ECO: The three Rs that can save you money

Simple changes can bring substantial savings, as well as environmental benefits.

The message simply isn't getting through. We all know that conserving energy and natural resources is essential if this blue planet is going to continue to be habitable.

Yet water still runs off over-soaked lawns and down the drain; cars continue to guzzle gas; air conditioners hum like swarms of bees all summer and in winter living rooms are as warm as a Cuban beach.

Simple changes can mean substantial savings. For example, if a household faucet drips at the rate of one drop a second you waste 10,000 litres of water a year, says the City Of Ottawa's WaterWise website. Fixing the leak takes minutes and reduces your burden on the system.

Replace the five most-used incandescent lights in your home or office with compact fluorescent bulbs and you save 250 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy a year, which works out to $20 more in your pocket, says BC Hydro. Run your dishwasher without the dry cycle, seal the air leaks in outside walls, doors and windows, and wash clothes in cold water to save another 1,100 to 1,200 kWh a year, or about $82.

If you avoid jackrabbit starts and keep your speed at 90 kilo-metres an hour instead of 110, you can save 20 to 30 per cent on gas, says the Canadian Automobile Association. Before heading out on the road, take off the roof rack. Cars without them can go about 540 km on a tank of gas travelling at 80 km/h. With a poorly packed roof rack, all you'll get is 450 km.

Conservation is not rocket science. There are easy steps anyone can take to help secure our future and save money.

Water use

Let three simple words be your guide, says WaterWise: Reduce, repair and retrofit.

Reduce: Do not do laundry until you have a full load; keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until the water chills; take shorter showers; turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your hands, and check for leaks in toilets and all faucets.

If you have to water your lawn, place the sprinkler so it is the lawn getting the benefit not the driveway, and water in the evening or at night, not in daytime hours when the sun's rays will quickly evaporate the water.

Repair: Leaky faucets are easy to spot; change the washer. For toilets, add a few drops of food colouring or even black coffee to the water in the tank. If the colour appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak. If a toilet continues to run on after flushing, or if the leak is large enough, you could waste 200,000 litres of water a year.

Retrofit: Older shower heads use about 20 litres of water a minute. Replace them with low-flow models that use 9.5 litres a minute or less. Install faucet aerators; they can reduce water use by 25 per cent. Replace the old 20 litres per flush toilet with a new low-flow model; they can cut water use to just six litres a flush.

Electric Energy

Reducing electricity use and saving money at the same time is simple. Turn off lights when you leave a room and turn off appliances when you are not using them; replace incandescent bulbs with pigtail-shaped compact fluorescent ones; unplug battery chargers when not in use; close your blinds to keep rooms cool in summer; wash clothes in cold water, then hang them outside to dry; look for Energy Star-rated appliances when you are in the market for new ones; and cut shower times by one minute.

Home heating

We use about 60 per cent of a year's worth of natural gas or fuel oil in just four winter months, so start your conservation plan by getting the house in shape for the coming winter.

Clean or replace your gas-fired furnace filter every three months; in late summer or early fall every year, bring in service people to have the furnace checked and cleaned.

Install programmable thermostats so you can turn the heat down when you are out of the house or at bedtime. Lower the temperature three degrees at night to save fuel and possibly sleep better.

Do not block air vents and registers with furniture, drapes or area rugs, and seal cracks around windows, doors and wall sockets. Make sure you close the fireplace damper when not in use and check the insulation in your attic. Warm air rises; the trick is to keep it in the house.

Driving

Keeping gasoline consumption low is a matter of common sense and courtesy.

Avoid jack-rabbit starts; drive at, not above, the speed limit and if possible use cruise control on the highway. Cruise control can reduce fuel consumption between 15 and 30 per cent.

Do not let your engine idle for more than one minute unless in traffic. Just 10 seconds of idling uses as much fuel as turning your car on and off again. Size counts but in a negative way. A six-cylinder engine can burn 400 litres more fuel a year than a four-cyclinder engine.

In winter, install a block heater. Vehicles can use up to 50 per cent more fuel warming up engines and emission control systems on icy mornings. Block heaters keep them ready to go. In summer, go easy on the air conditioning. City driving with the air conditioning on full blasts boosts fuel consumption by up to 25 per cent.

Three final points: Avoid roof racks, don't carrying excessive weight and keep your vehicle well-maintained. Every 45 kilos of extra weight can increase fuel consumption by two per cent. Keeping your car in tip-top shape is a no-brainer. Engines, tires and all the mechanical do-dads that make up the family car are most fuel efficient when they're in great shape

(prepared by Terrence Belford/Vancouver Sun)