At every turn, we hear that saving energy also saves money. But how — and where — do we start? Beginning in January, the City of Edmonds has made it easy for Edmonds residents and business owners to do both.

The City has funded Save Energy Now, a program developed by Sustainable Edmonds to help local home and business owners find ways to reduce their annual utility consumption by at least 10 percent in 2010.

Saving energy through conservation does make sense: We save money, our local utilities don’t have to build new generating capacity, and we boost local employment and business by making home improvements.

Here’s how the Save Energy Now program works:

-A professional energy auditor will perform a complete energy audit of a home/business. This will help identify appropriate changes for each participant, including the expected payback period for improvements.

-Sustainable Edmonds will provide $150 toward the energy audit; the participant will pay the remainder.  Additionally, Snohomish County may have additional funds available for audits in 2010.

-Using the energy auditor’s report, the participant will seal leaks and make other energy-efficient improvements.

– Sustainable Edmonds will help identify sources of financial assistance and incentives, as well as contractors certified by local utilities.

– Conservation progress of participating homes/businesses will be monitored using the CarbonSalon.net website.

– Owners and Sustainable Edmonds will share the lessons of what worked with the rest of the city.

We want YOU to participate. The requirements are simple:

– Be a homeowner or business operator in the city of Edmonds.

– Have a home or business structure built before 1985.

– Agree to the energy audit, and be responsible for paying the non-subsidized portion of the audit. (Auditor bids are still being received; a final price is not yet available.)

– Agree to work toward a goal of a 10-percent reduction in electricity and gas consumption.

– A maximum of 10 homes and 10 businesses can participate, and will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, email SustainableEdmonds@gmail.com. You can track the progress of the Save Energy Now program at www.SustainableEdmonds.org .

If you aren’t able to participate in this program, you can still join Snohomish PUD’s Energy Challenge, which asks all participants to work toward reducing energy consumption by at least 10 percent.