This month, my commute is longer than it ever has been. To say I notice gas prices these days is an understatement. And yet, I don't mind even a bit. (FYI - currently, I'm paying $1.30/liter, which I know is cheaper than most any other place in Canada. For the U.S. folks out there, that works out to just under $5 for one of your gallons, so it's substantially more expensive than south of the border but it always has been that way. You pay much less for automobiles too.)
See, this recent change to something (distantly) approaching the real cost of fossil fuel has finally had a real effect on purchasing patterns. On my long commute, I drive through the Guelph auto mall and I see all the buying incentives (free gas for a year! 40 cents off per liter!) rolled out to lure you into buying the trucks and SUVs. The novelty value of Smarts and hybrids wore off long ago. Fuel efficiency has become a consideration for vehicle selection, and I suspect will be even after this round of federal incentives ends. I even got a provincial RST exemption when I bought my front load washer (side note: I get that there is a range in consumption for all appliances, but giving an energy efficiency exemption for dryers and window air conditioners just seems wrong. That's pretty much like the "lowest in its class" designation of fuel efficiency for SUVs.)
Mostly, though, I'm interested in my own changes lately. This temporary longer commute (I think distance wise it's the same, actually, it's just this one has about 45 traffic lights compared to the previous two) will shortly end, so let's leave that aside and look at my major developed country lifestyle sins and if I'm making any progress...
Note: rental property, so some things limited...
Heating:
Before: electric baseboard heaters for tiny one-room apartment, electricity purchased from Bullfrog power. Cooling down of the whole place every night in winter, as I insisted on ripping open the window on going to bed. South facing exposure, meaning heat only needed to be turned on when I was actually in the apartment. However, the thermostat kicked in at 14 degrees or so unless the breaker for the whole place was turned off, meaning the heat switched on during many nights this spring when I did not want it, plus some nights in winter. Well insulated.
Now: high efficiency natural gas furnace in the basement. Far more space than one person needs. Ability to block off vents in sleeping areas, meaning only one room needs to cool down at night (and lack of need to live in sleeping areas means that it does not need to be heated to room temperature during the day.) Natural gas purchased from standard municipal utility. Most windows old and in need of replacement, though almost all weather sealed (i.e. I can't even open them. Grrrr.) Brick exterior walls, good insulation.
Verdict: Sigh. I suspect more than tripling my living area outweighs everything else.
Improvements anticipated: keeping the house quite cool in winter, though must be monitored since there is one other apartment on my meter and I control the thermostat. If my comfort zone triggers space heater use, not good.
Cooling, air:
Before: A fan. But also, access to a water and energy sucking swimming pool (it continues to run without me.)
After: Central air, which I refuse to use, so: fan. Also, access to finished and much cooler basement room.
Verdict: energy consumption comparable, comfort higher.
Anticipated improvements: None.
Cooling, food:
Before: Tiny fridge (smaller than most European models) plus access to walk-in cooler in the barn. Small upright freezer slightly larger than fridge (under counter size, energy star certified but I suspect is one of those "in its class" things). The fridge forced me to change my buy things I don't need habit (and released me from the lure of bottled salad dressings and sixteen different condiments. So far, that lifestyle change continues.) I suspect far too much energy lost from walking into the cooler to get a beer.
Now: North American style white monster in my kitchen, plus the upright freezer. Beer stored in cool basement, though sometimes transferred to freezer for short amount of time.
Verdict: Not conclusive given that I have no energy consumption information on the models of the two fridges, but it stands to reason that the large one sucks more power than the tiny one. However, am not releasing a big rush of cool air every time I want a beer (frequently.) On the other hand, Kitchener-Wilmot hydro instead of Bullfrog.
Anticipated improvements: No appliance replacements scheduled, though if there were I would go to a chest freezer and put it in the basement.
Cooking:
Before: Small electric range.
Now: Large electric range.
Verdict: Negligible difference.
Anticipated improvements: For other reasons, I lust after gas stoves, but won't be making that switch in rental accommodation.
Water:
Before: well water, well approximately 20 meters from shower. Regular flow toilet, water efficient shower head. Water had to be heated from under ten degrees to showering temperature using electric boiler. In winter, uninsulated pipes exposed to cold air in transition between my apartment and boiler.
After: municipal water, enters house at substantially warmer temperature than well water. Uninsulated pipes, but room temperature and shorter distance from natural gas boiler to shower than previously.
Verdict: I have a bathtub now. I like baths in the winter. I anticipate my net water consumption to go up, but my water heating to be more efficient. Points lost for now needing to use treated water, which is sent to municipal waste water facility instead of my own septic bed.
Anticipated improvements: I already turned off the supplied water softener. Still to do - simple foam pipe insulation. The faucet style prevented me from installing low flow shower/faucet heads (though only one fixture seems to be inefficient.)
Laundry:
Before: I drove to the dreaded laundromat every two weeks or so, and used the triple load front washers. In summer, I line-dried, but in winter I resorted to dryers.
Now: High efficiency front load washer with water volume sensor (i.e. it adjust volume to minimum needed). Line or rack drying (more space, more frequent washing).
Verdict: Better - I no longer drive to the laundromat, I have no dryer and have no plans to access one. Worse - loss in efficiency through single loads, plus I suspect I wash things more frequently now that it's convenient.
Anticipated improvements: I made them when I selected my washing machine, and use the cold water program more than I would with a top load washer.
Commuting:
Before: 20 km in private automobile, no car pool.
As of September: 4 km walking or bicycling.
Verdict: No contest.
Anticipated improvements: none.
Routine errands and groceries:
Before: It was a drive everywhere all the time lifestyle, though I combined most errands with my commute.
Now/September: I've been buying all my produce, meat, baked items and oils at the various farmers markets. Kitchener market (Saturday) is in walking distance. St. Jacobs market (starts at 7 a.m. Thursday so can use markets even when I have weekend plans) is a short drive. Larger fridge means I can buy quantities of seasonal produce, and at this time of year it's easy to restrict produce to Ontario only without exception. This will change in winter, though I will stick with local butchers, egg producers and bakers. Markets give me access to reasonably fresh Great Lakes fish, so consumption of well traveled fishies greatly reduced. Grocery store 2km away, I anticipate one trip every 10 days or so (life cycle of dairy products in fridge) in conjunction with other sundry errands.
Verdict: Much better.
Anticipated improvements: We'll see how I do with the no fruits or vegetables from the grocery store thing when the seasonal bounty is over.
Outside the home:
Before: I didn't cut the grass, but it was done by riding gasoline-powered lawn mower, four stroke engine. I had a garden of drought-tolerant perennials that needed nothing except weeding.
Now: I miss the perennials. I have small expanses of lawn, which I would not water even if this wasn't the most pleasantly rainy year I can remember, ever, in southern Ontario. I use a reel mower, so no fossil fuels used.
Verdict: fewer pretty plants, less energy used (except perhaps my energy!)
Anticipated improvements: None.
Snow removal
Before: I didn't do it, but it was done by tractor.
Now: So far, I've made no investment. I have a shovel. However, my driveway is long and last winter dumped a lot of snow. We shall have to see if it is manageable by human power alone.
Verdict: we shall see.
Fun:
Before: Fun trips tacked onto work trips (no extra flying), occasional international fun trips, frequent car trips with the kayak (rarely carpooling.)
Now: Anticipate no change in international fun trips, in part because of change in work trips, but car pooling more frequently and - sigh - have spent a lot less time and distance in car with boat this year (bicycle obsession, moving...)
Verdict: Not much change, maybe small change for the better.
Improvements: that one hurts and I'm not ready for it yet.
There - a listing of the obvious ones. But no matter what I do or don't do in all of these departments, the small changes are made irrelevant by my one big, bad habit. I'm happy to report that I've greatly and intentionally reduced the amount of work-related travel I do (folks, I could have been in St. Petersburg this month!) In the short term, there are some things that are already committed to that will definitely happen even with the job change (I didn't change fields, just physical location, employer and career track.) In the long term, I anticipate drastic reductions in the time spent in planes. This is the biggest one of all. Lots of room for improvement, but the direction is a good one. If we made like developed countries and emissions reductions scenarios, I'd have no problem reducing by at least 50% of an arbitrary baseline as long as we picked a year between 2004 and 2008 as the baseline! if we compare me to you, though, and you are more of, say, a Guatemala (low use, little anticipated) or China low use in the past, making up for it furiously now but still far behind per capita), I would still look like I have the spoiled developed country lifestyle that I lead. Verdict: getting much better for an Annex 1 person, but still atrocious in the global context. Anticipated improvements: taking up some Annex 2 principles, such as offsets for personal travel.
(comments closed because, until I upgrade the software, I cannot stay ahead of the relentless spambots.)