CONSERVATION CONVERSATION
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From: Mark Phillips
Date: Saturday, July 5, 2008, 12:09 PM
Subject: Conservation Conversation
ID: 262304

We are in an electric power emergency. SCE has asked us all to conserve electricity as much as possible. But how?

Turning of lights when not needed is a start, but just a start. Here are a couple less obvious but more effective power saving ideas:

- turn off your air conditioner, or at least set the temperature to the upper 70’s or low 80’s at bare minimum. If you do use one, replace the filters.

- Put clean water in clean (1-2 liter pop bottles) plastic beverage containers and stick them in your freezer. Allow room for the ice to expand and keep the cap loose. This increase the efficiency of your freezer in general, by offsetting air volume and creating more (cold) thermal mass. This means your fridge doesn’t have to turn on as often and for as long. Also, when the power does go out. It will keep your food cold, longer.

- Lower the setting on your fridge by 1 or 2 digits. You can raise it later after the fire, or better yet, forget you did that and see if your food stays fresh, and your bill goes down.

- Vacuum the coils on your fridge if you can access them.

- Run appliances in the evening.

- If you have a pool or hot tub, reduce the time that the pump runs, and reduce or turn off the heater.

In the infinite wisdom of our leaders, most of the emergency communication between them and us is dependent on the grid. They ask us to keep alert by monitoring our TV, radio and internet, keeping and phones open for reverse. Without electricity, most of our phones don’t work, internet and TV is dead. We’re all in this together. So by helping to keep the grid up, it helps us in this delicate time with our fragile system. Hopefully, someone is taking notes, and we will learn for next time.