Tag Archives: energy efficiency

Education, Science and Technology, Social Studies

Energy efficiency and why you need it?

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Energy demand is increasing worldwide. The energy market situation is heating up and energy prices are on the rise. Instabilities in many exporting and transit countries are a cause for concern and the increased combustion of fossil energy sources is accelerating climate change. An expansion of energy supply options is costly and will take time. On the other hand, increasing energy efficiency curbs energy prices, reduces dependency on energy imports, counteracts energy distribution conflicts and cuts climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions, saves wildlife habitats, safeguards the planet, and makes sure there is energy left for future generations.

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. There are many reasons why homeowners should consider energy efficiency, from the clear environmental and financial benefits of cutting energy use to potential improvements in mental and physical health. Improvements in energy efficiency are generally achieved by adopting a more efficient technology or production process or by application of commonly accepted methods to reduce energy losses.

Energy efficiency is playing an increasingly vital role in our lives, for three main reasons:

The environment: The more energy we use, the more carbon emissions are pumped into the atmosphere and the more our reserves of natural resources such as oil, coal and gas are depleted. We need to reduce our reliance on these energy sources, and one way to do that is to make sure we all use energy as efficiently as possible.

The economy: The global economy is based heavily on oil and gas, and as these resources dwindle their cost will increase, causing financial imbalances around the world and resulting in energy poverty in many areas of society.

Bank balance: Nobody wants to pay more than they have to for everyday necessities like heating and hot water, so it makes sense to be energy efficient. That way you fulfill your energy needs while paying as little as possible.

For a household it means you are using less energy to do the same jobs, reducing your home’s energy waste and saving money. To effectively increase your energy efficiency involves more than just using less energy – it requires you becoming aware of how energy is used, where it’s wasted, and how it can be used more effectively and efficiently in everyday life.

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benefits of sun drying your clothes

Hanging your clothes under sun OR using laundry dryer | SiOWfa15 ...

It is cheap: Sun drying your clothes is much cheaper than buying a clothes dryer and dryer sheets. It is technically free of cost and saves money.

Sun Drying Clothes Promotes Energy Conservation: Sun drying laundry conserves energy and helps to protect the environment by saving precious fossil fuels. It is the pinnacle of green laundry and sustainable living. According to Pew research centre, there are more than 90 million clothes dryers in the United States and sun-drying clothes can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint 2,400 pounds a year. Experts determined that if all Americans line-dried clothing for just half of a year, it would save 3.3 percent of the country’s total residential output of carbon dioxide.

Sun drying clothes enhances freshness and helps remove strong odors: Sun dried clothes and sheets smell much fresher than clothes that are tumble dried without the use of additional chemical laundry fresheners like dryer sheets and fabric softener. This is particularly important for those sensitive to perfumes and dyes used in detergents and dryer products. And fresh air is less expensive than dryer sheets.

Sun drying is gentle on clothing: Tossing and tumbling in a dryer can cause wear and strain on clothing fabric due to stress on seams and snags from buttons and zippers. Excessively high heat in the dryer can ruin some fabrics and cause irreversible damage. When not tumbled around and subjected to the high heat of the dryer, clothing and home linens don’t wear out, fade, develop holes, or pill as quickly.Line drying prevents clothes from withering or shrinking each time it’s sent to get dried, and it will also save the cost of re-purchasing them over time.

Sun drying helps whiten and disinfect laundry: The ultra-violet rays of sunlight help to bleach and disinfect laundry. This is particularly beneficial for white sheets, towels and cloth diapers. However, for dark-colored clothes, excessive sunlight can cause some harm. So keep dark colors in the shade, if possible, to prevent fading.

Sun drying increases physical activity: Hanging up laundry is a physical activity that you can do inside or outside. Fifteen minutes of hanging laundry or removing it from the line burn 68 calories. That’s saving enough calories to enjoy a snack of 20 olives or three mini candy bars. There is something very therapeutic about sun-drying clothes outside, especially when the weather is refreshingly beautiful. Sun-drying clothes means a little extra time in the sun which is good for vitamin-d and for overall health.

It reduces wrinkles: After drying your clothes from pins on a clothesline, hang them up outside and let the wrinkles dissipate. Since the clothes are weighed down by the water, they naturally stretch to their original form, thus removing any wrinkles that may appear.

If people around the world, especially in the US, used a clothesline for sun drying just once a week, we could make a huge difference in reducing the damage we are doing to our environment with our dependence on fossil fuels, which is not only important for the planet, but is absolutely vital for the health of our families and communities too.