MOKI THE MO'O SAYS...


Practicing sustainability also means being energy-smart. And being energy-smart means making wise choices in the kind of lighting and appliances we choose to use in our everyday life. Efficiency simply means getting the most light or work out of a light bulb or appliance with the least amount of energy used.

The easiest thing that people can do in their homes to become more energy efficient is to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs are the style of bulbs that use something called a filament (thin piece of wire) that glows and gives off heat when it draws electricity. The bulb gives off a lot of heat and this heat is wasted energy. The CFL bulb is energy efficient because it uses most of the electricity to produce light rather than heat. Electric power is measured in watts. A CFL bulb that uses 15 watts of power is equal in light output to a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. That is a one-fourth as much power! CFL bulbs also last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs. So using CFLs is akamai (smart)!

Nowadays, many of the home appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners and televisions are energy efficient. One way to tell if they are energy efficient is to look for the Energy Star sticker on the appliance.

Being energy-smart means turning lights off when not in use. Deciding what you need to get from the refrigerator or freezer before opening the door is also energy-smart. Can you think of other things you can do to be energy-smart?