You Can Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The average American generates 19 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Carbon dioxide is the leading contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. If we want to have a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren, then how we act now matters.

Here are some actions for you to consider to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:

In Your Home

• Get a free home-energy audit. Learn More Find out why your house looses heat and is drafty.
Confused? Need Help understanding these topics?
• Insulation
• Heat pumps
• Solar Energy
• Electric Cars
Get free help from:

The Clean Energy Coaches from NY for Clean Power.
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The Mid Hudson Region Clean Energy Hub.
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• Use Heat Pumps for heating and cooling. Get your heating (and cooling) for much lower operating costs than oil or propane. These technologies include air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps (aka geothermal), and heat pump water heaters.
  Learn how they work, and what rebates you qualify for.
  Hyde Park incentive program.
  Heat Pumps outsell gas furnaces for second straight year.
• Insulate your home.
• Add solar panels to your house. Solar panels for your home or business have never been more affordable, with new incentives now in place.
• Join a Community Solar project. If your home is not suitable for solar panels, consider buying into a community solar array. There is nothing to install on your house, your electricity is still supplied by Central Hudson, and you get a 10% discount on electricity, while supporting 100% solar electricity. There are several companies offering community solar in our area. Contact us for help.
  
• Change to LED light bulbs. LED lights use about 75% less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. Look for the Energy Star when purchasing LED bulbs. Learn More
• Reduce food waste. Learn More. Learn More. Learn More.
• Buy clean energy. Central Hudson allows you to choose your energy provider. You can choose a provider who generates all or some of its electricity from renewable sources, at rates lower than what Central Hudson charges. Learn More.
• Unplug electronic devices when not in use. These "Always On" devices can consume 33% of your total energy usage.
• When buying new appliances, look for the energy star labels. Calculate the energy cost of appliances
• Reduce the load on your air conditioner by closing blinds, shades and drapes.
• Clean or replace HVAC filters every three months.
• Wash clothes in cold or warm water, not hot water.
• Use programmable thermostats.

In Your Life

• Use a bike or e-bike instead of a car, when possible. Great local bike programs.
• Save gas. Car pool, and shop locally, when possible. For every gallon of gas a car burns (in which a gallon is 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol), 18.9 pounds of carbon dioxide are released into the air.
Would you like to know your household greenhouse gas emissions? Try the EPA's Household Carbon Footprint Calculator.
• Drive a hybrid or battery electric car. You can earn up to a $7,500 federal instant rebate, and up to a $2,000 New York State instant rebate.
  Electric Cars are Better for the Planet – and Often Your Budget, too.
  Guide to Available EVs.
  All About EVs, Charging, and incentives.
  Find Charging Stations Near You.
  Electric Car Charging Guide.
  Central Hudson Guide to Electric Vehicles.
• Reduce the amount of garbage going into the trash stream. This reduces greeenhouse gases generated by landfills. Learn More
  • Avoid plastic packaging, and reduce your plastic use. Use reusable, non-plastic bags when shopping. Learn More
  • Compost your food waste. Learn More
• Plant trees. If you own a home, plant trees on your property. Trees can help offset the buildup of carbon dioxide in the air and reduce the greenhouse effect. An acre of trees absorbs enough carbon dioxide in a year to equal the amount produced when you drive a car 26,000 miles. Learn More
• Let us know about malfunctioning street lights. Here's how to let us know and we can get Central Hudson to fix it, or replace it with an energy-efficient LED.

While these individual actions seem small, we as citizens are collectively responsible for our share of greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, many of these suggestions will save you money on electricity, gasoline, or heating fuel.