The state has some tips for saving energy this winter

In case you haven’t heard, 2016 was officially the hottest year on record for our dear planet, according to a joint report Wednesday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
That’s three years in a row where the Earth’s annual global temperature has topped the previous year. Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, wrote how the early 2016 El Niño (the warming phase of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific that can have global side effects) definitely had an influence but “clearly, the steady increase in atmospheric, man-made greenhouse gas concentration is playing the lead role.”
Wondering how you can take some environmentally-conscious steps right from your home this winter? The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Energy & Climate has a winter energy-saving checklist that goes over room-by-room steps for you to start doing your part.
Feeling cold air coming through your windows and doors in the living room? Weatherstripping can seal any leaks. Dry multiple laundry loads consecutively so your dryer doesn’t have to reheat each time. And use those LED bulbs, people!
See the checklist
The list also includes tips for when you’re on the road, specifically with things like organizing carpools and dedicating one trip a week to walk or bike instead of driving. Or you could always think about investing in an electric vehicle which the state has continually made easier to do, with its Clean Vehicle Rebate Program or through its grant-funded push last year to promoting alternative fuels.
The DNREC is also trying to get kids thinking about how to save energy — if you send the completed checklist to the Division of Energy & Climate, they’ll send over a “Certified Energy Saver” certificate emblazoned with your kid’s name.