To demonstrate the important connections between our individual energy use and the world’s environment, economy, and security, The Dow Chemical Company this month joins the Alliance to Save Energy and 30 additional organizations in launching the 6° of Energy Efficiency Challenge. The Challenge, launched as part of the Alliance’s The Power is in Your Hands national energy efficiency campaign, is designed to increase consumer awareness of simple steps that all Americans can take to save energy and money this winter.

With a simple click of a mouse, an interactive 6° Challenge Web site will:

* Inform consumers that increasing and wasteful energy use affects six key areas of our lives -- the energy prices we pay at the pump and in our homes, our home comfort, the air we breathe and our respiratory health, our energy security, our economic well-being, and the world we leave behind.

* Provide consumers with six easy energy-efficiency tips they can implement in their own homes and vehicles.

* Challenge them to take at least one of those six easy steps.

* Provide money-saving coupons for energy-efficient products.

* Encourage consumers to then challenge six friends and family members to become part of a global community by taking the Challenge and sharing their stories.

“Every consumer has a part to play in energy efficiency,” said Dow’s Peter Molinaro, vice president, Federal & State Government Affairs. “Dow is proud to support the 6° of Energy Efficiency Challenge because it demonstrates that each person’s energy use has a much wider impact on our precious energy resources, our economy and our environment. By linking us all together, we help make small steps equal big change.”

Six-Degree Challenge Launched with Efficiency Home Make-Over

With support from Dow and 30 additional Power is in Your Hands partners, the Alliance to Save Energy kicked off the 6° Challenge on Wednesday, November 15 with an energy efficiency home make-over for a low-income family in the Washington, DC area. Like many others, this family faced the prospect of staggering winter home-heating bills and needed help identifying the small steps that could help to dramatically reduce their winter utility costs. The energy-efficiency home makeover illustrated several steps consumers can take to save energy in their own homes and cut their energy bills. The home make-over included:

* a home energy audit and a blower door test to determine the air-tightness of the home.

* air-sealing the home with Dow GREAT STUFF™ insulating foam sealant to stop air leakage through hidden holes, gaps and cracks

* insulating the home, which not only makes the home more efficient, but also makes consumers eligible for the 2006-2007 federal energy-efficiency income tax credit

* installing an ENERGY STAR-labeled programmable thermostat to efficiently moderate climate control.

* installing several “winterizing” products like door sweeps and weather-stripping.

* replacing regular light bulbs with ENERGY STAR-labeled compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), energy-efficient alternatives that last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

* providing certificates for vehicle energy-efficiency improvements.

“Energy efficiency is for everyone,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “We conducted a makeover of a needy family’s home to demonstrate many of the easy things consumers can do to start saving energy and money immediately. The Power is in Your Hands partners, which include 30 companies, government agencies, trade associations, environmental groups, and others, are committing their time and resources to teaching consumers how to take individual steps to not only save themselves money, but also by doing so to improve their communities and the world by advancing energy efficiency. This campaign uniquely links tens-to-hundreds of thousands of people together to leverage individual action for the greater good.”

Making Connections via “Six Degrees of Energy Efficiency”

The energy-efficiency home makeover marked the first step in connecting the important collective benefits that will come from families and communities across the U.S. who “take the challenge” and being to save energy and thereby help the world.

Average US households will still pay nearly $5,000 to power their homes and vehicles this year – 32 percent greater than just two years ago. In fact, the Energy Information Administration estimates that consumers will spend an average of $902 on heating their homes this winter. From insulating an attic in to sealing cracks around door and window frames, all consumers can take “small steps” to repair problems and save money – and collectively make a big difference for society. Consumers can start by taking the 6° Challenge.

The Power is in Your Hands campaign is designed to arm consumers with information and tools to manage their home energy bills; inform them about the connection between household energy use and energy prices; and inspire them to use energy efficiency to reduce their energy and thereby enhance the nation’s energy security. Phase 1 was launched in winter 2005 with 23 business, government, and nonprofit partners. The Phase 2 2006-7 winter campaign has grown to 32 partners taking a creative new approach with the 6° of Energy Efficiency Challenge.

About The Dow Chemical Company

Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to improve living daily. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

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