Energy Awareness Month: October

October is Energy Awareness Month

October has been Energy Awareness Month since a presidential proclamation in 1991. For more than 15 years, government organizations — in partnership with businesses, associations, and concerned citizens — have observed this month with activities and programs to promote public understanding of our energy needs and to reduce energy consumption in our everyday lives.

The EPA gives these 10 simple tips to conserve energy:

• Use your desktop lamp; why light a tennis court to read a sheet of paper?
• Use compact fluorescent lamps to save energy and cut pollution.
• For three copies or less, use the printer; for more, use the copier.
• Laser printers use 300 watts; inkjets use only 10, for similar quality.
• Using the "stand-by" button on your copier lightens energy load by 70%.
• A computer monitor uses 60 watts of power; turn it off if you leave for more than 10 minutes.
• Recycling paper reduces water use by 60%, energy by 70%, and cuts pollution in half.
• Relax and take mass transit; use 25 times less energy.
• Burn carbohydrates not hydrocarbons: ride your bike to work.
• Airplanes burn 70 gallons of fuel a minute.

Turn Out the Lights
~ Lighting is one of the largest users of energy
Stop the Drips
~ Hot water is another area that uses a great amount of energy. By fixing dripping hot water faucets, you can save water and save energy. If it's cold water, fix the dripping faucet anyway because sanitizing and delivering water takes energy too.
Close the Doors
~ Leaving doors wide open to a room or building may make it more inviting to come in, but it wastes energy. Don't prop doors open but allow them to close after people walk through the doorway.
Change the Settings
~ Change the thermostat settings in rooms to 78 during warmer months and 68 during cooler months. Doing so will lower the heating and air conditioning use.

Reuse and Recycle
~ Reusing paper and recycling paper saves money and energy
~ Recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles