Energy Efficiency At Home and On the Job
There are many ways to save energy in your home, such as:
- conserving water
- turning down the temperature on your water heater
- using energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
- purchasing efficient Energy Star appliances
Our water supply system consumes tremendous amounts of energy. Nearly 20% of California's electricity consumption is used to convey, treat, and distribute water. In addition, 32% of the natural gas consumption in California is used to heat water in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Water use in California results in an estimated 44 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, according to the April 2006 report of the California Climate Action Team.
You can save up to $20 per year and avoid 100 pounds of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) emissions per year for each incandescent light bulb that you replace with a compact fluorescent bulb.
BAAQMD Home Energy Conservation Tips
Flex Your Power
US Dept. of Energy Consumer Tips to Save Energy
U.S. Dept. of Energy Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency
Energy Star appliances
California Energy Commission
PG&E: Rebates & Energy Efficiency Information
Natural Resources Defense Council energy-saving suggestions
Energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
Heating your home with wood is inefficient and bad for air quality .
See: Wood Burning: Energy Efficiency and Air Quality
Good building design, site design, and landscaping can help to reduce energy use, reduce heating and cooling needs, and prevent the formation of "urban heat islands" that contribute to ozone (smog) formation.
Green building design and Energy Star New Homes can lead to significant savings in energy and water use.
LEED Standards: The Green Building Council has developed Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design standards.
Higher temperatures mean more air pollution. Prevent Urban Heat Islands by using cool roofing and paving materials. This will help to reduce energy consumption and avoid (ozone) smog formation.
The U.S EPA report Cooling our Communities: A Guide to Tree Planting & Light-Colored Surfacing provides good information on both using light colored materials and tree-planting.
Tree planting
: Trees provide benefits in terms of reducing energy consumption for heating and cooling. They also filter air pollutants and absorb carbon dioxide (which helps to reduce global warming). Note: certain types of trees (such as eucalyptus, liquid amber, oak) emit ozone precursors which contributes to ozone (smog) formation. Be sure to select tree species that are more beneficial for air quality, such as acacia, cedar, magnolias, and fruit trees.
CARB webpage on trees and air quality
To help select the best tree, see Urban Forestry Ecosystems Institute site.
San Francisco Friends of the Urban Forest
For information on how to conserve energy in the workplace, see:
BAAQMD Workplace Energy Conservation Tips
Flex Your Power: Commercial & Small Business
Flex you Power: Industry
PG&E Energy Management for Businesses
The Bay Area 2005 Ozone Strategy includes a measure to promote energy conservation; see Stationary Source Control Measure 15, Volume II, page C-48:
Final Adopted 2005 Ozone Strategy, Vol. II