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ELECTRIC NOTES
SMART APPLIANCE USE SAVES ENERGY
Whether you have the newest, most efficient electric appliances or you’re hanging onto some that practically qualify as antiques, you can use them smarter so they waste less energy.
Here are some free and easy ways to cut waste—and your energy bill:
• Move your refrigerator away from the stove, dishwasher and heating vents. The heat from those devices makes the refrigerator work harder to stay cold, so it runs less efficiently.
• If your refrigerator’s coils are exposed, vacuum them every three months. When dirt builds up on the coils, the appliance has to use more energy to keep your food cold.
• Repair the gaskets on your refrigerator’s door if they come loose. Damaged gaskets let cold air leak.
• Cover all foods and liquids in your refrigerator. Uncovered food products will release moisture into the air, forcing your refrigerator’s compressor to work harder than it would otherwise.
• If your old freezer doesn’t self-defrost, do it yourself—as soon as a quarter-inch of ice builds up. An ice-laden freezer is inefficient.
• Stop rinsing dishes by hand before you load them into the dishwasher, especially if yours has a pre-rinse or rinse/hold cycle. Simply scrape leftover food from the plates and let the dishwasher do the rest.
• Set your dishwasher to its “energy-saver” feature and leave it there so it saves energy every time you use it.
• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Match the size of your pots and pans to the size of the stovetop burner you’re using. Placing a small pot on a large burner wastes a lot of heat.
• Cover pots and pans with lids so you can cook at a lower burner setting.
• Cook small meals in toaster ovens or microwaves instead of an oven. It takes a lot of energy to heat the space in your oven, so unless you’re cooking something as large as a turkey or a ham, all that energy is going to waste. Plus you’re not adding “waste heat” to your kitchen.
• Select the “small load” setting on your washing machine when you don’t have enough laundry to fill the tub. At that setting, the washer will fill with less water.
• Clean your clothes dryer filters after each load. This not only keeps the appliance from working too hard, it can prevent a fire.
• Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
• Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. Manufacturers recommend using rigid venting material, not plastic vents that may collapse and cause blockages.
• Don’t over-dry your clothes. If your machine has a moisture sensor, use it.
• Set your water heater to 120 degrees. That’s hot enough, even though some manufacturers pre-set theirs to 140 degrees.
WHY IS MY ELECTRIC BILL MORE THAN MY NEIGHBOR’S?
You have a television, DVD player, microwave oven, electric range and cooktop, refrigerator/freezer, stereo, heat pump and personal computer. So does your next-door neighbor. So why is your electric bill almost twice as high every month?
Consider this: How well are your walls insulated compared to your neighbor’s? Do you take longer, hotter showers? Are you cooking gourmet meals or baking from scratch while your neighbor subsists on quick-heating TV dinners? Does the TV keep you company even when you’re not watching it?
Just as no two families live alike, no two electric bills are the same. Comparing your monthly statement to anyone else’s would be like comparing your weekly grocery tabs. Two families of four most likely will not spend exactly the same amount on food because their tastes and habits are different.
Think about the conveniences you might be willing to pay for, even though your neighbor isn’t. Are you more comfortable sleeping in an extra-cool house on hot summer nights? Maybe your neighbor’s thermostat setting ekes the temperature up a few degrees at bedtime.
Do members of your family entertain themselves in separate rooms after dinner—turning a light on in each—while the folks next door gather all together in a family room to watch baseball games on TV?
The way to lower your electric costs is to use energy more efficiently before the bill comes. If your neighbor’s bill is lower than yours, ask for some tips about how to save money by conserving energy around the house or contact your electric cooperative for energy-saving ideas.
STAY COOL THIS SEASON WITH THE RIGHT FAN
If the warm spring weather tempts you to turn on your air conditioning too early, don’t do it.
Reach for your ceiling fan instead.
Ceiling fans can make a room feel cooler, but they use 90 percent less energy than an air conditioner.
If you’re looking into getting a new ceiling fan, answer these five questions:
1. How big is your room? The bigger the room, the longer the blades should be. A rule of thumb: For a room smaller than 100 square feet, like a bathroom or laundry room, buy a fan with 32- to 36-inch blades. For a medium-sized bedroom, office or kitchen—up to about 225 square feet—you’ll need a fan with blades measuring 42 to 48 inches. Large master bedrooms and dining rooms up to 485 square feet: 50- to 56-inch blades. Large rooms like the great room—up to around 600 square feet: 60 inches or more.
2. What style and color do you like? Fan blades come in painted colors, metallic and wood finishes, so you can match them to your furniture, floor or even cabinet hardware. Some manufacturers make two-sided blades so you can flip them when you’re in the mood for a new look.
3. How high is the ceiling? For the most comfortable results, install the fan 7 to 8 feet from the floor. If your room has high ceilings, buy an extension “downrod” to lower the fan to the ideal location. Some manufacturers have special “close mount” fans for rooms with extra-low ceilings.
4. Do you want to combine the fan with a light? Most manufacturers will double them up for you. Fixtures with “downlighting” will create a traditional “chandelier” effect, while those with “uplighting” will bounce the light off the ceiling to diffuse the light and make it softer.
5. How do you want to operate the fan? You can pull a cord, flip a light switch or tap a remote control.
HOW TO TEST BACKYARD GFCIs
Outlets protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) only offer protection when they work properly. Set up a monthly schedule to test GFCIs, particularly for backyard pools and hot tubs. Infrequently used and portable or cord-connected GFCIs should be tested before each day’s use. To test a GFCI:
• Wear shoes while conducting the test, especially if outdoors or standing on wet ground.
• Plug a nightlight into the outlet and turn the nightlight on.
• Press the "TEST" button. Did the light go out? If not, replace the GFCI or have it inspected by an electrician.
• Press the "RESET" button. Did the light come back on? If not, replace the GFCI.
HOW OLD IS YOUR HAIR DRYER?
Most hair dryers made after 1991 have built-in shutoff switches in case they land in water. But the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates millions of old dryers are still in use.
If yours is old, get a new one. Even if you feel confident you can prevent an accident, you can never be too
prepared.
When choosing a new hair dryer:
• Look for a large, rectangular-shaped plug at the end of the cord. This indicates that the dryer has extra
protections in place to prevent electrocution.
• Check for a sticker indicating that the model has been certified by a recognized testing agency like Underwriters Laboratories.
• Manufacturers are not required to include the automatic shut-off switches, so inspect a dryer’s packaging and descriptions before you buy it. Beware of super-inexpensive products or those packed in shoddy
materials.
And remember, water and electricity don’t mix—even if your hair dryer has a safety shutoff.
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