Forced Conservation
Avalanche forces Juneau, Alaska, residents to
drastically cut back on energy consumption
by Amy Fletcher
While the green movement continues to gain momentum, becoming
hipper by the day, energy conservation, with its monastic overtones, remains
a tougher sell. So far being green hasn't meant a break from American
consumer culture; in fact cool new green products and building materials
continue to flood the market. Most of the popular environmentally-friendly
behaviors tend to be centered around replacing one thing for
another—eschewing plastic bags in favor of canvas, buying sustainable
bamboo flooring instead of hardwood, or switching to wine in a box instead
of in a bottle—rather than cutting back or going without
completely.
And unlike its enormously popular relative recycling,
which is hands-on, conservation is a rather dull exercise in which the
rewards are implied rather than seen. For instance, conserving a few gallons
of water or a few kilowatts of electricity may save a few cents on your
bill, but your overall contribution to the planet is harder to measure or
see. Though many people talk about conservation, being motivated to actually
cut back or change habits can be difficult.
When the wallet takes a
hit, conservation becomes easier
Peer pressure and the hip factor
don't seem to be enough to get anyone to conserve, so it seems that
financial constraints and scarcity might be the best—and
only!—motivators in getting people to use less resources. For
instance, despite months of high gas prices, the Boston Globe
reported in February 2008 that people were only recently beginning to drive
less. Average daily gasoline consumption in the U.S. decreased two-tenths of
a percent from the previous year, the article reported, a small but
significant amount, especially since the figures for the year before had
shown a 2.5% increase in consumption.
In my town, Juneau, Alaska, we
recently had a stark first-hand experience with imposed conservation. An
avalanche wiped out a huge swath of the transmission lines that run our
power into town from the hydroelectric dam south of Juneau. This forced our
local power utility, Alaska Electric Light & Power (AEL&P) to
replace cheap hydropower with expensive diesel fuel. This switch brought us
estimated rate hikes of 500% until repairs were completed, estimated to be
three months or more, and forced us into a period of intense energy
conservation. Because it was imposed, not freely chosen, it was likely a
situation more closely aligned with the eventual reality of resource
conservation on a larger scale.
Even the most liberal minded can be
environmentally careless
Juneau is a small city with a liberal
downtown population, and many residents pride themselves on being
environmentally friendly. But, like most, we are reluctant to make choices
that limit personal freedom. In my family, our sins are predictable. We
often buy organic produce but rarely check to see how many miles the item
has traveled to reach our hands. And when it comes to energy consumption, we
are careless; up until a few months ago, I didn't think twice about leaving
the lights or computer on overnight, or about running the dryer with only
one or two items in it. I never felt compelled to conserve electricity, and
I don't think I was the only one.
Lighting as comfort
A couple
factors encouraged this mindset. First, Juneau sees 222 days of rain a year
on average, and the temperature hovers around 41 degrees for what feels like
ten months of the year. So even in the warmer months you can feel cold and
isolated, and that mental chill can easily drive you to turn up the heat
even when you’re not physically cold.
Second, electricity in
Juneau has always been cheap, thanks to the abundance of water (at least all
that rain is good for something!). Though the cost of living in Juneau is
through the roof—a hamburger can cost upward of $10—electricity
has always been one thing locals could count on to be affordable. And since
water is a clean and renewable resource, I think many Juneau residents were
a bit complacent.
Disaster results in huge spike in electricity
prices
The avalanche on April 16 and consequent switch to diesel
changed all that, sending us scurrying for our light switches, power strips,
and water heaters. It was estimated that we would need about 100,000 gallons
of diesel a day to power the city, at a daily cost of almost $400,000.
Residential rates were raised 447%, down from the 500% first anticipated.
For my family of four that meant our monthly bill would be over
$600.
As might be expected, the city went nuts. People were outraged
that a natural disaster could have such a direct and disastrous effect on
their pocketbooks, and furious at AEL&P for building the towers on such
a steep slope. Already stretched to the limit, many residents indicated that
they simply couldn't pay. Dire predictions were made about people being
forced to leave town, businesses closing, and prices rising on everything
from bagels to flowers.
Though most of these things never came to
pass, the anger and fear generated by the crisis helped fuel residents'
determination to conserve. And conserve we did. By the first week of
switching over to diesel, the city’s energy use was down 30%, and
going down. According to the local paper, the Juneau Empire, our usage
before the avalanche was 984 megawatt-hours per day, and six weeks later it
was 585, a decrease of 41%. Though people didn't like it, they managed to
find ways to avoid using electricity.
Practical, almost painless
solutions
Typical conservation measures involved unplugging
everything that wasn't in use, using appliances only when necessary, and
switching on fewer lights. Luckily, the avalanche occurred at a time of year
when the days were getting longer—about 17 hours of daylight and
counting.
At our house, changes were small but consistent: We took
shorter showers, watched less TV, ate dinner by candlelight, cooked on the
grill whenever possible, used the clothes dryer sporadically, and did the
dishes by hand. Most of our neighbors did the same.
Conservation
efforts were also very noticeable in the businesses around town. The grocery
stores powered down, shutting off lights in the beverage coolers and other
unnecessary places, and at the mall many of the corridor lights were out. At
the airport, the escalator (there is only one) was shut off, as was the huge
digital clock that displays time and temperature downtown. The sauna at the
pool was closed. And, in a much-repeated detail, clothespins, previously
left languishing in the dust on store shelves, were snapped up so quickly
that they were completely sold out at every store in town within the
week.
Like most things, the dread of having to cut back was far worse
than the reality. And, frankly, it wasn't that hard.
Efficiency pays
off
On June 1 we learned that repairs on the towers had been
completed way ahead of schedule and that AEL&P had switched back to
hydropower. The electric company reported that because Juneau had conserved
energy so efficiently, they had had to use much less diesel than they
expected—less than $9 million worth of diesel rather than the $25
million they had estimated, according to the Juneau Empire. At my house the
dreaded bill finally arrived and turned out to be only $312, meaning that
our modest conservation efforts saved us around $300.
It remains to be
seen whether or not energy consumption will return to its pre-avalanche
levels, now that hydropower is back. Because Juneau's energy supply comes
from an abundant resource, it is much easier to justify wasting it. However,
our brief run-in with diesel-powered energy has shown that conservation
doesn't have to translate into hardship or even inconvenience. It is just a
good practice to not waste resources, even those that seem to be plentiful.
The hopeful part of this experience for me was watching how quickly habits
could be changed. The fact that the motivating factor was financial, rather
than philosophical doesn't make it any less encouraging. In fact, though it
may be cynical, I think it is a much more solid way to begin.
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