In the News - June 2009
More credit to Dad: Energy savings a learned behavior
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Chances are, if your dad taught you to turn out lights
when you left a room, you'll keep up the practice as an adult. At least that has
held true for Trish Ouei.
"Energy conservation is a real concern of mine, and I'll have to admit that
this is my dad's fault," says Ouei, extension stormwater educator for the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "He raised me to always turn the
lights off when I left a room, and to never leave a door open, even if I was
just going to walk back inside in seven seconds!"
Ouei says those early energy conscious lessons have stayed with her, and they
have affected her life and decisions.
"As my husband and I have upgraded and remodeled our house, we have been very
careful with our purchasing. To start with, we replaced all the windows with
energy saving windows. This cut our electric and heating bills a good amount,
and we got a tax credit for buying Energy Star windows."
Ouei replaced a couple of light fixtures with fixtures that are Energy Star
rated. Most of the light bulbs in her house have compact fluorescent bulbs that
use a fraction of the energy of an incandescent bulb, while the providing the
same amount of light.
"You probably don't think about items that are turned off and still use
energy, but many of them do," she says. According to the U.S. Department of
Energy, 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed
while the products are turned off.
Ouei offers these energy savings tips:
- Plug in your cell phone charger only when you're charging your cell
phone.
- Turn off your computer when you're not using it, including the
monitor
- Turn off the monitor if you're not going to be around your house or
apartment for a few days.
- Leave the toaster oven and can opener unplugged until you need
them.
- When going on vacation, unplug as many electronic devices as you
can.
- Plug in lamps and alarm clocks in the guest room only when guests
are coming.
"And don't forget to close the windows and doors when the air conditioner is
running," says Ouei. "Dad always said that leaving the door open was not going
to make the outside any cooler. One way or another, his points came across, and
I am an energy conscious person because of it."
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its program to
all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion,
gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally
protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
June 19, 2009
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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