I have been away for awhile. It's nice to be back-- this list is so civil, and full of good thought. David said that money saved is money earned. And I say, you don't pay any taxes on it! Now, how much can be saved through conservation-- Actually, a great deal. The average house in the U.S. is only insulated to about R-11 in the exterior walls. (The builder may say it's more, but do your own calculation before you believe him.) Adding one inch of foam to the walls can raise that to R-16-- that gives you a 31% reduction in heating and cooling requirements, based on that heat path. You can easily do as well in other respects such as windows, ceilings, infiltration, etc. A 30% reduction in residential energy use is quite reasonable for an existing house. The walls in my house are R-30, and I have carried that diligence throughout the structure. On most winter days, we use no heat at all! Now, transportation-- David wondered if we could save 20% of fuel use. Okay, let's count the ways-- 1. Improve your existing car's efficiency. If you bought the usual cheap tires and don't keep their pressure up, you can save 10% by switching to better tires-- up the diameter by one size (I went from 205/55 to 205/60 ), buy Michelin energy tires or equivalent, and raise the tire pressure to about 10% below the sidewall rating and you should save at least 10% on fuel. Changing to low-friction synthetic oil will save another 5%. 2. Leave early, slow down by 10 mph, and go easy on the pedals. I promise, that alone will save you at least 20% on fuel use if you are a typical driver. Slowing down by just 5 mph on the highway saves 10%. 3. Use your car as if fuel really does cost too much. You know, find ways to avoid that car trip. Taking these steps alone, without going out and getting a thrifty car, will save about 30% on fuel for many people. Besides, this can actually be fun! Make a contest out of it. (My best: 78 mpg, 1200 miles on one take of fuel-- but, hey, that's a little extreme.) With proper conservation /efficiency steps first, and some good new research, I think biofuels have a proper role to play in the earth's energy future. I think the Science authors said that too. Can biofuels be sustainable? Well, I have been eating biofuels (e.g., carrots, bread and butter, etc.) for years. Can't say for sure that they are sustainable but they taste good and supply the necessary BTUs /kcals. The entire world was running on mostly biofuels before about 1901 when some Texans started messing things up. Now, I have a question for you folks, but that's a separate post. Ernie Rogers Pleasant Grove, Utah >>>>>>>>>>> David Bryant said,
Cara, Yes but fuel oil heats the majority of American homes, which is basically tax exempt diesel fuel. But your point is well taken; we cannot drill, or grow, our way out of a positive carbon balance. However, how much can conservation realistically reduce fossil fuel use? 10%? 20%? But I believe the solution is multi-faceted, a little solar, a little wind, a little vegetable oil and ... a little bicycle. ;-) However, its all about money and what Americans seem to forget is that conservation does make money! For all of us! The less fossil fuel we use the more money we "make"... for ourselves. David **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)
