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Climate Change
This is a record of things I'm doing to combat climate change. I'm not responsible for the planet or even for your actions but I am responsible for mine.
Electricity use reduction
We've dramatically reduced our yearly electrical consumption with the following changes (note that we have an all-electric house):
- Always: air-dry dishes
- Always: don't use air conditioning (we don't have it at all)
- June 2018: started short cool showers
- July 2018: installed and began using clotheslines to dry clothing
- December 2018: installed and began using a 75k btu fireplace certified by EPA and CSA
- June 2019: improved computer cabling to power strips; started aggressive use
- July 2019: finished replacing all household lightbulbs with LEDs
- July 2019: started (hand) washing dishes with cool water instead of warm/hot
- July 2019: started using a solar cooker
- August 2019: replaced 2.5 gallon-per-minute showerhead with 1.5gpm
- September 2019: contractor slowly begins installing solar panels
- October 2019: replaced 1.5gpm showerhead with 1.25gpm
- November 2019: set winter house temp to 60F (15.5C), after acclimation it's just money in the bank!
- May 2020: solar panels are operational
- February 2021: using electric blanket to reduce electric baseboard heating
- September 2021: started using compost toilet
- October 2021: started using electric heated mattress pad
- December 2021: shorter showers, even in winter
- January 2022: target winter house temp of 55F (13C)
- January 2022: replace 1.25 gpm bathroom faucet aerators with 0.5 gpm
- January 2022: started using Body Furnace
- January 2022: started using hot water bottles for heating
- May 2022: start walking more for some errands
- July 2022: start biking more for some errands
- August 2022: start using 1kWh battery with 2x100w "briefcase" solar panels
- October 2022: start ultrashort, 1 gallon showers
- October 2022: add a wood gasifier cook stove to the list of cooking options
- January 2023: new down comforter reduces bed electric heating by 75%
- February 2023: when showering, use dehumidifier instead of fan and open window
- April 2023: new indoor water meter changes sensitivity from 50gal to 10gal
- April 2023: disabled hot water to bathroom sink #1
- May 2023: installed shading in front of house
- May 2023: disabled hot water to bathroom sink #2
- July 2023: disabled heater switches at breaker box (potential phantom power)
- July 2023: disabled hot water to kitchen sink
- October 2023: use internal fans to preserve heat/humidity of shower
- April 2024: did the elecricity project to explore electricity savings
- May 2024: current all-time record for monthly net-surplus electricity generation
And here are the yearly numbers in kWh:
2017: 16674
2018: 15420
2019: 10883
2020: 5166
2021: -2170
2022: -4333
2023: -5686
The goal is to get to around -6000 kWh, an approximate maximum for this house.
Water use reduction
It takes considerable energy to turn river water into potable municipal drinking water. Therefore, saving water results in a large reduction in carbon footprint.
According to Rainwater Harvesting For Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster, average utility water uses 0.0013 to 0.0065 kWh of electricity to source and treat one gallon of water for customer use. Taking an average of the two values, 0.0039, and multiplying by 60000 gallons per year, saves 234 kWh of electricity and hundreds of pounds of CO2 released to the atmosphere.
(Graphs created using gonum/plot.)
Here are the yearly numbers, in gallons:
2017: 74150
2018: 72800
2019: 49700
2020: 31750
2021: 19900
2022: 14200
2023: 9900
The current goal is to stay below 14406 gallons, as that is roughly the combined rainwater and snow meltwater coming off the roof. Although water harvesting is illegal in Colorado, it's still important to live within one's means. If rainwater harvesting is legalized (like it is in all other 49 states), then being off-grid for water would be within reach.
We're currently saving around $2000 per year on water relative to our 2017 usage.
Planned / future changes
- Switch computers to high PPW (efficient) machines with low embodied energy (in progress)
- Get a heat pump
- More living and non-living shading for summer
- Transition back to a mostly plant-based diet (in progress)