Energy Use

The way we use energy in our residential and commercial spaces affects our energy bill and our environment.  Energy conservation is the key!  Below you will find tips to reducing your energy use at home and at work, and links to websites that can provide you with further information on energy efficiency and conservation.

10 Things YOU Can Do to
Save Energy

1. Light Right: Use compact fluorescent lighting to get more light with less energy.  And, when you leave a room, turn off the lights.
2. Control Your Thermostat: The recommended winter setting for heaters is 68 degrees in daytime and 55 degrees at night.  In the summer, turn the air conditioner's thermostat to 78 degrees.
3. Secure Your Ducts: You can save up to 10% of your heating or cooling costs by insulating and tightening up the ducts.  Leaking ducts can reduce the efficiency of your heating system by up to 20%.
4. Cook with Care: When you boil water, cover the pan to save energy and be more efficient.  Reduce the number of time you open the over--every time you do you lose 25 to 50 degrees or more.
5. Keep Your Home's Energy In: Insulate your home and caulk and weather strip gaps that leak out energy.
6. Unplug to Stay Plugged: Plug all of your entertainment equipment into a power strip.  When switched off, it will eliminate any standby draw from these devices.  "Plug load" energy consumption is at least 9% of electricity use in a typical U.S. household.
7. Put It On The Line: Washing machines and dryers can account for as much as 25% of the electricity you use at home.  Hang your clothes on an outside line and use the natural solar heat of the sun and drying capacity of the wind.
8. Reform Your Refrigerator: Refrigerators in the U.S. use 4% of the nation's electricity.  Set the temperature of your refrigerator to between 38-42 degrees to make sure it is not wasting energy.  Purchase an Energy Star refrigerator to save money in the long run by reducing the consumption of this energy guzzler.  You may even get a monetary incentive for this purchase!
9. Park Your Car--and Keep it Parked: Riding your bike, walking, or taking public transit eases your energy use and the impact of gas on your pocket book.  Private car use accounts for 33% of America's carbon dioxide emissions.
10. Get to Know Your Utility: Idaho Power and other Idaho utilities offer programs to help you increase energy efficiency and conservation.  Check out your utlities incentive program forthe purchase of energy efficient appliances, look into their green power programs, and consider net metering by installing solar panels, utilizing geothermal energy, or installing a residential windmill.

Source: Idaho Power's 30 Simple Things You Can Do to Save Energy

Online Resources

Northwest Power and Conservation Council

• The Council was authorized in the Northwest Power Act of 1980 and approved by a vote of the legislatures of all four states. The governor of each state appoints two members to serve on the Council.
• The NWPCC publishes a Northwest Conservation and Electric Power Plan every 5 years that serves as the region's energy roadmap.
• The 6th Power Plan, finished in February 2010, states that the Northwest can meet a stunning 85% of its projected new electricity demand through energy efficiency alone, (the balance will come mostly from renewable resources, primarily wind).
  

Northwest Energy Coalition

• The NW Energy Coalition is an alliance of more than 100 environmental, civic, and human service organizations, progressive utilities, and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia.
• The Coalition’s 2008 strategic plan sets in motion a new campaign called Efficiency Works! to make energy efficiency the region’s first option for realizing all cost-effective electricity and natural gas savings and its No. 1 strategy for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Idaho Power

• With headquarters in Boise, Idaho, and an employee base of approximately 2,000 people, Idaho Power is an electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution, sale and purchase of electric energy.
• IP offers many energy efficiency incentives and programs for residential, business, and irrigation energy customers.
• If you're an IP customer, you can monitor your home hourly energy use using Account Manager--check it out!

Environmental Protection Agency

• The United States EPA has a mission to protect human health and the environment, and they do this by developing and enforcing regulations, giving grants, studying environmental issues, sponsoring partnerships, teaching people about the environment, and publishing information.
  
• ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping everyone save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Energy Policy Institute

• EPI is a sector of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), which is a public/private partnership between the Idaho National Laboratory, Boise State University, the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, and private industry.  EPI is comprised of core staff and affiliate policy researchers and educators from the four CAES institutions.
• EPI completed a study for the Small Business Administration on energy efficiency financing mechanisms for small businesses, and their potential in Idaho.  Preliminary results were presented to the Energy Efficiency Task Force for the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance, and the final report was published in May 2010.