Simple steps first
City sets a good example for energy savings
Published Saturday, May 31, 2008
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Stumble It!Install energy-efficient light bulbs and turn off the lights when you leave a room. Turn down the thermostat. Make sure your insulation and weather seals are in good shape. Get creative and think of any other measures you might take to curb your energy consumption.
The list is one that homeowners have heard time and again, but it’s good to see a government entity making use of the philosophy as well.
While news of a 23 percent energy expense increase at the city of Fairbanks is not welcome, it’s good to learn that city officials are approaching the problem with an eye for many solutions, small to large.
City Hall itself is an example of a big challenge. Anyone who has walked the halls of the concrete Old Main School building since it reopened in 1994 can just imagine the place leaking like a sieve. Re-insulation and weather seals will probably help a great deal.
Construction of a new warm storage building for public works and emergency response vehicles may seem like a large expense up front, but embarking on this kind of capital expenditure to cut operating costs and improve operating efficiency is just smart business.
Adjusting staff working hours to improve the efficiency of work crews is another good idea from the city. Crews that work more efficiently use less energy. It just makes good sense.
The difference in energy costs will run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars during the course of the year, so the city likely will need to take more drastic steps — and perhaps adjust the budget.
But in the meantime, taxpayers should be glad to see a city administration that looks to save before it seeks to gather more taxes.
Likewise, the formation of a task force that will include several city personnel and four or five residents with expertise in energy efficiency and operations serves as a good sign for taxpayers.
The city faces the same daunting energy price questions as residents. No matter the proposed solutions and budget hassles to come, it’s good to see a city government that sets the example of starting where we all must start: with the immediate, simplest, clearly effective first steps.
Community Discussion
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Good Lord, ... who wrote this?
This is terrible.
It only expresses Utiopian visions, tired talking points and suggests more government involvement.
... "make sure you install energy-efficient lightbulbs." Really? That the best you could come up with?
I reduced my electric use by over 30% from two years ago. Guess what, I'm still paying $40 more per month due to GVEA's dependency on crude oil. If the GVEA board had been looking out for us we would not even be talking about this and out electric rate would still be .11 kWh like it is in southcentral. At this point I'm not ready to give up on modern day luxuries like refrigeration and running water.
GVEA needs a shake-up. Ive made suggestions that have gotten nowhere. Eliminate Ruralite magazine for one thing--or make it available either online for free or by paid subscription. Elimination would be best--why should we pay for magazine writers, editors, photographers? Eliminate travel to the Lower 48 for various meetings for board members. And do away with that stupid capital credit system whereby most of us will be dead long before we reap the benefits. Use the savings from these measures to reduce costs.
We need a rational Alaska Energy Policy. Without it, we engage in knee-jerk reactions and get nowhere. Since this is supposed to be one state, why don't we have a state-wide energy grid?
Then all would get getting the shaft equally. All the money in the state treasury is ours, not the administration's or legislature's private slush fund to do with as they will.
Thousands of people across Alaska have said they want relief now. We are the masters and the administration and legislators are SUPPOSED to be the servants. Somehow that fact of who is in charge has been reversed.
We also need an Energy Czar and a Department of Energy so that we have a person with cabinet level status working 24/7 on developing a rational energy policy and plan that will help all Alaskans no matter where they live. We can't have the Railbelt getting low-cost energy without helping Rural and Remote Alaska at the same time.
So, we need an Energy Policy and Plan, a State-Wide Energy Grid, and a cabinet level Energy Czar with a Department of Energy to work on getting low cost energy to all of us and get us to energy self-sufficiency by 2025.
Andora -
I agree, a state-wide energy policy is much needed, though I think most would argue that one already exists in the state constitution (in reference to state resources being a product for the people, i.e. oil revenue, etc.)
The problem with a state-wide energy grid is the fact that Alaska isn't Utah, ... isn't Oregon, ... isn't even Texas (that does not have a state-wide grid, rather grids are daisy-chained to serve as residual back-up.) The sheer size of our state (1/3 the size of contiguous 48) makes it all but impossible to construct a state-wide grid.
...last thing we need is another department of governement. An "energy Czar" would be exactly that, ... ruler of energy. Somewhere there's a saying, ... "Those that hold the cards, make the rules." We need to hold our current legislators and elected officials more accountable to our needs and demands for affordable energy. I'm not talking hand-outs, or socialized energy subsidies. Simply affordable energy, with a mind and vision for cleaner burning fuels and technology.
I respect your opinions, I'm glad you are offering suggestions. It is good to see.
What a stupid article i have caulked the heck out of my house spent hundreds on more insulation new storm windows put those stupid little bulbs in all my lights. I still dont see a significant drop in my electric bill. I am so sick of the state and government agencies telling us to spend money on this and that and it will help drop your electric and fuel why dont they put their money were their mouth is and drop the price of fuel and electric and shut up telling us to turn down our thermostats and turn off an extra light. Big deal city hall put in ifls who do you think paid for them? If they want to really show they are trying to save why dont they shut those big f350 trucks off instead of leating them sit and idle whith the flashing light when the people are out mowing the meridians same for the state. Instead of the big truck use something small a half ton will tow a lawn tractor and four people just as well.
theabowman: What do you mean, get rid of the Ruralite? Without that masterpiece of highbrow literary edification, where would I ever find recipes for cheeze-whiz; plus-size choir robes; pictures of chubby-cheeked babies in picnic baskets; stories about eccentric veterans who collect barbed wire samples, toy tractors and expired lottery tickets; and the slightly plump, over-sixty, nonsmoking, non-drinking, good little Christian woman of my dreams?
Harper's and the New Yorker will never be able to compete with that.
Why is it always "the people" that need to be aware of energy conservation. How many lights, computers, and other gadgets are unnecessarily kept on at the University, Hospital, and other big institutions? These places don't have conservation policies in place-- and for the ones that do, they don't adhere to their policies. I'd like to see the University and other government/corporate institutions actively saving energy costs and developing renewable sources of energy (e.g., hey, what about supplemental solar in the summer)?
Andorra is right - Alaska needs an energy policy
Stop thinking small Alaska! Yes we can interconnect our state - saying we can't is self fulfilling prophecy. Think bigger than ourselves. I'm not talking big as in becoming the lower forty-eight, but in terms of what we can do for ourselves.
Alaska had an energy policy which was created in the mid-seventies and it worked - for the most part for urban areas. We had a few failures, however we destroyed our opportunities when the state killed it's policy making body the Alaska Energy Authority.
Unfortunately, our utilities got us into this mess. Nothing sinister - just self interest. And our utilities are in charge again. Why don't we learn? We draw on them for our expertise, but it's that same expertise which puts us back in the same box.
We need an energy policy board comprise of all participants; entrepreneurs, some utility folks, Alaska Natives, a broad spectrum of people - even dare I say an environmentalist. Clearly not only utilities or their personnel.
Utility leaders have comprised previous blue ribbon panels which have not solved the problem - because they are the problem. How can a utility think outside the service area? Clearly we need some new thinking, because the same old gang continues to come up with the same old "solutions' which aren't solutions at all.
I'd love to talk to Andorra sometime because she understands the problem. It would be nice if there was a forum where folks interested in a solution could meet and discuss this.
I've been commenting on this site for a short while - the thing that comes to mind the most is that this is a forum to discuss the problems. That, however, is not enough - we can discuss things all we want but the hurdle is getting the things discussed either approved or passed on up the chain of command for the state. How we go from just talk to actually making it happen is the problem. There are so many different steps to take to actually get something to the legislature that you'd have to devote a significant amount of your life to trying to get the item in question put into effect. When you look at the details for getting our changes put into effect it's totally daunting. Maybe one of the things we should thing about is how to streamline that process...
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