Energy effi­ciency is about using less energy to pro­vide the same level of com­fort.. This can be achieved through bet­ter tech­nol­ogy, with prod­ucts like Energy Star appli­ances and com­pact flu­o­res­cent (CFL) bulbs, or changes in behav­ior such as using a pro­gram­ma­ble ther­mo­stat or turn­ing off the air con­di­tioner and open­ing the win­dows. More effi­cient energy use means less depen­dency on fos­sil fuels, reduc­tion of pol­lu­tion, and lower util­ity bills.

Home energy effi­ciency is a great place to start on the road to sav­ing energy and money. In Mary­land, as much as half of the energy in your home goes to heat­ing and cool­ing. Duct seal­ing, improved insu­la­tion, and plug­ging leaks from win­dows, doors, attics and crawl spaces are very effec­tive and afford­able ways to improve the effi­ciency of your home.

Vehi­cle fuel econ­omy can be improved by keep­ing engines tuned up, keep­ing tires prop­erly inflated, and avoid­ing rapid accel­er­a­tion and brak­ing. Car­pools and pub­lic trans­porta­tion are even better.

Pur­chas­ing Energy Star appli­ances, equip­ment and light­ing can save res­i­dents and busi­nesses money by cut­ting energy use by up to 30%. No-cost energy savers include turn­ing off elec­tron­ics and unplug­ging charg­ers when not in use, low­er­ing the tem­per­a­ture on your water heater to 120 degrees and wash­ing clothes in cold water. When you make energy effi­ciency part of your every­day activ­i­ties, you are reduc­ing energy demand, cre­at­ing less green­house gas emis­sions and sav­ing money.

Howard County Gov­ern­ment is tak­ing a hard look at its own oper­a­tions and find­ing ways to save energy. Howard County has had suc­cess phas­ing in hybrid vehi­cles and diesel-electric hybrid buses. These vehi­cles are reduc­ing fuel use. Howard County also con­verted traf­fic lights on County roads to LED lights. These lights are using 60% less energy than before. Another County facil­ity project is the instal­la­tion of solar pan­els at Howard County Library’s East Colum­bia Branch.

In Decem­ber, 2009, Howard County was awarded over $2.6 mil­lion in stim­u­lus grant funds as part of the Energy Effi­ciency and Con­ser­va­tion Block Grants Pro­gram. With the help of the grant, the County has imple­mented many energy effi­ciency pro­grams to save money and decrease green­house gas emis­sions. Some of the projects include a free home energy audit pro­gram, pur­chas­ing energy effi­cient light­ing, and pur­chas­ing energy effi­cient vehicles.

To learn more about the ways in which you, your work­place, or orga­ni­za­tion can be more energy effi­cient, visit the links below:

Mary­land
BGE Smart Energy Savers Pro­gram
Smart, Green & Grow­ing
Mary­land Energy Admin­is­tra­tion
EmPower Mary­land
DHR – Office of Home Energy Pro­grams
Weath­er­iza­tion Pro­gram
Fuel Fund of Mary­land Watts Watcher program

Howard County
Energy-Saving Tips
Energy Effi­ciency Block Grant

More Energy Effi­ciency Resources
CFL Guide
Alliance to Save Energy
U S Depart­ment of Energy
Home Energy Star
Fed­eral Tax Cred­its
Home Energy Audit