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ELECTRIC NOTES
COOL IT WITH THE A/C
Tips To Help Your Air Conditioner Take A Load Off
Your air conditioner has to work harder every time the temperature rises 1 degree. Make sure it’s up to the task.
Every spring, hire a licensed professional to give it a tune-up. If your unit is old or requires some major repairs, it could be cheaper to replace it with a super-efficient model—one with a SEER rating of at least 12—than to repair it.
SEER stands for “seasonal energy efficiency ratio.” The higher the number, the more efficient the air conditioner—and the more money you save.
Relieve some strain on your air conditioner and knock a few dollars off your energy bill this summer. Here’s how:
• Change the air filter every time you pay your energy bill. The unit doesn’t have to work as hard to push air through a clean filter as it does through a dirty one.
• Turn up the thermostat and turn on ceiling fans. Ceiling fans circulate the air and help you feel cooler. For every degree you raise your thermostat, you will save 2 to 3 percent on air conditioning.
• Weatherstripping and caulking around doors and windows isn’t just for winter. It can keep hot air from coming into your home during the summer, too. Seal leaky joints and seams around windows and doors to keep cool air in and hot air out.
• Draw blinds or shades during the day. If your windows don’t have reflective coatings, add window film to keep the sun’s heat from seeping in.
• Cook and operate washing machines, dishwashers and other heat-generating appliances after 9 p.m. Using appliances during these “off-peak” hours can save you money and reduce indoor heat when the sun is blazing.
• Don’t use your oven when the weather is hot. Nothing is more energy efficient for cooking than your microwave. It uses two-thirds less energy than your stove.
• Install patio covers, awnings and solar window screens to shade your home from the sun. For additional future savings, use strategically planted trees, shrubs and vines to shade your home.
• Consider changing your old thermostat to a programmable one. You can save up to $100 a year by properly using a set-back thermostat. safety shutoff.
GIVE GRADS SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY
Looking for a unique gift for a graduate heading off to college in the fall? Encourage electrical safety, even away from home.
Help the college students in your life avoid electrical and cooking fires by sending them off with electronics that bear a label from a reputable consumer product testing facility, like Underwriters Laboratories.
Nearly three-quarters of dormitory fires result from cooking accidents, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Consider these gift ideas for safer dorm living:
• With computers, stereos and mp3 players, your grad will head to college next fall with more electronics than outlets. A power strip is a college must. Buy one with an over-current protector, which will shut off if the strip is drawing too much current.
• Instead of an electric hot plate, give a microwave for easy dorm cooking. These energy-efficient appliances pose less of a fire hazard.
• Candles are a quick way to make a dorm look like home, but they cause so many dorm fires that many colleges ban them. Give an electric candle instead.
• Coffeemakers are a luxury in the dorm room. Give one with an automatic shutoff so the student never has to worry about leaving the burner on.
WANT TO SAVE ENERGY? SAVE WATER
The water company uses electricity to purify water and pump it through your pipes. You use electricity to heat water for showering, washing dishes and doing laundry.
You can save energy—and your energy dollars—by conserving water at home.
Step 1: Buy water-saving, low-flow toilets and showerheads when it’s time to replace your old ones. Look for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense label on products that meet EPA performance and efficiency standards. These typically save at least 20 percent more water than comparable products.
Step 2: Don’t do laundry until you have a full load of clothes. Even smaller cycles waste energy and water compared with full, large loads.
Step 3: Run the dishwasher only when it’s full. Keep a bowl of soapy water in the sink for quick dishwashing.
Step 4: Repair dripping or leaky faucets immediately. Even a very slow leak wastes a lot of water. And if it’s water you’ve paid to heat, even more money is going down the drain.
Step 5: Rig your lawn sprinkler with a timer and cut the length of watering after it rains or the weather cools.
Step 6: Find out how much water each plant in your garden needs. Over-watering certain types of plants can kill them.
Step 7: Sweep your driveway instead of hosing it down.
Step 8: If you have a pool, invest in a swimming pool cover. It will keep heat in your pool and prevent water evaporation.
COPPER THEFT CAN BE DEADLY
Stealing copper from an electric cooperative or other utility is dangerous and is a crime. It also can carry very dangerous consequences, including serious injury, death, explosions, fires and electric outages.
Warning signs are posted around electric substations because of the high voltages that can cause immediate harm, including death, to untrained personnel. This is one reason entry to substations is restricted. Unauthorized entry into a substation is a crime—as is stealing materials from the substation. Never enter a substation, and do not touch any electrical equipment, power lines or anything that may be touching a power line.
If you spot suspicious activities near a substation or power lines, please contact your electric cooperative or local law enforcement agency immediately.
SAFE GARDENING TIPS
Trimming trees and tall bushes can take a deadly turn when electricity is involved. Never trim a tree that has grown into a power line. Both metal and wood can transmit electricity into your body if you come into contact with a live wire.
Instead, ask your electric cooperative to send a professional to trim the tree or at least to turn off power to the line while you work.
Don’t remove those trees, though. If they’re growing near east-, west- and south-facing windows, they can help block the sun’s hot rays in the summertime. Deciduous trees are best because they shade your home from the summer sun, but then they lose their leaves in winter to let in the extra heat when you need it.
Here are more tips to help keep your gardening chores safe:
• Before you begin digging or landscaping, ask your energy cooperative to check for underground utility lines.
• Never trim trees, cut the lawn or garden in bad weather. Wet and windy conditions can cause slipping. Go inside immediately if you see lightning.
• Plug cords for electric tools and trimmers into outlets protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters. Never use tools outdoors when it’s wet.
• Work in pairs so you’re not using electrical equipment when nobody else is around in case of an accident. And hire a professional if you doubt your ability to safely complete the job.
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