I am glad to be here with you at this Lowe’s store to stress the importance of energy efficiency and conservation. And let me compliment Lowe’s on its longtime efforts promoting energy efficiency, along with being an ENERGY STAR© retail partner of the year for three straight years.

 

This winter consumers all over the country can expect to see higher energy costs because of increasing demand for energy and the damage inflicted upon America’s energy infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

 

We are here with the good people at Lowe’s to emphasize that there are steps consumers can and should take to save energy and money when the cold temperatures hit.

 

Last week I announced our nationwide “Easy Ways to Save Energy” campaign to help American families and businesses better deal with limited supplies and rising energy prices this winter.

 

The “Energy $avers Guide” we are distributing across the nation contains dozens of easy – and often inexpensive – ways consumers can save energy in their homes and lower their utility bills.

 

Replace 25 percent of your lights in the high-use areas of your home with compact fluorescents, for instance, and you can save about 50 percent of your lighting bill.

 

The type of insulation you have, or the kinds of windows you use, can also have a profound effect on your monthly energy bills. So can using a programmable thermostat to control the heating and cooling in your home. Or using energy efficient appliances with the ENERGY STAR© logo.

 

With costs expected to rise this winter, taking a few simple steps now can spare consumers a lot of pocketbook pain come January and February.

 

These steps are detailed in the Energy $avers Guide. Copies are available for all of you to take today. The Guide may also be accessed online at energysavers.gov.

 

In addition, we are making this guide available to manufacturers, local utilities, and retailers like Lowe’s to reprint and distribute widely.

 

In the coming months, you will also hear a series of radio public service announcements counseling consumers on easy tips to save energy and gasoline.

 

These radio spots aim to complement our Energy Hog campaign with the Ad Council – the folks who brought us Smokey the Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog – to educate the public about wise energy use in our everyday activities. You’ll soon begin to see the ads for the next phase of this effort in newspapers and magazines, as well as on billboards, buses, and taxis all over the country.

 

Conserving energy and implementing important efficiency measures are steps that all of us can take to make a difference today.

 

I can’t stress that enough. Individual action from every American can add up to a tremendous collective effort this winter, and can produce significant results.

 

Thank you.