GreenTown kicked off its Jan. 9th community meeting with an eye on saving energy. More than 30 people gathered at the Neutra House to hear about GreenTown's 2013 Energy Program.
Surprising data on energy conservation: The Power’s in the Plug. Literally.
Whether you plug in or not, is apparently the key to savings, so noted energy expert Steve Schmidt from High Energy Audits. Schmidt described his historic success with home energy assessments, noting average homeowners can save hundreds of dollars with little or no expense. How? Though helpful, it's not just about more insulation, weatherstripping or turning down the thermostat. The power, so to speak, is squarely on plug loads - anything plugged in and the electricity they use. Often they draw electricity even when they are seemingly "off." And that’s not all. Schmidt suggested looking at recurring demands such as air conditioners, pool pumps and space heaters, noticing if bills are unusually high year to year - perhaps signaling a need for maintenance or repair. Schmidt's program can analyze smart meter bills for the past year to show you areas of waste, without a single home visit necessary. With Schmidt''s help, average savings for Los Altos Hills residents was $740 per year! GreenTown likes this program so much that we have an offer to pay for an online energy assessment for the first 50 Los Altos residents who sign up http://bit.ly/XwyojE. The Town of Los Altos Hills is also offering this program to Los Altos Hills residents. Visit the Town's web page on sustainability http://bit.ly/VUQ09J Plug in knowledge so you can start saving now…..why wait? more
