a bicycle with a “Made in USA” tag on it, you’re going to be disappointed that you wasted your time as well as your car’s gas.
America needs a Buy American strategy before blindly heading out the door or going online to find an American-made Huffy for under a hundred bucks. Well it’s just not going to happen. Awareness is the key, and such a Buy American strategy to save energy and jobs should apply whether you’re looking for bicycles or cosmetics.
Two of the more-popular names in bicycles are Trek and Cannondale, but it’s difficult to find American-made bikes from these brands for under $1,500.00. You can use Craig’s List, Amazon, the local garage sale or eBay to perhaps find a used one. I recently saw Trek and Cannondale bikes used for less than $800. Most of the high-end, carbon-frame bikes from Trek are made in USA, with their low-end, heavier aluminum frame bikes imported. Cannondale, which not long ago prided themselves as having their complete line handmade in USA, however they too are now importing their lower-end, lower-priced bikes from overseas. Trek and Cannondale are usually brands that are sought after by serious bike enthusiasts. You can locate dealers for Trek bikes at www.trekbikes.com and Cannondale bikes at www.cannondale.com.
If you’re not a super-serious bike enthusiast that wants a basic, casual, American-made bicycle for a cheaper price then consider Worksman Cycles (www.worksmancycles.com). They have been proudly made in USA since 1898, and you can custom design your own Worksman Custom Cruiser for around $299.00. You can also find 3-wheeled tricycles for $449.00 along with other specialty bikes. You can even have one custom built for a reasonable price.
Worksman Cycles prides themselves in the higher-quality of their bikes over the typical import, and they’re not shy in telling you about it. On their website, they tell the reader “To be perfectly frank, if you are looking for ordinary run of the mill imported cruiser bikes, shop somewhere else.” We applaud their candidness!
If you’re in the market for an American-made bike with more of a retro-style feel, check out Aero-Fast bicycles at www.aerofast.com. All Aero-Fast bicycles are made in Jacksonville, Florida. Their least expensive model is the Beach Bomber Econo for $449.00, with almost all of their bikes costing under $1,000.00.
Bike riding is a source for recreation, relaxation and good health for many Americans. By buying an American-made bike, you can better your own health as well as the health of the U.S. economy, and that’s better for all Americans whether they ride bicycles or not.
Their ultra concentrated formula, allows a teeny package design that requires less energy to produce and creates less waste as the bottle is also recyclable. Their bottle uses over 36% less plastic compared to traditional 2x detergents and 50% of that comes from recycled plastics. They claim to be the world’s first Cradle to Cradle certified laundry detergent, thanks to its comprehensive green design. And like other method products, it’s recognized by the US EPA’s DfE program for its safer chemistry
At least it is with a new twist called the E-Bike from PIETZO.
WHY HYBRID E-BIKES?
They reduce emissions, fuel costs and maintenance costs for your organization. The easy to ride, low emissions, environmental friendly hybrid e-bicycle is an ideal fleet vehicle solution for any organization or business with a commitment to reduce its reliance on petroleum powered vehicles while reducing operational and maintenance cost-per-mile for transportation. With up to 40% of all trips made within two miles of the home, and 50% of all workers commuting five miles or less to work, e-bikes like PIETZO’s “fleet certified” hybrid electric bikes are perfect for municipalities, business commuters, universities, security and police patrols and the military.
Substituting an E-Bike for conventional fossil fuel transportation improves your employees’ health, enabling them to improve their mental and physical fitness. That translates into more human energy at home and at work. In addition, riding an E-Bike will shorten commutes by eliminating the time spent looking for a parking space, waiting for public transportation and maneuvering around traffic jams. And, because e-bikes come equipped with a hybrid electric assist motor, employees arrive invigorated, unfettered by urban congestion and ready to begin their day. Below is a short video on PIETZO’s E-Bike.
An easy-to-use Refrigerator Kit reduces electricity usage 3 ways. A temperature gauge ensures that an optimal 36-38 degree environment is maintained. An open door wastes valuable electricity, so our door alarm emits an audible beep when the door is ajar for more than 1 minute. Dirty refrigerator coils impair efficiency and raise electricity costs. Cleaning your coils is simple with our cleaning brush and instruction guide.
This Refrigerator Kit can save you up to $35 per year. Properly cleaning your coils once a year will save you $15 on an annual operating cost of $132. The monitor’s alarm will notify you when your refrigerator door is open too long. Avoiding poor opening/closing habits can save you up to 120 kWh per year, or just over $14. Lastly, the monitor will help you set the correct temperature in your refrigerator between 37˚ and 40˚ and save you approximately $6 per year, assuming the temperature is set 2˚ too low and each degree set below the recommended range raises operating costs by 2.5%. At an electricity cost of 11.7 cents per kWh, the combined savings is $35 per year. See Practecol.com
Whether you realize it or not lawns can consume up to 50-80% of a household’s water. That amounts to a lot of energy spent which costs you money! Here are some tips to save on water as keeping a green lawn takes a lot of care.
Lawns need 1/2 inch of water ever other day during really hot weather.
Water early in morning as to lessen evaporation. Do not water at night as lawn disease may occur.
Water deeply, not often as it also encourages deeper roots. Only water every third to fourth day when using this method.
Make sure your automatic sprinkler system is setup correctly to in the early AM.
Replace all or part of your lawn with wild flowers or the whole lawn with artificial turf.
Add some scenic walkways around your property as they require no water.
Mulch, preferably from your compost bin, helps keep moisture in the soil, and keeps weeds down.
Cutting your grass higher also helps prevent water loss as it helps shade the soil.
One of the most cost effective ways to control energy costs regardless of whether you are a business or residential user is to shut off the lights when leaving a room or office. To this day I can still hear my Dad’s voice reminding me to shut off the lights in my room or the basement after I left them… was he ahead of his time or just being frugal? Either way the principle is simple but very powerful. However, we are not conditioned to do this especially if we are not the ones responsible for paying the electric bill. Habits are hard to change but people have been known to change when being made aware, reminded and or given an incentive to do so. So regardless of the fact that it saves money, let’s appeal to your eco-sense. By leaving the lights on you will contribute to additional green houses gases being sent into the atmosphere while adding to our continued dependence on foreign sources for fuel. Shouldn’t that be enough incentive for most?
There are many things you can do even if you can not change peoples habits via appealing to their eco-sense. You can change the light switches to either ones with motion sensors or timers. This approach cost some money but the pay back may very well be worth it. Another way is to replace the bulbs with more energy efficient ones.
Replace your Old-fashioned Incandescent Light Bulbs
One initiative here in New Jersey, USA is Project Porchlight and initiative of ONECHANGE whose motto is simple actions matter. Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs use 75% less energy than old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. For every bulb you swap, you will cut as much as 1,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year and save up to $50 on your energy bills over the lifetime of the bulb.
If every household in North America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would be like taking 2 million cars off the road for a year. Considering the average home has around 45 light bulbs, imagine if we replaced all of our lights with CFL bulbs.
So what are you waiting for?
Swap your bulbs today to maximize your energy/money savings and remember to turn off your lights when they’re not in use!
For more information about the CFL bulb initiative , please visit projectporchlight.com.
Paper accounts for 47% of it, Food waste 18%, Plastic 15%, Yard Waste 9%, Wood 3%, Metal 3%, Glass 2% and Other 3%. So if we could get rid of or greatly reduce the first four categories listed we can reduce overall garbage by as much as a WHOPPING 89%!! How? Read below for two easy ways to reduce your trash, save your community money and cut down on your carbon footprint.
Recycling
Another “YesterYear” technology that has been around for quite some time is recycling. It is easy to do and if you have young children they will probably teach you or guilt you into to it as they are now taught its benefits in school. Many municipalities require at least some level of recycling for containers of glass, metal and #1 or #2 plastics and newspapers. These types of materials are the most valuable and allow them to make money to at least cover the cost of collection. So what about all that junk mail, card board packaging, used electronics and fluorescent lights? Well many municipalities will also take these materials however you have must take them to their respective recycling centers, so it does requires an effort. If your municipality does not take some of these items yet go here find where to recycle it.
Is it worth the effort?
Well the picture shown tells the tale. The picture on the left is our garbage can and next to is two of three of our neighbors trash cans both are holding trash from one week. We have a household of five people, two adults and 3 children. They have two adults and one child. The difference is we make an effort to recycle as much as possible beyond what the town requires, they do not. Essentially our energy usage and carbon footprint is less because of our recycling efforts. This is easy enough for everyone to do with a small amount of effort and thought.
Composting
Circular Compost Bin
Another big way we cut down on trash is by composting. We take all our food scraps, grass clippings, leaves and other yard debris and put them in a composting bin. The one pictured is one of many types available. This particular model allows you to spin it frequently speeding up the process of decomposition turning it into “black gold”. We use this black gold as a natural soil enhancer as it contains many natural nutrients that plants and shrubs need. This also allows us to not have to use fertilizers for feeding our plants. This added benefit makes this an even more Eco friendly solution. Doing both these simple things adds up to big energy savings and reduces your carbon foot print. A good site to start with to learn about it is Master Composter.
If this debate still rages in your home, the solution for you may be a waterless urinal. Though most often relegated to restaurant, stadium and airport bathrooms, urinals in the home can make tons of sense. If you have few men/boys in your house you can save thousands of gallons of water and they don’t have to worry about remembering to put the seat down. Add the waterless as in, no flushing requirement element and you’ve got a device that conserves a remarkable amount of water because you don’t have to flush them, it saves an astounding 40,000 gallons of water per year.
