It’s heating up in the Inland Empire and a lot of people are fretting about that summer bill! But not our homeowners who are ready to keep those bills down – through their solar system AND through the energy saving tips they’ve learned from our staff. Reduce usage first, then use renewable energy – that is our motto here in the Inland Empire.
GRID IE has been educating homeowners about energy efficiency and conservation since day one. From our first touch point with the homeowner to our annual survey, homeowners are reminded to turn off lights, unplug appliances, seal leaks, adjust thermostats, etc. to conserve energy and further save on their bills while helping the environment. Our handouts are popular and you can download them here to save energy and $ at your home too!
Recently, we measured the effectiveness of our energy education efforts through surveys before and after solar and the results are amazing! What did we learn about our families’ practices after receiving solar?
- Our families are turning off their lights, unplugging their appliances, and purchasing Energy Star and other energy efficient products. YEAH!
- Our families are also using their air conditioners more. “Oh no!” you say? But wait, they are also living more comfortably because they can now afford to turn on their air conditioners during the sizzling hot summer days. We promote responsible use of the AC!
- Our families have bettered their irrigation watering practices but have not upgraded to water-conserving devices, which is not surprising because we have not focused on these strategies in our education efforts (we’ll be sure to address this soon!).
The big picture is that change is happening for the better among our homeowners. It started with education and a solar system. Through that, our families have learned about energy use and production and energy efficiency and conservation. By putting these strategies into practice, they are savings lots and lots of energy AND money (more than what we’ve even calculated for their savings from just the solar system alone)! So, save more, use less!
Check out our energy saving handouts here and share your favorite energy conservation and efficiency practices with us! Email us at: ieoutreach@gridalternatives.org.