Saving energy, saving the environment
Date Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2008Author: Christen Pears
Travis Burland with an energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulb
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“Every single appliance, every single lightbulb you turn on has an environmental impact,” says Travis Burland.
“Fortunately there are ways to reduce this. Even changing an incandescent bulb for a fluorescent one helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It’s a small step but everyone can do it.”
Travis recently launched Bermuda Energy Savers, a company designed to help businesses and households reduce their energy consumption. An engineer by trade, he became interested in the subject about five years ago.
“I’ve always had a strong interest in renewable energy systems and there are a lot of houses and businesses that are really energy inefficient with some relatively outdated systems,” he says.
“I work on getting building up to spec whether that’s changing from incandescent to fluorescent lightbulbs, insulating and servicing water heaters so they run optimally or air conditioning.
“There’s really not one magic solution to saving energy. It’s a series of small steps that you can take to create a more efficient home or business.”
Simple changes can help making savings of more than $100 a month and in commercial properties the savings can run into thousands of dollars.
“The great thing about it is that it’s an investment. You may have to pay for new equipment at the beginning but you will get your money back and more over time,” explains Travis.
The process begins with an audit in which Travis uses energy measuring tools to assess the efficiency of appliances such as water heaters, air conditioning units, refrigerators and stoves. He also tries to get a feel for the household or business’ habits and identify ways to save energy. The customer is then given a summary of what measures are required to make the property as energy efficient as possible and, if needed, return on investment rates.
“Making sure your house or business is energy efficient is a very sound investment, particularly in Bermuda where we have extremely high energy rates. The savings here are even more than in the States or UK and of course there’s also a huge impact on the environment.”
As the global energy debate continues many countries are experimenting with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. According to Travis, Bermuda is not a particularly good environment for wind turbines as they require 15 to 20 knots of constant wind. Solar panels are more suited to the island’s climate but are still unlikely to generate enough power to cover all of a household’s needs.
Travis says: “It may help but it’s not the whole answer. We need to look at other ways of saving energy until we come up with a better solution. There are lots of little things you can do which are often overlooked but they all add up.”
A change in habits can have lead to a significant reduction in energy consumption. Make sure you turn off lights when the room isn’t in use and unplug chargers for laptops and phones, which continuously draw energy even when not in use. In businesses, set computer screen savers to turn off after a few minutes and turn machines off overnight.
“Imagine how much energy you waste having 20 or 30 computers running screensavers through the night,” says Travis.
Simple steps such as installing weather strips on doors to keep out drafts and ensuring pipes are properly insulated will also help.
Energy audits have revealed three areas in which huge savings can be made:
- Light Bulbs – changing standard incandescent ligthtbulbs for compact fluorescent ones can make a significant difference. With incandescent bulbs around 95 per cent of the energy is given off as heat. Fluorescent ones are around 70 per cent more efficient.
- Water heater – most heaters are set at around 160 degrees. Turning the temperature down to around 130 degrees makes a significant difference to bills. Installing a timer so that the water is only heated when you need it will also have an impact.
- Air conditioner – regular cleaning of the filters will improve efficiency. Travis also recommends turning the temperature up to 74 or 75 degrees rather than the usual 68 and then using ceiling fans to blow the air around the room. The convection makes it feel just as cool as with the air conditioner but it uses less power.
For more information contact Bermuda Energy Savers on 3316678 or travisburland@gmail.com
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