With the holidays quickly approaching, electricity usage is growing.

Written by COLTRANE SCHAIBLE

Sustainability is and has always been a major goal for our state, with policies like Assembly Bill 525, which created renewable energy plants with the goal of making an energy source that didn’t harm the environment, or the Greenhouse Gas Emission Bill, limiting the amount of greenhouse gases that are allowed to be produced per year. Sustainable energy (or at least green energy) is also a significant opportunity. The phasing out of coal plants and the like would not only decrease our reliance on easily depletable sources of energy but also reduce the amount of CO₂ and various toxic chemicals, such as methylmercury, emitted by the combustion of coal. The usage of power like wind turbines and solar panels can massively save on fuel in the long run, at least as long as the weather allows it. 

However, this doesn’t involve the things that the average citizen can do for the environment, especially with the holiday season coming up. Studies have shown that electricity usage drastically increases during December, though whether this is due to holiday activities like plugging in Christmas lights and cooking larger meals or for heating and lighting is unclear, as the weather gets colder and the days get shorter. The data seems to confirm the first hypothesis; however, a significant spike is seen in December, which quickly recedes as the new year comes around. Despite other months (especially January) having the same cold weather, only December has such a large spike in energy usage. Thus, saving on their electric bills this December is wise since so many evidently do not. 

This does not mean by any means that people should go all-out, completely turn off the lights and avoid any change in procedure from their everyday lives, though. Some little things that can be done could be turning the lights off in rooms that nobody is in, or turning off the lights in the house if one is not home. This will not only reduce electricity use but will also reduce wear on the lightbulbs. They don’t need to be replaced very often, but every bit helps. Additionally, heaters can be set to lower target temperatures, whether in the car or in the house. After all, sweaters and such can work just as well. Also, walking short distances instead of driving not only saves on gas or electricity, but it also counts as exercise, so that compensates for time that would not have been spent while driving. After all, we all live on this planet, and seeing as it’s the only one we have, we had best take good care of it.