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One way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and the need for new coal
plants is to become more energy efficient. Besides cutting our
own energy usage, we can help others to do so. We don't have to wait for
State and Federal programs to have an impact.
In the spirit of individual energy activism, we can all encourage
and inform others to become more energy efficient. The following is a handout
successfully used at local restaurants that don't seem to be efficient. If
you know of one, give (or mail) the following to the owner or manager. They
will most likely appreciate it and the money they will save.
Happy Holidays, frank
Dear______________________________Restaurant,
I was eating in your restaurant and
noticed you are not using energy efficient light bulbs. So, I am leaving this
information for your attention. (I am concerned about the environment and not a
salesperson.) Thank you,
___________________________ Energy Efficiency for
Restaurants Save $$$ Hundreds per
Month Many restaurant chains in One quick and inexpensive way to
become more energy efficient is to change from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs.
Many restaurants in this area are now using CFLs. Here are examples of the many benefits of
CFLs: If a restaurant changes just 20,
100W incandescent light bulbs for 20 CFLs, they will save $2,090 over two
years (see http://www.newbulbintown.com/calculator/) ·
CFLs last
up to 10,000 hours and none will have to be changed for 2 years assuming they
are turned on roughly 80 hours per week. ·
In
contrast, incandescent light bulbs last less than 1,000 hours and over 200 will
be needed over 2 years. Changing 200 light bulbs is time consuming, costly and
sometimes dangerous. (The labor cost of changing these bulbs is included in the
above calculation.) ·
20 CFLs
will cost about $50.00 and 200 incandescent will cost about $100.00. Lowe’s and Home Depot sell 5 in a
package for around $10.00. Fancier globe shaped CFLs cost around $5.00 each. The
above, substantial savings are calculated using $5.00 per
bulb. ·
CFLs
produce 90% less heat and this lowers air conditioning
costs. Besides saving over $1,000 a year in
electric bills, CFLs are good for the environment. Polls have shown that
most people in CFLs contain a small bit of mercury,
but roughly 4 times less than older fluorescent tubes. Some commentators have
blown this out of proportion. Should one break, there is an easy and safe
procedure listed in this site. http://www.newbulbintown.com/about/cfl_break.aspx It is not a big cleanup problem.
In addition to lighting, the
following Energy Star site describes the many other ways a restaurant can become
more energy efficient and save considerable money plus the
environment. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_restaurants More: http://conserve.restaurant.org/docs/ecostory_focus_on_lighting_20081113.pdf |