FPL's four steps for getting your home "energy fit" in the New Year

It’s no secret that this is the time of year for New Year’s resolutions, and Florida Power & Light (FPL) wants you to add one more resolution to your list that can you help you save energy and money: Make your home "energy fit".

FPL’s energy efficiency blogger, Danielle Mousseau, recommends getting your home “energy fit” by following her four-step plan. “Like any good fitness plan, you have to understand the basics,” she says. “Evaluate where you are, make a plan based on where you want to go, set realistic goals and measure against them.”

She offers four steps to getting your home “energy fit” this year.

Step 1: Before you can get your home “energy fit,” find out what kind of shape it’s in by completing the new Online Home Energy Survey at http://www.FPL.com/newohes. Whether your home is a power pro that only needs routine energy efficiency maintenance, or an energy novice that needs a boot camp-like regimen, there are always things you can do to make improvements. The Online Home Energy Survey has new features such as a new user-friendly design and a more printer-friendly personalized energy-savings plan.

Step 2: Review and print your personalized energy-savings plan. Take note of recommendations that you can implement right away at little or no cost, such as adjusting habits or appliance settings. If there are recommendations for making energy efficiency upgrades to your home equipment like your ducts or A/C, highlight the FPL program that can offer you an incentive or rebate for doing so.

Step 3: Set goals based on your plan’s recommendations. Since goals are very personal, yours may vary based on how much effort, time and money you want to invest. If you only want to implement low-cost, or no-cost measures like adjusting habits or switching to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), your goal will be very different than if you decide to upgrade your refrigerator to an Energy Star® model or replace your air conditioner at a higher seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER).

Step 4: Set a timeline for your goals and measure against them. You will need to determine your timeframe for measuring savings. You may want to save past bills or log in to FPL.com to compare this year’s costs to last year’s costs if you are making substantial energy upgrades to your home appliances or equipment like an air conditioner. If you are making small adjustments to your everyday habits, you may prefer to measure month-over-month for a one-year period.

FPL customers already have the lowest electric bills in the state, and getting your home “energy fit” is a way to make that bill even lower. To find out what kind of energy efficiency shape your home’s in, take the new Online Home Energy Survey today at http://www.FPL.com/newohes.

Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888