Today's Energy Insight

Winter Winds are Coming!

 

Did you know a 1/8 inch gap around an exterior door is equivalent to a six inch square hole in the side of your house and causes a lot of energy loss? When put in those terms I realized I would not leave a gaping hole in the side of my house all winter so I'd better check for air leaks. There are two ways to check your exterior doors:
Have someone stand on the other side of the door and shine a flashlight around the door's perimeter. If you can see light through the cracks, your door needs sealing.
OR
Hold a piece of paper between the door and the frame and shut the door. If you can pull the paper out without tearing it, you should weather strip around the door.

Today's Energy Insight

Residential, Industrial, Commercial and Transportation.

In the United States in 2010, which of these consumed the highest amount of energy at 30.8% and which consumed the least of the four at 18.6%?

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According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. energy consumption by sector for 2010 breaks down as follows:

30.8%  Industrial
28.1%  Transportation
22.6%  Residential
18.6%  Commercial


Today's Energy Insight

The EPA estimates that 80% of these and 70% of these
used in offices are left on overnight.


A) Fax machines and radios

B) Task lights and computer monitors

C) Printers and copy machines

D) Coffee pots and lava lamps


Scroll down to check your answer...

 

All of these items are left on at various times but 80% of printers and 70% of copiers are left on in offices resulting in lost energy. If you are the last one in your area, please be sure these items are shut off for the night. Also, try to get in the habit of using the energy saver button found on most copy machines. Every little effort, no matter how small, does make a difference, thanks for doing your part! Oh, and C is the correct answer.

Today's Energy Insight

To switch off or to leave on?
That is the question...

Does turning fluorescent lights off use more energy than leaving them on?

A common misconception is that there is a boost of energy required to power up a bulb so you should leave lights on when leaving an area for a short amount of time. It turns out, however, the power surge is so brief that its energy draw doesn't amount to much; the equivalent of a few seconds or so of normal operation, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. In other words, strictly from an energy saving standpoint, it's almost always beneficial to shut off fluorescents when leaving a room—the start-up energy is offset by the power saved in even the briefest outages.

Today's Energy Insight

Now that it's September and schools are back in session, today's energy insight is a timely post from Class 5 Energy.

 

Click here for a link to fifteen Back-to-School Energy Efficient Behaviors. Please check it out!

It's a New School Year and a great time to make a resolution to save some energy! Remember that every flip of a switch, push of a button, or any effort to conserve energy adds up to big savings for our district. It's a team effort so please do your part to stretch our dollars further and keep the money in the classrooms to benefit all of the awesome students in Robbinsdale Area Schools.

Stay tuned for exciting news and information about what all lies ahead in the first year of the SEE® program. Also, coming soon, the first quarterly report of avoided costs/savings compared to the established baseline.

Happy New School Year!
Have a groovy and efficient Labor Day Weekend!

Today's Energy Insight

TRUE or FALSE?
Leaving a ceiling fan on while you are not in a room will help keep it cool.

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FALSE! Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.  Unlike air conditioning units, fans are simply recirculating air and creating flow – that slight breeze we feel cools us down, but does not actually alter the air temperature.  Save energy by turning off the air conditioner and turning on the ceiling fan while you are in a room…but keep both the fan and AC off when you leave!