SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ENERGY STAR(R) program will host a custom-built, interactive exhibit structure modeled after an actual energy-efficient home this weekend, showcasing energy-efficient home products in San Francisco's historic Union Square.
"To help our customers save money and energy, PG&E will continue to promote ENERGY STAR products, such as energy-efficient consumer electronics," said Duane Larson, director of energy efficiency for PG&E. "Creating successful partnerships, like the ones PG&E has forged with industry and retail partners, allows it to pursue its goals of meeting customer energy needs, while reducing California's greenhouse gas emissions."
Building on the momentum of PG&E's 2007 "Change a Light" campaign, this weekend's exhibit is part of PG&E's participation in ENERGY STAR's "Change the World, Start with Energy Star" campaign, which helps people make important energy-efficient changes at home and at work that can add up to significant reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.
"To date, more than 1.9 million Americans have pledged to change a light to an ENERGY STAR one and they are ready to do more," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "If every American household took part in this new ENERGY STAR pledge, we would save more than $18 billion in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 18 million cars."
In addition to replacing at least one light in the home with an energy-efficient bulb, the new Energy Star pledge encourages consumers to:
-- Make home heating and cooling systems work more efficiently -- Make sure homes are well sealed and insulated -- Enable the power management features on home computers and monitors -- Choose an ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerator, dishwasher and/or clothes washer when replacing or purchasing new appliances
PG&E is a national leader in helping its customers use energy efficiency as a cost-effective way to reduce their energy bills while helping the state achieve its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Since 1976, PG&E's energy efficiency programs have helped customers save more than 134 million megawatt-hours of electricity and 11.1 billion therms of natural gas through cumulative lifecycle savings. These joint efforts resulted in enough savings to power over 20 million homes and heat 22 million homes, while preventing more than 135 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, and reducing customers' bills by nearly $22 billion.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products as well as new homes and buildings. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007 alone, ENERGY STAR helped Americans save over $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/.
