Facts and Figures

Rather than using an alternative heating source, look for other ways to cut your energy bill

Household Energy Facts: $ave at Home

• Many idle electronics - TVs, VCRs, DVD, CD players, cordless phones, chargers, microwaves — use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy "vampires" use 5 percent of our domestic energy and cost consumers more than $3 billion annually.
• The average household spends approximately $1,500 each year on energy bills. American households typically spend more than $200 annually on air conditioning. Households in some regions of the South can easily spend twice that much.
• Over an air conditioner's lifetime, only one-fourth of the total cost is for the purchase of the air conditioning unit. The greater cost — three-fourths — is for the energy to run the air conditioner.
• "Sleep" features that power down home office equipment and other electronic devices that are turned on but not in use can save households up to $70 annually.
• Between 80 percent and 85 percent of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water. Using warm or cool water instead of hot will save money and energy and get clothes just as clean.

Consumer Attitudes about Energy Efficiency

According to estimates from the Energy Information Administration, in just two decades U.S. energy consumption will increase by almost 40 percent — an amount equivalent to the energy used today in California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

Energy Supply and Demand Facts

By 2010, residential energy use is expected to increase by 9 percent, with population growth and technology improvement often cited as two of the most prominent reasons cited for the increase.

Source: The Alliance to Save Energy