January 2025 Tip of the Month
Here we are at the start of another year, and one of the things that many of us intend to do (aside from getting fit, losing weight and saving money) is "getting organized." Most of us, if this is not the first (or fifth or tenth) New Year that we have made that resolution, have had to face the fact that the only way to do so is to "declutter." Now that recycling is picked up from the curb every two weeks, it is easy to feel virtuous about clearing out mounds of accumulation, but, sadly, not only does recycling require additional resources, but there are also many items that become contaminated during pickup or can not find a suitable recycling facility and so end up taking a circuitous route to the trash. Because much of it does get recycled, that is a far better alternative than simply tossing things, but there is a reason that recycling comes after reduction and reuse as a way to shrink the waste stream.
With a small amount of extra effort, many of those items can be diverted en route to the recycling center or even the landfill in a surprising number of ways: Keyport is home to at least five Little Libraries -- on Broadway, Maple Place, Main Street, Third Street and Broad Street -- where unwanted books can be dropped off; Freecycle (https://link.edgepilot.com/s/5254e136/E0Q21AS4yEeIxgVxPlvx7w?u=http://www.freecycle.org/) is a clearinghouse that hosts listings of still useful items that others may want, and membership is free; charities such as Good Will Industries accept various types of goods for resale; NJ DEP (nj.gov) has a five-page pdf entitled Reuse Opportunities for disposing of anything from appliances to artificial turf. As difficult as it sometimes is to bring oneself to get rid of possessions, the end result is usually relief. By ensuring that your castoffs do not end up in the garbage, you can help save the planet while saving your sanity.
February Tip of the Month
Have you warmed up yet? Although, overall, January was one of the warmest months on record, there were several days of record-breaking cold in some areas, particularly the Midwest and the Southeast, where those temperatures had not been seen since 1895. Many of their residents did not have appliances that were capable of keeping them warm. Here in New Jersey, most of us have boilers, furnaces or resistance heaters that are up to the job -- for a price that we are paying in money, greenhouse gases and air pollution. Before you pack your bags and depart for warmer climes, however, there is a way to reduce all of those costs: replacing your heat source with a heat pump.
Furnaces burn fossil fuels to warm the air, which is then diffused. Boilers burn fossil fuels to generate heat to boil water, which heats metal pipes, which heat the air, which is then diffused through radiation. Resistance heaters use electricity produced partially from fossil fuels to heat a metal element, which heats the air and is then diffused through radiation or a fan. Thus, each system generates heat -- a heat pump does not.
Heat pumps work on heat exchange principles: they extract the heat from cooler areas, concentrate it and distribute it to warmer areas, thus heating a slightly warmer interior into something liveable in winter and removing the interior heat in summer. While they do consume some electricity, operating a compressor and a fan uses much less power than does any heating appliance, and electric heaters are no exception. Yet, the fact that the heat pump's energy source is electric means that less air pollution and fewer greenhouse gases are produced, even beyond the savings realized from increased efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy at https://link.edgepilot.com/s/b97cfd13/9xp2w2T2D0a2ztTPBc3-eA?u=https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-systems is a good place to learn more. And, to start saving your money, your health and the planet
March Tip of the Month
If you get your electricity from the grid in New Jersey, we have some bad news for you: the Basic Generation Service price for all electric distribution companies in New Jersey will increase by close to 20 percent as of June 1. If you haven't been motivated to make some changes before, now might be a good time to start. And the best place to start may be the biggest energy user: your climate control. While your heat may not be all electric, unless your sole source comes from rubbing two sticks together, it requires electricity.
It's still winter -- are you heating your home as efficiently as possible? Make sure that your equipment is in good working order and that the heat that is generated ends up where it should, not blocked by furniture, draperies, clogged filters or dusty baseboards and radiators. Run your ceiling fan counterclockwise to provide heat to the lower portion of the room, not the ceiling, turn your thermostat down to 65 degrees when your home is occupied and use a smart thermostat to turn down the heat during hours of sleep or absence. Bundle up: if you're comfortable in a tee-shirt and shorts, you're keeping your house too warm.
Once summer comes, reverse your ceiling fan, turn the thermostat up to 78 degrees, make sure that your equipment is working properly and that the cool air reaches where it needs to, and keep your curtains drawn during sunny days. Pull out that tee shirt and shorts set you put aside during the winter. Saving resources pays in every way.
April Tip of the Month
May Tip of the Month
June Tip of the Month
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November Tip of the Month
December Tip of the Month