{"id":3685,"date":"2011-05-19T09:04:21","date_gmt":"2011-05-19T16:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unrbep.org\/?p=3685"},"modified":"2011-05-19T09:04:21","modified_gmt":"2011-05-19T16:04:21","slug":"epa-offers-energy-tips-on-summer-cooling-to-help-save-money-reduce-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/epa-offers-energy-tips-on-summer-cooling-to-help-save-money-reduce-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA Offers Energy Tips on Summer Cooling to Help Save Money, Reduce Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2013 With summer around the corner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) Energy Star program today issued its annual list of ideas to help the public cut cooling costs, protect their health and stay comfortable at home.<\/p>\n<p>The average home spends almost 20 percent of its utility bill on cooling.\u00a0 Increased energy production to run cooling systems not only raises costs, it also can contribute to pollution that adversely affects the quality of the air we breathe.\u00a0 Here are seven simple things that can be done to help protect your wallet and the environment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Change      to More Efficient Light Bulbs. <\/strong>Change      out incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient lighting choices.      Energy Star qualified lighting not only uses less energy, but also      produces approximately 75 percent less heat than incandescent lighting, so      cooling bills will be reduced, too. <strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Find      the Best Thermostat Settings.<\/strong> If you have a programmable thermostat, program it to work around your      family\u2019s summer schedule\u2014set it a few degrees higher (such as 78 degrees)      when no one is home, so your cooling system isn\u2019t cooling an empty house.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use      Ceiling Fans Optimally.<\/strong> Run your ceiling fan to create a cool breeze.\u00a0If you raise      your\u00a0thermostat by only two degrees and use your ceiling      fan,\u00a0you\u00a0can lower cooling costs by up to 14 percent. Remember      that ceiling fans cool you, not the room, so when you leave the room make      sure to turn off the fan.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Maximize      Shade.<\/strong> Pull the curtains and shades      closed before you leave your home to keep the sun\u2019s rays from overheating      the interior of your home. If you can, move container trees and plants in      front of sun-exposed windows to serve as shade.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduce      Oven Time.<\/strong> Use a microwave instead of an      oven to cook, when you can. Ovens take longer to cook food and can make      your house warmer, requiring your AC system to turn on to keep the house      at a comfortable temperature.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check      Air Conditioner Filters.<\/strong> Check your cooling system\u2019s air filter every month. If the filter looks      dirty, change it. A good rule is to change the filter at least every three      months. A dirty filter will slow air flow and make the system work harder      to keep you cool\u2014wasting energy. Also, remember to have your system      serviced annually to ensure it\u2019s running at optimum efficiency for money      and energy savings. <strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Plug      Duct System Leaks.<\/strong> As much      as 20 percent of the air moving through your home\u2019s duct system is lost      due to leaks and poor connections. Seal duct work using mastic sealant or      metal tape and insulate all the ducts that you can access (such as those      in attics, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, and garages). Also, make      sure that connections at vents and registers are well-sealed where they      meet floors, walls, and ceilings. These are common locations to find leaks      and disconnected ductwork.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Energy Star was started by EPA in 1992 as a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficient specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved approximately $18 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emission of 33 million vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>More information on ways to cut energy costs this summer:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/cooltips\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/cooltips<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON \u2013 With summer around the corner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) Energy Star program today issued its annual list of ideas to help the public cut cooling costs, protect their health and stay comfortable at home. The average home spends almost 20 percent of its utility bill on cooling.\u00a0 Increased energy production to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/epa-offers-energy-tips-on-summer-cooling-to-help-save-money-reduce-pollution\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">EPA Offers Energy Tips on Summer Cooling to Help Save Money, Reduce Pollution<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3686,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685\/revisions\/3686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}