Nutrition
& Food Safety
NYSERDA
 |
Home
Energy Savings |
You can
reduce your energy bills by up to 40% by tapping
into some of these New York Energy Smart programs. |
|
|
Call 1-877-NY-SMART |
Programs
for residential customers and contractors |
What
is Energy Star?
Use of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Energy Saving Tips
Products that
earn the Energy Star use less energy
It's time to
add or replace appliances or lighting in your home, so
what do you do? Which products do you choose and where
do you get them? These choices are driven by style, performance,
and availability, but in large part by budget. However,
when selecting new appliances and lighting, the cost of
operation is often overlooked, which can be an expensive
mistake. How do you know you are getting the best product
for your dollars? Simple - just purchase products with
the Energy Star label and be asssured
that you are getting products of high quality design,
superior construction, and improved performance, along
with energy and money savings from lower operating costs.
Products
that earn the Energy Star use less energy.
This means less energy is generated by power plants, decreasing
the amount of fossil fuels burned, which results in less
air pollution. Make sure you look for the Energy
Star label before purchasing any bulb or appliance
that claims to be energy-efficient.
What
is Energy Star?
There is not
just one price tag on an appliance - there are two: the
price of buying it and - as shown on the yellow Energy
Guide - the price you pay for the energy to run it. You
may be spending more than you think! Over the lifetime
of an appliance you may spend much more to use it than
it cost to buy it.
When
buying new appliances, look for the Energy Star.
Energy Star products are those that meet energy
efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the Department of Energy. They are made by
dozens of manufactuers who have pledged to help save the
environment by making products that use less energy to
run.
An
appliance that qualifies for Energy Star
meets tough federal crtieria for energy efficiency. The
Energy Star program covers these products: clothes
washers and dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, room
and central air conditioners, dehumidifiers, ceiling fans,
programmable thermostats, furnaces, boilers and heat pumps,
TV's, VCR's, DVD's, and audio components, cordless phones
and answering machines, computers, monitors, printers
and fax machines, light fixtures, lamps and compact fluorescent
light bulbs. Visit Energy
Star on the web to find out where to buy Energy
Star products or call 1-888-STAR-YES.
Energy
Star Lighting - A Bright Idea
Energy
Star lighting products use two-thirds less energy
than standard incandescent lighting, while providing more
light, because they operate more efficiently. If you replace
the five most used light bulbs in your home with Energy
Star bulbs, you'll save $50 a year. Compact flourescent
bulbs need to be changed on average, once every seven
years, depending on individual usage. This means less
time changing light bulbs, a convenience for those hard
to reach areas.
Energy
Saving Tips
| Lighting |
Turn off lights when you are
not using them. One 100 watt bulb left on
all night costs about $25 over twelve months. |
| Cooking |
Use toaster ovens, crockpots, microwaves:
Use them when you are cooking small to medium-sized
meals. They use less energy than your stove or oven. |
| Refrigerators |
An old refrigerator costs the average family about
$140 a year (that is almost $12 per month). |
| Home Safety |
Each year about 4,300 Americans die from fires,
440 people die from electric shock and another 500
from unintentional |
| Kids |
You think only grownups should think about saving
energy? Actually, there a lot kids can do. And think
of how your family can use the money that these easy
steps can save! |
| Summer |
Keep cool without air conditioning. |
| Water Bills |
The water heater is the second biggest energy user
in the home. You're charged for the water - and for
heating it. An average family can spend about $290
a year just taking showers - many families spend more. |
| Laundry |
Wash laundry in warm or cold water instead
of hot. Hot water needs to be used ojnly
for oily stains and very dirty loads. |
| Furnace |
Heating is by far one of our biggest energy expenses.
It costs the average low-income family around $482
a year. |
| Winter |
Use drapes: Where windows face
the sun, keep drapes open in the day, but close all
drapes at night. Keeping shades drawn and drapes closed
will make the room more comfortable without any increase
in energy use. By reducing the chill from cold windows
and reducing drafts, you'll reduce heating costs.
|
| Dishwashing |
Wash only full loads. It costs
exactly the same to wash one dish as a whole load. |
