Heat Wave: Not For the Faint of Heart

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Written by Tami Jones  

Wouldn’t it be nice if this pesky little “climate change” talk would just disappear into the oblivion and we never had to worry about being responsible with our planetary resources ever again? Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, all signs point to us destroying our planet through carbon pollution and, our little piece of Eden and its atmosphere are starting to really heat up. Literally.

As we now know, as the population rises, so do the carbon emissions; as the amount of carbon pollutions rise, so does the heat index; when the heat index rises, so do our energy bills. That’s a fun little cycle, isn’t it? I suppose those of you with endless finances that live in cooler climates wouldn’t mind such changes to the environment but there are a few billion of us that find this trend extremely precarious.

Did you know that excessive heat is the number one weather-related killer in America? It beats out deaths from all other weather-related incidents combined. The elderly and children are at a higher risk during those deplorable summer months, as are people with kidney and cardiovascular diseases, but as temperatures reach record highs year after year, we all become at risk.

Read More in Energy Digital's Hottest Summer Issue

Heat Wave and Energy

We all know that summer is peak time for our energy needs. The kids are home for the summer, they insist on watching television, playing video games, leaving the doors to the refrigerator open, charging their iPhones, iPads, iPods and whatever other iProducts they can get their hands on, and the air conditioning and every light in the house stays on throughout the day.

Not only does this increase your electric bill, but the combined usage in your state severely saps the electrical grid. This could mean that if we don’t start conserving power now, our supply of electricity could fall short when we need it most to survive those scorching summer days. So what are we going to do?

It Starts With You and Me

If we want to live and thrive on a sustainable planet, we need to start making some small changes. Here are a few ways to beat the heat this summer and help slow the process of global warming:

• Keep your thermostat to a reasonable level, set it on a timer when you’re not home, or turn it off. If slowing global warming isn’t enough of an incentive, as an added bonus, you can save anywhere from five to fifteen percent on your electricity bill for every ten degrees that you raise your thermostat during the month.

• Install and use ceiling fans instead of air conditioning.

• Unplug everything in your house, when not in use, or invest in a smart power strip.

• Use energy efficient light bulbs and make sure they’re cleaned regularly. Dust on a light bulb produces more heat.

• Plant trees. If strategically placed, they provide shade in the summer and block the wind in the winter.

Remember, if you want to change things, the power is always in your hands.

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