Energy Usage

A. For this blog, I experimented with the amount of energy I use in my every day life. Starting in the morning, I notice that I keep the A/C on during the night and for all of the day. I have the A/C going on for 24 hours. In addition, I used my phone several times throughout the day, totaling 1 1/2 hours on the phone for the 24 hour period. My alarm clock is constantly plugged in so that counts for 24 hours of usage. I kept track of how long I watched tv for, and the hours totaled that I watched was 6 hours of tv. I only showered once and that was for only 15 minutes. I also used the microwave for 1 minute to heat up some leftover food.

B. I wasn't able to check out my meter however the company I deal with for power is FPL. According to their website, "FPL uses a diverse mix of fuels at its power plants to generate reliable electricity. Because of its fuel mix, FPL is recognized as a clean-energy company, with one of the lowest emissions profiles among U.S. utilities." (http://www.fplgroup.com/about/contents/fpl.shtml).

C. The total number of miles that I drove was 41 miles. This included my commute to school, and various errands that I had to run throughout the day. Throughout the day I drove by myself.

D. The odometer on my car reads 109716 miles. It's a 2003 Ford Explorer. On average, it's been driven 15, 673 miles a year.
(Courtesy of http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/explorerrides/ig/Ford-Explorer-Offroad-Photos/Doc-s-2003-Ford-Explorer-XLT.htm).

F. According to the website, www.fueleconomy.gov, my car actually puts out 12.4 tons annually of CO2 emissions.

G. Looking back, I feel somewhat ashamed at how much energy I use. I could definitely cut back on the amount of energy I devote to the AC. This will only save on money for me as well, however I was so used to our long winters that I'm a bit spoiled on the cool air and I'm just not quite ready for the hot weather to be here yet. I could definitely make better choices, such as turning the AC unit off after I leave the house, or unplugging my clocks after I leave the house since I don't need to know what time it is when I'm out of the house. I try not to drive a lot of places however I do live far away enough from the school that I have to drive pretty far out. In the future, I plan on setting a limit with my driving and make sure I can keep myself to a certain budget of driving. This will not only benefit the planet but also save me on money too.