| Since June 2007, the price of a barrel of crude oil has jumped from $60 to approximately $93. Natural gas prices are also up as we enter the heating season. During the heating season, which roughly runs from the middle of October through April, a household's utility cost can skyrocket, often times 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. Brenda Bollig lives in a rented townhouse with her two grandchildren. She is living on a limited income and is well aware of the impact of her utility bill on her budget. When she was considering moving into the townhouse, she called MG&E before she signed the lease to see what kind of utility bills she would be facing. They were low enough where she could make a go of it and she moved in. Before Charles Warner, a residential services specialist from MG&E, came to visit with Bollig, she had already been doing some of the big important things to save money. Although she had installed an air conditioner last summer, she ended up not using it. "It doesn't reach very much of the townhouse," Bollig observed. "It's really small and so I don't use it because it is a waste of electricity. It just pushes the air to the middle of the stairs and that's where it cools. I use fans everywhere. I have 2-3 fans in each room. I know it takes up electricity, but not as much as the air conditioner. So it's fan city here." Bollig also keeps her use of her furnace to a minimum. "I'm one of those who was brought up old school where my father said 'You just put layers on and you leave it at 62 degrees,'" Bollig said. "And the light thing, when the kids come out of a room, it's like 'Get the light, get the light.' I'm right on that. I haven't turned the heat on yet. When people come over, they say 'Gee, your house is cold.' I say 'Well, leave your coat on, I have plenty of jackets if you don't want to wear your big coat.' We're just used to dressing in layers.'" Warner was impressed and gave Bollig a few more tips. "68 degrees is a nice number," Warner said. "Once you establish your comfort level and if you are comfortable at 68 degrees, try to drop it a little bit more, especially when the kids are in bed. You're going to save money that way. Never drop it below 55 degrees. That's when you run the risk of pipes freezing. Sometimes a furnace is plus or minus four degrees. So if you set it at 68 degrees, it will fluctuate. It might get up to 72 degrees, but other times, it might be 64 degrees. That's why we say 68 degrees is a good number." Electric heat, whether it is from sideboards or a space heater, should be avoided at all costs. "Electric heat is about twice the cost of gas," Warner observed. "And electric heat isn't run with a thermostat. By clicking the control knob, it brings one or two heat registers into play. "It's one click, one register, two clicks, two registers," Warner said. "The electricity usage goes up with that second click." Bollig told Warner her strategy when she lived in an apartment with electric heat. "Electric heat is just outrageous," Bollig said. "I would only click the front room thermostat once. That's where I kept it. I didn't use the middle room heat. And I used the first click in the back bedroom." And Bollig hated electric heat when she had it in her previous apartment. "The electric heat made my skin so dry," Bollig said. "And our noses were so dry. So we ran a humidifier." Next issue: Appliances and light bulbs |
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| Spotlight on Energy Every little bit saves $$ By Jonathan Gramling Part 2 |
| MG&E's Charles Warner (l) explains a home energy conservation kit; (right) with Brenda Bollig |
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