The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy reportedly announced that it will host a news event titled “ACEEE: Key Studies On Climate Legislation Misreading the Historical Record; Energy Bills Could be Cut in Half by 2050 Through Continued Emphasis on Energy-Efficiency Advances” at 1:30 p.m. Eastern on July 30 at 13:30.

 

The purpose of the event is to share the results of its research efforts, which show how U.S. citizens and the government can significantly save on energy efficiency and climate linked programs.

 

The ACEEE, an independent nonprofit organization set up in 1980, also announced it has developed a new diagnostic tool to evaluate the recent assessments of climate change legislation now before the U.S. Congress, and it has been developed based on available economic data and a significant data bank of facts that the ACEEE has been carefully building over a considerable period of time.

 

The Council said that related U.S. economies and government projections through till 2050 could take very serious hits resulting in trillions of dollars of losses if the government persists in going ahead with its proposals to restrict greenhouse gas emissions because the Council is reasonably sure the government has not taken into account the actual U.S. track record to date on energy-efficiency advances and thus significantly understating the potential future benefits. Results from the council’s new diagnostic tool are also aligned with these viewpoints.

 

 The ACEEE said that all citizens are invited to participate lie via phone by dialling 1 (800) 860-2442 and asking for the "energy efficiency, climate economics" news event. For those who wish to listen to the conference later, or just cannot dial in at the specified time, an internet based audio streamed recording will be available for an unspecified duration of time (possibly permanently) from 18:00 hours EDT onwards and can be accessed from ACEEE’s dedicated Web site.

 

Representatives of the Council claimed that the following topics will be discussed and clearly demonstrated in quantifiable, realistic terms: Provide a very large percentage of the needed greenhouses gas emissions reductions most scientists say are needed between now and the year 2050; Achieve trillions of net energy bill savings for the consumer and for the nation's businesses, with the potential to cut those bills in half by 2050 as measured in constant 2007 dollars; Usher in a small, but positive, benefit to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and job picture compared to the conventional patterns of energy expenditures.

 

The Council said the primary participants will be John A. ‘Skip’ Laitner, Director, Economic and Social Analysis, ACEEE; and James Barrett, climate policy expert, independent consultant, and served as an economist at the Economic Policy Institute and the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

 

Here are some suggestions to reduce the carbon footprint.

 

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs use 75 percent less energy than a conventional bulb and last 10 times longer, and an ENERGY STAR (News - Alert), or TCO, certified CFL saves nearly $ 30 during its usage time frame and ends up paying for itself in about six months.

 

Incidentally, CFL’s also help saving the environment by emitting less mercury than traditional incandescent light bulbs because coal based electricity generation is the single largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions and CFLs use at least 70 percent less electricity. Discarding the bulbs, too, is safe because the internal mercury lining stays superficially bonded to the glass even after breakage.

 

It is strongly recommended to purchase ENERGY STAR, or TCO, compliant appliances when the time comes to change an old computer, fridge or washing machine, and though these new technologies cost more while initially purchasing, they save up to $ 75 per annum in electricity bills and also help save the environment.

 

Carpooling is a well known sensible way of saving cash and also the carbon footprint. A World Wide Web way of smart carpooling could be to use Mapflow’s Avego Futurefleet by registering free on its carpooling Web link.

 

It is important to turn off devices that are not in use since these consume power even when on stand-by mode. A spend of $ 100 per year per household can be saved in this way. The highest stand-by power consumers are Televisions, Game consoles (WII, PS3, Xbox 360), DSL or Cable modems, Computers (laptop or pc), Printers, Microwave ovens, Sound systems, Cable or Satellite receivers, DVD players, VCRs and Routers.

 

Citizens could examine the way paper is recycled, not to blindly go ahead and “recycle paper.” It is important to find out where the paper is being recycled and understand that plant’s processes before simply dumping in the ‘recycle paper’ bin. The carbon emissions are significantly reduced when recycling facilities have access to exclusive hydro-electric power, as compared with areas that have electricity supplied by a highly polluting mix of power generation. The same review rule applies for paper bags.

 

Just because food is supplied from a close by local source and therefore reduces carbon emissions by virtue of implied lesser distances for carrier vehicles to travel, does not mean it is an entirely green solution. The method of producing the food needs to be assessed and the source of the electricity used requires review.