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ELECTRIC NOTES
ELECTRIC SAFETY AND YOU
Why should you be concerned about electric safety? Unfortunately, when electricity is misused serious injury or even death can be the result. Even a small nightlight with a 6-watt bulb draws enough current to be fatal under certain circumstances.
Following is information to help you better understand how electricity works and why you should always exercise caution around it.
• Electrical current will not flow unless it has a complete path (circuit) that returns to its source (battery, transformer).
• Current flows through you and other conductors, such as metals, earth and concrete.
• Current can harm you when it flows through your body (electric shock).
• Insulators resist the flow of electricity. Insulating materials are used to coat copper conducting wires and are used to make electrical work gloves. Insulators help protect humans from coming into contact with electricity flowing through conductors.
• Just as there is pressure in a water pipe even with no water flowing, there is voltage at a receptacle even if current is not flowing. The electric current is essentially waiting for an opportunity to flow—to power an appliance or turn on the TV. But given the chance, it will just as quickly pass through you.
If current passes through your body, three types of injury are likely to occur:
1. Burns.
2. Physical injuries (broken bones, falls and muscle damage). When electrocution occurs, muscles often clamp on to whatever the person is holding.
3. Nervous system effects (stop breathing, heart twitching or stopping).
The heart is often damaged because it is in the path of the most common routes electricity takes through the body:
• Hand to hand
• Hand to foot
Your electric co-op encourages you to stay safe around electricity.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: SAVE $75
The New Year often brings a resolve to save more and spend less, and that could be especially true during these difficult economic times. It’s a resolution you can keep.
How? Replace one major home appliance with an Energy Star appliance, and you can save $75 this year on your energy bills.
You may have heard that home appliances carry two price tags. The first is the price you pay to buy the appliance. The second is the amount you will pay every year over the life of the appliance for the energy and water needed to operate it.
Energy Star appliances are designed to use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than other models. The Energy Star label is part of the U.S. government’s effort to encourage energy conservation.
Though Energy Star appliances may cost a little more to buy than other models, you will reap the savings in operating costs over the life of the appliance.
The most energy-efficient clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, air conditioners and water heaters have earned the Energy Star label.
Another label to look for when you shop for a new appliance: the yellow Energy-Guide. This label tells you how much energy the appliance uses every year and compares that number to similar models. The lower the operating cost, the more you’ll save on your monthly energy bill.
SAVE ENERGY NOW. IT’S EASY!
Want to start saving energy at home today? Do this:
1. Fill up your refrigerator and freezer. Your refrigerator operates more efficiently when it’s full because it can recover more quickly from the cold lost when the door is opened. Fill in empty spaces with water bottles or bags of ice, but leave enough room between items for the air to circulate freely.
2. Turn down the heat on your water. Many water heaters are set to 140 degrees, which is hotter than necessary for showers and clothes washing. Water that hot also poses a scalding hazard for children. Reduce the temperature by 10 degrees, and you’ll save up to 5 percent on your energy costs.
3. Set your thermostat back when you leave for work. For every degree you turn down the heat for at least eight hours, you can save as much as 1 percent a year on your heating bills.
4. Shut down your computer if it won’t be in use for more than two hours. Keeping it on is like leaving lights on in an empty room.
5. Vacuum your refrigerator coils twice a year. If the coils are exposed (look on the back of the unit), they can get dirty or dusty and force your fridge to work inefficiently. If you have a newer model, remove the kick plate or grill to access the coils.
WINTERIZE FOR SAVINGS AND SAFETY
The coats have been cleaned, the mittens and scarves found and the sweaters have been pulled out of the attic. Old Man Winter has settled across Texas. Your wardrobe is ready, but what about your house—is it ready for winter? A small investment of time to review your home for safety and efficiency weak spots can pay big dividends toward making your home safer, more energy efficient and, ultimately, reduce electric bills this winter.
Energy dollars pour out of homes through drafty doors, windows, attics, walls and floors without even being noticed. Taking time to winterize and check heating equipment now can be a worthy investment, saving you money on your monthly bill and ensuring your home is safe as well.
It’s important to have a professional inspect and service your furnace to make sure it is in good working order before turning the heat on this winter. An efficient heating system means greater comfort at a lower cost.
Regularly clean or replace furnace filters monthly during winter use, and check ducts, flues and chimneys. Ensure the chimney is clean, clear of bird and animal nests, and that there is no blockage in high efficiency furnaces that vent through the wall. Keeping heating equipment clean and in good repair will ensure peak efficiency and safety.
Consider installing a programmable thermostat to automatically raise and lower home temperatures for energy savings day and night. Set your thermostat to lower temperatures while you’re asleep or away from home.
Make sure attics and flooring, especially above unheated spaces such as crawl spaces and garages, are properly insulated. A quick rule of thumb is to check the attic—if you can see the ceiling joists, you don’t have enough insulation. Ceiling joists are usually at most 10 to 11 inches, and insulation should be a minimum of 12 inches. Find air leaks in homes by moistening fingertips and running them around doors or window frames to feel a draft. Check around outlets and look for gaps near the dryer vent, chimneys and faucet pipes. Seal them all with caulking or weatherstripping.
Weatherstripping and caulking are inexpensive and among the simplest, most effective ways to boost efficiency and cut energy costs year-round.
Another way to save energy is by replacing screens with storm windows and doors. Double-pane windows with low-e coating can reduce heating bills by 34 percent in cold climates compared to uncoated, single-pane windows. If you have older or leaky windows that you cannot replace, consider temporary fixes, such as plastic film kits that create the effect of an interior storm window.
Consider replacing regular incandescent lightbulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs. CFLs use one-fourth of the energy consumed by a regular bulb and can last 10 times as long or longer.
During cold weather, don’t overlook simple energy-saving steps such as opening curtains to let sunshine warm your home and reversing your ceiling fans to a clockwise rotation to recirculate and force the warm air downward. Also, make sure fireplace dampers are closed when not in use. These are effective energy-saving tips that cost you nothing.
SIDEBAR: WINTER SAFETY TIPS
As you take steps to winterize your home, use the opportunity to check for electrical hazards. The dry winter air is a perfect environment for electric shock and fire. Use this electrical safety checklist to eliminate hazards:
• Check outlets and make sure they are not overloaded or warm to the touch.
• Examine electrical cords for cracks, frays and damaged plugs.
• Check that lightbulbs are the proper wattage and securely screwed in light fixtures so bulbs don’t overheat and ignite curtains or nearby furniture.
• Outlets related to frequent circuit breaker trips or blown fuses should be inspected by a professional. Dimming lights and shrinking pictures on TVs and computer monitors are also electrical warning signs that merit an inspection.
• Make sure bathroom, laundry room, kitchen and outdoor outlets have ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), and test and reset them monthly. If these outlets do not have GFCIs, have them installed.
• Test your smoke detector batteries and replace them every six months.
• If an electric space heater is used, make sure the wiring is adequate. Don’t place a portable heater in high-traffic areas and never use extension cords with electric heaters.
Taking these simple steps helps reduce the risk of fire, shock, injury or death. We want everyone to stay safe and warm this winter.
Source: www.SafeElectricity.org
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