Monday, July 13, 2009

The Energy Efficient Home: Fifteen low- and no-cost actions to cut your energy consumption 25% or more

12pm - 3pm

When it comes to energy, most of our homes resemble sieves -- leaking energy through cracks around doors and windows, through 100 year-old technologies, and through "vampire power". Fortunately, it doesn't take a lot of time or money to make significant improvements in our homes' energy efficiency. If you've been curious about what to do beyond changing light bulbs, this course is for you. If you're already doing this stuff, keep up the good work and teach your friends, family, neighbors, members of your congregation, etc. to do the same. For those who own or are considering renewable systems, these steps will help you reduce your baseload and maximize the benefits of the sun, wind, earth, etc.

* household energy footprints

* understanding your energy bills and using DTE's online bill analyzer

* detecting and plugging air leaks around doors, windows, outlets, and other holes

* weather-stripping

* door sweeps

* plastic window kits (both blow-dry and reusable types)

* programmable thermostats

* low-flow showerheads

* low-energy cooking

* low-energy laundry

* low-energy heating and cooling

* tax and other financial incentives

All participants will leave complete a household energy reduction plan. Savings from energy efficiency and conservation can be used to finance more major improvements, from insulation to photovoltaics. Supplies will be sold below retail cost at the end of the session.

Instructor:
Justin Schott
Program Director, Detroit Youth Energy Squad (D-YES)

Bio:
Justin Schott, is founder and program director of the Interfaith Youth Energy Squad, a program that trains youth in Detroit to perform these retrofits for lower-income families. He holds a masters from the U of M's School of Natural Resources and Env, where he focused on the psychological aspects of energy conservation. D-YES empowers young people to make homes more energy-efficient and pursue successful, sustainable careers. D-YES is a program of WARM Training Center, a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability programs since 1981, and Voices for Earth Justice, an interfaith non-profit dedicated to fostering healthier, more sustainable human and ecological communities.

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