| 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 on a limited income in a rented townhouse with her two grandchildren. On her own, she has taken several steps to reduce her energy consumption. She has regulated her heater and air conditioner to use the least amount of energy possible. She has taken other steps to seal up her dwelling. "I put weather strips in the doors," Bollig said. "I cover the light sockets that are on the outside walls. I have to cover up my air conditioner. I put a black trash bag on the outside of it and duct tape it up. And then I put a quilt for my air conditioner over the front and duct tape it up. I don't feel any draft." In a visit by Charles Warner, a residential services specialist from MG&E, Bollig showed Warner her appliances. Not all of them were energy efficient. The large appliances like washers/dryers are the next largest energy consumers after heating/cooling systems. And all washers/dryers that look alike are not necessarily alike. "If you're going to get a washer/dryer, I would highly recommend getting an Energy Star rated one," Warner said. "Try to wash in cold water. Buy the cold detergent. They have specific detergents for cold water. They put in the right chemicals. If you have a shirt with a lot of grease on it, you might want to wash it in warm water. In terms of the dryer, make sure you clean out that lint trap all the time. It dries your clothes faster and it is safer too. If you don't clean that out, it could potentially be a fire hazard. And if you're running the dryer longer, you'e using more electricity."The inappropriate use of lights can also burn up the kilowatt hours. In some instances, Bollig has removed some of the light bulbs from fixtures, if she felt there were more than was needed to light a room. And she is always after her grandchildren to turn off the lights when they leave the room. Incandescent lights can also burn up the energy quickly, according to Warner, because up to 90 percent of the energy used by the bulbs is used to generate heat and not light. Bollig has several of what she calls the "squiggly" light bulbs, which are actually small fluorescent light bulbs. Warner recommends that fluorescent bulbs at least be placed in the five light fixtures that are used the most. "You can get compact fluorescent bulbs with various light outputs," Warner said. "There are some that are a lot dimmer. It's amazing how far that technology has come in the past ten years. Before they were big and wouldn't fit all of your fixtures. They were loud and actually took three minutes to light up. And they buzzed constantly. Now they are very comparable to incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescents are about five times more efficient in terms of using the power. But they last about ten times longer because of that." While fluorescents are a little more expensive than incandescent bulbs, in the long-term, they end up being much cheaper. During the end of the energy audit, Warner gave Bollig an energy conservation kit. In addition to some small fluorescent light bulbs and electric socket covers, which Bollig is already using, there were several other items that Bollig might find useful. "A thermometer strip can be used to gauge the temperature of a room where a thermostat is not present. And there are fixtures that can be placed on your water faucet that will regulate and conserve the amount of hot water -- and cold water -- that you are using. And hot water gauges can be very useful. "If you put that underneath your faucet and get it running hot water, you can see where the degrees are at," Warner said. "You want to keep it at 120 degrees. With anything higher than that, you risk the danger of scalding yourself. All the information is on the gauge. If it is over 120 degrees, then you can turn down your hot water heater." Bollig's townhouse was renovated right before she moved in last July. So there would probably be little gained in terms of energy conservation by seeking to get help to make repairs that would make her unit more efficient. However, due to her limited income, Bollig is probably eligible for energy assistance. Warner offers to help her set up an appointment. Next installment: The process for applying for energy assistance. |
| Spotlight on Energy Every little bit saves $$ By Jonathan Gramling Part 3 |
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