HOUSTON – The City of Houston offers energy saving tips to the public today as it celebrates the third annual national Energy Efficiency Day with organizations, businesses, utilities, and individuals promoting energy efficiency.
“Our entire community benefits when we watch our energy consumption,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “Energy efficiency saves money, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and is a good return on investment.”
Smarter energy use means the nation may have to generate less power to meet its needs. Many people don’t realize that the City of Houston has already made significant, forward-thinking investments in energy savings, benefiting municipal operations, public health, clean air and the fight against climate change.
Since 2007, Houston has invested $70 million in energy efficiency retrofits, saved over 22 million kWh of electricity each year, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 35%.
In 2017, the city launched its first power purchase agreement from a 30 to 50MW solar facility in Alpine, TX. The overall contract price was reduced by 8%, resulting in an estimated $40 million of savings over the 20-year agreement.
Reducing the energy used by manufacturers, homes and businesses benefits everyone – especially energy bill payers. The average household, for example saves almost $500 every year from efficiency standards for appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, and water heaters.
In honor of Energy Efficiency Day, the City of Houston offers the following tips to help residents and businesses save energy and money.
Look for the Energy Star label: Products that earn the ENERGY STAR label meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, helping you save energy and money while protecting the environment.
Turn off unnecessary or idle lights, appliances and electronics. A power strip can help turn off multiple items at once.
Make the switch to LED: LED lights are a great example of how innovation and technology can make your life easier. LED lights last at least 25 times longer and consume up to 90 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs.
Maintain your HVAC system: Clean or change your air filters regularly. A dirty air filter will slow down air flow, making the system work harder, and costing you more money.
To learn more about the City of Houston’s energy efficiency efforts, visit www.greenhoustontx.gov, or join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #EEDay2018