Sunday, January 15, 2006

Things that would contribute to Energy Efficiency

  1. Individual monitors on our appliances, e.g. dryers, so that we know how much electricity each one is using when we run them.
  2. Glass doors sealing individual shelves of the refrigerator, so even when the 'fridge is open & we're looking inside, taking one thing out, or putting one thing away, all the cold air doesn't rush out.
  3. Dishwashers that are smaller, take up less room, don't hold as many dishes, run through faster, and no dry cycle. So you can just put one small meal's worth in and clean them, thus freeing them up for the next time. Also, especially in apartments, full-sized dishwashers take up too much storage space.
  4. State or local laws such that any new house built over $100K should have geothermal heating&a.c. or so much electricty generated from on-site solar or wind-power. A rule like that as a local ordinance could help small towns cut down on sprawl.
  5. Clothesline initiative: Outlaw rules against people having clothesline. It's OK to say they must be in the back of the house or apartment, but you have to let them have them someplace outside. Insist that apartment buildings have clotheslines designed into them, as they are in Italy. We'd all save on electric bills, and our clothes would smell better too. People would still buy dryers for when the weather wasn't good for drying clothes outside, but we'd use them less.
  6. Incentives to buy a second, energy-efficient, car. Lots of people commute daily in large vehicles that they've purchased because they need them for weekend camping, snowstorm driving, soccer carpooling, or other occasional activities. Give them a break on registration or insurance or both if the second vehicle has really good EPA mileage.

No comments:

Post a Comment