r COMPANIES LIKE OURS ARE WORKING TO MAKE A CHANGE i-e^nu Money Isn't All You're Saving Whether you know it or not, you are already part of an initiative to change our environment. Companies and organ- izations of all sizes and types are looking for solutions to the challenges of energy production and its adverse effects on our air quality. As an employee of such an organization, you are a partner in environmental protection. USING OUR ENERGY ON THE ENVIRONMENT Businesses, consumers, and manufacturers have united in the pursuit of a common goal: to protect our environment for future generations by changing to more energy-efficient products and practices today. By collectively making a change, we can decrease the demand for energy. The less we use, the less we generate, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves the quality of our air. We are proud of our participation in a voluntary, federal initiative called ENERGY STAR? and of our efforts to advance energy efficiency. We're pleased to offer some advice on how you can make a difference as well, both here at work and in your own home. IN 2001 , ENERGY STAR HELPED AMERICANS SAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS EQUIVALENT TO THOSE FROM TWELVE MILLION CARS. ------- LOOK FOR THE ENERGY STAR Money Isn't All You 're Saving You can identify energy-efficient products that meet guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) by looking for the ENERGY STAR label. Currently, more than 35 product categories, including lighting, appliances, consumer electronics, office equipment, and home heating and cooling equipment qualify for ENERGY STAR. You'll also find ENERGY STAR on homes, buildings, and schools that meet energy-efficiency criteria. Americans purchased more than 150 million ENERGY STAR labeled products in 2001, contributing to the more than 750 million products bought throughout the last decade that have earned the ENERGY STAR. ENERGY STAR: ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT WORK As an employee, you can help save energy, save money, and improve the condition of our environment by following some simple steps for energy efficiency at work. They cost nothing, but could save a lot. IN 2001, AMERICANS USED ENERGY STAR TO SAVE ENOUGH ENERGY AT PEAK TIMES TO POWER TWELVE MILLION HOMES. AMERICANS SAVE ABOUT $6 BILLION A YEAR IN THEIR HOMES AND BUSINESSES BY LOOKING TO ENERGY STAR. ENERGY-SAVING TIPS AT WORK • Power management. Make sure the power management features on your office equipment are enabled. This allows your computer or monitor to power down when it's not in use for extended periods of time, cutting computer energy costs by about 40 percent. Visit www.energystar.gov/powermanagement to enable your monitor's "rest" setting. Also, remember to turn off equipment and lights at the end of the workday. • Double-sided copying. If everyone used the double- sided feature of ENERGY STAR labeled copiers, we could save 1 million tons of paper — enough to circle the world 1,400 times. Using less paper saves energy because it takes 10 times more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than it does to copy an image onto it. • Procure ENERGY STAR. If you are responsible for office equipment or lighting purchases, look for or specify ENERGY STAR when procuring these products. Products with the ENERGY STAR reduce our energy costs without compromising product quality or performance. ------- ENERGY STAR: ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT HOME ' ' Y-S/ NG ' ; - JI " There's a lot you can do to cut down on energy use at home. Whether you're looking to remodel your home or just for a few tips, follow these energy-efficient practices to help save energy, save money, and protect the environment. FIND OUT MORE To learn more about ENERGY STAR labeled products and practices, for at home and at work, visit www.energystar.gov or call 1 -888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937). Money Isn't All You 're Saving Put your home to the test. The Home Energy Yardstick (available online at www.energystar.gov/homeimprovement) will show how your home's energy use compares to other homes. Find out if you have room for improvement. The Home Energy Advisor (also available on the Web site above) delivers a report of "top upgrades" to help you prioritize which home improvement projects are most effective in saving energy and money in your home. Heat and cool smartly. About one-half of all energy used by households goes to heat and cool the home. If you're looking to purchase new heating and cooling equipment for your home, look for ENERGY STAR labeled equipment These units, when properly sized, installed, and maintained, can save you between $65-260 (on average) depending on your climate. Programmable thermostats, devices that allow you to choose the temperature to be maintained in your home during different times of the day, can deliver additional savings on heating and cooling bills by reducing energy waste. Get lean, mean, and clean in the laundry room. If you're buying a new washing machine, replace your old one with an ENERGY STAR qualified model. It uses 50 percent less energy per load. Average household savings could top $100 per year. Change a light. A typical household spends nearly $90 a year on lighting. Buying ENERGY STAR labeled CFLs is an easy way to replace inefficient standard bulbs with screw-based, energy-saving bulbs. Replacing the top-five most used bulbs in your home (the ones you use three to five hours a day) can save you $45. ENERGY STAR fixtures include the cover and wiring. You can install these qualified fixtures during renovation or when building a new home. Seal it up. Insulating your home to the recommended level for your climate, sealing air leaks, and installing ENERGY STAR qualified windows are home improvement projects that can deliver savings on your heating and cooling bill. ENERGY STAR Home Sealing has guidance on how to do it right; visit our Web site for more information. All savings are estimates and/or averages based on data and research supplied by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE). Facts and equivalencies were taken from EPA's ENERGY STAR facts/figures - October 2002. ------- |