Why saving energy matters
Minimizing energy consumption is still vital to our survival.
As we celebrated Earth Day this past week, we think more about moving to greener energy sources. We might be tempted to consume just as much or more energy. But minimizing energy consumption is still vital to our survival: both ours and the planet’s.
Here are four main reasons why saving energy is critical:
Energy efficiency reduces pollution
Most of our energy is still produced using fossil fuels. When we think of burning oil, gas and coal, we usually think of the gases emitted like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxide. But extracting and transporting fossil fuels also causes pollution.
Switching to nuclear energy isn’t much better. Nuclear power produces radioactive waste that must be disposed of safely. Disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima remind us that there are great risks involved in this power source.
Even renewable energy like solar power has an environmental impact. Some materials used to make solar panels are toxic. The manufacturing process itself creates waste while consuming both water and energy. Saving energy means less mining for the materials used to make these panels and less material to dispose of at the end of its lifecycle.
Reduced consumption improves access to energy
If our demand for power increases faster than the infrastructure can be built, we may find ourselves with more outages.
During peak demand, electricity companies may be forced to shut off power to certain areas to provide preferential supply to industries or hospitals if the entire load cannot be met. This is already happening in certain countries. The less energy we consume, the less likely we are to face this situation.
It keeps our nonrenewable resources available longer
The fuel we consume to meet energy demands is gone forever once we use it. Fossil fuels don’t regenerate and there is a finite amount.
Added to that is the fact that only a portion of the Earth’s fossil fuel reserve is accessible. As we use up our accessible sources, it becomes more risky and expensive to extract oil and gas.
Using less energy saves money
It goes without saying that as costs go up overall, we need to find ways to save as much as possible. Reducing energy consumption is one way to keep expenses down.
But how do we go about saving energy? The first thing is to change our habits. The other main way to save energy is to use more energy efficient equipment, particularly for heating and cooling since this uses a large portion of our energy.
If you want to find ways to save energy, give us a call and we can help you make the right decisions for your particular situation. We have solar options and high efficiency HVAC equipment upgrades available. Call Western Heating & Air Conditioning at 801-515-2448 or visit www.WesternHeatingAir.com.