MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA,Ariz -- You’ve got your purse, your car keys, sunglasses … Oh no! You’ve forgotten your cell phone on the charger. You sprint back inside the house to grab it. With a sigh of relief you start the engine and you are gone. But what else did you forget?
One thing people don’t always do -- or even realize -- that can make a difference, is turn off the lights and lower the air conditioning before leaving for the day. Those simple actions can save not only energy, but money as well.
October is Energy Awareness Month for the Navy and Marine Corps. Energy conservation is always an important issue, but with October being Energy Awareness month for the Navy and Marine Corps, sailors and Marines are urged to be more conscious both for themselves and their environment.
“People need to be aware of the amount of electricity they use,” said Michael P. Boyd, station energy technician. “We try to get people to be good stewards.”
One thing Installation and Logistics is doing to help people conserve energy is introducing them to compact florescent light-bulbs, which work at lower wattage and still put out the same amount of light without using as much energy.
Ronald J. Durfey, station energy manager, explained that compact florescent lights can save about $30 in electricity costs in one bulb’s lifetime.
The life expectancy of a CFL is upwards of around 6,000 hours where as incandescent is 750-1,000 hours.
Compact florescent lights also emit less heat, helping air conditioners work more efficiently.
“The air-conditioning in your home provides cooling, and if you put a heat source (incandescent light bulb) in the home the A/C has to work harder to cool it down,” explained Durfey.
Compact florescent light bulbs produce 75 percent less heat than incandescent bulbs, Durfey clarified.
I&L has replaced more than 40,000 incandescent light bulbs around base with compact florescent bulbs over the years.
In addition to replacing incandescent lights with compact florescent lights there are other ways to conserve energy.
There are many other tips for conserving energy in the home. As far as the heating and cooling of homes, there are a few different ways to save energy:
- Look for cracks around windows and door frames, these can let the hot or cold air out of the home causing the air conditioning system to use more energy.
- Close shutters and shades when the sun is shining through the glass to help cut down on air conditioning costs during the summer
- Maintaining the appliances in the home also saves energy.
- Checking the refrigerator door seals to ensure they don’t allow cold air to escape, or turning off appliances when they are not being used.
“The whole object of Energy awareness month is to get the word out,” said Dufrey. “It is hard because people just don’t know how easy it is to conserve energy.”
For more information and tips on how to conserve energy and save money, go to www.
yuma.usmc.mil/services/energy/etips.htm.