Energy Savings in kWh

By our calculations, the average American home uses 10,968 kWh of energy annually. This figure averages data from several sources that provide information about average annual home energy consumption. Instead of using just one figure, we created an average from figures provided by a number of sources. These sources include the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the US Department of Energy and Underwriters Laboratories By comparing the projected annual energy usage for South Waterfront residences with the average annual household consumption of energy, we calculated the anticipated annual energy savings for South Waterfront. Natural gas use was included in the calculations. Therms - the units of measurement for heat - were converted to kWh to obtain a standard unit of measurement across all of our energy calculations. 29 Therms is equivalent to one kWh.

Energy Savings in Dollars

To get the energy savings in dollars, the energy savings in kWh was multiplied by 7 cents per kWh, which is the cost per kWh of electricity in Oregon and Washington according to the Department of Energy’s Information Administration Website.

A Mechanical, Electircal and Plumbing Engineer developed Water Use Reduction Tables, which calculate average water consumption per residence compared to projected water consumption per South Waterfront residence. The water consumption per residence considers daily use (the number of times a day a specific appliance or convenience uses water), flow rate of water, usage (how the water is used by the appliance or convenience, for example, in water saving mode or  standard mode) and the number of occupants to arrive at a daily water usage volume. This daily figure was then annualized.

This annual water usage for SWF was then compared to the national average water use per person per year, multiplied by the same number of occupants.  The annual water savings was then equated to number of showers saved per year.  The average shower was calculated at 20 gallons of water or 8 minutes of shower time with a 2.5 gallon/minute water flow.

Smartwater.com, npr.org, supplyht.com and the American Water Association were sources for this information.

My wife and I have been fixing our place up over the past few months, and had a hard time finding green products for the house. After some searching we came across this great paint company called Yolo Colorhouse, who is actually based in Portland. They have a great selection of colors, and the water based products won’t harmful the fam or the environment. www.yolocolorhouse.com

We just had our first child and came across some pretty scary info from the EPA in the process of safety-proofing our home. According to their site indoor air pollution is up to five times worse than being outdoors. Cleaning products that contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can cause skin and eye irritation, reproductive disorders, and even cancer. There are plenty of green cleaning products on the market that are similarly priced, just as effective, and much safer for us and the environment.

Been doing my best to try and be green, and do more than just recycle. A friend told me about carbon offset programs where you can support green practices like renewable energy or reforestation. It’s not as good as getting rid of your car, but it’s a start. This one www.carbonfund.org was recommended by Treehugger, and has a calculator to figure out how much C02 you’re responsible for.

Did you know buying locally grown food reduces our impact on the environment? Farmer’s markets are a great way to support independent businesses, as well as reducing the carbon usually released by long distance transportation. I found this site (slowfoodportland.com) that serves as a good primer on the foodie aspect of the movement. Please share any other organic finds that are out there.