ELECTRIC NOTES

DO-IT-YOURSELF HOME ENERGY AUDITS

One of the first steps to making your home more efficient involves understanding how it uses energy. Just as a doctor has to do a thorough examination of a patient before writing a prescription, your home will need a good inspection before most inefficiencies can be identified and corrected.

You can easily conduct a basic home energy audit with a simple but diligent walk-through. When auditing your home, keep a checklist of areas you have inspected and problems you find. Full lists are available online—Touchstone Energy Cooperatives® Home Energy Saver (at www.touchstoneenergysavers.com) and the Alliance to Save Energy Home Energy Checkup (search for it at www.ase.org) are both useful—and most trouble spots can be found in a few key areas.

Locating Air Leaks

First, make a list of obvious air leaks (drafts). The potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5 percent to 30 percent per year, with a much more comfortable residence the result. Check for indoor air leaks, such as in gaps along a baseboard or the edges of flooring and at junctures of walls and the ceiling.

Inspect windows and doors for air leaks. If you can rattle them, movement means possible air leaks. If you can see daylight around a door or window frame, then the door or window has a leak; you can usually seal these through caulking or weatherstripping.

On the outside, inspect all areas where two different building materials meet, including all exterior corners, siding and chimney junctures, and areas where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding join. You should plug and caulk any holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets and wiring.

Also, look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation and siding, and seal them with the appropriate material. Check the exterior caulking around doors and windows, and make sure exterior storm doors and primary doors seal tightly.

Insulation

Heat loss through the ceiling and walls in your home could be very large if insulation levels are less than the recommended minimum. When your house was built, the builder likely installed the amount of insulation recommended (if any) at that time. Given today’s energy prices (and future prices that will probably be higher), your insulation might be inadequate, especially if you have an older home. Online energy audits will provide more details on checking insulation levels in the attic, walls and basement.

Heating/Cooling Equipment
Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced-air furnace, check filters and replace them as needed. Generally, you should change them about once every month, especially during periods of high use. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year.

Lighting

On average, lighting accounts for about 10 percent of a home’s electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the lightbulbs in your house. You may have 100-watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider using compact fluorescent lightbulbs for areas where lights are left on for hours at a time.

More information on both do-it-yourself and professional energy audits can be found at www.energysavers.gov.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

GO BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ENERGY SAVINGS

The kids have new backpacks, new supplies, new bedtimes, new routines—and pretty soon, new homework every night. Heading back to school has kids using a lot more energy.

And it’s not just their own. They need energy to power so many back-to-school activities including the computers they use to write their papers and the lights they shine until later in the evening, especially as the days get shorter. Even the daily drive to and from school can be a burden on the environment and your wallet.

Resolve to conserve energy as your kids head back to their classrooms this fall—and you might even save a few dollars along the way. Here are some energy-saving and environmentally friendly back-to-school tips:

• Teach your children how to put the computer into sleep mode when they are finished using it, even if they plan on returning later. Electronics in sleep mode use about 80 percent less electricity than they do on full power.

• In the market for a new computer? Choose a model with an Energy Star rating, which will use 70 percent less electricity than those without it. Energy Star monitors draw 90 percent less energy.

• Desk lamps and other task lights create a productive work environment without wasting excess light. Replace the halogen or incandescent lightbulbs in desk lamps with compact fluorescent lightbulbs. CFLs produce less heat and use 90 percent less electricity than traditional lightbulbs.

• Do a thorough inventory of school supplies before heading to the store to buy more. You may find that you need less than you think. When you buy, choose discounted bulk packages that will leave plenty of leftovers for the next school year.

• Buy reusable sandwich bags and use lunch boxes instead of paper bags to save money and reduce everyday packaging waste.

OPEN UP TO ENERGY SAVINGS WITH FIBERGLASS DOORS

Sealing cracks and air leaks around your exterior doors isn’t the only way to better insulate your entrance. What the door is made out of matters, too.

Fiberglass doors can be made to look so much like wood you’ll have a hard time telling yours isn’t. The replacement is worth it, as manufacturers say fiberglass doors are three to seven times more energy efficient than traditional wood doors.

As an added benefit, fiberglass won’t warp, split or swell like wood doors can. That’s why they usually come with a long warranty—between 10 and 25 years. You’d be lucky to get a one-year warranty on a wood door. And fiberglass can be stained, painted or made to look just like wood.

When choosing the grade or materials of your next entrance door, weigh the benefits of efficiency, performance and durability for your specific use.

POST NO BILLS
Attaching Signs to Utility Poles Presents Safety Hazards—And It’s Illegal

By Chris Grammes

Although seemingly innocent enough, putting signs or other items on utility poles creates serious safety hazards. Staples, nails and tacks used to hang signs—as well as the signs themselves—pose dangers to your electric cooperative’s line workers who must climb poles when either restoring power following storms or while performing routine maintenance to ensure system reliability.

Posters or other objects (birdhouses, balloons, flags and even basketball nets) can be dangerous obstacles. Also, the nails and tacks left behind from signs can snag utility workers’ boots or puncture safety clothing, putting line workers at risk of slipping or even electrocution.

In addition to being hazardous, tampering with utility poles can be costly. Posting signs or attaching other objects to utility poles is illegal and can carry a fine of up to $500 per day.

Your co-op appreciates your help in keeping utility poles clear and linemen safe.

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Chris Grammes writes on safety issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.