For the month of April, in honor of Earth Day, Gazelle tweeted one green tip a day to help everyone in their efforts to live greener lifestyles. Our goal was to have you pick one or two of our tips and incorporate them into your daily routine, with the message that no matter how small the change, every bit helps.
If you still think you can’t make a difference in the effort to help the environment, think again.
Consumers Energy, a utility in Michigan, was successfully lowered electric and natural gas usage rates above and beyond the state requirements by initiating energy efficient programs:
- Michigan’s 2008 Energy Reform Law State target requirements:
- Aide customers in the effort to cut the usage of electric by 5.5% and natural gas by 3.85% by 2015
- The outcome surpassed the targets:
- For electricity savings, Consumers Energy hit 134% of the target
- For natural gas savings, Consumers Energy hit 132% of the target
- Energy efficiency measures installed during the first 6 months of the programs are estimated to save enough electricity to power almost 18,000 residential customers, and enough natural gas to serve another 3,700 residential customers.
What are they doing to reach these numbers? A number of programs were put in place to promote energy efficiency including the installation of highly efficient gas furnaces, discounts on CFL light bulbs, as well as other rebates and incentives to name a few.
But these programs would be nothing without consumers responding in positive ways. That’s just why Consumers Energy is crediting customer participation with the success they have achieved and the numbers they have been able to reach. Each customer’s contribution was a small step towards bettering our environment, and together, it made a huge impact. Check it out on Treehugger.
So the next time you think you can’t make a difference, think of the 145,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and the 397 million cubic feet of natural gas these individuals are able to save annually, through collective small efforts. You can start buy selling your used iPhone at gazelle.com. To get started just click here: sell iPhone
