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Common
Sense Solution:
Increase
Energy Efficiency in Homes and Businesses
Like
better technology for transportation and
power generation, the technology for more
efficient motors, appliances, windows,
homes, and manufacturing processes is here
today. These simple solutions save consumers
money and can have an enormous impact on
climate change at the same time. For
instance, in the past two decades,
energy-efficiency standards for household
appliances kept 53 million tons of
heat-trapping gases out of the air each
year.
 New
or updated standards are now in place for
many major appliances, including
clothes washers, dishwashers, water heaters,
furnaces, and boilers. In 2006, new
standards for air conditioners take effect
that will increase efficiency 23 percent
compared with the current standard. By 2020,
these efficiency gains alone will reduce the
need for up to 150 new medium-sized (300
megawatt) power plants. Efficiency standards
for commercial equipment such as
refrigerators, heaters, furnaces, and public
lighting also have significant room for
improvement.
Many states
and utilities have energy efficiency
programs. They typically save consumers more
than $2 in lower energy bills for every $1
invested in efficiency. A federal matching
fund created by a $1 per household surcharge
on monthly electric bills could provide more
than $7 billion per year in funding for
state energy efficiency and renewable energy
programs.
 Consumer
Solution: Look for the Energy Star.
 When
it comes time to replace appliances, look
for the Energy Star label on new
appliances. (Refrigerators, freezers,
furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters
use the most energy.) These items may cost a
bit more initially, but the energy savings
will pay back the extra investment within a
couple years.
Household
energy savings really can make a difference.
If each household in the
United States
replaced its existing appliances with the
most efficient models available, we would
save $15 billion annually in energy costs
and eliminate 175 million tons of
heat-trapping gases.
Consumer
Solution: Unplug a freezer.
One of the quickest ways to reduce your
global warming impact is to unplug the extra
refrigerator or freezer you rarely
use—except when you need it for holidays
and parties. This can reduce the typical
family's CO2 emissions nearly 10 percent.
Consumer
Solution: Home energy audits.
Many utilities offer free home energy
audits. Take advantage of this service.
Simple measures, such as installing a
programmable thermostat to replace your old
dial unit or sealing and insulating heating
and cooling ducts, can each reduce a typical
family’s CO2 emissions by about 5 percent.
Consumer
Solution: Light bulbs matter.
Lighting uses nearly one-quarter of all the
electricity in the
United States
, and much of this electricity is generated
from polluting fossil fuel power plants. So
replace your incandescent light bulbs with
more efficient compact fluorescent lights,
which now come in all shapes and sizes. You
will be doing your share to cut back on
heat-trapping pollution and you’ll save
money on energy and light bulbs.
Published by: http://www.ucsusa.org
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