ORLANDO, Fla. – According to our media partners at Climate Central, residential and commercial buildings account for 13% of all greenhouse gas emissions. In the coming years, using efficient appliances and codes will help us cut this number down.
The graphic below shows the upgrades. From better insulation to smart thermostats, the future is here. More of us will need to embrace it. While this might seem like common sense, the numbers are impressive. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory says that 22% of electricity used by single family homes could be saved.
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Those savings could reduce the carbon emissions of our homes by as much as 24%. Most of the savings would come from energy efficiency in the use of a heat pump to heat and cool our homes.
And it is not just the saving of the planet that is involved here. We are also talking about saving you money at the same time. The estimated savings in your budget comes to $333 annually. The cut in carbon emissions per house hold is 1 ton per year.
In short, we are set to work harder on solutions to slow the warming of the globe. It will be a battle on many fronts. Making our buildings and homes “greener” is one of those fronts.