First Energy Lesson: End Waste

By Tye Stien
MVRHS Senior

A recent British study has shown that electricity derived from coal power loses over 78% of its energy in its journey from furnace to floorboard. This underlines not only the inefficiency of our powergrid but of our outlook towards energy.

Today the US wastes over 65 billion kilowatts of electricity each year, on idle appliances alone. Televisions, computers, lights, and any item you plug in, wastes energy even while your not using it. Energy loss should be considered a more immediate concern than the push to build new renewable industries.

While the press follows the high profile stories of wind farms and fuel cells, most scientists, engineers, and economists agree that the first step down the road towards energy independence lies in saving the energy we already have. The average automobile engine loses over 68% of its useful energy to heat and inefficient transmission, while the average electric engine boasts a 99% efficiency.

But the first step towards energy efficiency does not lie in the destruction of all our combustion engines, but rather to the many small changes you can make in their own home. A simple change from incandescent to florescent light bulbs would save over 75% of the energy used to light your home and will last over 10 times as long. Insulating your bare hot water pipes can save energy that should be used to heat your home.

The energy used to heat homes in the US consumes over 356 Billion Kilowatt hours each year, and if you maximize your home’s insulation you can put a decent sized dent in your carbon footprint. Changing your windows to double glazed, or insulated windows alone can save much of the energy lost in heating. Flooring, insulation and even clapboarding can reduce your energy waste and is especially important in the cold New England winters that Islanders endure.

Transmission is easily the largest factor in energy loss and inefficiency in the US. Transmission loss alone accounted for over 7.4% of the gross national energy use. That energy loss is enough to power an additional 22.1 million Americans. One significant way for we as a nation to solve our energy crisis is to update our aging power grid, that badly needs to improved like much of our infrastructure.

The first step towards efficiency relies on you changing your outlook on energy. Simply unplugging your cell phone charger would save electricity. While the energy awareness of the people of Marthas Vineyard may be higher than most Americans, that does not mean we have nothing to learn, and perhaps efficiency is the first lesson.

For more Efficiency Information:
USDOE
Greenpeace
Energy Star