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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Comment By Louise Shawkat DailyTidings.com By Louise Shawkat Posted May. 1, 2015 at 2:39 PM By Louise Shawkat Posted May. 1, 2015 at 2:39 PM » Social News “It’s all a numbers game,” my friend said to me. I had received my utilities bill and compared it to my budget. The bill was more than what I had estimated, as I thought I would have some disposable income in the coming months. Darn! Did"they" raise the rates again? Hmm, I wonder what my neighbor's bill is. Her living situation is similar to mine. Wouldn't it be neat to have some competition among utility users to see who can reduce their consumption the most — and keep it reduced? If I reduce my usage, then I will have more disposable income at the end of the month to spend or save for a staycation. “It is all a numbers game,” my friend said to me. The less fossil fuel (or water) you use, the more pocket change you will have. Furthermore, if it is important to you, you reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. Okay, so looking around my home, what were some changes that I could make? I looked at this project as being a similar exercise to reducing food intake. In the past, dietary changes were easy if I chose one behavior change, tried it for six weeks and evaluated whether I could live with this change. If I could, then I would try another change and continue in this manner until I reached my desired dietary goals. I examined my usage habits using different questions. Such as: How many hours a day was my home occupied? What did I think was my biggest energy user? Was my home well-sealed? What type of water heater did I use? Was it well-insulated? How many lights were in use more than two hours a day? As I took inventory I asked myself what would be the least painful act to get me started on this goal of having more disposable income at the end of the month. First, I came to the realization that in some instances I would have to spend money to save money. Saving money would not be a reality in one six-week period. I chose to look at my lighting practices. I had to admit to myself that I was careless and left lights on when no one was in a room (change no. 1). Then I came up with the idea of using task lighting, rather than lighting an entire room (change no. 2) I read that I could have appliances that were phantom power users. If I could feel heat coming from chargers, it meant they were constantly using electricity even when turned off! Also, several appliances had standby lights; these were using electricity also (changes no. 4 and no. 5, purchase of power strips: this alone cut 5 percent to 10 percent of my bill and then I also unplugged some electricity users). I installed two dimmer switches (no. 6) and took advantage of natural light. The above changes cost me very little money, but it was a challenge to remember to switch off lights, especially when I thought I would quickly return to a room (and did not). I noticed that some stores were having reduced prices on LEDs; however, I decided I would not purchase an LED until I had incorporated all six changes in my lifestyle behaviors. These changes did take time to accomplish. I tried to make it a game, monitoring the usage graph provided by my utility company to help me monitor my progress. Louise Shawkat lives in Ashland. By Louise Shawkat DailyTidings.com By Louise Shawkat Posted May. 1, 2015 at 2:39 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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