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New Year, New You? 2022 Energy Saving Resolutions

Installing a Washer and Dryer

It’s almost the end of 2021! There are probably some people out there who are absolutely delighted, while it is dreadful to others. Regardless, the beginning of a New Year also brings about the opportunity to create New Year’s resolutions. Despite what resolutions you commit to for the upcoming year, the overall goal is to improve your life in some form or fashion. If you’re unsure how to begin, let us help! May we suggest you start working on goals that not only help you, but the environment!

Take Shorter Showers

One of the easiest ways to save energy at home is by taking shorter showers! The average shower lasts around 8-10 minutes long and use roughly 16-18 gallons of water – that’s about 25% of our individual water usage. If you’re looking to save even a little bit more, warm showers save just a bit more energy than hot showers do. Every drop really does count. For those who are looking to go the extra mile for their health and the environment, Dr. Andrew Huberman suggests, “11 minutes of cold exposure per week as reliable threshold to derive major benefits on your metabolism, insulin and growth hormone pathways.”

Quick tip: Create a shower playlist of 2-3 songs and race against the music to finish your shower before the last song ends! Here’s a playlist to bring on the shower power: https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWSqmBTGDYngZ?si=V71GBqCHQB6o1r5M4pO2xQ

Create a Capsule Wardrobe

Have you heard of a capsule wardrobe? A capsule wardrobe allows you to create a variety of outfits with a small selection of clothing items. Choose your closet essentials, and then donate the rest to a thrift store or send them to an online clothing recycling company. Creating this type of closet allows for less overconsumption of clothing items, and thus is a more sustainable way to curate your closet.

Learn to Compost

Learning a new skill or hobby can be exciting, especially when it has a positive outcome. Composting is not as hard to learn as it may seem – even beginners to composting can get the hang of it after their first try. Turning your food scraps into fertilizer is a fun, at-home way to give back to the planet and reduce greenhouse gases.

Shop in Person vs. Online More Often

Packaging waste from online ordering has grown exponentially, accounting for 82.2 million tons of trash in landfills – 28.1% of our total waste generation, in 2018. The ease of online shopping comes at the cost of high amounts of packaging waste, however shopping in person can help to lessen this total. While it may be easier to press “check out” on those online products, by developing a list compiled with multiple things that you need, you can make one shopping trip for everything you need.

Wash Full Loads of Laundry

No matter how full (or not so full) your washer is with laundry, it uses the same amount of energy.  Approximately 10% of a home’s energy use is dedicated to washing and drying clothes. By washing larger loads, it allows you to take advantage of the electricity you’re already going to use. Instead of tossing in a t-shirt or two, wait until your laundry piles up for the most energy efficient wash.

Bonus tip: Setting your wash temperature to warm instead of hot can cut energy usage in half, and cold cycles reduce energy usage even more!

Invest in Energy Efficient Appliances

As a homeowner, energy efficient appliances are crucial to help you save money and energy. These types of appliances vary from LED light bulbs, refrigerators, smart thermostats and even washers and dryers. While the upfront cost of energy efficient appliances may be higher than non-efficient appliances, the cost savings is well worth it in the end. Especially, Energy Star appliances, which will save you 10 – 50% more energy depending on the model, and can be even more if replacing an old appliance.

Purchase a Reusable Water Bottle

Plastic waste has steadily increased over past decades, and can be slowed by making simple switches. Reusable water bottles save the average person from wasting 156 plastic water bottles annually. Options such as Klean Kanteen and Byta offer great eco-friendly and sustainable options, amongst many other great reusable water bottle suggestions!

Separate Recyclable Items from Trash

We all pretty much know what recycling is, but not everyone may know how to recycle properly. Only certain materials and contents can be recycled, the rest can be taken to special plants that can recycle those particular products or thrown away. Recycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce and reuse at home!

Use Rechargeable Batteries

Unlike single use batteries, rechargeable batteries can be reused 500 -1000 times depending on average usage. Since these batteries can be used repeatedly, they contribute less to landfills and are thus ‘friendlier’ to the environment. These batteries are not only more reliable, but rechargeable AA and AAA batteries almost always last longer and cost less compared with single-use batteries.

Opt for Reusable Products

Things you use every day can be switched out for thousands of reusable options – making a big difference. Bringing a tote bag to the grocery store, purchasing a bamboo toothbrush, or using reusable Keurig pods are some of the simplest reusable choices to adopt. Can you think of all the single-use products you could swap out for reusable products? By doing an inventory of your life, we bet it would really open your eyes to a completely new way of sustainable living!

Please Don’t Count American Oil and Gas Production Out

Senior citizen keeping warm by the fire

CEA’s Mike Butler examines one of the consequences of cancelled energy infrastructure projects which places constraints on the energy supplies Americans need to power their lives and livelihoods – higher prices.

Heat or eat: That heart wrenching choice grows more probable for countless Americans with surging inflation, gasoline and natural gas prices at seven-year highs, and Americans’ winter heating bills set to rise by at least $13.6 billion over last year.

 

These alarming jolts have been exacerbated by recent decisions that have discouraged investment in American energy by making it almost impossible to site or build new pipelines. One only has to look at the cancelled and litigated projects in Pennsylvania (PennEast, Constitution, New England Supply Enhancement) that slammed the door shut on family-sustaining union jobs and harmed local businesses. As energy prices increase, everyday products that use plastic or petroleum become more expensive – burdening families, businesses and those living in poverty.

Read more – Penn Live

Inflation Fueled by Bad Policy

Father and daughter removing snow from car windows

Misguided federal policies are contributing tot he rising inflation families are seeing at the grocery store and gas pump.  CEA Midwest Executive Director Chris Ventura examines what policies would help families and small businesses being hammered by increasing prices.

First, adequate energy infrastructure needs to be built and modernized to safely transport North American energy resources. Second, the production of American energy needs to be encouraged to bring down prices. Third, we need a financial regulatory policy that does not intentionally discourage investment in traditional forms of energy or put its finger on the scale to make it harder for American industries to access the capital they need to operate their business. Fourth, energy efficiency measures, from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to methane capturing technologies, need to be supported to make the best use of the energy we currently have.

Read more – The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

CEA’s Top 5 Favorite Energy Stories This Week – December 17

As temperatures continue to drop across the country, New Englanders are at risk of rolling blackouts. New England’s grid is often near the limit in the winter months, but severe weather combined with high natural gas prices and pipeline constraints could overwhelm the grid, requiring controlled blackouts.

Despite the clear need for abundant natural gas in commercial and residential heating and cooking, New York City’s City Council finalized plans to ban natural gas in new buildings this week. The move is being criticized for needlessly raising energy costs for consumers without reducing emissions – as renewable energy resources cannot currently sustain the city’s energy demand, leaving coal as the likely substitute in the absence of natural gas.

The Department of Interior released findings this week showing that offshore wind turbines off the coast of New York and New Jersey won’t cause significant impacts to the local environment. The news is a positive signal to the industry that a federal lease sale for offshore wind could occur in the near future.

Check out more energy news below!

Electric Car Charging On Street

5Swappable EV batteries are here…but not for everyone

For decades whenever a device was low on power, we’d open it up and replace the batteries. Then rechargeable batteries hit the market, and you could swap out the depleted batteries for charged ones. Lifewire reports that for many, that’s where EVs should be or could be headed — but not anytime soon for cars, trucks, and SUVs.

Renewables with Battery Storage

4New material promises cheap, large-scale battery storage for wind and solar

Keeping power flowing on the grid when it’s dark and still will be key to storing massive amounts of solar and wind energy. Anthropocene Magazine reports that flow batteries hold promise for large-scale energy storage.

Solar panel installation

3A new net-zero, wind-powered McDonald’s opens

A net-zero carbon McDonald’s has opened in what the company believes is a UK first. At the wind turbine and solar panel-powered restaurant, IT equipment and household goods make up the building’s cladding, signs are from used coffee beans and insulation is provided by sheep wool. BBC News reports that the fast-food company said it would be used as a “blueprint” for other sites and work has started to roll it out.

Road Trip

2Utilities announce collaborative EV charging network

A coalition of dozens of U.S. electrical utilities on Tuesday announced plans to collaborate on a charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) with a goal of charging ports along all major U.S. travel corridors. The Hill reports that the coalition has not set a specific target for number of charging ports, but said its goal is to back the construction of enough for EV owners to travel major corridors “with confidence” by the end of 2023.

Utility scale solar and wind turbines

1Converting solar energy into liquid fuel

Researchers at Harvard have discovered how to convert solar energy into liquid fuel, potentially accelerating our switch to the alternative-energy source, according to an article in this month’s scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Time reports that scientists have figured out a way of using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. They then use a bacterium to convert the hydrogen, plus carbon dioxide, into the liquid fuel isopropanol.

High Energy Prices to Increase Costs for America’s Commercial and Industrial Companies by $41 Billion in 2022, CEA Analysis Finds

Warehouse with boxes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s businesses and manufacturers can expect to pay at least $41.4 billion more for business-related energy costs in 2022, according to analysis by Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses.

“Driving Towards Disaster” analyzes data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook to determine the overall cost increase of electricity, natural gas and diesel fuel for American businesses and manufacturers.

“Federal policies have discouraged U.S. energy production, cancelled critical infrastructure, created inconsistent and confusing regulations, and, often, impractical solutions leading to unreliable and more harmful environmental energy delivery. These recent policy choices will leave American businesses and manufacturers to foot $41.4 billion more in energy costs next year,” CEA President David Holt said. “Many businesses are already reeling from inflation, higher energy costs, broken supply chains and a lack of workers, and this is yet another hardship they will likely need to overcome because of poorly conceived policies.”

“Unfortunately, as businesses spend more on energy and transportation, expenses will be passed on to the consumers purchasing household necessities from milk and eggs to cars and trucks. This comes as inflation reached a 39-year high and is likely to climb further.”

“Thankfully, commonsense energy policies can combat some of these financial hardships by lowering energy costs now and into the future, without slowing our steady progress toward a net-zero future. Rather than implementing short-term, nearsighted strategies – like tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or begging OPEC to increase supply – U.S. energy policy should include long-term measures to ensure energy affordability by encouraging investment in American energy resources; unfreezing access to natural gas resources managed by the federal government; and allowing for the safe, efficient transport of fuels through pipeline infrastructure.”

“As this analysis shows, domestic energy policies have real-world implications for America’s businesses, manufacturers, families and consumers. It is essential we have policies that rely on all of our energy resources to meet our energy and environmental needs; reduce the cost burden on businesses to keep them competitive; and help us achieve our net-zero goals.”

To read the full analysis, click here.

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org

War Of Words Erupts After New York City Council Votes To Ban Natural Gas From All New Construction Under 7 Stories

New York park in winter

CEA Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Mike Butler speaks with CBS New York about America’s rising natural gas production and how consumers will ultimately pay the price for bad policies leading to constrained energy delivery.

Watch Here – WLNY CBS New York

Murphy’s Energy Master Plan for New Jersey is Costly Foolishness

Woman Teleworking

As we work towards a more sustainable energy future while ensuring consumers can afford to power homes and factories, CEA’s report on New Jersey energy savings was recently cited.

The governor’s plan to restrict the use of natural gas and fuel oil, and mandate the reliance on electricity in homes, apartments and commercial buildings would require the installation of new heating units, water heaters and appliances, as well as the upgrade of electric services. The cost estimate of $20,000 per household to convert to electric heat may be conservative.

 

The Consumer Energy Alliance — the leading U.S. consumer advocate in support of affordable, reliable energy for working families, seniors, and businesses — reported that New Jersey residents using natural gas saved more than $21 billion in the last 15 years.

Read more – NorthJersey.com

Passage of NYC Natural Gas Service Ban Will Leave Consumers, Workers and Families Out in the Cold

New York park in winter

New York – Following the New York City Council’s vote to restrict the energy choices of families and business by banning natural gas hookups to new buildings starting in 2023, Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) New York Executive Director Wendy Hijos issued the following statement:

“This irresponsible bill will raise costs on consumers when New York families and small businesses are already struggling with higher energy prices and grappling with the highest inflation in 40 years. Intentionally raising energy costs further is a direct assault on their buying power. A recent CEA analysis found that a natural gas ban could cost a homeowner upwards of $35,000 – a ruinous financial burden heaped on families, small business or those on fixed incomes, simply to satisfy activists who do not care what their policies cost the public,” Hijos said.

“If you need proof of the callous disregard of this approach, look at the fact this vote came as we head into a winter in which households are forecast to pay at least $13.6 billion more just to stay warm. This ban will not reduce emissions, because limits on natural gas have already forced the U.S. to use 23% more coal this year than last.”

“People need to keep the lights and heat on, so removing the affordable and abundant energy sources we have before the future we want arrives is a foolhardy approach. If we are serious about maintaining our progress toward a net zero future, we need cost-effective choices that ensure affordability and reliability, and increase the options NYC has to decarbonize.”

Hijos added, “Instead of bans, let’s continue to support balanced options like bringing more large-scale hydro, offshore wind, nuclear and other renewable energy sources to help meet New York’s ambitious climate goals. We’re going to need it all – including natural gas – to reasonably get to a net-zero future. We have already made more progress toward our climate goals than any other country on Earth. Let’s keep leading the way while ensuring we meet family budgets and energy needs tomorrow, next week and next year. It can’t be done with bans or a one-size-fits-all approaches that could leave our most vulnerable out in the cold and in the dark.”

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org

Removing Natural Gas Could Cost Chicago Consumers More Than $27,000 per Household, New CEA Analysis Finds

Chicago Theater

CHICAGO, IL – Removing natural gas service and usage could cost Chicago households more than $27,000 each, a Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) analysis found. The report “The Hidden Costs of Reducing or Eliminating Natural Gas Service in Illinois,” examined the high cost to Chicago families and businesses from denying natural gas service. Misguided policies could greatly impact Illinois families and households that rely on natural gas for space heating, by forcing a conversion to electric technology either on initial building construction or at equipment replacement.

The report examined what the cost implications would be from forced electrification on Chicago families and consumers, depending on household appliance models, home configuration, labor, and reliance on natural gas. Using open-source consumer data, CEA developed a cost calculator to provide an estimate of what a typical household in the Chicago area could expect to pay if policies to remove natural gas service and usage are put into place.

These findings dovetail with previous CEA research which found that the cost to replace just major gas appliances in homes nationwide would be more than $258 billion.

“While we strongly support greater adoption of clean and low carbon technologies, efforts to reduce natural gas as an energy choice for consumers will inflict serious economic challenges on many citizens during a time when they can least afford it – especially when families are dealing with a surge in energy prices and inflation for consumer staples,” said CEA Midwest Executive Director Chris Ventura.

“Enacting policies that focus on forced electrification as a single pathway and limit natural gas without considering the overall impacts to the state from an environmental and economic perspective will lead to significant inequitable and harmful consequences for Illinois consumers – especially those on fixed and low incomes.”

“As Illinois focuses on meeting new climate and emissions goals, we have to recognize there are viable opportunities for natural gas and natural gas infrastructure to play an important and complementary role in reaching net zero objectives. Instead of limitations, consumers need a portfolio of affordable, always-on options like natural gas to balance the grid and work in tandem to deploy additional supplies of renewable energy and lower-carbon technologies while ensuring consumers have the power and heat they need during extreme weather events and for daily service.”

“We hope policymakers will take a pause and consider the real-world implications that consumers and families are facing and make balanced choices to keep costs down while improving environmental stewardship,” Ventura said.

Please click here to read the report.

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org

Will Fuel Supply Chain Issues Leave Some Families Out in the Cold This Winter?

Northeast Snow Storm

Marc Brown, CEA Northeast’s Executive Director, sat down with WCAX to talk about how keeping the heat on this winter at an affordable price may be tougher this winter due to supply constraints.

Watch Here – CBS 3 WCAX-TV

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