Saving energy could save you money

Check out this web page for information on the City of Red Deer's Home Energy Audit Rebate as well as other ways you can save money by being energy-efficient.

Chrismas Light Exchange

Today marks the start of this year's Christmas light exchange, and we're already seeing big demand. Offered in partnership with the City of Red Deer Electric Light and Power Department and Environmental Initiatives Division, the exchange gives you the opportunity to recycle your old incandescent lights by trading them for more energy-efficient LEDs.

Bring your old lights to the Nature Centre, and for every two strings of old-style lights you'll receive a string of LED lights.

Our thanks to London Drugs, this year's light supplier.

For more information, call the Kerry Wood Nature Centre at 403-346-2010.

Easy Ways to Conserve Power

With the current cold weather, holiday baking, Christmas lights, and so on, power consumption is spiking. Save yourself some money and help delay the construction of new power plants and transmission lines by doing your part in reducing electricity consumption:

• Run appliances such as washers, dishwashers, and clothes driers later in the evening or on weekends, during times of low power demand
• Use timers on your vehicule's block heater, and only heat the engine for a couple of hours before you need to use it: heating it overnight wastes energy and costs you money!
• Turn off electric (space- and baseboard heaters) except when needed.
• Convert to energy-efficient lighting: compact fluorescents or LED bulbs use MUCH less power than traditional incandescent lights. Outdoor holiday light displays are wonderful, but can use $27 of power in a month, at 6 hours/day. By comparison, inexpensive LED Christmas lights will cost you 47¢.
• Unplug any "beer fridges" that are not in use.
• Use the smallest burner you can get away with on your range, and use a microwave instead of the full-size oven when possible.
• Unplug "vampire" electronics: cell phone chargers, instant-on televisions, and unused little power adaptors. They all draw power even when not on, costing you money!

None of these tips should decrease anyone's quality of life. Better scheduling and smart choices means saving money and ensuring that Alberta doesn't build more coal or nuclear power plants.

We are a Leader in Renewable Energy

The Kerry Wood Nature Centre has just been recognized by ENMAX Corporation as a consumer of renewable power. In 2008, the Nature Centre consumed 58,270 kW/h of electricity generated through the ENMAX Green Max program - largely from wind-generated power. 

One the power generation side, we are creating electricity through a photo-voltaic system. There are currently 40 solar panels on the roof of the Nature Centre, tied to two of our four installed inverters. The Centre’s solar-power consultant is currently sourcing another 20 panels. They should be installed by the end of 2009. The system has capacity for 80 panels. We are currently fundraising for an estimated $15,000 for the remaining 20 panels.

The PV system supplements the electricity coming in from the grid, ensuring we get some of our power from a renewable, non-carbon-based source. Click here for an up-to-date snap shot of how much power we are generating for ourselves.

When the phase one of the grid-tied PV system was installed in 2004 it was the first of its kind in the area. Gordon Howell of Howell Mayhew Engineering and The City of Red Deer’s Electric Light and Power department worked together to build a framework that would allow others to install similar systems, giving rise to the Net Zero homes in Red Deer’s newer subdivisions

The Green Sound of Silence

There was an amazing thunderstorm here a few days ago. The lightning was almost continuous, the rain was torrential, and the power was off for almost an hour (at least it was at my house).

Thunderstorms like that don't scare me. In fact this one, with its lengthy late evening power disruption, gave me ample time to reflect. And in my relaxed, reflective state I came to a startling revelation: nowadays, there is rarely an opportunity to enjoy true silence.

Think about it. When was the last time you experienced true silence? I'm not talking about the silence that comes when you've stepped outside the office for a quick breath of fresh air or turned your computer and cell phone off for the day after the kids are in bed. True silence does not exist in those scenarios: the traffic still flows by and the fridge is still buzzing. I'm talking about silence like people used to know it: no power lines, no traffic, no endless EMF generation. It's the kind of silence that can only come from nature; from immersing yourself deep in a forest or, in my case, enjoying a late night power outage. And it was refreshing.

We need silence. Noise is stress and silence is the cure. So if I have learned only one thing from this experience, it is this: we need to make room for silence in our lives.

An added benefit is that, in order to create silence, we need to do one of two things. One, we have to turn off all of our gadgets (at least for a little while) or two, we need to get out into nature. We can do both, of course, and save a bit of energy while we're at it. Think of it: if all of us dedicated just one afternoon a week to creating and enjoying silence, we would be calmer, more balanced, and working to save the planet in the process. It's a win-win, really.

I would like to dedicate this post to energy-saving silence. Try it, you'll like it.