Spotlight on Energy
Queen of Conservation

By Jonathan Gramling
Part 6
   
    Since June 2007, the price of a barrel of crude oil has jumped from $60 to over $100. Natural gas prices are also up sharply. During the heating season,
which roughly runs from the middle of October through April, a household’s utility cost can skyrocket, oftentimes quadrupling at the height of the winter season in
January and February. While high heating costs can put a crimp in the budget of the typical middle class family, depending upon how new and well insulated
their home is, a sudden escalation of energy costs can have a devastating impact on economically challenged households. A spike in the monthly bill can force
a family to make a choice between eating and heat. As a service to our readers, The Capital City Hues in collaboration with MG&E and the Wexford Ridge
Women Rise Up group is featuring a series of articles on how to save on heating costs.
    Last October, when Charles Warner, an MG&E residential services specialist, visited Helen Montgomery about conservation, Helen was pumped. She lived in
a two-bedroom apartment with electric heat. The apartment was old and had a crack under the door. Without taking any kind of measures, Montgomery’s
apartment was an energy sieve and Montgomery would soon be facing very high heating bills.
    After Warner talked with Montgomery about the measures she had already taken and new measures she could take, Warner gave her an energy conservation
kit with items including fluorescent light bulbs, plastic for covering windows and a thermometer she could place near her thermostat.
    Well, Montgomery went to work and conserved energy with a vengeance. Warner kept track of Montgomery’s energy usage throughout the summer months
and by February; he was astounded by the results of Montgomery’s efforts and felt compelled to pay her a visit. “I have to say that as well as Brenda [another
participant in the project] did, you really knocked it out of the park,” Warner said. “In November, you saved about 57 percent on your electric usage. In
December, you saved an additional 57 percent. So you lowered your usage by 57 percent. In January, you lowered it 50 percent. That’s absolutely phenomenal.
What is inspiring is the fact that for each of those months, it was actually colder outside, much colder than it was for the same period the previous year. Not only
were you able to drop down the cost with the measures you’ve been implementing around here, but you also did it when the temperature really dropped. That in
and of itself is absolutely phenomenal.”
    Montgomery had several layers of clothing on as we walked into her apartment. She had placed the thermometer MG&E had given to her right next to her
thermostat so she could rigidly control the heat. “If you look at the thermometer, 60 degrees is the heat without the heart on,” Montgomery said. “So if you
close your blinds and put insulation under the door, you don’t need any heat. Another thing that I think is happening is there is a heater in the hallway. They
turn the heater on, guess who gets the heat.”
    Montgomery also uses a timer when she takes a shower in the morning, 15 minutes max and she is out. She also placed plugs in her unused electrical
sockets. “Over here, you could feel a little bit of air,” Montgomery said pointing to a corner of her apartment. “Once you plug it with those caps, you’re not getting
any cold air from there. All it takes for heat to escape is just a little crack and you lose everything. There are big gaps in this door here from the wear and tear
and you could feel the air coming in. You seal them up.”
    Montgomery also uses fluorescent light bulbs, which use less energy and uses an overhead fan to distribute the heat and to keep the heat from concentrating
on the ceiling. She used the plastic sheet to cover her air conditioner. She turns off electric appliances and lights when they are not in use. She also unplugs
the appliances when not in use.
    As a result of her efforts, Montgomery now has a solid three digit credit on her utility bill thanks also, in part, to the energy assistance she received, which was
applied directly to her bill. Montgomery is now firmly in control of her energy costs.
    And while she has a big credit on her bill, Montgomery isn’t losing her head over it. “Don’t take advantage because you’re getting this money and
say ‘Well, I’ll just turn the heat up all day long,’” Montgomery emphasized. “You don’t do that. [pointing to her bill] This will always be a credit if you don’t
use it up. The summer months are coming. I can run the air conditioner a little longer. You have to minimize. Once they put the grant money — your allotment
— into your account, you should use it reasonably as if you were paying it. We need these programs available to low income families.”
    Outside the money she saved, Warner told Montgomery that she had something else to be proud about. “Helen, from an environmental standpoint, you should
be proud,” Warner said. “You used over 50 percent less electricity. That’s less coal we have to burn. That’s less carbon monoxide that is released into the air. So
you should feel doubly good about what you have done.”
    And the rest of us, with fewer pollutants in the air, should feel proud of Helen too.
Helen Montgomery decreased her energy usage by 52 percent
from last year even though the winter
of 2007-2008 has been colder and longer.