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Groovy Gouvey Greenies Home
Hello, we are the Groovy Gouvey Greenies and we are competing in the Lexus Eco Challenge to help save the environment. We are focusing on the climate and the air. One of our main focuses is the amount of CO2 that is emitted into the air. We are also focusing on ways to winterize homes to save energy. We are finding ways to stop global warming. Watch Our Video Below to Learn Simple Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
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What is the problem?
We live in Northern New York where the temperatures can be frigid! During the heating season, the average high is 37 degrees, and the average low is 20 degrees, but temperatures have been known to drop to twenty below zero! Since the cold is a serious reality for us, we have no option but to heat our homes for about 6 months out of the year! We are using too much energy to heat our homes. This is a problem because on average, heating an American home with natural gas produces about 6,400 pounds of CO2, and homes that use electricity for heat the average CO2 emissions jump to 4,700 pounds. In colder places, like where we live, those numbers can jump to as high as 8,000 and 9,900 pounds of CO2 per year!
Why is that a big deal?:
Most people have heard of carbon dioxide. It is used in respiration and photosynthesis. It also contributes to global warming. Global warming is when the earth’s temperature warms up because of greenhouse gasses. These gasses, including carbon dioxide, have many negative effects on the environment. Global warming causes changes in weather and there could be more hurricanes, storms and tornados, and those are things we don’t need. It also affects animal habitats by changing rainfall and soil type or soil acidity that plants can’t live in. Quickly changing climate could really endanger living things.
Scientists think that in many places, climate change could increase the number of very hot days that occur during the year. More hot days increase the risk of heat relates health problems like heat stress. Heat stress, when untreated, is really dangerous to your health. There are other heat related problems, like heat stroke, which can cause severe brain damage.
Global Warming can raise the sea level. Hotter weather makes glaciers melt into water. Melting glaciers add more water to the ocean. Warmer temperatures also make water expand more. This makes the sea-level rise. Scientists predict sea level could rise as much as three feet during the next century, flooding low-elevation areas like New York City. Flooding could cause saltwater to flow into areas where salt is harmful especially in places like Africa where clean water is scarce, threatening plant and animal life in these areas. Oceanfront property could also be affected. Drinking water could be affected too. Global warming is bad for the environment, and we should do our best to prevent it.
Being inefficient heating our homes not only affects the environment, it has a direct impact on your life too! We use more energy to heat our homes than we do for any other appliance in our homes (CITE). Based on a survey we did we found that most people in our community use fuel oil to heat their homes. On average, they are using 200 gallons of fuel oil per month, totaling about $532 in a month. That is $3,192 in a heating season! The second most common heating fuel in our community is wood. On average people use 7 cords of wood in a month. If they are buying all of their wood, and not cutting any of it themselves, that would cost $1,400 a month, and $8,400 in a heating season! About a quarter of the people surveyed use both fuel oil and wood to heat their homes. Others use kerosene, averaging 225 gallons per month, totaling $666 a month and $3,996 in a heating season!
What can people do to lower their fuel use?
Everyone can do a little bit to reduce the amount of energy they use to heat their homes. Here are some easy ideas! -Insulate your attic. Large amounts of heat can be lost through the attic. -Weather-strip your attic door or hatch to keep the heat from getting into the attic and being wasted because the attic can usually be drafty and the heat can escape. -Replace you heater’s air filter monthly. This will make your heater work less hard and make it work better. -Make sure your heating vents are opened and are not blocked by furniture or other objects. This will make it so the air moves through the house. -Block leaks around the house. The average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall, according to EarthWorks Group (about.com). Find leaks by walking around the house with a burning stick of incense. Watch as the smoke shifts! -Caulk or apply tacky rope to drafty windows, places where pipes come through the walls, electric wall plugs, or other drafty areas. -Make sure your doors seal. -If you have a fireplace, close the damper when you don’t have a fire. -Check your heating ducts for leaks. Repair or replace damaged ducts. -Turn down your thermostat at night and when you are not at home. -Install a programmable thermostat. -Buy insulating drapes for windows. They’re inexpensive and are one more layer between drafty windows and the indoors. -Close off rooms you’re not using. -Hang a drape in the stairwell to keep heat downstairs when you’re not using the upstairs- remember, heat rises!
Why should you bother?
You should winterize your home for many reasons. One would be that if you lower your thermostat 5 degrees like for 70 to 65 you could lower your annual heating bill 5 percent. Some more suggestions would be to install a programmable thermostat, which can save up to 1,071 pounds of CO2 emissions into the air and save $58.10 dollars a year. Another is to seal large air leaks in your home such as under a door and windows. That can save 1,489 pounds of CO2 emissions into the air and save $80.76. Another is to insulate your attic. It can save 2,142 pounds of CO2 from getting into the air and save $116.20 dollars a year. One more is to seal and insulate your HVAC ducts. It can save 1,512 pounds of CO2 from getting into the air and save $81.90 dollars a year. That and our other suggestions can save in total 6,847 pounds of CO2 from getting into the air and save in total $372.92 dollars a year.
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