Month: December 2024

Soap Opera: Why Dishwashers Win the Sustainability Showdown

 

         Renovated in 2020, the Greenbelt community is home to The Cabin and The Cottage, each equipped with energy-saving features and awesome amenities like an awesome kitchen. One notable absence from the cabin, however, is the lack of a dishwasher. Hand washing dishes has long been seen as the more eco-conscious method of cleaning. However, modern dishwashers have shattered this longstanding myth. Studies show that today’s energy-efficient dishwashers use significantly less water and energy than handwashing, even when factoring in small loads. This surprising reality makes dishwashers not just a convenience but a tool for sustainable living. In this blog, I will explain why Furman should implement dishwashers in the Greenbelt houses in order to truly follow through on the sustainability claims that we make.

            The cabin piles up dishes in the sink at an enormous rate. Whether it is from ramen cravings late at night or having tons of people over who need cups for their drinks, dishwashing stays in high demand. This means long shifts spent scrubbing away in the kitchen that result in high water usage. One of the most compelling environmental advantages of using a modern dishwasher lies in its efficient water usage. Hand-washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons of water per session, depending on the duration and flow rate of the faucet. In contrast, Energy Star-certified dishwashers use as little as 3-5 gallons per cycle, regardless of load size. This drastic reduction is achieved through advanced spray mechanisms, filtration systems, and water recycling technology that ensure maximum cleaning power with minimal waste. Over time, this efficiency translates to significant water savings, especially in water-scarce areas or during drought seasons. By reducing water consumption without sacrificing cleanliness, dishwashers present a clear win for both the environment and resource-conscious households. On top of the ecological benefits, implementing Energy Star-certified dishwashers would pay for itself over time. On average, the cost for a dishwasher with installation falls around $1200. Throughout its life, the dishwashers would save approximately $3200 in energy compared to hand washing, so the initial payment can be justified financially.

 

The average range to install a new

dishwasher is ~$1000 – $1500.

            With the implementation of dishwashers, maximizing their cost-effectiveness and environmental impact is essential, and many students might not be informed on how to accomplish that. Providing a guide on how to use each dishwasher most effectively is a good idea to help ignorant students. This should include a strong suggestion to scrape plates before racking them in the washer and only running it when it is fully loaded to minimize the number of washes, which reduces energy cost and the lifetime of the machine.

            It would certainly be an investment for Furman and there are some small downsides like the occasional repair that will need to be done and the space that having a dishwasher takes up, but with the new renovations to North Village, now seems like the right time for Furman to take a step towards a more sustainable campus.

 

References-

“Is It Greener to Hand Wash or Use a Dishwasher?” Green Choices,

https://www.greenchoices.org/green-living/at-home/is-it-greener-to-hand-wash-or-use-a-dishwasher.

“How Much Does Dishwasher Installation Cost?” Angi,

            www.angi.com/articles/how-much-does-dishwasher-installation-cost.htm#.

“How Much Water Does a Dishwasher Use?” Home Matters,

www.ahs.com/home-matters/quick-tips/how-much-water-does-a-dishwasher-use/.

It is common knowledge that electricity runs the modern world we live in. Here in the US, the simplest actions like turning on a lamp or charging a phone require electricity. Having instant access to electricity is something that I know I often take for granted. I know this because I find that I have a hard time adapting to life without electricity when we lose it due to a bad storm. Another thing about America is that we expend an incredibly unhealthy amount of energy. Given recent efforts to find more affordable and sustainable energy sources, it is imperative that we understand the unnecessary energy that we are already expending every day, without even knowing it.

What is It-

Vampire energy, also called standby power or phantom power is defined by the website “Save on Energy” as “the energy that’s wasted around your home when devices are plugged in and using power, but you’re not actively using them.” At first glance, this may not seem like that big of a problem, but when you really investigate how many appliances and devices we have plugged in at home, the amount of wasted energy can reach extremely high levels. In fact, of the devices using electricity in the average home, around 75% of the energy is used when they aren’t even on.

Another statistic shows that for the average home, vampire energy causes an extra $100 or more per year on your energy bill. 

How to Limit Vampire Energy-

Now that we know what vampire energy is, the next step is learning what options you have to limit the amount of energy that goes to waste. There are many options to stop vampire energy, with the simplest being to unplug your devices when they are not in use. Although this may sound impractical, one way to simplify this is to use power strips for many devices, such as chargers, small electronics, and electronics. This way, all it takes is for one switch to be flipped to stop vampire energy in all the devices connected. While on the topic of power strips, another method to stop vampire energy is to invest in smart power strips, which are designed to automatically cut power to devices when they are not in use or during specific hours. Lastly, when purchasing new appliances/electronics, search for “ENERGY STAR” rated products. These products are designed to consume less power both when they are and aren’t in use.

Benefits of Limiting Vampire Energy-

Vampire energy affects both the environment and your pocketbook. First off, the amount of excess energy that is produced from devices when they are not in use adds up over time and has a negative environmental impact. To meet the high demand of electricity, more energy must be created, much of it through unsustainable practices, which in turn contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, vampire energy simply runs up the cost on your electrical bill. So, if you want to live more sustainably and save your money, consider following the simple steps to reduce the amount of vampire energy wherever you live.

 

References–

Admin. “What Is Vampire Energy & How to Reduce It.” Now Power, 9 Oct. 2023, https://nowpowertexas.com/what-is-vampire-energy-how-to-reduce-it/.

Payless Power. “A Guide to Getting Rid of Electronics Sucking Your Energy.” Payless Power, 12 June 2023, paylesspower.com/blog/vampire-energy/.

“Phantom Loads.” Https://Www.Mpsutility.Com/, www.mpsutility.com/index.php/en/energy-conservation/47-phantom-loads. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

“What’s Phantom Power and How Can You Track It?” Identifying and Tracking Your Home’s Phantom Power | Save on Energy, saveonenergy.ca/en/For-Your-Home/Advice-and-Tips/Phantom-power. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

 

Renewable energy has become a very common topic of conversation as it has become more apparent that we are overly dependent on fossil fuels. The United States alone consumed 62,066 kWh of energy from fossil fuels alone. Fossil fuel is not an unlimited resource either, so to keep up with our energy demands and to help keep our planet

clean many people are now using more clean energy systems, such as solar power.

Solar energy harnesses the power of the sun to generate heat and electricity. In fact, The amount of sunlight that strikes the earth’s surface in an hour and a half is enough to handle the entire world’s energy consumption for a full year. Solar technology uses Photovoltaic (PV) panels or a system of mirrors to concentrate the solar radiation. The energy can be used to generate electricity or it can be stored in batteries for later use. The main advantage to solar energy is its positive environmental impact. Solar power generation creates no greenhouse gas emissions, a significant improvement over fossil fuels. Additionally solar panel systems require very little water for maintenance, which can be beneficial in drought prone areas. Thanks to developments in the past decade solar energy has become even more efficient and affordable.

 

According to the International Energy Agency, solar energy is among the most affordable sources of energy costing approximately $32.78 per megawatt-hour, compared to coal which is widely used and costs around $72.78. Although many people have concerns about expensive installation costs for getting solar panels, most people will end up having significant savings over a 25 year period. There are online calculators that show approximately how much money you can save based on current energy consumption and how much sun your home receives. By estimating my home’s energy use and how much daylight I receive based on my home’s location, the estimated net savings over 25 years would be $70,000 dollars. While the initial cost of installation might be high, I wouldn’t mind keeping that additional 70000 around for a rainy day. Aside from being relatively inexpensive, solar energy also helps to stimulate the economy. In electricity generation, solar was the fastest growing technology, adding 17,212 jobs in 2021. This is a growth of 5.4% that occurred during an economic downturn.

 

As promising as solar energy is, there are some challenges to fully implementing solar energy systems. For example, it’s not always sunny so there has to be either a backup energy source to be used when it’s cloudy or at nighttime. Alternatively the energy could be stored in batteries, but those can be expensive for containing large amounts of energy. Land use is another important thing to consider. To implement solar energy on a large scale a significant amount of space is required to house the PV panels, which can lead to conflicts over land use. However there are innovative solutions such as rooftop solar and solar panels that can float on bodies of water.

Solar energy is an important resource that we as a society should strongly consider investing more in. On a more local level, I would like Furman to better utilize solar power. While we do have a large solar farm, I think we could do better. Why not expand the use of solar panels for water heating in the Greenbelt Community to other residences? We need to be able to make the developments on a local scale to be able to globally transition to clean energy.

 

References:

https://energycentral.com/c/ec/comparing-costs-renewable-and-conventional-energy-sources

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/07/renewable-energy-jobs-us/#:~:text=In%20electricity%20generation%2C%20solar%20was%20the%20fastest%20growing,opportunities%20in%20the%20US%2C%20a%20new%20report%20finds.

https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels

https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/how-does-solar-work