76-09-B1

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Conservation

Transcript Every month, the Federal Energy Administration mails me a news release tallying domestic demand for petroleum products, and the news it has been bringing isn't good. The further those long gas station lines recede from memory, it seems, the greater our demand for gasoline. In December, 1976, for example, demand was up more than 12 percent over the previous December. It was nearly 9 percent greater than December, 1974 and 13 percent more than December, 1973, about the time the energy crisis began. A short trip on most any major highway shows you why this is happening: the 55-mile-speed limit is virtually being ignored. Now, an argument can be made that the speed limit should be raised on the great superhighways out in the country and maintained on metropolitan freeways, but until that issue is debated and settled the limit remains 55 throughout the country and we are using about 400 thousand barrels of gasoline more a day than last year, partly because we aren't observing that speed limit. So, conservation is a matter of out-of-sight-out-of-mind, or, no-long-lines-no-conservation. It seems to take an abrupt awakening, such as the Arab oil embargo three years ago, or this winter's bitter chills and storms, to get our attention. Conservation, to be effective, is the sum total of many small actions. When President Carter, as one of his first decisions in office, had the White House thermostats turned down, it was a reminder to all of us. Didn't you find yourself glancing at your thermostat to see if it was up around 70 or so? If it was, you probably nudged it down a few degrees. Multiply that action a few million times and you get the picture about conservation's impact. This winter many public utilities have been urging their customers to put insulated "blankets" around water heaters and use other conservation techniques to save natural gas. Over and above conservation, though, even crash programs aren't going to eliminate our dependence on petroleum, natural gas, coal and nuclear power for about some uses of solar energy for homes, offices and factories. I've received quite a few letters asking for more information. And, I received some issues of a new publication about solar energy. It's called Solar Engineering. If you have an inquiry, I'll be happy to pass it along to them. Just drop me a note care of this station. Meanwhile, you can even put a bit of solar energy to work in your home this winter, without installing any new equipment. On days when the sun shines, open the draperies and curtains to let in all the warmth you can from the sun. Then, when the sun heads for the western horizon, close them to keep the heat in. Remember, glass is a great conductor of heat -- both ways. Every bit you keep in helps with the heating bill and puts you in the ranks of the conservationists. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 76-09-B1 Production Date 02/22/1977 Book/Page Online PDF Audio Youtube? No
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