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Gadget Prods Homeowners to Cut Energy Use
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Danny Parker, principal research scientist at the Florida Solar Energy Center, conducted a similar two-year study of 17 households in central Florida. His results were similar to Hydro One's. With the information from wireless monitors, the households reduced their electricity use by an average of 7.7 percent. The motivations were also similar: Most households cared more about saving money than about saving the environment, Parker said.
Although Parker's sample was small, it did have an important advantage over the Canadian ones. He had contact with each household and learned in some detail what each did to reduce energy use.
The two households that saved the most electricity -- 14.5 and 17.5 percent -- were unusually motivated to make big changes. In one case, the family broke a major Florida habit: They stopped running their pool heater 10 to 12 hours a day and started using it only when they knew they would be swimming, which turned out to be only a few hours a week. They also replaced their incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones and beefed up their attic insulation to lower their air-conditioning load.
In the other households, owners focused on smaller gestures such as "turning stuff off," Parker said, adding that although this sounds inconsequential, it does make a difference. "Fifty watts here, 100 watts there -- all those little bits can add up quickly," he said.
In every house, Parker found that "turning stuff off" produced some unexpected "crazy thing." One family discovered a long-forgotten, institutional-type chilled water fountain in the far corner of their garage that used "much more electricity than a refrigerator," he said. In his own house, Parker discovered that his wife's pottery wheel motor had accidentally been left on for three months.
Although Parker has been studying household energy use for nearly 30 years, he encountered a few surprises. One was how much electricity is used by gas appliances: Gas dryers have electric starters, and newer gas stoves have electronic ignitions instead of pilot lights. Another discovery was the amount of electricity used in home entertainment areas, home offices and garages by appliances that were already turned off. Some items used nearly as much power in the "off" position as they did "on." At Parker's suggestion, the homeowners added a power strip in these locations. Although a TiVo must be kept on, Parker pointed out that homeowners can still plug their television, speakers and DVD player into a power strip.
In Parker's house, which he monitored but did not include in his study, he reduced electricity use by 26 percent. Even though most homeowners who get a monitor are not likely to become that enthusiastic, he admitted, energy saving has now become his "professional hobby."
Katherine Salant can be contacted via her Web site, http:/
Copyright 2008 Katherine Salant
