The Upside to the Snowstorm: Saved Money, Energy, More
The huge snowstorms on the East Coast have been blamed for the onslaught of inactivity, from closing down major governmental operations in D.C., to grounding thousands of flights from New York City to Dallas.
Close to 20 inches of snow piled up at the nation's capital as a blizzard pounded mid-Atlantic states, cutting power to hundreds of thousands in the region. Photo: Flickr/Daquella manera
While travelers are cranky and some residents are still freezing without electricity, there are actually eco benefits (that’s right, we said it) of Snowpocalypse 2010.
If you think about it logically, it makes sense. The mass accumulation of snow has created a barrier against our everyday carbon-emitting activities. Even a short drive to the supermarket is a venture that must be carefully planned. So, we thought we’d dig a little deeper to get an idea of the money and energy that was saved while production completely stopped for major cities.
After 19.5 inches of snow fell at American University in Washington, D.C. in just two days, Dominion Virginia Power estimated that 207,000 customers were without power over the weekend of the storm. In Maryland and Washington, an estimated 104,331 were in the dark.
According to the U.S. EPA, approximately 4 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent (almost 9,000 pounds) per person per year (about 17 percent of total U.S. emissions) are emitted from people’s homes. That’s about 49.3 pounds daily for a two-person household. In theory, a power outage for 200,000 homes could mean a savings of 9,860,000 pounds in CO2 emissions, and that’s a back-of-the-napkin estimate.
Add in the three full days of government operational shutdowns, and you’re easily looking at triple that number.
The bad news? While the snowstorm may have thwarted energy savings, we’ll be paying for it tenfold in the end. According to Fox News, the federal inactivity could cost taxpayers “about $100 million every day in lost productivity, or work that’s not getting done.”
But the huge storm wasn’t just a big hit on households, it was also a scene of anarchy for airlines. According to the Palm Beach Post, nationwide, the snowstorm grounded more than a thousand flights between Thursday night and Friday. Despite rescheduling headaches, Wall Street Journal travel columnist Scott McCartney told NPR that airlines actually save money when grounding flights by avoiding landing fees and saving tons of jet fuel.
According to British Airways, a 747-400 plane cruising at 576 miles per hour burns about 3,378 gallons of fuel per hour and carries 409 passengers when full. If the plane is 75 percent full, one passenger accounts for 52.2 miles for each gallon of fuel burned.
While some say the freak blizzards are a sign of climate change and things to come, we thought we’d look at the brighter side of wrapping up in blankets and eating snowcream. Of course, that’s easy to say while working in 70 degree weather here in Phoenix.
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