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How Can Pollution
Prevention Help
You?
The following four pollution preventions concepts can help you
evaluate your household energy use and identify
ways to conserve energy. These concepts will
significantly reduce a family utility bill and
other energy costs over 1 year.
Changing What You Use
- Walk, ride a bicycle, or use mass transit
instead of driving; automobile emissions account
for about
60 percent of air pollution in our cities.
- Install compact fluorescent light bulbs that
use less energy and last 10 times longer than
incandescent light bulbs.
- Air-dry your clothes on a laundry line instead
of using a clothes dryer.
- Install a programmable thermostat that
automatically adjusts the temperature when you
are in bed
or away.
- U Buy energy-efficient appliances. There are
standard energy use tags attached to most new
appliances that can help you determine which
appliance will be the most efficient. These
appliances may be more costly, but your utility
bill savings will quickly make up for the extra
cost.
Changing What You Do
- Set the thermostat to 68 °F in winter when
you're home and down to 55° F when you go to bed
or
are away (programmable thermostats can do this
automatically).
- Insulate the ceiling, walls, and floor of your
home.
- Plant a tree next to a window for shade to
reduce the need for air conditioning.
- Recycle items such as newspaper, aluminum
cans, and plastic bottles; recycling these items
requires less energy than producing them from
brand new, raw materials.
- Wash clothes in cold water and only in full
loads.
- Use energy-saving settings on washing
machines, dishwashers, and clothes dryers.
Improving Your Housekeeping
- Turn down the water heater thermostat to 120°
F.
- Turn off lights when leaving a room.
- Close heating vents and close doors to unused
rooms.
- Close drapes and windows during sunny summer
days and after sunset in cooler weather.
- Stop air leaks around windows and doors with
caulk or weather stripping. Air leaks can rob
your use of heat in the winter or make it too humid
in the summer. As much as 40 percent of your
heating and cooling costs can be due to air
leaks.
- Clean or change air filters on your air
heating system in the winter and on air
conditioning units in
the summer so that they work more efficiently.
Educating Yourself and Others
- Share knowledge and ideas with family,
friends, and neighbors.
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