There’s a principle in Physics 101, and it’s a miracle that I even remember it because Physics was not my best subject. Here you go—
You can’t manufacture energy.
You can only transfer it from one thing to another. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy, states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another.
Thank you, Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson.
And as women, we totally get this: Think about all the things that suck our energy: laundry, dishes, dinner, …kids.
My friends say things like,
“I wish I had more energy!”
“I just feel so tired all the time!”
“I need a vacation from my life!”
Even if you don’t have the resources to hire a butler, a cook, or a personal trainer, there are still some things you can do to stave off exhaustion.
Because exhaustion doesn’t make you a superhero. It just makes you old.
I got my electric bill a few days ago, and it arrived with a handy guide to conserving energy.
Try these efficiency hacks!
Save money!
Protect the planet!
This extra piece of paper arrives every month with the energy bill, and I usually just toss it in the garbage. (Ahem, recycling bin) and continue with my day, but recently I thought, “This is good stuff. These are tips I can really use!” (And also, why is the electric company wasting paper on this?)
Let’s take a look at ten things you can do to conserve energy, get more done, and stay healthy and strong for the people who need you most:
1. AIR DRY: Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
Fresh air is good for everyone. Even in January, go ahead and inhale deeply. Feel your lungs expand on the intake. The word inspiration literally means “the drawing in of breath.” And who doesn’t need more of that? Wake up every morning expecting to be inspired and you will be. Go ahead—breathe in, breathe out. Look, you’re doing it!
2. TURN IT OFF: Use timers and motion detectors to turn off lights and be sure to unplug TV entertainment systems when travelling (use power strips for easy on/off switching) and don’t leave your computer and monitor on needlessly.
Do you have a regular bedtime? If you did a little research, you’d find thousands of articles about the importance of sleep and how it relates to memory, metabolism, and mood. The experts have already spoken; you don’t need me to tell you. However, I can tell you from experience that about two years ago I moved my bedtime up an hour and my wake-up time back an hour, which effectively gave me an extra two hours of sleep every night. Goodbye fog! Hello, sunshine! I feel like a new person. If you only implement one thing on this list, this is the one that’ll give you the most bang for the buck.
3. DON'T GET BURNED WITH HOT WATER: Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120F. Water heaters are the second highest source of energy use in the home.
Stay out of the figurative hot water, too. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Only say yes to things that give you life. Just because you can do every job doesn’t mean you should do every job. Stay in the zone that fuels your flames, not the one that burns you out.
4. FILL IT UP, PLEASE: Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
Take a look at your calendar. Just an overview. Now, how do you feel? Are you getting stressed out just thinking about all the things on your to-do list? Remember, there’s no such thing as work-life balance. It’s all life. Anyone who says otherwise must hate their job. I feel like I read that somewhere, but for the life of me I can’t remember where. What I do know is this: A full calendar doesn’t mean you have a full life. Sometimes, a full calendar means your life is fragmented. Everyone in the family is going someplace different and all at different times. Think about what it means to have a full life, the one that’s “full” of love, “full” of fun, “full” of gratitude, and “full” of happy memories. That’s the life you you really want.
5. GET A CHECK UP: Get your heating system checked up once a year. A licensed professional will make sure that your system is operating efficiently and safely.
Your body is a machine, and like all machines it needs regular tune-ups. What are you eating? What are you doing for exercise? How are you resting? When energy is low, we’re often tempted to reach for a snack or binge-watch a show. Sometimes, these small treats act like little pick-me-ups, but sometimes they just make us feel worse. You can make sure you’re at the top of your game by regularly doing things that are good for your body. Eating healthy is hard in the beginning, but you will begin craving foods that are good for you because you will feel so good. And a good doctor will tell you where you’re winning and where you need a tweak.
6. REPLACE YOUR LIGHTBULBS: Although energy efficient bulbs are more expensive off the shelf, their efficient energy use and longer service lives mean that they cost less in the long run. Energy efficient bulbs are the clear winners in terms of their environmental and financial benefits.
Without light, your house would come to a screaming halt at sundown every evening. Light makes vision possible. It was the first thing God made and the source of all life. Where are you getting your light? What do you need help being able to see in this season?
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
7. USE A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT: When you install a programmable thermostat, you eliminate wasteful energy use from heating and cooling without upgrading your HVAC system or sacrificing any comfort.
You can’t predict your life, but you can plan for those times when you know you’ll need more energy. For us, that’s usually the beginning of the school year. After the lazy days of summer, when school starts it’s full tilt ahead with sports and homework. After years of being blindsided by the craziness of the fall season, I finally started planning for it. I’m no longer overwhelmed by the dates filling the calendar. You can plan ahead for meals and carpool (the crock pot and your neighbors are your best friends), and countdown to the next school break. Just as your house needs a different setting for different seasons, so do you.
8. KEEP THE OVEN DOOR CLOSED: The temperature can drop by as many as 25 degrees each time you open the oven door.
Get distracted much? Me too! I get distracted so often that I probably should have made FOCUS my word for 2020. Supposedly, only 2% of the population is actually proficient at multi-tasking. If that’s you, then I need some lessons. Did you know that shifting between tasks can cost up to 40% of your productive time? That’s a lot! In fact, some productivity experts say if you devoted just 90 minutes of focused time per day towards your most important tasks, you could get so much done that you’d probably be able to spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want. I tried this method by accident a few days last week, and I have to admit, I felt pretty good about the work I was able to complete—and all because I didn’t get distracted and “open the oven” so to speak. Set your timer and get to work.
9. PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM THE ELEMENTS: The level of insulation you should install depends on the area of your house. Your attic, walls, floors, basement, and crawlspace are the five main areas where you should consider adding insulation.
The things that drain me are usually things that catch me by surprise—an unexpected bill, a health scare, or something I have to do that takes longer than I expected. But if you can imagine it, you can manage it. Or as Fred Rogers used to say, “Anything that’s mentionable is manageable.” That doesn’t mean you need to live in the shadow of worst case scenarios, only that you equip yourself with tools you’ll need to carry through difficult times. Good friends, a savings account, a faith tradition, an outlet for your anger or your sorrow, exercise, or simply a day to be by yourself are all examples of things we can use to help insulate us from an unforgiving world.
Remember that First Law of Thermodynamics we talked about at the beginning of this post? Energy can’t be created or destroyed, but it can be transferred. Your relationships will likely become your greatest resource when it comes to the energy you are able to harness. Choose wisely.
10. KEEP ‘EM CLEAN: Check furnace, heat pump, and AC filters once a month and replace them regularly. A dirty air filter can increase your energy costs and cause problems with your equipment.
Here’s three little words for you, and this is what I’m talking about when I’m talking about replenishment cycles: Rituals, Rhythms, and Rest. These habits make conserving energy not only possible, but absolutely probable. By ritualizing our routines and establishing rhythms for work and play, we naturally build a life that’s predictable, yet fun. You need to get your work done, but you also need to be able to look forward to a season of play.
BONUS: I have a fourth little “R” word for you: RENEW. Yes, energy can’t be created, but it is RENEWABLE. And this is how you do it.
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Sources: https://www.energysage.com/energy-efficiency/101/ways-to-save-energy/
https://blog.constellation.com/2016/01/01/31-ways-to-save-energy-in-your-home/
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