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Monday, July 23, 2007


How Green is My South Dakota?

 

By Gordon Garnos

AT ISSUE: With sincere apologies to film director-author Richard Llewellyn, who wrote "How Green Was My Valley," I ask the question, "How Green is My South Dakota." Llewellyn's book, published in 1939 and later made into an Oscar-winning movie, tells the story of the dreadfully tragic lives in a Welsh mining town of many years ago. Before you think I am comparing those times to South Dakota, I want to make it very clear about the "Green" I am talking about. What I am advocating is looking at what energy conservation (green) methods South Dakota folks are practicing and how a family can save some money and save energy at the same time.

GOING GREEN, as in practicing energy conservation, usually translates into "sacrifice" for a lot of people. Many folks believe that practicing conservation means giving up conveniences. Most of the time by going green a household can actually save money.

Ever since the buzz words, "Going Green," we have all heard about, read about and viewed on television about the importance of going green, but few of us have taken it very seriously. At least it has been that way at our house until recently when Earth Day hit us right between the eyes.

First we started using our ceiling fan more and using less our air conditioner. It has taken a little time to see a difference in our electric bill, but a savings was there.

THEN, WE DIDN'T want to go overboard on light bulbs, but when one of the two three-way bulbs blew in our living room, we invested in two new ones, the efficiency kind. I felt financially justified since we already had to buy a new one anyway. Those two new bulbs worked great even though when the switch is first flipped it takes several seconds for them to glow at their brightest.

They tell us to buy these efficiency light bulbs, but they don't tell us what to do with the old ones. In my way of thinking throwing away a perfectly good light bulb is also a waste of money isn't it? That question hasn't been answered yet.

WE DIDN'T THINK much about the light bulb saga until three of the six bulbs over our bathroom sink blew within a few days of each other. Not wanting to debate whether or not this is planned obsolescence, we went out and purchased six new ones. Now, the old ones were each 40 watts, times six, about 240 watts every time one goes to the bathroom. The six new bulbs, at eight watts each put out the same illumination as the old 40 watters. That's quite a savings as well.

I mentioned above how the new efficiency bulbs take a little time to get to their brightest. I might add that has proven to be a bonus in the bathroom, especially at 4 a.m. That's because those softer lights for those few seconds are a godsend on old man's eyes when he has trouble waking up any way. So much for the light bulbs...

Those are just a couple of things a family can do to save electric energy. There are several other places in the home that spell energy losses. For example, electrical outlets on outside walls lose a lot of heat for you in the winter. This is easily rectified by purchasing insulating pads that fits between your outlet box and plate.

WHEN I SAID THERE are several ways to save energy, I was reminded of the time several years ago when our municipal utilities department did an energy loss survey for the entire city. This was accomplished by flying over the city with a special camera that showed which houses and businesses were losing heat. Our house at the time, an older one, showed up as bright red, meaning we were way short of insulation.

Insulating that old house cost us a few bucks, but the later fuel bills proved that was a wise investment.

WE ALSO PUT a solar panel over the kitchen and dining room at that old house. You just can't imagine the amount of heat it brought in. This panel was a homemade one being promoted at the time by the S.D. Public Utilities Commission. Our new house isn't situated right for these solar panels, but they have commercial ones now that really do a good job in heating homes.

Duct taping the connections of your heating and cooling ducts have energy efficiencies as well. Also, check your windows. There are several on the market now that in the long run will save you big bucks, especially if you have an older home. That holds true as well for installing one of those new high-efficiency furnaces. They are a little pricey, but will save you big bucks in the future.

All in all, when I ask, "How Green is My South Dakota," it can get greener and save you big money in the long run....

 

Gordon Garnos was long-time editor of the Watertown Public Opinion and recently retired after 39 years with that newspaper.  Garnos, a lifelong resident of South Dakota except for his military service in the U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Presho.

 

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