Green Jobs Now! Campiagn Promotes "Home Energy Makeovers" to Stimulate Green Economy

Free or Low-cost Ways To Lower Your Energy Bills (excerpt from event flier)

You can save $200-$300 a year with these no-cost (FREE!) changes:
• Turn down the temperature on your hot water tank, until you can shower using only hot.
• Turn down the house temperature by 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer. Try to keep it below 68 in the winter, and above 78 in the summer.
• Open windows on cool summer nights. Close windows in the morning before it gets hot out.
• Turn off lights when you are not in the room.
• Use cold water to wash clothes, not hot. Use a clothesline to dry your clothes.
• Flush your hot water heater and vacuum your refrigerator coils once a year.

You can save $300-$500 a year MORE with these low-cost changes:
• TV/VCR/stereo/cable and computer systems use power, even when turned off.
Put them on surge protector strips; turn the strip off when not in use. An $8 strip can save $10-20 a year
• Replace your furnace filter at least twice a year. (Dirty filters raise your heating/cooling costs).
• Wrap an insulation blanket (cost: $15) around your water heater and save $30-$50 each year.
• Caulk and weatherstrip around windows and doors. The cost is cheap and will save BIG money.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Each bulb will save you $60-$100 over its lifetime. OLD STYLE BULBS ARE STEALING YOUR MONEY.
• Install a programmable thermostat that will automatically adjust the temperature while you are asleep or out of the house. These cost $30-$60 and will save hundreds of dollars each year.

You can save $500-$700 a year MORE with these medium-cost changes:
• Insulate your attic, at least 12 inches thick. Spend a few hundred dollars and save hundreds every year, STARTING THIS WINTER.
• If possible, use Energy Star model appliances– they cost a lot less to run.