Celebrating Energy Awareness Month: Ways to Save on Your Bill
Guest post by Jeremy Scharfenberg, Interim Director of Community Operations
October brings Halloween, and it’s also Energy Awareness Month. Here are some things that Columbia residents can do to avoid being haunted by their energy bills!
Change it up
Fall is a great time to replace your porch, garage and other outdoor lighting with long-lasting, energy-saving light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Turn it off
Even energy-efficient light bulbs and equipment should be turned off when they’re not being used. Be on the lookout for “phantom” usage from chargers or other electronic equipment that still use energy when they are turned off but still plugged in.
Get a smart thermostat
Use programmed settings to reduce air conditioning and heating needs. Raising your thermostat by a few degrees in the summer and lowering it a few degrees in the winter can have a significant impact on energy consumption. Setting the temperature slightly lower, especially at night, can help reduce your energy costs by up to 10%.
Go natural
Utilize passive strategies such as daylighting and outside air ventilation when possible.
Buy ENERGY STARⓇ
When purchasing electronic equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR label. CA is an active ENERGY STAR partner, and has made a strong commitment to energy management within our operations to cost-effectively improve the energy efficiency of our community and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Take advantage of incentives
CA is proud to participate in the Smart Energy Savers Program as part of our investment in the environment – and you can get in on the benefits, too! BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program can help you receive a rebate up to $800 for select models of heat pump water heaters. For more information on how you can help improve the sustainability of our community while also saving money, click here.