Become More Energy Efficient With This Toolkit

Looking to become more energy efficient — but, like many people, finding the process time-consuming, expensive, confusing and plagued by unreliable information? The folks at Environment America, the Denver-based research and advocacy group, want to help.

First step: Take a look at their Clean Energy Home Toolkit, viewable here.

The Toolkit contains a richness of information intended to guide different stakeholders — homeowners, community leaders, policymakers and others — through the nuances of renewable energy adoption.

Subjects include such first-tier choices as going solar, buying an electric car and weatherizing your home.

But the suggestions also extend to more selective subjects, such as electrifying your home's heating and cooling, pollution-free cooking, tips on buying a used electric vehicle, and converting to all-electric cooking (this latter supported by an interview with a professional chef on the use and advantages of induction stoves).

Further, each section includes information on how you can tap into rebates and incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as videos of webinars answering common questions.

Sarah Smith, Director of Renewable Energy Initiatives at Environment America, emphasizes the Toolkit's role in fostering empowerment: "By providing accessible information and resources, we aim to catalyze widespread adoption of clean energy solutions."

Ultimately, the Clean Energy Toolkit can be seen as a roadmap for progress, offering tangible strategies to mitigate your carbon footprint and transition towards renewable energy alternatives.

“The cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use,” Environment America says. Its fine Toolkit is designed to bring about just that.

—By Jill Landsman