Reducing Energy Costs and the Environmental Impact of Your Energy Consumption

An evening course at St. Lawrence College, Tuesdays, January 14 to February 25, 2003, 6:30 to 9:30pm

Register at www.sl.on.ca (Kingston Campus, Life and Leisure courses, course code GENI 168 861) or phone St. Lawrence College at 544.5400 (press 60).

Improved efficiency, renewable energy, green energy, climate change, smog — if these subjects interest you, find out with this course how you can reduce your energy bills and be more environmentally responsible. We will start with an overview of climate change and smog issues that are driving societies to improved energy efficiency and the use of renewable and other green energy sources. Then we will complete an inventory of personal energy use for each course participant (house, vehicles, travel, food and goods consumption, and others) and the emissions associated with that energy use. With that as the background, options for reducing energy use through improved efficiency and producing our own energy will be discussed. Photovoltaic, wind, solar, purchased green energy and other energy options will be presented with their cost/benefits and the market readiness of the technologies. The importance of issues surrounding energy use and our community will also be addressed. The course will show how it can be economically advantageous and environmentally beneficial to reduce energy consumption at home and in our society. Participants should expect to have reduced their energy bills by the end of the course! Depending on class interest, a field trip to renewable energy powered homes may be offered.

Course Instructor: Steve Lapp — an engineer with twenty years of experience in energy technologies