| Recycling energy can be a confusing term. Think | | | | near the heat exhaust vent. This will allow you to |
| about it for a moment. When you burn fuel such as | | | | take advantage of, or recycle, some of the energy |
| natural gas to cook a meal in the oven you are | | | | used for cooking instead of using more energy by |
| actually producing an over abundance of additional | | | | heating the bread in the microwave oven. |
| heat energy. | | | | In the electrical industry, energy recycling has been |
| Let's look a little closer at the cooking example. As | | | | around for more than 100 years. In fact, the Pearl |
| the oven is heated, there is a mechanism, or vent, | | | | Street Station that Thomas Edison owned produced |
| that releases excess heat above that needed to | | | | electricity and used the heat that would normally be |
| reach the desired cooking temperature. This vent is | | | | wasted to warm nearby buildings. |
| also used to cool the oven after it has been turned | | | | In the manufacturing industry there is often high |
| off. If you are in the kitchen during this time, can you | | | | temperature exhaust that could be captured. This |
| feel the warmth from the oven? Of course you can. | | | | recycled energy could be used to boil water, produce |
| In winter this is welcome, but in summer it can be | | | | steam, and power an electric generator. The EPA and |
| miserable. | | | | DOE have released studies that claim the amount of |
| Is this example a form of energy recycling? It sure is! | | | | heat energy wasted by manufacturing in the United |
| Whether you want your home warmed or not, the | | | | States could equal 20 percent of the nations total |
| energy from the excess heat is increasing the | | | | energy consumption. |
| temperature in your home. Taking advantage of this | | | | Energy, especially heat, can be recycled in many |
| can be as simple as doing the majority of your | | | | ways. The more we can extract from each unit of |
| baking in the winter months and using an outside grill | | | | energy, the more sustainable we can become in our |
| during the summer. You can also leave food that | | | | homes and nations. |
| needs to be slightly warmed such as breads under or | | | | |