Quiz Answers

Here are your quiz answers from last week’s Energy Conservation Quiz:

1. Which is more efficient?
A. One 60-watt incandescent bulb
B. Two 15-watt CFL bulbs

2. Does premium (high octane) gas improve an automobile's fuel efficiency?
A. Yes
B. No

3. How much energy does a ceiling fan use?
A. Equal to a 40-watt lightbulb
B. Equal to microwave use for 5 minutes
C. Equal to 3/4 of the dishwasher
D. Equal to a 100-watt lightbulb

4. How often should you change your disposable filters for central air conditioner/heating units?
A. Once a year
B. Once a week
C. Once a month
D. Once every 6 months

5. If you raise your thermostat, you can reduce your cooling costs by…
A. 1-3 percent
B. 5-10 percent
C. 12-17 percent
D. 15-20 percent

6. At what speed should you roll the windows up and turn on the AC in your car for it to run most efficient?
A. 27MPH
B. 31MPH
C. 40MPH
D. 65MPH

7. When you open the oven door, it drops the temperature how many degrees?
A. 10 degrees
B. 15 degrees
C. 20 degrees
D. 25 degrees

8. Shading air conditioning units with trees or shrubs, can help the unit run up to how much more efficient?
A. 2 percent
B. 4 percent
C. 8 percent
D. 10 percent

9. The optimal temperature setting of a refrigerator is…
A. 20-27 degrees
B. 32-39 degrees
C. 30-35 degrees
D. 40-43 degrees

10. The optimal temperature setting of a hot water heater is…
A. 120–125 degrees
B. 110-115 degrees
C. 135-145 degrees
D. 150-165 degrees

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Energy Mythbuster #3

Mythbusting Fact #3:
Don't spend time warming up the car when it’s cold outside. While it is best to avoid stressing the car while the engine is cold, simply drive a bit more “gently” for the first few minutes. Also, idling a modern car always wastes more energy than turning it off (even for short periods of time).

-Source http://www.aceee.org

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Take the Energy Conservation Quiz!

Test your knowledge with our energy conservation quiz. Check back on the Monday, September 29th for the answers. Best of luck!

1. Which is more efficient?
   A. One 60-watt incandescent bulb
   B. Two 15-watt CFL bulbs



2. Does premium (high octane) gas improve an automobile's fuel efficiency?
   A. Yes
   B. No



3. How much energy does a ceiling fan use?
   A. Equal to a 40-watt lightbulb
   B. Equal to microwave use for 5 minutes
   C. Equal to 3/4 of the dishwasher
   D. Equal to a 100-watt lightbulb



4. How often should you change your disposable filters for central air conditioner/heating units?
   A. Once a year
   B. Once a week
   C. Once a month
   D. Once every 6 months



5. If you raise your thermostat, you can reduce your cooling costs by…
   A. 1-3 percent
   B. 5-10 percent
   C. 12-17 percent
   D. 15-20 percent



6. At what speed should you roll the windows up and turn on the AC in your car for it to run most efficient?
   A. 27MPH
   B. 31MPH
   C. 40MPH
   D. 65MPH



7. When you open the oven door, it drops the temperature how many degrees?
   A. 10 degrees
   B. 15 degrees
   C. 20 degrees
   D. 25 degrees



8. Shading air conditioning units with trees or shrubs, can help the unit run up to how much more efficient?
   A. 2 percent
   B. 4 percent
   C. 8 percent
   D. 10 percent



9. The optimal temperature setting of a refrigerator is…
   A. 20-27 degrees
   B. 32-39 degrees
   C. 30-35 degrees
   D. 40-43 degrees



10. The optimal temperature setting of a hot water heater is…
    A. 120–125 degrees
    B. 110-115 degrees
    C. 135-145 degrees
    D. 150-165 degrees

We’ll be posting the answers next Monday.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Energy Mythbuster #2

Mythbusting Fact #2:
Today's compact fluorescent lightbulbs work just as well as incandescents, and are just as safe. CFLs have come a long way in terms of quality and variety, and use a fraction of the energy of incandescent bulbs.

Look for the ENERGY STAR label to ensure high quality bulbs, and try out different color varieties to find the one you like best (“soft white” most closely mimics the color of an incandescent). As for safety, even if a bulb breaks in your house authorities suggest that there is not enough mercury in the bulb to present a substantial health hazard. That being said, efforts should be taken to dispose of CFLs properly.

-Source http://www.aceee.org

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Travel Savvy: Scuba Diving Tips

Every diver knows the responsibilities scuba diving represents. Considering these scuba diving tips allows us to continue to enjoy the majestic beauty of Mother Nature deep beneath the blue waves.

• Carbon offset your trip. The largest carbon output of any trip comes from the flight. Consider purchasing carbon offsets. Offsets support fun clean energy and other projects that result in direct, measurable reductions in carbon emissions.



• Choose green accommodations. A lot of hotels advertise themselves as eco-friendly. Environmentally Friendly Hotels is one organization that rates hotels based on their environmentally conscious practices.



• Follow sustainable dive practices. Don’t litter, and if you see trash, pick it up. Don’t touch marine life. Watch your fin kicks to avoid damaging the reef. Never take part of the natural environment with you; snap a picture for the memories.

Travel safe and environmentally-conscious.

Energy Mythbuster #1

Over the next few weeks we’ll be busting energy myths (compliments of ACEEE, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy). From debating which refrigerator/freezer style is more energy efficient to how often you should have your air conditioning unit tuned up, we’ll be separating facts from those oh-so-not-true energy wasting myths.

Mythbusting Fact #1:
Turning off lights, even for short periods of time, really saves energy, with little impact on the lifespan of the bulb. Turn off the lights even when you’re leaving a room for just a few minutes.

-Source http://www.aceee.org/

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

eBill: Saving Time, Money and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Dominion wants the bloggers to know the amazing benefits of eBill (electronic billing), not only is it super easy and FREE but it really helps our environment. Not only is Dominion an advocate of eBilling, so are many banks, insurance companies, cable bills, and even some landlords.

According to PayitGreen.org…

By switching to electronic bills, statements, and payments, every year the average household can:

• Save 6.6 pounds of paper
• Save 0.079 trees
• Avoid use of 4.5 gallons of gasoline to mail bills, statements, and payments
• Avoid release of 63 gallons of wastewater into the environment
• Avoid producing 171 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions

-and-

If 20 percent of households (22,876,800 households) were to switch to electronic bills, statements, and payments, every year the collective impact would:

• Save 150,939,615 pounds of paper
• Save 1,811,275 trees
• Avoid creating 1,439,601,370 gallons of wastewater
• Avoid creating enough wastewater to fill 2,180 Olympic-size swimming pools
• Avoid filling 8,597,328 household garbage bags with waste
• Avoid filling 6,141 garbage trucks with waste
• Avoid using 102,945,600 gallons of gasoline to mail bills, statements and payments
• Avoid producing 3,920,802,916 pounds (1,960,402 tons) of greenhouse gas emissions

Check more amazing statistics at PayitGreen.org and sign up for Dominion's eBill today.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Greenify Your Apartment

Not all of us live in homes where we can make drastic changes to our dwelling whenever we please. That shouldn’t stop any of us renters from doing our part. Here are a few easy tips that’ll help you do your part.

• Encourage your leasing agent to change your air filter on a regular basis. This will make living more comfortable and give your AC unit a break.
  
  
• Make sure your AC is set at a reasonable temperature (78 in the summer, 68 in the winter) and have it set on AUTO versus ON. It can potentially save you a lot of money.
  
  
• Keep your freezer and refrigerator stocked. A full freezer/refrigerator helps it run more efficiently.
  
  
• Recycle your newspapers, OJ cartons, soda bottles and everything else.
  
  
• Make the switch to CFL light bulbs. Many people don’t want to switch because they will only live in that apartment for a year or two and don’t want to invest the money. How about this – change the lighbulbs to CFLs and if you move, take your CFLs with you and put the old bulbs back in (with a note on them to change to CFLs)!
  
  
• Add some house plants to your apartment. 2 plants per 100 square feet can clean out the toxins in the air better than any disinfectant or spray.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.

Miles Per Dollar

Ever wonder how far your money really is stretched when the rubber meets the road? Try using this Miles per Dollar Calculator (MP$) created by UnfocusedBrain – a hodgepodge blog of anything and everything.

This calculator will even tell you how much hard cash you’re spending to get back and forth to work. Try this, use Google Maps (http://www.google.com/maps) to calculate many miles it takes to get to work, running errands, taking kids the to practice, and then back home to see how much you spent in fuel.

I plugged $3.45/gallon of gas into the calculator with getting 25 MPG and it comes to be 7.25 miles per dollar. For someone who lives about 20 miles away from work, I'm spending $5.52 to and from work. Ouch!

Take a look at mass transportation, biking, carpooling or walking to help lessen your carbon footprint and keep the money in your wallet.

Don’t forget to help others conserve energy and save money by sharing this page.