Tag: energy star

EPA Announces New ENERGY STAR Tool for Homeowners to Save Money, Energy This Winter

Posted: December 9, 2014

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching its ENERGY STAR Home Advisor, an online tool designed to help Americans save money and energy by improving the energy efficiency of their homes through recommended customized and prioritized home-improvement projects.

“As we enter the winter months, homeowners can use our new ENERGY STAR Home Advisor to increase energy efficiency and save money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “When homeowners take advantage of this important tool and increase the energy efficiency of their homes, many families will notice savings on energy bills and improvements in the comfort of their homes.”

The updated ENERGY STAR Home Advisor guides the homeowner through a “do-it-yourself” energy assessment to create an ENERGY STAR home profile.  Based on the newly created profile, the Home Advisor provides customized, prioritized recommendations for improvements. From these recommendations, users can create their own to-do lists of projects such as adding insulation to the attic or replacing an HVAC air filter.

Over time, users can update their home profiles as they make improvements, see the positive environmental impacts of the changes they’ve made, get additional recommendations, and update their “to-do” lists for future projects. The home profiles can also be printed and used at the time of sale.

The announcement is part of EPA’s Energy Efficiency Action Week, during which EPA regional offices across the country will hold events to increase awareness about the energy and cost savings associated with energy efficiency upgrades, especially in the winter months.

More on EPA’s ENERGY STAR Home Advisor: www.energystar.gov/homeadvisor
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Energy and Water Efficiency for Restaurants

Posted: October 30, 2014
Source: Energy Manager Today By Mark Masterson

Americans, unfortunately, are a wasteful culture. According to the USDA, food waste from stores, restaurants, and homes topped an estimated 133 billion pounds of food, about 30-40% of the entire food supply. That’s not just an environmental problem, it’s a social problem. For restaurateurs, it’s also an economic one.

That’s why some restaurants are turning to efficiency experts to streamline their businesses, reducing waste and improving the bottom line. Taking a cue from manufacturing, restaurants are taking great steps to stop losing money. Some recommendations to reduce food waste include::

  • Adjusting or eliminating expensive ingredients from recipes.
  • Ditching multiple cup sizes for drinks.
  • Only offering condiments when asked.
  • Adjust proportions on menu items to accurately reflect costs. Expert recommend that the cost to make each item should be 22-30% of the price.

These tips are relatively easy to implement, though some restaurants balk at the idea of changing their recipes. These changes also put restaurants at the risk of angering customers who are used to a certain level of service and food. For restaurants who don’t want to tinker with their food, there is another way to cut costs. Continue reading Energy and Water Efficiency for Restaurants

EPA Adds Clothes Dryers to Energy Star Program, Increasing Energy Efficiency of New Appliances

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the first-ever Energy Star label for clothes dryers. If all residential clothes dryers sold in the U.S. meet these new requirements, the utility cost savings will grow to more than $1.5 billion each year and more than 22 billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented. Informed by extensive input from manufacturers, retailers, the U.S. Department of Energy and environmental groups, the new specifications will recognize a selection of highly efficient electric, gas, and compact dryers that will use approximately 20% less energy than what is required by the minimum efficiency standards effective in 2015. In 2013 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $30 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 38 million homes.

“The addition of clothes dryers expands the range of Energy Star products to include one of the most energy-intensive home appliance not yet covered by the program,” said U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Working with industry on innovative approaches to address our changing climate, we are helping consumers select more energy efficient appliances, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.“
Continue reading EPA Adds Clothes Dryers to Energy Star Program, Increasing Energy Efficiency of New Appliances