Energy Upgrade California: Rallying All Energy Users to Make a Big Impact

Sustainability ProgramBalboa Park Cultural Partnership, Sustainability Program

Rallying ALL Californians to take action will help to achieve the State’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. That’s why San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) has partnered with Energy Upgrade California’s (EUC) Do Your Thing™ initiative to encourage residents and small businesses to take simple actions that ultimately make California cleaner, healthier and more prosperous!

For example, you can:

  • Unplug home electronics when they are not being used
  • Upgrade to LED light bulbs
  • Use energy intensive appliances, like dishwashers and washing machines, at “off-peak” times when there is less demand for energy   

If you’re wondering how much impact these kinds of simple changes can have, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that if every American home replaced one standard incandescent light bulb with an LED bulb it would save enough energy to power three million homes for a year and eliminate 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year. If that’s all from replacing one single light bulb, imagine what we could accomplish together by using all of EUC’s energy saving suggestions, including home energy assessments, making your home energy efficient, going solar, using rebates and incentives, and how to finance home energy improvements.  

SDG&E is doing their part by increasing the percent of energy it produces from renewable sources. They’ve surpassed they’re most recent target of 40% ahead of schedule and are now at 43% (learn more here). SDG&E has also been instrumental in helping Balboa Park Cultural Partnership’s member organizations to implement projects saving 9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity since 2008, the equivalent of removing 6,325 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

While BPCP member organizations have implemented large-scale energy saving projects in their buildings, equally important are the small changes individuals and small businesses can make to our energy usage habits. Energy Upgrade California’s Do Your Thing™ is a movement that we can all help with by doing just one more thing in our lives to save that extra bit of energy. For the most current updates, follow EUC on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and #DoYourThing!