Last week, the Board of County Commissioners joined city and county governments around the nation in declaring October 2 as Energy Efficiency Day. The goal of the annual awareness event is to promote the benefits of energy efficiency, from lower costs to healthier air.

Johnson County Government has made significant strides in improving its energy efficiency in recent years, finding ways to reduce energy consumption by 13% even as county operations have grown at pace with increasing population. According to Brian Alferman, sustainability program manager for Johnson County Government, this reduction in usage has resulted in a net savings of about $1.5 million. The county is also in the process of hiring a full-time Energy Manager to build on recent success and improve the energy conservation program. Interested in learning more about this job opportunity? Watch jocogov.org/careers for the posting in the next few weeks.

Energy efficiency is not just for large organizations – individuals can do a lot to improve efficiency at home to save money and reduce emissions. Here are a few things to try:

• Adjust your thermostat – for every degree you lower your thermostat, you save about 2% on your heating bill.
• Change your furnace air filter regularly.
• Wash clothes in cold water only.
• Caulk and weatherstrip around windows and doors to reduce air leakage.
• Replace lightbulbs with LEDs.

To learn more about the county’s recent efforts to improve sustainability and efficiency, check out the Fall 2019 issue of JoCo Magazine – coming to your mailbox in mid-October!