Home & Earth

How We Can All Pitch In

Rating a healthy house

One of the ways we can take care of our families, our homes and our Earth is to cut the amount of fossil fuel we use. Gas, oil, and propane, among others, heat, cool and run our homes, and move us from here to there in planes, trains and automobiles. We can measure the emissions from burning those fuels and add them up to understand our personal impact. To get an idea of how you compare with the rest of Americans, get out your last electric or gas bill. Estimate the number of miles you drive or fly in an average month. Fill in the chart below to figure out part of your carbon footprint—a size determined by household power and transportation choices. This part amounts to 40% of your overall footprint. Don’t let the numbers scare you, just turn to a trusty calculator.

	UNIT	UNITS/ MONTH	X	FACTOR			=	POUNDS CO2 EMISSIONS PER MONTH
Electricity	kWh		X	1.24			=
Natural Gas	therm		X	100,000	X	0.0001304	=
Oil	gallons		X	11.81	X	2.205	=
Propane	gallons		X	5.75	X	2.205	=
Transportation*/Gasoline (see calculator below)
Vehicle #1	gallons		X	8.87	X	2.205	=
Vehicle #2	gallons		X	8.87	X	2.205	=
Air Travel
Flights for all household members	miles		X	1.61	X	0.18 x 2.205	=
Add pounds of CO2 emissions to determine Monthly Household Total:
Fill in the number of people living in your home:
Divide the blue number by the green number to determine the pounds of CO2 emissions per person (see chart below to see how you're doing):

* If you keep track of miles driven per month, rather than gallons of gas you buy, you may want to use the chart to the right to estimate the gallons of gas you use each month. Select the size of car you drive, fill in the miles you drive in one month, divide by the miles per gallon and you will know how much gas you used in a month. This number can be plugged into the Carbon Footprint Chart above.

How much gasoline do I use each month?

VEHICLE TYPE	MILES DRIVEN PER MONTH	DIVIDED BY	MILES PER GALLON	=	GALLONS USED PER MONTH
Small		÷	29	=
Medium		÷	26	=
Large Truck or SUV		÷	21.5	=

 

How am I doing?
Check the chart below, from the World Resources Institute, to compare your per person CO₂ emissions with the range of national results:

POUNDS OF CO2 EMISSIONS PER MONTH	RESULT
Below 507	Much below average
508-1013	Below average
1014-2028	Average
2029-2535	Above average
Above 2535	Much above average

 

Kids can help the environment
and reduce your carbon footprint, too

We’ve heard it before, but kids can lead the way when it comes to reducing, reusing and recycling. Check out the jobs chart listing easy-to-do jobs that help our environment, build responsibility and challenge you to go for the greeniest green!

Click here to download a printable job chart. (pdf, 760kb)

 

What can I do?

Many ways to reduce your use of fuels, save money and protect the environment are outlined in this section. Use the following chart to choose the easiest and most efficient changes in your home. In some cases, we’ve included an estimate of the time it takes to pay back the original investment. All of the changes should result in lower fuel costs and a smaller carbon emission for your home.

ACTION	SAVINGS ON ENERGY BILL	ESTIMATED PAYBACK TIME
Install programmable thermostats to keep temperature above 72°F when cooling and below 70°F when heating	Save 5-20%	One year
Install low flow shower-heads and faucet aerators	Decreases water heating costs	Less than 6 months
Lower temperature from 140° to 120°F on hot water heaters: Insulate hot water heaters and pipes	Save up to 5%	A few months
Change air filters in furnace and air conditioning units 3–4 times per year	Save 5–15%	Less than a year
Seal air leaks around doors and windows	Save 10% on heating and cooling bill	2–3 years
Run only full loads in dishwashers and washing machines	Decreases water heating costs	A few months
Change to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)	Save $30 over life of one bulb	6 months to a year to recoup bulb cost
Improve attic and basement insulation, and insulation around chimneys, flues, ducts and pipes	Save hundreds of dollars	Less than 2 years
Seal leaks, cracks and gaps in central heating and cooling ductwork	Save up to 40%	Varies with work done
Replace an old appliance with an EnergyStar rated appliance	Varies with appliance	Varies with appliance
Add shades, curtains or insulation kit to block sun in summer and insulate against cold temperatures in winter	Saves on heating and cooling costs	1–4 years
Replace a single-pane, leaky window that is beyond repair	Save 10–25% on heating and cooling	Several years