Energy Matters

Someone must have noticed the recent price increases in energy. At the gas pump, home heating, electric and natural gas to name a few. So you have a choice to either increase your income to afford these new expenses or cut ones expenses. I vote for the latter, so how does one cut down their energy requirements and maintain the quality of life or even improve it?

For most home owners the best possible first step is to switch your electrical provider to Bullfrog Power and along with that start a program of cutting your energy usage by at least 50%. Just a matter of listing those items that are a necessity and those that are not then simply cutting out those items that are not vital then reduce the others.

Bullfrog gets all of their electricity from Hydro Dams and Windmills. Bullfrog does this through Ontario Hydro who must purchase the amount of electricity that its members use from hydro and wind sources.
http://www.bullfrogpower.com/
Toll free: 1.877.360.34644
The cost per kilowatt hour does increase slightly but you are going to cut your consumption anyways. It is a moral obligation for everyone since our past has always dictated the cheapest source which has brought about the tremendous previously unaccounted expense of climate change for our generation. Unfortunately we will not have the opportunity to pass on this climate change expense to the next generation. We either deal with it now or face extinction.

This however does nothing for those days that there is a power outage but it does send a strong message to Ontario Hydro that its customers want electricity from renewable energy sources.

The second step is to Insulate your home. Now this does not seem very exciting compared to biodiesel or solar cells but it is the best possible investment anyone can make. The less energy you need to heat or coll the home the less you will use and this investment reaps returns for years to come!

If you do not need much energy then the cost is not really a factor so it should be obvious that one needs to cut down on ones energy needs by either going without, or increasing the efficiency. The best possible thing to do is to insulate to the fullest for as an investment it will pay dividends for years! Walking instead of driving is also lowering your expense and increasing your health. This is not good news to those who live far from their work but the answer there is simple too, either move to your work or have your work come to you. While not a popular idea it will be a major shift that everyone will have to consider very soon. To also cut down on your immediate heating expenses you should also start to lower the house thermostat and wear more sweaters and long underwear.

The Third step was much harder for me as I had to decide on which biofuels to use and to investigate solar cells. After much study I decided on Biodiesel, Wind turbines, Solar cells, Solar air heaters, solar water heaters and backup generators. But I also have a eye to biogas for coming year.

I must stress the idea of having a backup system for everything. My motto is if you fly wear a parachute- I should know because of a parachute and lots of luck I am here today. When there is a shortage of fossil fuels and Ontario hydro has failed to keep the electricity flowing, you must have something to fall back on. The next thing to consider is how much maintenance and expense is required for each backup. Going without is also an option for the times when expected power outages will last only a matter of hours.

Having a wood stove or oil stove that does not require electricity is a good start for heating requirements but a generator is also very useful for short term backup electricity to keep some furnaces running, lights and the fridge contents cold. There are generally two different kinds available, diesel and Gasoline. Natural gas and propane is also available. Within the generator category there are some machines that are made for running 24 hours a day 7 days a week with different fuels and each have differing attributes to consider.

It may come as a complete shock that in order to maintain a completely sustainable lifestyle there may be little room for working outside the home.

In conclusion you need to have a plan to begin this exercise. You can do a lot of experiments on paper or on the computer so use that spreadsheet to estimate your current usage and then project your future usage. I also suggest practicing a day without electricity and if that is successful try two or more. To enable you to see your energy usage per day simply read your electric meter or gas meter.

I offer anyone the chance to visit my home and to even try live within a sustainable life style for a day or so. This will tell you a lot about the changes you are about to face.

Mat Redsell is creating a sustainable lifestyle in Port Burwell. His efforts are documented on his web site at www.continuo.com