Energy
Saving Tips for Ontario's 34th Smog Day
July
11, 2005 – This is Ontario's 34th smog alert day of 2005. With promises of
a long, hot and smoggy summer to come, we all
need to think about our personal impact on air
quality.
On
hot summer days, all of the production from the
Nanticoke and Lambton coal-fired power plants
(Ontario’s #1 and #2 air polluters respectively)
is needed just to meet the power demand of Ontario’s
air conditioning systems! So air conditioning
is a great place to start to reduce our smog impact.
Here
are a few tips:
--If
you have to wear a sweater in the office or you
visit an establishment with its air conditioning
running full blast but doors wide open, speak
up! Tell the management to turn down the
cool and properly close all windows and doors.
--Set
your air conditioner's thermostat at 25°C
or higher. Each half-degree setting below 26°C
will increase your energy consumption by approximately
8%.
--If
your air conditioner is more than 10 years old,
think about getting a new ENERGY STAR unit (properly
sized to meet your home's needs of course).
New units use up to 50% less energy than older
ones.
For
more tips on using air conditioning effectively
and to calculate the money you can save by installing
a new ENERGY STAR unit, visit www.electricitychoices.org/airconditioning.html
Help
us spread the word about the benefits of using
energy more efficiently! Order copies of
our "Help your home be its best" pamphlet to give
to your friends, family and co-workers or to distribute
in your community. It's a friendly way of
reminding folks that we all breathe the same air!
Visit http://www.cleanairalliance.org/getin/order.html to order your free pamphlets today |
