A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a home to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save.

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I read in this morning’s Cherokee Tribune that the Georgia state legislature has overwhelmingly approved the state’s first water management plan. Based on what I heard at the public hearing that was held in Canton last month, the essence of this so-called plan is the creation of regional councils to conduct a 3-year assessment of Georgia’s supply and demand. How will a three year study save the lawns that are drying up in the extend drought that weather experts are telling us?

Now that the legislature has overwhelmingly approved this plan, our politicians can now boast that they have done something to solve the water shortage. At the end of the day, successfully managing our water resources will depend more on ordinary citizens like you and me, than on politicians and their appointees.

I discovered while Googling the subject of water conservation that the City of Los Angeles uses the same amount water today as it did in 1970 even though it’s population has grown by 1 million people during this period. Looking for something closer to home, I came across a web site “Conserve Water Georgia” that describes a program called waterSmart devised by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division in partnership with the University Georgia Cooperative Extension and lists a variety of tips for saving water indoors and outdoors.

It will take a collective effort at the grass roots level to save us from the draconian restrictions that might be imposed on Georgia residents if the drought continues for any length of time.