Today we were discussing our normal barrage of ideas for reducing our energy consumption including test driving an all electric Jeep for our recycling operations and a recent experiment where we spray foamed the underside of the roof deck of a 24,000 square foot building with open-cell icynene foam. In both instances the same question arose - how much was the investment and what were the savings?
Even though the electric jeep is made in America, has a 40-50 mile range, a max towing capacity of 3,120 lbs., and costs about 11 cents to charge 10 - 12V batteries - there was still a concern that the estimated $15,000 price tag was to high because other individuals would argue that they could buy a used F-150 for the same price with 29,000 miles on it. We debated back and forth about the reduced maintenance costs (the electric Jeep does not have an energy recovery system and uses regular disc brakes), reduced fueling costs, and reduced state inspection fees (no emissions test required) but the bottom line was how much can this really save me? If it is only $50 dollars a week then how much did I really save?
We were also having the same problem with the icynene spray foam on half of the underside of the roof decking for the 24,000 square foot building. This project was completed in February and we have finally tracked down the information for the energy usage, cost, and energy rate charged by the electric cooperative. The only problem is that we have not seen the dramatic energy savings we were expecting. I said it was because it is impossible to compare one month this year to another last year without controlling for the number of heating and cooling degree days (for a great explanation of this check out this website: http://www.degreedays.net/) and that one can show energy savings by comparing to what the energy costs would have been without the improvements. To which a very smart gentleman replied that many people do not look at it that way. The amount that they paid is the amount that they paid and if it is not less than last year than there has not been an improvement.
This got me to thinking about my lack of understanding of the true cost of what I purchase? While my kilowatt hour cost might only be 10 cents on the dollar and my total bill is less than $60 per month, what hidden cost am I not incurring? This was partially the recent interest in a carbon tax to pass on those hidden costs to individuals and possibly give renewable energy a competitive place in the marketplace but alas it has not passed yet.
Meanwhile I am continuing in my endeavors with or without a stimulus package or large grants or setting myself up as a non-profit. Things may change but for now I am attempting to Johnny Appleseed the cause for energy and water conservation by developing relationships with like-minded individuals and businesses, attempting to create a marketplace for energy and water conservation, and changing peoples' perceptions one person at a time.
However, my work may not be as hard as I once thought because I spoke with a diesel trolley driver, we'll call her Petunia, about our interest in using the waste vegetable oil and converting it to biodiesel. When I started proselytizing the benefits of biodiesel - reduced emissions, cleaner air, etc... - when she said that she had been reading up about biodiesel on the internet and might be interested in helping out with the project. Maybe this thing has more of a chance of taking off than I thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment