The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center is releasing a new guide to help Pennsylvanians conserve energy and reduce wasted energy in their homes and businesses.

Published on National Energy Efficiency Day (October 5), with colder autumn and winter months looming, the energy-saving measures proposed by the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s It’s Time to Take Charge: A Citizen’s Guide to Saving Energy can help tackle our energy waste problem in Pennsylvania and nationwide.

“The ways we communicate, shop, work, and live have all changed dramatically in the last decade. But we still produce and consume energy the same ways we did almost a hundred years ago, putting our most basic needs at risk-- our health, the environment, and even the climate, ” said David Masur, Executive Director at the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. “We must start conserving energy, right now. Using this guide, Pennsylvanians can take concrete steps on Energy Efficiency Day to adopt energy-saving measures and tap into new technologies and appliances that increase home energy efficiency.”

Experts estimate that the United States can reduce its overall energy consumption by 40 to 60 percent by mid-century simply by using better technologies and eliminating waste across our economy.

Much of the energy waste is due to inadequate insulation, inefficient heating and 1 cooling systems, and out-of-date appliances and technologies.

But our individual, everyday actions -- forgetting to shut off the lights, overheating our water heaters, machine-washing half-full loads of clothing -- also add up.

“This energy efficiency guide is packed with practical tips and easy steps that homeowners and renters can take to save money and save on usage. At CCI, we conduct in-home energy audits and assessments and teach people about energy efficiency every day, and we loved this tool!” said Jeaneen A. Zappa, the Executive Director at Get Energy Smarter.

“We can have better health and a more sustainable environment, while also paying less on our utility bills,” continued Masur. “Efficiency improvements pay for themselves. This guide is designed to help families cut through the clutter of information and pick the improvements that will help them minimize energy waste.”

“Energy efficiency has already delivered significant benefits to Pennsylvania’s residents and businesses,” said Matt Elliott, Executive Director of the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) - a trade association representing 50 PA-based energy efficiency companies. “Reducing energy consumption saves money while helping to grow the economy. In 2018, more than 65,000 Pennsylvanians worked in energy efficiency-related jobs. While we are off to a good start, we’ve merely scratched the surface of our full energy-saving and job-creation potential.”

“Americans across the country are shifting to cleaner, less risky energy sources such as solar and wind, but regardless of where our energy comes from, wastefulness is unacceptable,” concluded Masur, “Creating a clean, healthy future for our kids and grandkids will require not just replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources, but also maximizing how much energy we get from those renewable sources.”

Click Here for a copy of the Guide.

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[Posted: Oct. 5, 2018]

10/8/2018