SOURCE: Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)
DESCRIPTION:
With the winter heating season just around the corner there’s no better time to shore up your home’s defenses against frigid temperatures and unnecessarily high energy bills.
Every poorly sealed window, door and outer wall in a home is an opportunity for heat to escape and cold air to rush in. As part of its ongoing effort to help customers use less energy and lower bills, PSE&G has partnered with home improvement expert Danny Lipford on a “Caulk Out the Cold’’ public service campaign to highlight the benefits that simple, do-it-yourself home improvements can deliver.
In a video produced for the campaign, Lipford explains how low-cost, energy-efficiency upgrades like caulking gaps in window and door frames and adding insulation can help reduce heating and cooling costs.
About 30% of the energy used in an average U.S. home goes to heating and cooling, and that doesn’t include water heating, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Around the world, energy demand for cooling has more than tripled since 1990, making it the fastest-growing end use in buildings, according to the International Energy Agency. So taking steps to seal up your home can be a powerful weapon in the battle against climate change.
And while being more energy efficient at home may not capture the public’s imagination the way solar panels or giant wind turbines do, in practical terms it is every bit as effective in the battle against global warming. The average U.S. homeowner can save 15% on heating and cooling costs by air sealing their home, and adding insulation in attics, floors and over crawl spaces, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In New Jersey, the average savings is as high as 17%.
Caulking and adding insulation also can make a home more comfortable, reduce outside noise levels and improve the value of a home. Nine out of 10 U.S. homes are under-insulated, offering vast, cost-effective opportunities to improve energy efficiency and comfort.
PSE&G’s decade-long effort to help electric and gas customers lower their energy consumption and costs entered a new phase this year with the launch of 10 programs to help residential and business customers take advantage of energy-saving opportunities. It’s a three-year, $1 billion commitment toward energy efficiency investments, the largest ever in New Jersey, that will help lower the state’s carbon emissions and lift its environmental sustainability policies to a new level.
PSE&G’s Clean Energy Future program also includes investments to provide electric customers with smart meters and to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure in New Jersey. These initiatives are designed to lower energy costs, reduce air pollution, create jobs and help make New Jersey a leader in clean energy.
Remember, the cheapest energy is the energy you never use.
For more winter energy saving tips, visit: https://nj.pseg.com/saveenergyandmoney/energysavingpage/winterenergytips.
To help make your home more energy efficient, visit: https://homeenergy.pseg.com/.
KEYWORDS: pseg, NYSE: PEG, “Caulk Out the Cold’’
