Home Energy Efficiency
Tips & Facts

Saving Energy

You can save 10-50% on your home energy bills by making some energy smart improvements to your home. The key to achieving these savings is a whole-house energy-efficiency plan which requires viewing your home as one system with individual parts. Each part affects the other parts. For example, if you install ENERGY STAR® windows and good insulation, when it's time to replace your heating or cooling system, you may be able to get a smaller one, because the windows and walls will retain the heated and cooled air inside better than a home without efficient windows and good insulation. And since heating and cooling make up the majority of your bill, you'll save the most money on your energy bill by reducing your heating and cooling needs. Thinking of your house as a whole system ensures that the dollars you invest in energy efficiency are wisely spent.

Energy-efficiency improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can also yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced energy bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements. In addition, your home may have a higher resale value.

The first step to taking a whole-house energy-efficiency approach is to find out which parts of your house need the most help. A home energy survey can help suggest the most effective ways for you to reduce your energy costs. You can conduct a simple home energy audit yourself here. When making energy home improvements, you may be eligible for a tax credit. President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which offers consumer tax credits for energy efficient home improvements and energy efficient vehicles. The Act includes a home tax credit with an overall cap of $500 to reimburse homeowners for specific home improvements.

 Home Energy Survey

An energy survey or audit of your home’s energy usage and costs identifies specific energy efficiency measures appropriate to reduce your home energy bills.

The Department of Energy and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have developed a Home Energy Saver audit tool that can give you a more detailed estimate of your total energy use, as well as savings estimates for various energy efficiency options. You can also find listings of energy-efficient appliances, and other resources. This is an Internet-based tool, so you don’t need to download any software.

FUN ENERGY FACTS

An overwhelming majority of consumers—92 percent—agree that business, government, and consumers have an equal responsibility to reduce energy use ~ Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research.

Consumers garner information on saving energy and reducing energy bills from a variety of sources—45 percent review brochures or utility company information, 40 percent by word-of-mouth, and 39 percent look for the Energy Star label on new products ~ Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research.

Eighty percent of American consumers agree that America needs to reduce oil imports ~ Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research.

According to a recent national survey, 86 percent of U.S. consumers say that wider availability and selection of fuel-efficient cars and SUVs would be very effective or somewhat effective in getting them and their families to reduce energy use ~ Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research.

According to estimates from the Energy Information Administration, in just two decades U.S. energy consumption will increase by almost 40 percent—an amount equivalent to the energy used today in California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois ~ Alliance to Save Energy

Transportation accounts for more than 67 percent of the oil we consume in the United States and more than we produce. Today, our country imports more than 56 percent of its oil supply, and imports are expected to reach 70 percent over the next two decades ~ U.S. Department of Energy.

The United States consumes almost 9 million barrels of gasoline daily—43 percent of total global daily gasoline consumption ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

If everyone purchased one of the four most efficient models in each vehicle class (sedans, sub-compacts, SUVs, light trucks), fuel economy would be 12 percent higher and Americans could save 13.1 billion gallons of gasoline annually ~ Environmental Protection Agency and quoted in Alliance’s Power$mart booklet.

In 2004, SUV drivers will spend about $1,225 on fuel, while passenger car drivers will spend only $976. Hybrid electric car drivers will spend between $350 and $450 ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

Americans driving SUVs can expect to pay $180 more for gas in 2004 than they did in 2003, and passenger car drivers will pay $144 more. But hybrid electric car drivers will only pay between $50 and $67 more for gas in 2004 than they did in 2003 ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

By the end of 2005, the number of hybrid vehicles on the road will more than triple. According to Department of Energy projections, by the end of this decade, 750,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold annually—that means one in every 23 passenger vehicles sold will be a hybrid electric ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

Improvements in automobile efficiency since 1973 are saving consumers $151 billion in 2004 alone—more than twice as much as the federal government spends each year on education ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

SUV fuel costs per mile exceed those of passenger cars. In 2004, the fuel cost per mile for passenger cars will be about 8 cents, but the fuel cost for SUVs will be over 10 cents per mile. Fuel cost per mile for hybrid electric vehicles will be 3 to 4 cents per mile ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG (miles per gallon) and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $1,800 over 5 years, assuming gas costs $1.80 per gallon and one drives 12,000 miles a year ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

Many idle electronics—TVs, VCRs, DVD and CD players, cordless phones, microwaves—use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy "vampires" use 5 percent of our domestic energy and cost consumers more than $3 billion annually ~ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and quoted in Alliance’s Power$mart booklet.

The average household spends $1,400 each year on energy bills. By choosing Energy Star-qualified products, consumers can cut this by 30 percent, saving about $400 each year ~ Energy Star.

American households typically spend more than $200 annually on air conditioning. Households in some regions of the South can easily spend twice that much ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

Over an air conditioner’s lifetime, only one-fourth of the total cost is for the purchase of the air conditioning unit. The greater cost—three-fourths—is for the energy to run the air conditioner ~ Alliance to Save Energy.

Replacing old model air conditioners with Energy Star units can cut cooling bills by 20 percent or more ~ Energy Star.

"Sleep" features that power down home office equipment and other electronic devices that are turned on but not in use can save households up to $70 annually ~ Alliance to Save Energy Power$mart Booklet.

Between 80 and 85 percent of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water. Using warm or cool water instead of hot will save money and energy and get clothes just as clean ~ U.S. Department of Energy.