Ecological Footprint Quiz

Cut Apartment Energy Costs with Energy Monitoring Systems

Pop quiz: how much did you spend on electricity last month? Think you know the answer?

Ok, then how much did you spend on say, lighting? Or what about washing clothes?

Energy monitoring systems are an often overlooked – and under-promoted – way for renters to cut utility costs, energy consumption, and their ecological footprint. They allow renters to track how much electricity they consume in real-time.

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, simply having this information helps consumers reduce energy use by as much as 12% . Other estimates put the figure closer to 15%. I guess Lord Kelvin was right. If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.

This technology is showing up in more and more homes across the country. But, what about apartments? The multi-family housing market has been slow to adopt energy monitoring systems. So have renters.

Blame it on a nascent market, the perceived high cost, or maybe just under promotion. Regardless, these systems help renters reduce energy costs and consumption. Meanwhile, they provide an opportunity for apartment owners to attract a new generation of tech- and green-savvy renters.

An energy monitoring system can be set up in just 15 minutes, and for as little as $100. It provides detailed information about how much electricity you use on lights, appliances, heating and air conditioning, and more. Most systems allow you to see this information in real time. In other words, you could turn on a lamp and instantly see how much electricity is being used.

Though the main benefit is having access to new, actionable data. For example, you could determine how much it costs to wash and dry a single load of laundry. Or, you could determine how much money you would save by turning off your AC one hour earlier in the morning.

Of course there are several other valuable – and surprising – benefits. For example, several beta testers of Google’s PowerMeter discovered they were paying for unnecessary energy costs.

Finally, and most importantly, there are far- and wide-reaching benefits. Cutting back your energy consumption will not only reduce your personal eco footprint, but also reduce your local utility company’s environmental impact (i.e. via reduced use of fossil fuels).

Apartment owners should take a lesson from their commercial counterparts. In recent years, many well-known commercial properties have undergone green renovations to attract new tenants. According to Natural Home and Garden , green-certified buildings had higher occupancy rates than other buildings with similar age, size, and location.

Ecological Footprint Quiz – Episode 27 | Family Life Styles

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emissions used and released into the atmosphere to sustain your lifestyle. very close to the quiz we took. it’s like the energy output measurement based on what it takes you to live. but it measures the non-recycleable portion. for example, gas for the car, electrical energy, etc…anything you use up and cannot replace and the energy it takes to sustain that. wikipedia has a nice explanation if you need it! great question

Julie, I am so glad to see you talking about this. This is an issue I need to make some changes in. I am going to go to the site and check out how I am living… I also look forward to the tips they give me and going back to the test in 6 months or so. Thank you so much for the gratitude and respect for our planet. Ps. Love the name of this video! and the start of it, so creative, and your big beautiful eyes always shine. Happy new weekend ahead to both of you!

if everyone lives the way I do we’d need 4.5 Earths. It’s kind of disheartening bc I truly make an effort. My food imprint was good:) Things on my to do list 1. unplug phone charger/computer at night. 2. I love showers, but 5 no lets be real 10 min showers 3. force mom to buy new light bulbs. Also when I move back to NYC I won’t be driving. It sounds minimal, but it’s a start.

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