Saving Money and Energy

With high heating oil and natural gas prices, the “physical fitness” of your home can make the difference between soaring energy bills or comfortable savings this winter.

Failure to Reduce Growing U.S. Oil Dependence a Major Flaw

The Alliance to Save Energy today gave tempered praise for the energy efficiency tax incentives in Congress's energy bill but noted that the supply-oriented bill as a whole fails to harness the latest energy efficiency technologies to address major energy problems, particularly increasing U.S. oil dependence.

At a recent meeting with energy efficiency, environmental, and consumer groups, and major utility companies, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham promised to “cut through the red tape” so that long-awaited reviews of energy efficiency standards on residential furnaces and other equipment can be completed as soon as possible.

A branch of the nation's armed forces, a prominent energy-efficiency advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives, a municipal government that helps residents and businesses cut energy use and costs, the world's larges convenience food company that prides itself on energy-efficient plant operations, and a multi-billion dollar corporation that produces energy-efficient products will be honored this year by the Alliance to Save Energy for outstanding contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency.

The Alliance to Save Energy commended the Department of Energy’s just-announced public awareness campaign promoting the need for smart energy behavior and enhanced energy efficiency in response to the current natural gas crunch.

“It is gratifying to hear that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham will be traveling the country to deliver a strong energy efficiency message to the American people,” said Alliance Acting Co-President Mark Hopkins. “We ask the country to respond with enthusiasm.

Tight supplies and high prices for natural gas are likely to boost home energy bills for air conditioning and electricity this summer and heating this winter. A hot summer would put a greater strain on supplies of natural gas, the fuel for a growing number of the power plants that produce our nation’s electricity. But consumers can keep their energy bills from skyrocketing, help ensure electricity reliability, and reduce air pollution by adopting energy-efficiency measures recommended by the Alliance to Save Energy.

As we move into the air conditioning season - when electricity use peaks - energy efficiency will play a key role in ensuring electricity reliability in the face of tight natural gas supplies and rising prices. Even with experts predicting potential severe price spikes later this year, we can look to the example of California consumers in 2001 to see that energy-saving measures can and do avoid blackouts and brownouts while also reducing home energy bills.

In keeping with the Earth Day 2003 theme, “Water for Life,” the Alliance to Save Energy offers consumers ways to save water and cut home energy bills – including the energy needed to bring water to your home and to heat water – and for reducing pollution and increasing electricity reliability during the heat of summer:

As tight supplies and fears of war with Iraq push prices for oil and gasoline to their highest levels since the Persian Gulf War, the Alliance to Save Energy offers consumers tips to cut their gasoline usage and costs.

For the growing number of Americans working from home – some 18 million home-based business owners and 28 million telecommuters, not to mention unemployed folks conducting job searches from their own PCs – higher energy bills for combined home offices and residences are a fact of life.