Next Wednesday, October 6, is Energy Efficiency Day. This annual nationwide campaign recognizes and celebrates the multiple benefits of energy efficiency — the least expensive, fastest way to meet our energy needs, reduce consumer bills, and cut pollution.
Energy efficiency is also an economic engine, directly employing more Americans (at least two million) than any other single energy sector. As we push to end the COVID-19 pandemic and revive the economy by putting millions of people back to work, the efficiency sector offers opportunities for good local jobs.
This year, more than 800 local governments, universities, organizations, corporations, and utilities are participating in #EEDay2021. We invite you to join these groups and let others know about the 6th annual Energy Efficiency Day, organized by a network of environmental and energy efficiency organizations, including ACEEE. You can help spread the word by emailing your colleagues and friends or posting on social media.
To spur ideas for your efficiency journey, we reached out to ACEEE staff to see how they have incorporated energy efficiency into their lives.
Corinne Abbott, Director of Development
Corinne, a homeowner in Virginia, recently replaced many of her drafty, warped, wood-framed, double-hung windows with vinyl ENERGY STAR® windows. These windows have two panes of glass with a layer of inert gas, in this case argon, between them. They help minimize heat transfer between indoors and the outside, so the HVAC system won’t need to work as hard. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, installing such windows throughout a home can save $101-$583 per year when replacing single-pane windows, or $27-$197 per year when replacing double-pane windows.
Hannah Tsimmerman, Development Associate
Hannah and her spouse recently bought a home in Cortland County, New York and replaced some very dated chandeliers with dimmable light fixtures designed to use LED bulbs. They like how the new lights have warm and cool settings, don’t add visual clutter, and save them money on their rural electric bills. These savings can be substantial. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says lighting accounts for about 4% of an average home's electricity use, and using LEDs can save the average home about $40 in energy costs per year.
Mariel Wolfson, Editor/Writer
Mariel is committing to buying more of her food, especially produce, locally. As Mariel puts it, “I am fortunate to live in an area with a lot of farm stands. I can get fresher veggies than what I would buy at the supermarket, which has to travel 3,000+ truck miles from California to reach the East Coast.”
Local zucchini, tomatoes, and purple potatoes.
Ben Somberg, Senior Communications Manager
Ben reminds us that taking individual action can also mean advocating for energy-efficient transportation and buildings. He likes to ask his local elected officials in Washington, DC, to champion bus and bike lanes and to support efforts to reduce energy use in buildings. “If you haven’t picked up the phone or written that email to say what you want them to do, you’re sitting it out,” he says. “Don’t be shy!”
Please share your own energy efficiency success stories with us on social media on October 6. We look forward to celebrating Energy Efficiency Day with you.
