Welcome to the October Edition of the City of Fort Wayne’s Green City email newsletter.
Upcoming events:
Wednesday, October 3rd is the annual Energy Star Change-A-Light Day. Pledge to change an incandescent light to an energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) at:
http://www.cityoffortwayne.org/energy
Saturday, October 6th from 9am to 12pm is Tire Amnesty Day at Citilink, 801 Leesburg Road.
For more information visit:
http://www.acwastewatcher.com/
Thursday, October 18th at 6pm is the City’s Green Technology Center Charette. This charette is open to the public. Come vote on which programs you think should be included in the proposed green technology center in Fort Wayne.
U.S. households produce 21 percent of the country's global warming pollution. That's more pollution than the entire heat-trapping output of the United Kingdom. The good news is that energy-conscious families can reduce their emissions by up to two-thirds. If every household in the U.S. made energy-efficient choices, we could save 800 million tons of global warming pollution—more than the heat-trapping emissions from over 100 countries. That would go a long way toward stabilizing our climate.
The City is saving money, conserving energy, and helping the environment in the following way:
The City has increased the efficiency and lowered the emissions from the natural gas-fired City asphalt plant by adjusting the operation of the burners to optimum performance. The plant continues periodic inspections to verify continued optimum performance.
A reduction in energy requirements of about one therm per ton of asphalt produced resulted from the burner optimization. More than $40,000 worth of natural gas is no longer burned to produce the same amount of asphalt each year.
For every therm of natural gas that is not combusted, 11.64 lbs of CO2 is prevented from entering the environment. Therefore over a year’s time, about 230 tons of CO2 is prevented from being emitted by the optimization of the burners at the asphalt plant. This is the equivalent of taking 46 passenger cars off the road.
Here’s how you can conserve energy, save money, help the environment, and still live a comfortable life:
You can save $1,000s by caulking, weatherstripping, and sealing up air gaps in your attic.
Caulk – A simple $4 tube of caulk will make your house more weather-tight and longer lasting. Caulk is good for sealing holes ¼ inch or less. When the caulk around windows, doors, and siding that has become brittle or has separated, it’s time to scrape out the old and squeeze in the new.
Weatherstrip – For weatherstripping to do its job, it has to compress to fill the gap between two surfaces. Eventually, even the best material – whether it’s foam, rubber, or metal – will lose its resiliency, allowing air to escape your home. Before you go shopping for new weatherstripping, make note of the existing product and try to match it as closely as possible.
Seal Air Leaks – If you added up all the gaps around the pipes, light fixtures, chimneys, and other penetrations in the ceiling of the average home, you’d have the equivalent of a 2 square-foot hole – the size of a small window. Since heat rises, you’ll find that sealing up these attic bypasses is often the very best way to save on your energy bills. It usually takes a combination of caulk, expanding foam, insulation and flashing to do the job right, but this investment of time and money can save $100s on your energy bill. And since your house will feel less drafty, you’ll feel more comfortable, too.
Insulate – The attic is usually the easiest place to install insulation in an existing home. Fortunately, it’s also the place where it does the most good. Select the best material for your budget and application. Remember, the higher the listed R-value, the more effective the material is at resisting heat loss. For the best savings, insulate after sealing air leaks. Depending on your location, age of house, utility costs, and amount of existing insulation, sealing and adding insulation to the attic yourself usually pays for itself in 5 to 10 years or less. R-40 is recommended for our region.
Thank you very much for being a subscriber to our Green City email newsletter. We hope this has been helpful and informative to you.
We will contact you once per month with the email newsletter, as well as on Air Quality Action Days to alert you when air conditions indicate you need to take action.
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Please pass this email newsletter on to your friends and family, so that everyone can share in the knowledge and have an impact on reducing energy consumption.
