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Warm up to Mother Nature

Conserve Energy and Save on Your Heating Bill

By April E. Clark

With these staggering statistics in mind, the EPA, with help from the U.S. Department of Energy, created the Energy Star program to help protect the environment via energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment. According to the EPA, if just one in 10 households purchased Energy Star-qualified heating and cooling appliances, more than 17 billion pounds of air pollution could be avoided.

Thus far the Energy Star program has proven beneficial for both U.S. consumers and Mother Nature. In 2002, Americans saved $7 million in heating and cooling costs, preserved enough energy to power 15 million homes and decreased greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 14 million cars.

"At the start of our partnership, just 55 homes in the United States qualified for the Energy Star designation," says EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "Today, less than a decade later, there are 100,000 Energy Star homes in America. That's more homes than there are in Atlanta, Ga., population 416,000."

To save an estimated $200 to $400 annually on utility bills, the EPA recommends replacing old heating and cooling appliances with Energy Star-qualified equipment, sealing windows each winter and fixing leaky ventilation ducts. Consumers can learn more about this energy-efficient program and find out where to purchase equipment with the Energy Star designation by visiting The Energy Star Web site or calling (888) STAR-YES.