Drought Message of the Day:
State Urges Residents to Save Water through Energy Conservation
Georgia's Drought Response Unified Command (DRUC) encourages Georgians to help save water by conserving electricity. Large amounts of water are required to generate electricity. In Georgia, each kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity production consumes 1.65 gallons of water according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. To put it in context, the average Georgia household’s electricity use is 1,148 kilowatt hours per month, requiring 1,894 gallons of water to generate.
Practical tips for conserving energy can be found at http://www.gefa.org/Index.aspx?page=75. A few household energy saving tips are highlighted below:
- Turn off all home office and entertainment equipment when not in use, purchase energy-efficient electronics and appliances with the ENERGY STAR® label, and unplug instant-on appliances (TV and cable box) when you go on vacation.
- When doing laundry, wash full loads only (but do not overload), wash and rinse in cold water, and clean the lint filter after each load to maximize drying efficiency.
- In the kitchen, use the dishwasher for full loads whenever possible and only soak or pre-wash dishes if food is cooked or burned on. If you must pre-wash, do so in a sink or basin.
- When lighting your home, use ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use up to two-thirds less energy and last six to 10 times longer than traditional lighting. Also, take advantage of natural daylight when possible and decorate with lighter colors to reflect light.
- When heating and cooling your home, set the thermostat at 68ºF or lower in the winter and 78ºF or higher in the summer, and consider installing a programmable thermostat to control heating and cooling hours. Also, caulk and weather-strip doors and windows to prevent air leaks.
For Georgians with electric hot water heaters:
- Turn down your hot water heater thermostat to 120ºF and insulate your water heater.
- When using hot water, use low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators to reduce water use by half.
To help save energy this holiday season, Georgians can use energy-efficient LED lights and fiber optic artificial trees. LED mini-ice lights can operate an 8-foot Christmas tree for five hours per day for 30 days at a cost of approximately $0.18. Operating the same amount of time, incandescent standard mini-lights would cost $1.92. Large incandescent C7 bulbs would cost $10.02.
Fiber optic trees use a single 5 to 50 watt bulb, which transmits light to hundreds of small fibers covering the tree. The cost for such trees ranges from $20 to over $200 depending upon size.
For more information, visit www.droughtjic.org and www.conservewatergeorgia.net.
Water Conservation Tip: If you opt for a real Christmas tree, water it with captured water. Leave a bucket in your shower to catch excess water or use the water captured from your dehumidifier.
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