Mark Ontkush at ecoIron did some math starting with the Department of Energy data that showed CRT monitors consume less power displaying dark colors than light and determined that redesigning Google’s site in black would save 750 megawatt-hours per year (assuming that 25% of computer users still haven’t upgraded to LCDs and are using power-hungry CRTs).

The results were so dramatic he redesigned his own site and developed a low wattage palette that uses only about three or four watts more than a completely black screen (white is to be used only as a text or accent color).

What can you use it for? Any application that is displayed on a device that uses CRT, Plasma, or OLED technology. Any device where white costs money — handheld units, web sites, TV.

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NPR covered it like an eclipse or astronomic curiosity, and did little to question the claimed energy saving benefits. But, as Michael Downing asks in Spring Forward, how can something understood by so few be done by so many? And why go through this twice annual madness?

Supposedly, we subject ourselves to the rule of time to conserve oil, but even the most wildly optimistic predictions suggest only a 1% drop in consumption. And those predictions are based on bad data.

The 1% statistic came from the 1970s when people used less oil during the OPAC OPEC embargo, making it difficult to tell what caused what. A late 1960’s British experiment with daylight saving time failed to show any such benefit, and an Australian experiment in 2000 showed none. In fact, it resulted in “a slight but statistically negligible increase in overall usage.”

Seed Magazine re-ran numbers in 2006 and estimated that at best we might achieve a 0.04% oil savings based on the theories (the Australian report hadn’t been published by that time), and reported:

Saving four-hundredths of one percent is like shaving about 200 feet off of 100 miles. Does any sane person think this will make a serious dent in our energy use?

Alternatively, a one mile per gallon increase in average fuel economy would result in a 4% reduction in fuel use and cut our overall oil consumption by 1.6%.

There might be good reasons to extend DST, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking it’s going to do anything about our energy problem. Sometimes the little things mean a lot. Sometimes they don’t mean squat.

Special thanks to servus for the photo.

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Along with the energy saving and water saving tips previously, our physical plant folks have sent out these recycling tips:

Recycling of Aluminum Cans — saves 95% of the Energy required to make the same amount of Aluminum from its virgin source.

• One ton of recycled Aluminum saves 14,000 KWH of Energy, 40 barrels of oil, 238 million BTUs of Energy.
• One ton of recycled Aluminum saves 10 cubic yards of landfill space.

Recycling Plastic

• One ton of recycled Plastic saves 5,774 KWH of Energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, 98 million BTUs of Energy.
• One ton of recycled Plastic saves 30 cubic yards of landfill space.

Recycling Glass

• One ton of recycled Glass saves 42 KWH of Energy, 0.12 barrels of oil (5 gallons), 714,000 BTUs of Energy, and 7.5 pounds of Air Pollutants from being released.
• One ton of recycled Glass saves 2 cubic yards of landfill space.
• Over 30% of the raw material used in Glass production now comes from recycled Glass.

Recycling Office Paper

• One ton of recycled Paper saves 4,100 KWH of Energy, 9 barrels of oil, and 54 million BTUs of Energy.
• One ton of recycled Paper saves 60 pounds of Air Pollutants from being released.
• One ton of recycled Paper saves 7,000 gallons of water.
• One ton of recycled Paper saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.

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Our physical plant folks sent out this list of water saving tips to followup on the energy savings tips they sent previously. Again, I think they should be blogging them, but what do I know? (It’s a rhetorical question, please don’t answer.)

Limit the use of domestic hot water — use cold water whenever it will do.

• Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth or washing your face. This can save up to 4 gallons a minute!
• Take shorter showers. Even a one or two minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month!
• Turn off the water while you shave and you can save more than 100 gallons a week.

Please report all steam, water, and air leaks…

• Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak. You can save more than 600 gallons a month.
• Fixing a leaky faucet can save 140 gallons a week.

Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwashers. This can save 300 to 800 gallons per month.

• Wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents when-ever possible.
• Let your dishes air dry; if you don’t have an automatic air-dry switch (on your dishwasher), turn off the control knob after the final rinse and prop the door open a little so the dishes will dry faster.

Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily — Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.

tags: conservation, energy, energy conservation, green living, hot water, limiting waste, wasting water, water, water conservation, water economy

Our physical plant folks sent out a message with tips on how to conserve energy. Perhaps they oughtta blog this stuff? Here it is:

Computer power management — A typical computer monitor uses 60 to 120 watts of electrical power, depending upon screen size.

• Do not use screensavers as energy savers as they continue to use the monitor at full power and do not conserve energy.
• Configure your monitor to turn off after 20 minutes of inactivity, your hard drive to turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity, and your desktop computer or laptop to go into a standby or sleep mode after 90 minutes of inactivity. (If your computer does not have a standby or sleep mode, or you can’t find it, simply turn off your monitor when it is not in use)
• Shut down your computer, monitor, and personal printer or place them in a standby mode when you leave the office for more than two hours.

Turn off your Lights- A common myth about lighting systems is that it is more expensive to turn lights on and off, so it’s better to just leave lights on all the time. Not true!

• Incandescent lamps are so inefficient; it always pays to turn them off when they’re not needed, even for very short periods of time.
• For fluorescent lamps, the breakeven point is about five minutes. In other words, if fluorescent lights will be off for five minutes or longer, it’s more cost effective to turn them off than to leave them on.
• Replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 32-watt CFL saves at least $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

Minimize or eliminate the use of electric fans and other personal electrical equipment and appliances where possible.

• A 20-inch box fan on medium speed for a 4-moth period 10 hours per day would cost $12 to operate. That $12 doesn’t sound like much, but if everyone were to add a personal fan as the temperature rise, the costs certainly begin to add up.
• A small dorm-type refrigerator (3 cu. ft.) costs about $7 to run annually. A larger refrigerator increases those costs: 5 cu. ft. = $10.
• A 12-cup coffee maker costs about $12 to run annually.

Temperature controls during heating season — keep your windows closed.

• Thermostats will be adjusted to 68° for administrative and academic areas and housing facilities at 72°. (For each 1 degree you turn down the thermostat in the winter, you’ll save up to 5% on heating costs.)
• Move desks and cubicles away from windows. Windows are a source of drafts and draw heat from people in the winter, making them feel colder.
• During cool weather, open blinds for light and warmth and close drapes at the end of the day to reduce heat loss at night.
• Please dress appropriately for the weather.
• Please do not use space heaters.
• Don’t place lamps, TV sets or computers near the thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the heat from coming on.
• Please report unusually hot or cold conditions…

Temperature controls during A/C season

• Keep windows and doors closed when HVAC systems are operating — If you must open windows for ventilation, close them before leaving room.
• Thermostats will be adjusted to 74° for administrative and academic areas.
• In warm weather, close blinds to reduce cooling load.
• Please turn off window units when room is not in use.
• Don’t place lamps, TV sets or computers near the thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• Please report unusually cold or hot conditions…

Elevator usage — use for the handicapped and for transporting materials.

• If possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator.

tags: conservation, conserve, conserve energy, energy, energy savers, tip, tips