Hi Everyone
Now that I am back from Florida. I had the chance to reflect on the energy use of my parent's house compared to my place at Our Lady's Guild House. My parent's house is seemingly more energy efficient than my building. What I have done is compared the two. Here is a list of how they use energy follow by how energy is used in my building.
Parent's house in the suburbs
High efficientcy washer and dryer, which uses less water and soap, marble flooring which cools the home (this is Florida). Bamboo flooring (which is efficient material that grows easily), screened in lanai (backporch)doors are left open during the spring which allows breezes to cool the house. They also have energy efficient windows and blinds that reduce heat from the sun, and CFL bulbs. Ways they are not efficient: applicances such as the coffee pot, can opener, DVD player, TV, computer are all on 24/7. They both drive because they work in the city. They also have a small citrus grove in their backyard and consume the fruit they grow and share with friends and neighbors. My Dad and I also planted a raised bed garden of beans, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, radishes, using purchased compost.
Compared to me:
I live in a dorm style building with 150 people. I have a steam heat radiator which I have only used 3 times since October. I live on the fifth floor of a six story building, so heat rises. I unplug my coffee pot and cell phone charger when I don't use them. I have a ceiling fan that I do use when the breeze from the window is not enough. I do not have air conditioning in my room. I share a bathroom with one other woman and the lights are turned off when its not in use. The hall light, which serves three other people, is always on. There are three kitchens in the entire building and the appliances are always plugged in. The lights in the downstairs living rooms are always turned off when not in use. There are three washers and three dryers which are not high efficientcy. CFL bulbs are not used in common areas. Most of the time the dryers are not used because they don't stop when the clothes are dry, they are set for an hour for $1.50. One difference compared to my parents is that I take public transportation.
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I like the analysis that you did between your parents house and your room now. I thing doing a comparison like that opens your eyes to what is going on in both environments.
ReplyDeleteHow many people live in your building, Meghan? I think if you broke down the energy use (even with those long-running dryers and hallway lights left on), each person would use less than a single-family home. It sounds like your parents have made some awesome choices, particularly regarding adapting to the Florida climate.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Mom + Dad! I really enjoyed reading your comparisons between your parents home in Florida and your apartment in Boston. It is important to look at the different ways that people live in different communities-- especially in different climates-- and make "judgments" accordingly. When I lived in Florida, I never thought much about my energy consumption because it didn't seemed like I didn't have many options (aka, you live for A/C in FL) but now that I look back, I definitely could have made smarter choices. Ah, hindsight!
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