MREA Column: Winter Is Coming- What Is Your Energy Footprint?
For the City-Times
Last winter, the volatile natural gas prices threw a wrench in many people’s energy budgets. At the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), a non-profit promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living located just East of Stevens Point, we would like to share some methods to reduce your energy usage. Here are a couple ways to get the most energy out of the resources at hand:
Energy Conservation
The number one, most under-rated action anyone can take is to conserve energy, simply using less. An example of energy conservation is turning off the water while you brush your teeth, taking shorter showers to use less hot water, turning off the lights if you aren’t that a room, or turning down the thermostat five degrees. Although these everyday habitual activities are the most effective in reducing energy consumption, they are often the hardest to change. Try telling your cold spouse to put on an extra layer of clothing instead of turning up the thermostat in the cold, long, harsh Wisconsin winter. Although the MREA challenges each and every one of you to use less energy, an alternative to using less is to use energy more efficiently.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency means using the same amount of energy in a smarter way that uses less to accomplish the same goal. An energy efficiency practice is putting plastic over your windows or adding insulation in your attic to prevent heat from escaping in the winter. The design of a building can also impact efficiency. South facing windows capture heat from the sun in the winter and an overhang over the south facing windows can shade from the hot sun in the summer. After your home or business has been made more energy efficient, a next step could be supplementing or drawing your energy from renewable energy sources.
Renewable Energy
Utilizing our energy resources in a responsible manner leaves the world in a more sustainable place for future generations. There are many options for harnessing energy from the sun, wind, earth, and plants. For example, photovoltaic solar panels generate electrical power from the sun. Solar panels can heat air or water. Wind turbines can covert wind energy into electricity. Heat from the earth, known as geothermal, can be harnessed through coils circulating from the earth (the temperature remains around 50 degrees) to your floor. High efficiency wood or pellet stoves can provide heat from sustainably harvested trees or tree by-products.
We just scratched the surface of the potential ways to reduce energy consumption and use renewable energy. To learn more about ways to reduce your energy footprint, the experts and professionals will be at The Energy Fair held June 19 – 21, 2015 just East of Stevens Point at the MREA headquarters. Mark your calendars! Additionally, the Department of Energy is a great resource to research your next steps to save energy and money. Check out their website at www.energy.gov to find out more options to help reduce your energy footprint.
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization. Founded in 1990, the MREA promotes renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through education and demonstration. To learn more, call 715-592-6595, email [email protected], or visit www.midwestrenew.org.