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ELECTRIC NOTES
PLAY UP OUTDOOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY TO CHILDREN
Warm, sunny days beckon the child in all of us to head outside and play. Your electric co-op recommends that families review and stress to children to follow simple electrical safety rules for safe outdoor play.
Help keep your kids out of harm’s way when they play outdoors. Children often do not understand the dangers of electricity. Make them aware of overhead power lines and electrical equipment, and emphasize that they should never climb or play near them.
We recommend children be taught to follow these rules:
• Never climb trees near power lines. Even if the power lines are not touching the tree, they could touch when more weight is added to a branch.
• Fly kites and model airplanes in large open areas such as a park or a field, safely away from trees and overhead power lines. If a kite gets stuck in a tree that’s near power lines, don’t climb up to get it. Contact your electric cooperative for assistance.
• Never climb a utility pole or tower.
• Don’t play on or around pad-mounted electrical equipment.
• Never go into an electric substation for any reason. Electric substations contain high-voltage equipment that can be deadly. Never try to rescue a pet or retrieve a toy that goes inside. Call your co-op instead.
When designing an outdoor play area for your children, do not install playground equipment or swimming pools underneath or near power lines. Protect all family members from serious shock and injuries by installing and using outdoor outlets with ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Use portable GFCIs for outdoor outlets that don’t have them. Be careful when using electrical appliances outdoors, even if plugged into GFCI-equipped outlets.
Water always attracts kids, but water and electricity never mix. Teach older children to exercise caution before plugging in a radio, CD player or any electrical gadget outdoors, and keep all electrical appliances at least 10 feet away from hot tubs, pools, ponds, puddles and wet surfaces.
Spring showers bring more than tempting puddles for kids to splash in, they can also leave behind electric hazards. Flooded areas are never safe spots to wade or play in, and may be in contact with energized electrical equipment or fallen power lines.
Make sure all of your family members know to stay away from downed power lines and wires, and tell children to report to an adult any fallen or dangling wires.
WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY THIS SPRING
Warmer weather has finally arrived, so here are some things you can do now to improve your home’s energy efficiency in the months ahead:
Window air conditioner. Seal around the unit so cool air cannot escape.
Central air conditioner. Hose off the outdoor condensing unit to remove dirt and leaves. Get professional service for your central air every two years. Choose a qualified contractor.
Filter. If it’s dirty, replace or clean it before running the air conditioner. Check it every month or more often, if needed.
Lawn mower. Replace your gas-powered lawn mower with a non-polluting manual or electric mower.
Air-dry laundry. Put up a clothesline for hanging laundry outside to dry, rather than using your clothes dryer, which heats up the house.
Shade. Reduce your air conditioner’s energy use by planting deciduous shade trees to the south or west of your home.
Fans. On mild days, use fans to keep you cool. Ceiling fans are ideal, but portable fans can inexpensively do the job.
GOING ON A DUCT HUNT
If your home has a central heating or cooling system, it probably relies on ductwork to carry conditioned air to each room. If this ductwork is not properly sealed, up to 30 percent of the energy you purchase to operate your heating or cooling system could be wasted through duct leaks. Sealing the ducts will reduce this loss.
The best way to measure the air-tightness of your home’s duct system is by performing a duct-blower test. A duct blower is a portable fan that is used to pressurize the ductwork in your home. It is calibrated to determine the size and location of air leaks, giving guidance to air-sealing technicians on where to concentrate their duct-sealing efforts. A duct-blower test and subsequent air sealing can be performed by either a building performance contractor or by a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor.
Why should duct testing and sealing be a part of your home improvements? Think of your home’s ductwork as part of the building shell, working in conjunction with ceilings, walls and floors to keep heat outdoors in summer and indoors in winter. You have probably noticed that even small leaks around your doors and windows cause uncomfortable drafts, perhaps forcing you to adjust your thermostat to keep your home comfortable. Yet these door and window leaks allow only room-temperature air to escape. Your home’s ductwork, on the other hand, carries air that is heated or cooled beyond room temperature. Duct leaks are also pressurized by the system’s fan, increasing the rate at which air is lost through even small gaps. This rapid loss of energy-laden air makes duct leaks more costly than similarly sized leaks in ceilings, walls and floors.
To learn more about how duct sealing can improve the comfort and efficiency of your home, visit www.energystar.gov/ducts.
DOES THAT THIRD PRONG REALLY MATTER?
Yes, it does! The third prong provides a path to ground along which the electric current travels. Most major appliances, such as stoves, refrigerators and computers, have three-prong plugs, meaning they are grounded. Many older homes do not have three-hole receptacles. If your home does not, you should have an electrician rewire the home to accommodate the three-prong plugs. Although three-prong adapters can be purchased, they are not recommended for permanent use. And, remember never to clip the third prong off a plug to make it fit a two-hole outlet.
LIGHTEN UP YOUR ROOF TO LIGHTEN UP YOUR ELECTRIC BILL
Roofs are perhaps the most important component of an energy-efficient building. Unfortunately, compared to doors, windows and lighting, roofs are generally much less durable and much less energy efficient.
Over the lifetime of a building, a roof needs to be replaced an average of four times. More than 75 percent of the roofing work in the United States involves reroofing.
Energy-efficient roof technologies are fairly straightforward. Manufacturers have developed lighter-colored shingles and tiles, usually containing a coating of titanium dioxide, that absorb less heat than a typical asphalt shingle and can last twice as long. Since lighter surfaces are easily discolored by fungus, a fungicide coating normally gets added. Many of the new roof coatings are even self-cleaning to retain reflectivity properties and reduce air-conditioning requirements.
Lighter-colored roofs are slightly more expensive. However, the small cost difference will easily pay for itself in one summer.
Roof overhangs are another way to trim summer cooling bills. For many homes and businesses in warmer climates, overhangs reduce solar heat gain and interior temperatures. They can also be designed to let direct sunlight into a living space during winter but keep things shaded in summer.
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