Energy Savings…

Green living does a household, and the world, a lot of good. Now that we’re in the 21st century, we have access to dozens of ways to live more sustainably. A great first step to discovering them all is to explore green communities, where a greener, more environment-conscious lifestyle is the norm. Consider communities that emphasize conservation in planning, design, and statutes. Secondly, localize green-thinking and the reduction of energy consumption by changing things in your own home. And, finally, understand the broader spectrum. How could energy savings impact the world on a broader scale? Take a look at this brief Q & A to get a sense for the impact you could have:

What if…

What if every American home replaced just one incandescent bulb with an ENERGY STAR LED bulbs?

• The annual energy savings would total $700 million.
• It would prevent 9,000,000,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, the equivalent of 800,000 car emissions.

What if everyone had a timed thermostat?

• The average single family home would accrue energy savings of $180 per year.
• Each family’s CO2 output would be reduced by 2,059 pounds per year.
• If 20 million homes installed timed thermostats, then energy savings would be $3.6 billion/year. It would also save 41 billion pounds of CO2 (the equivalent of 3.4 million cars).

What if everyone turned down their water heater temperature by 10 degrees?

• Every 10 degree reduction results in a 3 to 5 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.
• If 20 million homes reduced their hot water heaters by 10 degrees, resulting energy savings would be $1.18 billion/yr. nationwide and 14.6 billion pounds of CO2 would be saved, the equivalent of 1.2 million cars emissions.

What if everyone installed low flow water fixtures?

• You would save 55 gallons of water for every 10-minute shower you took.
• By switching from an eight gallon per minute (gpm) flow to a 2.5 gpm flow, energy savings + reduction in water usage would be equivalent to $320/year.
• If 20 million people switched to low-flow shower heads, we’d save 401 billion gallons of water each year.

You Can!

Do your part to help conserve Earth’s resources. Implement these low-cost, cost-saving, energy-saving ideas in your own home. If you’re diving into the relocation process, then plan ahead by honing in on communities that supports green living. Click here to find green living communities in areas that you’re interested in.

This information was gathered from Energy.gov. For additional information on energy savings click here.