By Kate Schertel When thinking of energy, the forms that most often come to mind are mechanical, electrical and thermal. We employ energy everyday - driving to work, turning on a light, and adjusting the thermostat. Taking its convenience for granted, we forget that most of our nation's energy is supplied through the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) that pollute the Earth. Increased popularity and affordability of electrical and fuel-powered appliances and machines have encouraged Americans to use more energy than ever before! While power authorities struggle to increase our capacity to provide energy, the demand continues to soar. It is time to start conserving energy and to transition into using renewable energy sources. ENERGY ON THE SOUTH FORK: Over the past few years, LIPA reports have indicated that Long Island.s electricity demand is continuing to grow at a rate of 100 megawatts (MW) per year. In 2002, LIPA's answer to an overwhelming pressure for more energy was the addition of 10 new turbine generators and a new cross-Sound cable (adding 730 MW electricity). Conservation measures were also stressed through their Clean Energy Initiative. Although this campaign helped to reduce Long Island's electric consumption by approximately 115 MW, increased demand completely outpaced the savings. This year, Long Islanders broke the highest record (5,059 MW in July 2002) for daily electric output, demanding 5,214 MW before 4pm on July 20th! The additional electrical resources secured in 2002 allowed for this output, but if weather conditions had been any more extreme LIPA officials said they would have begun worrying about the possibility of blackouts. In a recent Southampton Press article (August 18, 2005), LIPA said the South Fork alone broke its single-day record for energy use TWICE this summer - once on Friday, August 5th (203 MW)- and again on Saturday, August 13th (217 MW). LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel was shocked to see that the feat was accomplished on a Saturday, when most businesses are closed. Yet, with the ever-growing East End population, new construction, pool heaters and the increasing use of multiple refrigerators, televisions, radios, telephones, and computers in the home, it is easy to see why the demand has sky rocketed. ALTERNATIVES FOR HOMEOWNERS As this year's hot summer pressed on, local legislators coordinated their efforts with LIPA to exempt homeowners from sales tax on the purchase of solar (photovoltaic) energy systems. As of August 22nd, both State and Suffolk County taxes on home solar energy units are tax-exempt. These tax exemptions provide a huge discount to any homeowner when combined with rebates from LIPA ($4,000 per KW) along with NY State tax credits. Another obvious benefit is lower energy bills (not to ention tax savings if a mansion or electricity "hog tax" is enacted. ...AND CAR OWNERS! One additional up-and-coming renewable energy source on Long Island is (believe it or not!) vegetable oil! In fact, September 9th marked the maiden voyage of a 1980 Mercedes Benz turned "Veggie Car" that was converted to run on bio-diesel fuel by a group of students at Southampton College. Members of the campus environmental club Protecting Every Aspect Concerning the Environment (P.E.A.C.E.) cooperated with Professor Scott Carlin and his students over the past year to modify the donated vehicle, enabling it to operate mainly on used vegetable oil. Since the closure of the college, Kasey Jacobs, Elisha Gibson (GSF volunteers) and Peter Saltanis (former GSF intern) have transferred to Southampton's "sister" campus, C.W. Post, to finish their undergraduate degrees. They hope to build a better recycling program there, using the "Veggie Car" for regular collection runs. Aside from its environmental benefits, vegetable oil is a cheaper alternative to the imported petroleum products that run most cars. John Munzel of Riverhead had his 1982 Mercedes Benz diesel engine retrofitted by a company in Putnam County for just over $2,000. He now runs the car on diesel ($2.69 per gallon) for about five minutes to warm up before switching over to the used vegetable oil ($0 per gallon). Mr. Munzel obtains his "veggie fuel" from local restaurants that are happy to get rid of it - they usually pay to have the used oil removed, so they give it to him for free. With the rising cost of petroleum products, converting your engine to use bio-diesel fuels may be the way to go, if you already have a diesel engine! OUR RENEWABLE FUTURE: On April 18, 1977 Jimmy Carter addressed the nation with concern over our energy supply, saying, "We simply must balance our demand with our resources." Almost thirty years later, the same ideal holds true. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we acknowledge our reliance on fossil fuels for the maintenance of our lifestyles. If we are to sustain our current quality of life, we must be careful to sustain the resources we depend upon and develop new ways of generating energy. YOU CAN TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TOWARD SECURING RENEWABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY FOR THE SOUTH FORK BY STEPPING UP TO THESE CHALLENGES: Challenge 1: When remodeling or making improvements to your home, consider using a contractor who participates in the "Home Performance with Energy Star" program. Certified contractors differentiate their services from ordinary contractors by looking at a house as a whole system and saving you up to 40% on energy bills. These trained and educated contractors can make your home more energy efficient while ensuring it is safe, healthy and comfortable. For more information, please visit Home Perfomance at www.getenergysmart.org. Challenge 2: Have a home solar energy system installed to help conserve resources, protect the environment, and offset electricity costs. For more information, please visit LIPA's web site or call (800) 692-2626 and learn how to become a "Solar Pioneer." Challenge 3: Hire a certified professional to perform an "energy audit" on your home. Building professionals have tools that can measure the energy efficiency of your home and make recommendations on how to improve the performance of any building. For more information: www.lipower.org/cei/solar.contractors.html (800)692-2626 www.RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org (631)537-8282 www.solaroptions.com (631)537-1654 Challenge 4: Instead of spending more on inefficient non-renewable resources in the future, spend a little more money now to support LIPA.s Green Choice Program. This program allows a homeowner to purchase energy from environmentally friendly renewable sources. For more information, please visit www.lipower.org/residential/green.html or call (800) 692-2626. Challenge 5: Make sure your home is insulated properly, with the guidance of a professional. Poorly insulated ducts can leak heated or cooled air into crawlspaces and unfinished basements. This can contribute hundreds of dollars more than necessary to your home heating and cooling bills. In addition to ensuring ducts are properly insulated, it is important to replace single-paned windows with high performance double-paned glass to reduce heat loss. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE SMALL STEPS TO CONSERVE ENERGY (AND MONEY) IN YOUR HOME BY FOLLOWING THESE TEN SIMPLE TIPS: Replace incandescent light bulbs with universal compact florescent bulbs (A 23 watt compact florescent bulb provides the same amount of light as a 100 watt incandescent bulb) When replacing household appliances, shop for those with an ENERGY STAR label - these appliances are more energy efficient and will save you money on electric bills! Recycle old appliances to prevent harmful chemicals from leaking into the environment. Use air conditioners sparingly. Set the temperature to 78 degrees during the day and turn the unit off when you are not in the house. Use window air conditioners in the bedroom only at night and make sure you have the right size unit to serve the area you wish to cool. Don't let your fireplace burn up energy this winter! Keep the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning. Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. Turn off or unplug appliances when not in use. Some appliances continue to use electricity even when they are not being used. For example, an "instant on" remote controlled television set uses anywhere from 5 to 40 watts, just from being plugged in. Unplugging appliances like these is the only way to really turn them off! Use cold water when washing your clothes. About 80% of the energy used for washing clothes is used to heat the water. You can reduce laundry cost and energy use by washing full loads and hanging clothes to dry, when possible. Enable "standby" mode on personal computers. In the age of instant messaging and email at your fingertips, it is tempting to leave computers on at all times so we don't miss a beat. Standby modes on most new computers save energy while making it easier to start again where you may have left off after a few hours away from the computer. Maintain your refrigerator so it doesn.t guzzle energy. Refrigerators should be kept between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit for fresh food and 5 degrees for the freezer compartment. Put a thermometer in a glass of water into the fridge (or between frozen packages in the freezer) and record the temperature after 24 hours. Adjust the temperature settings according to your results Where possible, use low-voltage outdoor lights that employ solar energy. Look for outdoor lights with sunlight sensors, which automatically turn off when they sense sunlight. The best ones will be powered by small photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into the energy they need to operate at night - at no further cost to you. Make sure you install full cut-off lights, which direct light downward and don't contribute to light pollution. Schedule a monthly cleaning regimen for your furnace filter. Cleaning or replacing the filter in your furnace, along with checking that all vents are clear of obstructions, will ensure that your home heating system is working at optimal energy efficiency. RESOURCES: The News Review The Southampton Press www.csgrp.com www.eere.energy.gov www.eia.doe.gov www.lipower.org www.renewableenergylongisland.org www.solaroptions.com STUDENTS MODIFY MERCEDES TO RUN ON USED VEGETABLE OIL Professor Scott Carlin and members of a Southampton College student-led environmental club, P.E.A.C.E. (Protecting Every Aspect Concerning the Environment), are bringing their environmental influence (and their "Veggie Car" to a new home at C.W. Post: (from left) Prof. Scott Carlin, Elisha Gibson, Peter Saltanis and Kasey Jacobs.