by havoc [ posted: 10.Feb.2010 01:31 PM ] [dura-link][Print]
If you are
really interested in doing "good things" for the environment, the very best thing you can do is use
good insulation. "Waste heat" is a generic term for
- heat lost from reactions
- heat lost from machines
- heat lost in all forms of exhaust
- general heat loss from a system (think: your house in the winter)
- heat leaks into the system (think: your house in the summer)
If people would insulate (or reinsulate) their homes, they could save up to 70% on heating and cooling costs.
Think of it this way: When you run the air conditioner in your home, you are generating several tons/year of pollution at a power plant that's probably in another county, if not another state. That's still your pollution.
Another thought: After a snow, if your house heat is used to melt the snow on your roof, you're throwing away money
and causing unnecessary pollution -- You could save money while "saving the world."
I'm not exactly what you would call an "environmentalist," because it's a term that carries some extra baggage of stupidity, but I'm 100% for being efficient and responsible. If you can do something that costs very little, yet has a very high impact, you're morally and financially obligated to do that first.
Insulation probably has a greater impact on conservation than all of the billions of dollars invested in "alternative energy" (wind, solar, etc.) in the last 10 years.