Community Voices - Jan Miyake

Posted by Emily Belle
Emily Belle
Emily Belle is a second year Environmental Studies major at Oberlin College. Ori
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on October 1, 2014 in Community Voices

160Jan Miyake is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Oberlin Conservatory, and a client of Providing Oberlin with Efficiency Responsibly (POWER).

How did you hear about POWER?

I think in the news tribune and then my friend Cindy also told me.

Why did you contact POWER/ what was your motivation?

Curiosity.

When you bought your home was energy efficiency a consideration? (Like the age of your furnace, windows, etc.)

No. (Moved in 2004).

Have you done any previous work to improve the energy efficiency of your home?

Yes, we blew in insulation in the attic and we bought new windows.

How would you describe Greg?

Greg is great! He???s easy to talk to, really kind and fun to be around.

Which improvements did you choose to make?

Oh yeah. We called Columbia Gas, we got an energy audit...that resulted in insulating our walls and we also bought a new air conditioning unit. We also put a monitor on our water heater to keep it from getting super hot unless the weather was super cold. I think that???s it. We got a new ceiling on our doors.  (How was that process?) It was good. Some of the contractors we wanted to use were super busy and so we had to go with someone else but other than that, it was a good process. It took us a long time to choose people but that???s just because we were super careful.

Have you saved money on energy?

I???m sure we have but it???s really hard to tell because this winter???s much colder than last winter was so we???ve already used a lot more gas than we used last year.

How have these improvements affected your life?

The house is much more cozy upstairs. Especially our guest room which has two exterior walls and sits above the garage. Our guests have appreciated having insulation in the walls.

How would you define sustainability and what actions have you made to contribute to sustainability?

Sustainability for me would be using the world???s resources in a way where they???ll still be there for my grandkids.  We???ve switched to all CFL light bulbs. We???ve been teaching our kids about water usage and their showers and teeth brushing. We did the work with the air conditioning unit and the insulation in our house. We???ve tried to drive one car instead of two as much as possible. So usually we???ll take two cars maybe once a week maybe more than once a week. We ride bikes a lot, we love to walk. I think that???s it?  

 
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Emily Belle is a second year Environmental Studies major at Oberlin College. Originally from Ithaca, New York, she loves waterfalls, woodland adventures, and growing and eating tasty food. Emily works in the Oberlin community as a Bonner Leader and America Reads Tutor.

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