GreenSage E-zine Fall 2009

Results Are In — Every Little Bit of Water and Energy Conserved Adds Up Big Time
Courtesy Phil Willon, LA Times

Ever wonder if your conservation efforts make a difference? Heeding calls to conserve water and power, Los Angeles residents have significantly reduced water use and installed enough energy-efficient appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs to save an amount of power equal to that used by 53,000 homes, according to city officials.

Los Angeles residents have complied with the strict watering restrictions and energy efficiency programs at the Department of Water and Power (DWP) resulting in impressive decreases, city officials say.

"Angelenos didn't just meet the challenge, they exceeded it," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

With strict watering restrictions that limit landscape irrigation to Mondays and Thursdays, the amount of water used by city residents in July declined by 17% compared with the same month the year before, Villaraigosa said.

City officials also estimated that energy efficiency programs at the DWP, which serves the city's roughly 4 million residents as well as businesses and government agencies, saved 318 gigawatt-hours in fiscal year 2008-09. Among those programs, the DWP has provided 2.4 million compact fluorescent light bulbs to 1.2 million residences, 13,650 free Energy Star-rated refrigerators in exchange for old models and provided rebates for energy-saving windows, air conditioners and swimming pool pumps.

The mayor addressed a television news report that the Getty House, the mayor's official residence in Windsor Square, had repeatedly violated city lawn-watering restrictions. KNBC-TV Channel 4 showed that Getty House sprinklers were turned on in the wee hours of the morning on days when lawn watering was prohibited.

The property includes a backyard fountain and lush landscaping. It serves as both the mayor's private residence and as a public venue regularly used for official city events.

Villaraigosa said he had been unaware of the violations and discovered that there was a "glitch" in a high-tech landscape irrigation system installed at the Getty House two years ago. He said the problem is being fixed.

Because of the new water-efficient irrigation system, the mayor said outside water use at the Getty House has dropped 70% since he moved into the residence in late 2005. Water use inside the home has declined 67% during that same period, he said, although during that time the mayor separated from his wife and she no longer lives at the Getty House, which might account for a portion of that reduction.