January 28, 2010
January 27, 2010
Save Energy with This Old Fashioned Device
It may not seem like a big energy user, but consider whether you really need to be using electricity to open the occasional can. Unless you have arthritis or are disabled, you can probably get by easily with a hand-crank model, and therefore reduce your environmental impact.
Electric can openers require more resources to build, and take up more space in landfills than old-fashioned models. Typical 175-watt brands use .01 to .18 kWh per month, for an energy cost of about one cent. That doesn't sound like much, but if every person in America used one, that would be 36 to 648 million kWh of power, costing us $36 million.
Ironically, most people have to own both types of can openers anyway, because they need to be able to open cans during emergencies, when the power might be out, or just want something to take on picnics or out camping. Modern hand-crank openers are often ergonomically designed for comfort and efficiency, and are often just as fast as electrics, so they are a smart choice.
Electric can openers require more resources to build, and take up more space in landfills than old-fashioned models. Typical 175-watt brands use .01 to .18 kWh per month, for an energy cost of about one cent. That doesn't sound like much, but if every person in America used one, that would be 36 to 648 million kWh of power, costing us $36 million.
Ironically, most people have to own both types of can openers anyway, because they need to be able to open cans during emergencies, when the power might be out, or just want something to take on picnics or out camping. Modern hand-crank openers are often ergonomically designed for comfort and efficiency, and are often just as fast as electrics, so they are a smart choice.
By Brian Clark Howard
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