Energy efficiency can help drive a more sustainable community. And it’s a drive that erases about 1.8 million gallons of gas.

That’s some road trip. And it’s no exaggeration.

If you’ve ever taken advantage of our Efficiency Works program, you know that it’s great at finding ways to save energy for homes and businesses. What you might not know is just how much energy gets saved. In 2022, the four cities that offer the program – Longmont, Loveland, Fort Collins and Estes Park – collectively saved 22.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. That’s about enough to power Windsor for a year.  

So what does that have to do with gasoline? Well, even with our electricity increasingly being generated from renewable sources, it’s still a fact for now that if you don’t need as much electricity, you don’t create as much carbon. And saving that much energy reduces carbon emissions by 16,138 tons – which is equivalent to reducing gasoline consumption by 1.8 million gallons a year.

Now let’s drive it on home – pardon the phrase – by noting the bottom line. The Longmont businesses that took advantage of Efficiency Works are saving a combined total of $470,000 a year in operating costs. As we’ve noted before, if every business in Longmont took advantage of those opportunities, the savings would be in the millions.  Add in the possibilities if every home went energy-efficient and you just might melt your calculator.

Ready to get your own energy savings in gear? Start by:

• Contacting the Efficiency Works business program to schedule an energy assessment for your business. That can help you find hidden savings and open up rebates for a number of efficiency projects.
• Exploring the Efficiency works residential offerings, along with the online Efficiency Works store for simple energy-savers like LED light bulbs and smart thermostats. You can set up a low-cost energy assessment and take advantage of rebates for your own home. (And if your home is all-electric, those rebates are currently being tripled – take advantage of it!)

Check it out. You just might fuel a lot of possibilities.