Guest guest Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 Lights out, S.F.! Voluntary brownout to show ease of saving energy David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, September 19, 2007 If Nate Tyler has his way, the glittering lights of San Francisco will disappear one evening next month. And for once, the cause won't be fog or a blackout. Tyler runs Lights Out San Francisco, a new organization trying to persuade the city's residents and businesses to shut off all unnecessary lights for one hour on Oct. 20, from 8 to 9 p.m. Modeled after a similar effort in Australia, the event is designed to show people how easily they can conserve energy. Every kilowatt saved also helps fight global warming by lessening the need for more power plants that spew greenhouse gases. " It's a very simple message, " said Tyler. " It's very clear. If everyone turns off their lights for an hour, it can make a real difference. And if they want to turn the lights off for longer that evening, we're into that, too. " How much can a one-hour, voluntary brownout save? When Sydney tried it in March, the city conserved enough power to avoid pumping more than 24 tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Tyler, a public relations consultant, happened to be eating in a restaurant on Sydney's harbor when the city powered down. He watched the famed Sydney Opera House disappear into the night. " It was beautiful, " said Tyler, who hopes to take the event to other American cities next year. " The restaurant I was sitting in brought out candles. The thing I thought was so cool was that it was such a simple thing to do. Anyone could participate. " Managers of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz have already agreed to take part. So has Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The utility will monitor just how much energy the effort conserves. PG & E also is donating 100,000 compact fluorescent bulbs that Lights Out San Francisco will give away throughout the city before the event, though details of the distribution have yet to be released. The idea is to encourage residents to replace at least one old-style, incandescent bulb in their homes, saving a little power long after the event ends. No matter how many people take part, however, the city won't turn pitch-black. There are limits to how much lighting many of the participants can kill. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District will turn off the lights illuminating the bridge towers. But the lights on the roadway have to stay on. So do the small lights atop the towers that keep aircraft from crashing into the span. The bridge district will probably save $10 by shutting down the decorative lights for an hour, said spokeswoman Mary Currie. That's not a big dent in the monthly electric bill of $23,000, a figure that also includes the bridge's nearby buildings and parking lots. " The savings are not a lot, but the symbolism is important, " Currie said. Chef Cory Obenour faces a similar challenge. The Mission District restaurant he co-owns, the Blue Plate, will switch to candlelight for its dinner service on the 20th. But the kitchen is a different matter. Obenour is trying to figure out just how much light he and his kitchen staff will need to actually see the food. " You've got to season stuff, you've got to get the right color if it's fish - there's all that stuff to consider, " Obenour said. Still, he's game to try the idea. " We've got an adventurous crew here, " Obenour said. " I'm like, 'Anyone want to cook in the dark with me?' And they're like, 'Yeah, let's cook in the dark!' " Want to save energy? Find tips and information on rebates for energy-saving products online at: -- California Energy Commission: www.consumerenergycenter.org -- PG & E: www.pge.com/res/rebates American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: links.sfgate.com/ZVW For more information on Lights Out San Francisco, including how to take advantage of the lightbulb giveaway, go to lightsoutsf.org. E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker. What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so. - Mark Twain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 22, 2007 Report Share Posted September 22, 2007 That sounds really cool! I'm in the process of switching over to compact fl.lightbulbs, but I'm not good with heights and I've got 6 different ceiling lights to deal with. LOL I'm ahead on the candles...I'm stocked up on soy candles...hehehe I actually found a store that sells 'em. , fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: > > Lights out, S.F.! Voluntary brownout to show ease of saving energy > David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer > > Wednesday, September 19, 2007 > > > > If Nate Tyler has his way, the glittering lights of San Francisco will disappear one evening next month. > > And for once, the cause won't be fog or a blackout. > > Tyler runs Lights Out San Francisco, a new organization trying to persuade the city's residents and businesses to shut off all unnecessary lights for one hour on Oct. 20, from 8 to 9 p.m. Modeled after a similar effort in Australia, the event is designed to show people how easily they can conserve energy. > > Every kilowatt saved also helps fight global warming by lessening the need for more power plants that spew greenhouse gases. > > " It's a very simple message, " said Tyler. " It's very clear. If everyone turns off their lights for an hour, it can make a real difference. And if they want to turn the lights off for longer that evening, we're into that, too. " > > How much can a one-hour, voluntary brownout save? When Sydney tried it in March, the city conserved enough power to avoid pumping more than 24 tons of carbon dioxide into the air. > > Tyler, a public relations consultant, happened to be eating in a restaurant on Sydney's harbor when the city powered down. He watched the famed Sydney Opera House disappear into the night. > > " It was beautiful, " said Tyler, who hopes to take the event to other American cities next year. " The restaurant I was sitting in brought out candles. The thing I thought was so cool was that it was such a simple thing to do. Anyone could participate. " > > Managers of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz have already agreed to take part. So has Pacific Gas and Electric Co. > > The utility will monitor just how much energy the effort conserves. PG & E also is donating 100,000 compact fluorescent bulbs that Lights Out San Francisco will give away throughout the city before the event, though details of the distribution have yet to be released. The idea is to encourage residents to replace at least one old-style, incandescent bulb in their homes, saving a little power long after the event ends. > > No matter how many people take part, however, the city won't turn pitch-black. > > There are limits to how much lighting many of the participants can kill. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District will turn off the lights illuminating the bridge towers. But the lights on the roadway have to stay on. So do the small lights atop the towers that keep aircraft from crashing into the span. > > The bridge district will probably save $10 by shutting down the decorative lights for an hour, said spokeswoman Mary Currie. That's not a big dent in the monthly electric bill of $23,000, a figure that also includes the bridge's nearby buildings and parking lots. > > " The savings are not a lot, but the symbolism is important, " Currie said. > > Chef Cory Obenour faces a similar challenge. The Mission District restaurant he co-owns, the Blue Plate, will switch to candlelight for its dinner service on the 20th. But the kitchen is a different matter. Obenour is trying to figure out just how much light he and his kitchen staff will need to actually see the food. > > " You've got to season stuff, you've got to get the right color if it's fish - there's all that stuff to consider, " Obenour said. > > Still, he's game to try the idea. " We've got an adventurous crew here, " Obenour said. " I'm like, 'Anyone want to cook in the dark with me?' And they're like, 'Yeah, let's cook in the dark!' " > > > Want to save energy? > Find tips and information on rebates for energy-saving products online at: > > -- California Energy Commission: www.consumerenergycenter.org > > -- PG & E: www.pge.com/res/rebates > > American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: links.sfgate.com/ZVW > > > > For more information on Lights Out San Francisco, including how to take advantage of the lightbulb giveaway, go to lightsoutsf.org. > > E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker > > > What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so. > - Mark Twain > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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