Summer is coming. We’ve had at least three consecutive days of sunshine in the last two weeks and a few days when I actually wore short sleeves with no sweater! Festivals are on the rise: World Oceans Day with One Drop dropping some sweet summer tunes hits Hennessey’s on June 8 and Kona Brewing Company’s Liquid Aloha Fesitval with Dirty Heads heads our way on July 9.

Last week the City of San Diego voted to ban single-use plastics at its meetings (way to go, Alicia !). Because of the energy use involved in producing those bottles, the new policy helps San Diego save a lot of energy as San Diego’s decision makers sip their way through summer meetings. But what can we do as individuals? I’m looking at SDG&E ’s energy efficiency calculator . I do it in part to figure out what my energy use is and also because the calculator tells me how much money I can save towards a fantastic international trip to fun summer destinations. It turns out that I normally spend about $200 per year on air conditioning. The Summer Saver program makes my cold air practically free. The standard $46 per year is a huge discount. And if I could earn $194 with 100% cycling, including weekends, I’d end up paying less than the cost of a Whamo Frisbee game (perfect for summer). That’s practically free A/C.

I’m still watching Google Power Meter to see how my energy use fluctuates. As it turns out, I’m super boring–which was predictable since my apartment is the size of a peanut and I’m only home and using power for a couple hours each day in the morning and evening. Come summer heat, I’ll sign up for SDG&E’s summer saver program and take my energy use down to Frisbee level. Welcome Summer Savings in San Diego!