When building or remodeling any structure, choosing Energy Star rated electronics and appliances will help reduce energy consumption. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Energy efficient choices can save families about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificingfeatures, style or comfort. ENERGY STAR helps you make the energy efficient choice.

	If looking for new household products, look for ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR. They meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and US Department of Energy. If looking for a new home, look for one that has earned the ENERGY STAR. If looking to make larger improvements to your home, EPA offers tools and resources to help you plan and undertake projects to reduce your energy bills and improve home comfort.

Because a strategic approach to energy management can produce twice the savings — for the bottom line and the environment — as typical approaches, EPA’s ENERGY STAR partnership offers a proven energy management strategy that helps in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings, and rewarding improvements.

EPA provides an innovative energy performance rating system which businesses have already used for more than 80,000 buildings across the country. EPA also recognizes top performing buildings with the ENERGY STAR.
Daylightingis the synergistic use of a building’s design, windows and opening’s, and natural daylight. It increases a structure’s comfort and aesthetics while reducing the energy consumption. To implement daylighting you must ask yourself several questions. What kind of light is best for the tasks that will be performed in that area? How long will the light be needed? At what time of day will the room be used? Once daylighting has been incorporated into the design and use of a room, energy savings can vary from 15 to 40 percent.

According to research, daylighting has a direct positive impact health, productivity and sense of satisfaction. Lighting designers can help implement daylighting efficiently if contacted through the early stages of design and remodeling.

LED: Light - Emitting Diodes are small light-emitting semiconductors or chips. They turn electricity into light when excited electrons emit Photons. They are commonly used in street lights and electronics, and may last between 30,000 up to 100,000 hours, which is more than incandescent and CFL (Compact Florescent Light) bulbs. Today LED’s may produce 30 to 40 lumens per watt, yet researchers foresee LED’s may provide close to 400% more than that. LED’s are much more environmentally friendly since they do not contain mercury as CFL bulbs.

LED’s are slightly more expensive than other alternatives, yet its investment will begin to pay off immediately. It is continuously becoming more popular among builders, homeowners, and business owners for its benefits include saving energy and reducing maintenance by almost 90%.

Compact Florescent Lights provide light from gases, that when excited, give off light. Today CFLs give off different colors (color temperatures), and some may even be dimmable. They can emit as much light as much light as regular incandescent bulbs but may last 10,000 hours instead of 2,000 hours. Each bulb may help save more than $30 in electricity costs before it needs to be replaced. They also generate less heat which may help to reduce cooling energy costs. There are certain tips that may be followed in order to take full advantage of CFL bulbs:

Search for Energy Star qualified CFLs that offer a shade that works best for its purpose e.g. ambient lighting, task lighting etc. Also try to use the same bulb manufacturer for lighting shade may be slightly different even though it says it’s the same. If the fixture is connected to a dimmer, try to find Energy Star qualified CFL bulbs designed to work with such fixtures. If an incandescent bulb is being replaced by a CFL bulb, try to find the bulb that provides equivalent lumens. CFLs will perform at their best in fixtures that allow airflow, such as outdoor fixtures, table lamps, and floor lamps. CFL bulbs should not be thrown away. CFLs contain small amounts of mercury that may pose a hazard to the environment. You may send then to a local hazardous waste disposal program. Try to purchase low-mercury fluorescent bulbs. They will still need to be disposed through the local hazardous waste disposal program.

If every American replaced just one light bulb with a CFL bulb, the U.S could save enough energy would be saved to light more than 3 million homes for an entire year; cut more than $600 million in annual energy costs; and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.