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Low-Cost Sustainability Actions

AT HOME

(for 'When Doing Errands & Commuting', scroll down the page)

 

ADVOCACY:

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  • Support politicians and candidates that advocate for policies and laws to phase out the use of fossil fuels.

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SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL:  If your present home is larger than you need, one way to reduce resource use is to downsize to a more compact home, perhaps located in a more convenient location in terms of close access to necessities and amenities - thus saving energy at home and perhaps for transportation as well.

 

USE 100% RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY - without installing solar panels!  See the Renewable Electricity page of this website for details.

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NEW CLOTHING CHOICES:  Pre-owned is better than buying new.  Natural fabrics are better than synthetic (oil-based plastic) fabrics.  Organic is better than conventionally-grown fibers.  (see 'Food Choices' below for more information on climate impacts of conventional farming)

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PLASTICS (oil-based):  Almost all plastics are derived from petroleum.  Use alternatives when possible.  This article from Columbia Climate School discusses climate impacts throughout the plastics production cycle: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/02/20/plastic-production-climate-change/ 

 

FOOD CHOICES:  To limit GHG emissions, plant-based food is best.  Among animal-based protein choices, beef has the greatest impact (for example, see https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/meat-greenhouses-gases-food-production-study ). Dairy operations also have a large climate impact.  This recent study published in PLOS Climate tries to quantify the total impact of animal agriculture (meat and dairy): https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000010 .

 

 

Sustainable fish has the lowest impact among protein sources (for sustainable seafood choices, see https://www.seafoodwatch.org/ ).  Among plant foods, rice has a large GHG footprint, so alternative grains are preferred - such as quinoa.  Organic farming is better for the environment, farm workers, and consumers.  For some information on synthetic fertilizers' GHG impact, see https://www.iatp.org/fuller-picture-real-climate-costs-synthetic-fertilizers .

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COOKING:  If you have a natural gas stove, this is both a source of greenhouse emissions and a generator of toxic pollution inside one's home.  Switch to electric if possible.  Not only microwave ovens, but electric conventional ovens and electric stovetops.  Many chefs - even many professional chefs - enjoy using the relatively new electric induction stovetop technology, because it is faster and more precise compared to conventional electric resistance stovetop burners.

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WATER USAGE:  What does water use have to do with global heating?  Shipping water from source to consumers, and water treatment, takes much energy.  Using less water thus saves energy.  Low-flow plumbing fixtures (e.g. showerheads) and drought-tolerant plants are the answer.  Some water agencies offer financial incentives to improve plumbing fixtures and replace lawns with drought-tolerant planting.

 

REFRIGERATORS: 

  • Clean the refrigerator coils in early spring before the weather gets warm. Dusty coils reduce the efficiency of heat exchange between the cooling system and the kitchen air.  The coils are located beneath, or in back, of the fridge.  Home improvement stores sell brushes with long handles that are made for this purpose.  And it only takes a few minutes to do. 

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  • If your refrigerator is not an Energy Star rated refrigerator, it may be time to replace it with an energy-efficient model.  Even among Energy Star refrigerators, there is a fairly wide range of efficiencies.  So when refrigerator shopping, pay attention to the temporary yellow energy-use label on the front.

HOT WATER SYSTEM PIPES:  If the cold and hot water pipes going into, and out of, your water heater are not insulated, adding pipe insulation is an easy way to save energy, and it's a fairly easy DIY project.  For both new construction, and for remodels, the CA energy code requires that the first 8 ft. of both the cold water pipe and hot water pipe be insulated.  Why the cold water pipe?  Because the heat in the stored water will leak out through this pipe (and the hot water pipe as well).  No need to fret about the type of pipe insulation.  Pipe insulation is designed for this purpose, consisting of a foam tube with a hollow center and a slit, to allow fitting the insulation around the pipe.  Installers will cut small pieces with 45 degree corners in order to insulate bends.  Standard electrical tape can be used to connect the insulation lengths at the joints.

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In the photo to right, the upper horizontal pipe is the insulation-covered copper hot water pipe.  The vertical & horizontal white pipe is the condenser water drain.  The lower horizontal pipe is the insulation-covered copper cold water pipe. 

​LAUNDRY

  • Washing:  Wash clothes in cold water (use detergent designed for cold water washing, which is readily available).

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  • Drying:  If possible, hang laundry to dry.  You can find advice on the internet on how to avoid stiff or wrinkled clothing.  Use a gas clothes drier?  Consider switching to electric, especially an Energy Star rated one (OK, upgrading one's dryer may not be considered "low-cost", but if your dryer is getting old and needs to be replaced, then switching to electric can be considered low-cost).  Many home laundry areas are equipped with a 240V receptacle, which is required for an electric dryer. If such a receptacle is not available, it will need to be added.  For greater energy efficiency, consider the relatively new heat pump type of clothes dryer.  They don't even need a vent to discharge moist air, although condenser water does need to be drained occasionally.

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LIGHTING: 

  • Bulb Type: If any of your indoor or outdoor lights still use incandescent bulbs, replace them with LED bulbs.  LEDs use around 20% of the power that an incandescent uses per lumen output. The CA energy code requires that new residential light fixtures - at new buildings, additions, and alterations - use "high efficacy" lamps/bulbs.  LEDs are the most popular and most efficient light source, so are typically used to meet energy code requirements.

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  • Bulb Brightness: Some shoppers buy bulbs that are too bright, basing selection on 'watts' rather than 'lumens'.  As higher lumen rating = greater watts, not buying brighter lighting than needed will save energy.  It's helpful to get acquainted with selecting bulbs by lumens instead of watts.  A good point of reference is that the old 100 watt incandescent bulb was 1600 lumens, and the old 40 watt incandescent bulb was around 400 lumens.  At the end of this sentence is a link to a webpage about light bulbs; the table at the bottom of the page is named "Light Output" - which compares lumens and watts for LED, CFL and incandescent bulbs: bulb comparisons

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  • Bulb 'color temperature': Some bulbs are labeled 'warm', some 'cool', and there are other labels.  Typically, warm light is used in residential settings, cool light in nonresidential settings.  Warm light color temperature is in the 2700 to 3000 K range.  Higher numbers yield cooler light colors. (yes, this is not directly related to energy savings.  However, not being happy with your energy-saving purchase, or having to return your purchase, is not helpful to efforts to improve energy efficiency).

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  • Outdoor Light Controls:  The CA energy code requires that new outdoor light fixtures (a.k.a. luminaires) be controlled by either a) An astronomical time switch, or b) A photosensor control combined with either a motion sensor or an automatic time controller.  If your existing lighting is not equipped with automatic controls to keep lights off when not needed, adding these controls is recommended.

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  • Indoor Light Controls:  The CA energy code requires that that new indoor residential LED light fixtures be controlled by either dimmer, vacancy sensor, or occupancy sensor (hallways and small closets are exempt).  If residents in your home often forget to turn off lights, consider installing 'vacancy' sensors - or occupancy sensors that have a manual on/automatic off mode.  Vacancy sensors require a manual switch to turn on a light, then automatically turn off the light when a room is not occupied.  If you have pets roaming around, using a vacancy sensor instead of an occupancy sensor will avoid lights being turned on when humans are not around.  Note that in a bathroom, it's best to have one fixture that is not on automatic control, to avoid a light going off when you are in a shower where your presence may not be sensed.

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  • Dimming: LED bulbs use less energy when dimmed. If purchasing a plug-in, moveable, light fixture, selecting one with built-in dimming is a good idea.  If installing built-in luminaires (e.g. sconces, can lights), or wishing to add dimming to existing built-in luminaires, dimming is accomplished by installing a light switch that includes dimming.  Note that occasionally a new LED bulb will not be compatible with a dimmer (if incompatible, it will may flicker when dimmed).  It's unfortunate that the industry has not standardized dimmer and bulb engineering.  If a new LED flickers in a dimming fixture, take it back and try a different make/model.  If the dimmer is built-in to a luminaire, the manufacturer ought to be able to provide a list of compatible LEDs. If the dimmer is separate from a luminaire (i.e. a wall dimmer switch), the dimmer manufacturer should be able to supply a list of compatible LED bulbs.

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  • LED disposal.  While it had been thought that LEDs would not have disposal issues like fluorescent bulbs do (mercury), our solid waste authority says that many LEDs contain elements that should not be in the landfill.  Therefore, burnt-out LEDS should be disposed at either toxics or expired electronics drop-off locations.  The good news is that LEDs last a very long time, so disposing of them properly will not be necessary very often.

 

WINDOW TREATMENTS:

  • Window coverings (shades, blinds or curtains) can help improve thermal insulation in winter by creating a still air space between the glass and the covering.  This works best if the window covering is 'inside mount' (placed within the wall recess where the window is located) and has a fairly tight fit along all four sides of the opening.  If the covering must be outside mount, having the covering as close to the wall surface as possible helps improve the insulation value of the air gap between window and covering.  Note that some window shades are a cellular design to improve insulation, and some have double cells, creating a very good insulation layer.  If your windows let in too much heat during hot weather, it is important that your window coverings be white color on the surface facing the glass.  This helps reflect solar heat back out the window.   Cellular type window shades, with a white outer surface, allows filtered light to enter a room even when the shade is pulled down to reflect unwanted solar heat.  Light color window coverings, and light room colors, will work best to provide some daytime light even when these shades are down.  In cold weather, be sure to have window coverings open when sunlight is coming through the window so that the solar heat can help warm your home.

  • Exterior Shading: If you have windows that make your home too hot during warmer weather, adding exterior shading - trees, trellises, awnings, etc. can be helpful.  Where you desire winter sun, but want to block summer sun, an operable awning system works well (we like ours).  Outdoor shade umbrellas can also be used to provide summer shading of windows.  Deciduous trees (which drop leaves in winter) certainly work better than evergreens for this purpose, although the bare branches will still block some winter sun that may be desired.

SWIMMING POOLS & SPAS: If you use a gas heater for pool or spa water , there are alternatives.

  • Solar Pool Covers:  Back when my family had a pool, we only used a 'solar' pool cover to heat the pool.  This gave us about a 4.5 month swim season (i.e. water temperatures above 80).  Pool covers are plastic, and may only last a few years, but they also reduce water and chemical loss.  So there are truly pluses and minuses.

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  • Pool Heating Solar Collectors.  These are often plastic, but metal panels are also available.  For milder climates, glass-covered collectors are not usually used, making pool solar collectors relatively inexpensive.  Pool solar heating systems rely on the pool pump for circulation.  I have been told that combining solar panels and a solar cover will yield a 5.5 month or longer swim season (your results may vary).

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  • Heat Pump Pool Water Heaters.  These work similarly to domestic heat pump domestic water heaters, using much less energy than a standard electric resistance water heater.  While solar pool covers and solar collectors may do an adequate job, not all pools have a shape amenable to pool covers.  And given that solar covers and many pool solar collectors are made of plastic, an argument can be made that using a heat pump pool heater instead is more environmentally friendly, especially if you use renewable power (generated on-site or from the 'grid').

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  • Pump Power.  Be sure to operate the pump no more hours during swim season, and no more hours off-season, than recommended by your pool maintenance company or trusted pool supply store.  I recommend having your pump checked for power usage, if you haven’t done so already.  When we had a pool, a pool equipment technician found that the pump was over-powered for the need, and was able to make adjustments to reduce the horsepower/power demand.

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INCENTIVE PROGRAMS: 

  • BayREN is the nickname for the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, which is a coalition of the Bay Area’s nine county governments who have partnered to promote energy and water efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction. BayREN offers rebates for such improvements as heat pump clothes dryers, induction stoves, and water efficiency measures. The BayREN website also lists rebates offered by them for many other types of energy efficiency upgrades, and well as rebates offered by other agencies. https://www.bayren.org/  See the Water Heating Systems page of this website for notes on my experience with BayREN.

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  • The Switch is On, at https://switchison.org/ , is another good resource for financial incentives to switch from gas to electric systems.

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​WHEN DOING ERRANDS & COMMUTING

 

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL:  If your present motor vehicle is larger than you need for all, or even for most, of your needs, downsizing to a more compact vehicle is a good way to reduce air pollution (including GHG emissions) and energy use. Perhaps you drive a large vehicle so that you may occasionally tow an RV trailer or boat?  Driving a smaller vehicle, and renting a cabin and/or boat is the more energy and resource efficient (and perhaps easier) way to go!

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WALK, BIKE (including E-Bike) and USE PUBLIC TRANSIT WHEN POSSIBLE.

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KEEP CAR TIRES AT RECOMMENDED PRESSURE in order to reduce rolling resistance, thus improving vehicle energy efficiency.

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REFRAIN FROM LONG WARMING UP / IDLING.  If you drive a modern ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle, long warm-ups and long idling waste fuel and add air pollution, including GHG emissions.  Way back before electronic fuel injection became standard (in the early 1990's), warming up a car for a few minutes was recommended.  Unfortunately, that habit persists, even though warming up for more than a few seconds (AAA recommends warming up for the time it takes to fasten your seat belt) is not only not necessary (except when trying to defrost a windshield), it produces extra air pollution and could reduce engine life.  The long-time advice from auto experts that if you are stopping mid-trip for more than 30 seconds, it saves more energy to turn off / turn back on your engine instead of idling is still good advice (engines use a bit of fuel to start, but that fuel "penalty" is outweighed in an average ICE vehicle by the amount of fuel burned when idling more than 30 seconds).  Note that a growing number of ICE type vehicles automatically turn off engines when idling for a short time - in order to save fuel/reduce emissions.

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