~ Thank You and Farewell ~

Thank you to the wonderful staff and terrific students throughout the Robbinsdale Area School District for welcoming me into your classrooms and buildings; first through the SEE (Schools for Energy Efficiency) program for four years and then these past two years with an independent GREEN Initiative (Getting Robbinsdale Energy Efficient Now).

Please continue to be good stewards of our energy resources and keep modeling energy efficient behavior wherever you go. It has been a pleasure to serve you these past six years. I will leave you with a quote from Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, which is more timely than ever.

Final Energy Insight

As this blog comes to a close, here is an old favorite...

Today's Energy Insight

The average lifespan for a LED light bulb is up to how many hours???

A) 1,200 hours

B) 20,000 hours

C) 150,000 hours

D) 500,000 hours


Scroll down to check your answer...

According to Xcel Energy, the correct answer is D, a whopping 500,000 hours!
And remember, LED bulbs use even less energy than CFL bulbs.

U.S. Energy Consumption

Residential

Industrial

Commercial

Transportation

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

Scroll down to check your answer...

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

30.8%  Industrial

28.1%  Transportation

22.6%  Residential

18.6%  Commercial

Today's Energy Insight

Using recycled aluminum scrap to make aluminum cans uses how much less energy than making new aluminum cans from scratch?

25%     48%     79%     95%

Scroll down to check your answer...

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, using recycled aluminum to make cans uses 95 percent less energy than making new ones from bauxite ore, the raw material used to make aluminum.  Recycling can make a difference with regard to inputs for other manufacturing processes, as well. Making a ton of paper from recycled paper, for instance, saves up to 17 trees and uses 50 percent less water.

Today's Energy Insight

It's that time of year again, time to bust the myth about running fans in the summer.

In a recent article on the website Off the Grid News, several energy myths were listed and busted. One in particular stood out because some people I know (one of my sons specifically) will leave fans running in unoccupied areas ALL the time.

MYTH: Leaving fans on in summer when you leave the house is a good way to keep rooms cool. After all, if you allow your home to heat up while you are away, you will have to use extra energy to cool it down again once you return.


This is not true – fans move the air, but they don’t really cool it, and leaving them on when no one is around is a waste of energy and money. There are a few exceptions like when controlling humidity during the summer by drawing cool air from an underground area to prevent mold.

Today's Energy Idea

Here's a bright idea for you to consider...

By replacing your five most frequently used light bulbs with models that have earned the ENERGY STAR label, you can save more than $60 a year in energy costs. Just imagine the savings if you swapped out most or ALL of your light bulbs for energy efficient ones!
Additionally, if every home in America changed their five most frequently used light bulbs with those that have earned the ENERGY STAR label, we would prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than eight million cars. Wow, that is eliminating a lot of pollutants! Check out the huge variety of LED bulbs available at your local hardware store, so many options!