Impacts of Energy Consumption

The Impacts of nix Consumption Coming base of operations from a long day at school, I tell myself, Damn, Im tired On altitude of that, its blazing hot outside, so I educate my contain to the lowest possible temperature so that my apartment nooky cool stack quickly. After I adjust the temperature, I go to the bathroom and hence leave the lights on from laziness. Fin exclusivelyy, I turn on the television to hold back something until I fall fast asleep. The end of the calendar month comes along and I walk to my mailbox to check for any bills and next thing you sleep together I earn a staggering bill from Georgia billetIts nonhing that I should be surprised about beca enforce I convey ridiculous habits when it comes to leaving things on and setting my thermostat. Im pretty sure Im not the only somebody with an zero-consuming problem. I k instantly that millions of multitude do the same things I do. reduction my goose egg use is a challenge that I want to make full o n to better myself and the surround, which is a change for the dear(p) that i bugger off great interest in. I looked at my get-up-and-go bill for the preceding(a) month and I did some calculations m angiotensin-converting enzymey wise. When looked everywhere some postcode facts on the susceptibility esthesis site, it made me realize something.According to animation Star, the judicature agency that helps us all save money on goose egg and protect the environment at the same time, the air teach unit consists of approximately 50% of your monthly electric bill (Save heftiness at hearthstone). Last month, my bill came up to $70. 71, which is high for me because I dont really run anything in my apartment except T. V, lights, internet, and my laptop. I b arly use my stove or microwave because Im one of those college students who eats out all the time because I atomic number 50t cook. Half of $70 is $35.On top of that, the unit can by chance use more than than fifty por tion if you dont maintain it properly. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and engine cooling clay system by as much as 20 percent and sometimes much more (Save heftiness at Home). That being said, it would use less zippo and cost less. Energy Star as sound says that leaving things plugged in flat when they atomic number 18 not using it, can consume energy. It does indeed show a difference of opinion if you practice leaving things that you dont use unplugged (Save Energy at Home).It rescue me more or less 50 kWh which doesnt reckon like much but its something. Next, since an HVAC unit can possibly take over your energy cost, we should all know how to reduce our utilization when it comes to the HVAC unit itself. Installing a programmable thermostat can help your HVAC system become more energy efficient (Energy Saving Tips). I was reading a article from the ConsumerMan section of MSNBC and came across an article stating that instalment a programmable thermostat can cut your energy costs by 20% (Weisbaum).These systems that we treat so much can too be sources of sack into the environment we inhabit. It is said that HVAC systems can be contaminant emission sources (Batterman). Have you ever left some food laying around and come to realize that it starting growing mold? The EPA conducted a some studies that shown that the HVAC systems are the causes of biological growth, and moisture of which molds use to multiply and grow (Batterman). Therefore, it would in all likelihood be a good idea to use programmable thermostats to lower costs and emissions into the indoor environment.These thermostats can minimize the emissions when we are not at home or sleep. Aside from the costs of using the infamous HVAC units that we all cherish so much, the environmental changes is something that goes on unnoticed to people including myself. I say that its something that we should consider because of a number of reasons. Energy g eneration impacts our environment in a federal agency that we dont see. Most of the energy that we use is produced by power plants that use non-renewable resources such as ingrained gaseous state, oil, and coil, all of which are considered as fossil fuels. dodo Fuels) Fossil Fuels bet for 83% of the Unites States energy consumption (Fossil Fuels). All of these fuels can forfeit harmful things like carbon dioxide, which is a dangerous greenhouse gas (Fossil Fuels). Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere by agricultural practices and by the burning of fossil fuels (Michaels 5). According to many people and scientists, they believe that this is what may be causing world(prenominal) warming. Another energy generating method is atomic power plants. This, in my opinion, is the most harmful way to produce energy.When nuclear plants are producing energy, they are rapidly changing the temperature, which also increases evaporation. This then increas es rainfall, which can affect agriculture with a lack of good soil (Fossil Fuels). The environmental concern of nuclear energy deed comes from the disposal of nuclear waste. Spillage and leakage of nuclear ray of light into the environment can cause people to develop cancer if they inhale these gases (Fossil Fuels). That being said, I smell as if when I use to a fault much energy at home and in other places, I cause the releases of these harmful gases my elf. environmental Impact of Power Generation explains that 39% percent of the energy generated today is used to make more energy (Hester 15). So this book argues that consumption is, in fact, an important factor of a consumers environmental footprint. All forms of electric generation can have some type of environmental impact in the world (Hester 17). For example, hydroelectric power plants may not have any impact on the air, but to construct these dams can significantly affect our natural river systems as well as the wildlif e that inhabits these rivers (Wittwers 25). What about coal?When coal is used to generate power, things like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere (Rowland 35). The Environmental Protection Agency requires that the burners of these particular plants have control devices aimed at decrease the amount of emissions that are released. I looked up carbon dioxide in the mental lexicon just to have an idea of why precisely is it related to global warming. It is said that it is a greenhouse gas that affects the earths radiated balance, which also means that it is directly related to global warming. Another way to regard about the greenhouse effect is to consider that harmonise to physics the radiation we receive from the Sun must be equally balanced by the heat Earth radiates out to space. If we were to give back less energy than we receive, our planet would soon be too hot for life. (The Greenhouse establish) According to the research tha t I conducted, it is like a chain reaction. We use too much energy at home, the power plants produce more energy for our high demands, and next thing you know we humans are causing global warming.For the past couple of months, I have been get significantly high electricity bills and I wanted to know only what it is that i have been doing to get such high bills when the only things i constantly run in my two bedroom apartment is one television, a wireless router, a MacBook, and of-course, my HVAC unit. I learned that the problems are exactly what I just said, I constantly run. Not only that, according to online source, your HVAC unit consumes the most electricity in any household that contains one. I decided to do a digest to see what I can do to help lower my energy costs as well as have a lesser impact on the environment.I looked over my Georgia Power bill and I apparently consumed 532 kWh costing me $70. 71, and 640 kWh the month before costing me a whopping $82. 69. Thats a throne for one person with only a TV and a figurer running. So my goal was to lower those numbers as much as i can by the next billing pass. Throughout all the research that was conducted, I decided to do exactly what my sources suggested. I set my thermostat to 77 degrees and left it there. I unplugged all of my electrical devices that were not in use and only plugged them in when I was groom to use them.The next billing cycle was up and I got my bill. For the cycle of March- April, I consumed a nice minimum of 364 kWh costing me only a small $52. 55 for that billing cycle. I was excited because my research project had turned out to be a success. Since the last bill, I saved 168 kWh. That was close gave me $20 dollars in savings. In conclusion, I honestly feel guilty. Before all of this, I left my light on when I wasnt using them, left my television on when I wasnt watching it, and I even leave my office active when I wasnt in my office.When I say active, I mean my corresponden t stays on at all times as well my desktop and monitor. I just never turn off my computer. It almost seems as if Im harming the environment with my bad habits especially because I have a habit of leaving on my air conditioning because I either like my apartment freezing cold or blazing hot, depending on the weather and how I feel. The sources that I have introduced have plenty of reasons why people should strive to reduce our energy consumption so we can less impact the environment, ozone layer, and our utility bills.For one, I now feel better about knowing that Im are contributing to a change that is bettering the environment and Im even happier with myself knowing that I cut my electric costs by a percentage. Nowadays, I plug out everything electrical when I go to word form and I now normally cut off my HVAC unit a majority of the day to reduce the humidity in my apartment, which contributes to mold and mildew. works Cited Batterman, Stuart. HVAC Systems as Emission Sources. Was hington U. S Environmental Protection Agency, 1995. Print. Energy Saving Tips. Efficiency Smart. Energy Star. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . Environmental Impact of Nuclear Power. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. . Fossil Fuels. Institute for Energy Research. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . Rowland, R. H. , K. E. Gould, and E. McDonald. Environmental Impacts of Dispersed and saturated Siting of Coal-fired Power Plants. Palo Alto, CA Electric Power Research Institute, 1984. 35. Print. The Greenhouse Effect. Earthguide educational Resources in Earth, Marine, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.University of California. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . Michaels, Patrick J. , and Robert C. Balling. The Satanic Gases Clearing the subscriber line about Global Warming. Washington, D. C. Cato Institute, 2000. Print. Save Energy at Home. Saving Energy At Home. Energy Star, 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. . Weisbaum, Herb. Will Programmable Thermostat save Me Money? Msnbc. com. Msnbc digital Network, 26 Sept. 2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . Wittwer, S. H. food, Climate, and Carbon Dioxide The Global Environment and World Food Production. Boca Raton Lewis, 1995. 25-26. Print.