fp Turks and Caicos

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Building green not only means being environmentally friendly. Using energy efficient products in your home can also save you thousands of dollars a year in operating costs.

Green building means improving the way that homes and homebuilding sites use energy, water and materials to reduce impact on human health and the environment. Building a green home means making environmentally-preferable and sustainable decisions.

Today builders across the world are using the Energy Star rated appliances and materials to ensure that they are protecting the environment while also creating savings in the home owners’ cheque books.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that was created in 1992 to help homeowners easily recognize energy efficient products and practices, allowing them to shop smarter.

The savings have since been adding up. Americans alone, by selecting energy efficient Energy Star rated appliances, saved enough energy in 2009 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars — all while saving nearly $17 billion on their utility bills.

According to Energy Star, energy efficient choices can save families about one third on their energy bills with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificing features, style or comfort. It is as simple as looking for the blue Energy Star logo when selecting items for your home.

From dishwashers to water heaters, doors to insulation, almost every item used for the construction of a home as well as the items used inside the home are now available in an energy efficient model. Currently more than 60 product categories (and thousands of models) for the home and office carry the Energy Star label.

Energy Star labeled products may cost a little more to purchase, but the monthly savings make this investment well worth their while, especially given the energy and water costs in Turks and Caicos Islands.

PPC’s Vice President Customer and Corporate Services Allan R. Robinson says, “PPC encourages our customers and employees to partner with us in being energy efficient by practicing energy conservation methods at home with their families. By purchasing energy rated appliances and installing adequate installations we can all ensure that energy is used more efficiently and will see the results on our power bills - much needed savings!”

Typical features to look for in Energy Star:

• An Efficient Home Envelope: with effective levels of wall, floor and attic insulation, comprehensive air barrier details, and high-performance windows and doors
• Efficient Air Distribution: multi-zone air-conditioning systems or central systems where ducts are installed with minimum air leakage
• Efficient Equipment for water heating
• Efficient Lighting, including fixtures that earn the Energy Star
• Efficient Appliances, including Energy Star qualified dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, washers and dryers.

These energy efficiency improvements save homeowners money — in the TCI possibly as much as $200-400 per month on utility bills in a free-standing home. More importantly, monthly energy savings can easily exceed any additional mortgage costs for investing in the energy efficiency improvements, resulting in a positive cash-flow from the first day of home ownership.

Smart shopping for your next home or for your next set of appliances and light fixtures is well worth your extra effort. Shopping for the cost-effectiveness of Energy Star makes the process much easier without having to study the thousands of available products out there.

What you can save

• $20 per month with an Energy Star refrigerator: A refrigerator pre-2000 can cost $446 per year to run but an Energy Star rated refrigerator from 2010 runs for around $210 per year.
• $35 per month with an Energy Star clothes washer: Energy Star qualified clothes washers use about 37% less energy and use more than 50% less water than regular washers.
• $26 per month with an Energy Star dishwasher: Energy efficient dishwashers save water and electricity.
• Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) use 2/3 less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last 6-10 times longer.