If each one of us makes a commitment to make a change to help the environment, collectively, it will amount to alot.

If we recall a statistic from before, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star bulb, we would save enough energy to power more that 3 million homes for a whole year and save $600 million in annual energy costs. Not only that, we would also prevent greenhouse gas emissions accounting to more than 800,000 cars.

Another simple thing to do is to use cold water to wash your clothes. Hotter water does not mean cleaner clothes; in fact the only difference that can be seen is in your utility bill. Did you know that 90% of washing machine energy consumption is in the heating of water.

Canadian families do an average of 416 wash loads per year which amounts to 1,281 lbs to 2,407 lbs of CO2 in the atmosphere. If we switch to cold water, not only will be prevent that CO2 from entering the atmosphere, but we will also save an average of $61 per year on our utility bill.

Isn't it a good time to save money and at the same time help the environment?

Source: Article by Maggie Calloway in the column "Smart Choices for Our Future"

With the cold weather, it's a good time save money and energy with an Energy Star natural gas heating system.

If you upgrade your furnace or boiler to an Energy Star system, you can save upto $950 in bill credits and rebates. Terasen Gas will provide you with a bill credit of $250 when you upgrade before Dec 31st 2009 and manufacturers will provide $700 in rebates when you upgrade before Jan 31st 2009.

A furnace or boiler that is more than 13 years old is probably a low efficiency model, running at 60 to 70% AFUE (Annual Fuel utilization Efficiency). An Energy Star natural gas furnace can run at 97% while an Energy Star boiler can perform at 85%.

Heating your home accounts for a large portion of your home energy costs so you should have your furnace checked by a licensed natural gas contractor so it is operating efficiently. They do specialized tests on gas pipes as well.

Here are some simple ideas that can help you save energy, the environment and money.

• Turning your thermostat down to 20°C during the day and 17°C at night can save as much as 15 per cent on your heating costs. Afraid you’ll forget? Consider installing a programmable thermostat.
• Keep warm air inside and cold air outside. Caulk or weatherstrip the cracks, gaps and leaks around walls, windows and doors.
• To help keep your furnace at peak efficiency, clean or change the furnace filters regularly

Source: 'Get Comfortable' from Terasen Gas

The following tips show you how to be more energy efficient and save money while reducing the risks of global warming.

1. Replace your five most frequent used light fixtures with CFL bulbs. Turning off one incandescent bulb can save $15 per year.
2. If you are in the market for an air conditioner, consider an ENERGY STAR model
3. Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature settings when you are sleeping or are away.
4. Many consumer electronics products use energy even when switched off. Electronics equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR helps save energy when off. Phantom power can use up 30 to 40 watts.
5. A ten minute shower can use less water than a full bath. Install a low-flow shower head which saves water and energy. It can save 5 gallons of water and $145 on electricity per year.
6. Make sure hot air can circulate freely and air registers aren't blocked by furniture.
7. During the colder months, take in the Sun's warmth by keeping drapes open in the daylight hours and close them to keep out the summer heat.
8. Before loading in the dishwasher, save water by scraping dishes instead of rinsing them. Run the dishwasher with a full-load and use the air-dry option.
9. Use cold water when doing laundry and wash full-loads if you can. If you do need to do a partial load, adjust the water level to match the load.
10. Don't over dry your clothes. Clean the lint trap before every load. Dry full loads, or reduce drying time for partial loads.
    

Source: Article from Energy Star