Most people want to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money on their energy bills, but they don't know what they can do. Home energy efficiency is a good place to start, and you can do something as simple as change a light bulb. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) want more Americans to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs and fixtures.
A lot of people don't know this, but the average home puts out twice as many greenhouse gases as the average car. In fact, if every American home replaced its five most-used light fixtures or bulbs with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR label, we could stop the release of greenhouse gases equal to that of more than 8 million cars. Energy-efficient lighting not only helps protect the environment, but it also saves people money, since almost 20% of a home's electricity bill goes to lighting. Changing these "five light fixtures" could save each home about $60 a year in energy costs.
The EPA and DOE have named October 4, 2006 "ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day" as part of the annual ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign. Americans can take a pledge online at energystar.gov/changealight to replace at least one incandescent bulb or fixture in their home with one that has earned the government's ENERGY STAR for energy efficiency. People who have promised to help are already making a big difference when they work together. Only the pledges made in 2005 will cause 33 million pounds of greenhouse gases to be taken out of the air. The goal is to get at least 500,000 people to take the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge and become part of the community. This is a good step toward making sure that our children have a bright future.
ENERGY STAR is a programme supported by the government that helps people and businesses save energy and protect the environment by making their energy use more efficient.
