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Community Heroes Series
From the
June 2006 issue of Alabama Living magazine
Article
by Kay Marshall
HOME SAFETY
TIPS - Part 2
A
majority
of consumer energy costs go toward home heating and presently we
are also faced with sky-rocketing fuel prices. The Alliance to Save
Energy estimates that today over 40 percent of Americans’ energy
bills goes toward home heating. Combine that with gasoline prices
being 25 percent higher than last year and you have a formula for
increased energy costs year-round.
In an effort to promote year-round energy efficiency, the Alliance
to Save Energy web site, www.ase.org, offers consumers a variety
of simple energy saving tips including:
* Turning down the thermostat
by just one degree can reduce home heating energy costs by four
percent, which can be between $30 and $60 a year, depending on the
fuel being used to heat the home.
* Plug leaks or gaps
in windows and doors with caulk or other materials.
* Installing proper insulation,
especially in the attic and crawl spaces, can reduce household energy
costs from $70 to $460 per year.
* Closing vents in unoccupied
rooms and using small space heaters to heat occupied areas can save
a significant amount of energy and money. There is usually about
80 percent of space that is not being used at any given time in
the home.
* Set the water heater
at 120 degrees.
* Use pipe insulation
to insulate the first six to ten feet of the hot water supply pipe.
* Washing clothes in
cold water can save households up to $63 a year.
* Using a programmable
thermostat can help consumers reduce their home heating bills by
$35 to $230 a year.
* Replacing the four
most used bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs can save households
about $195 over the lifetime of the bulbs.
* Purchase new heating
and cooling equipment with the Energy Star label.
TOMBIGBEE ELECTRIC is
always happy to help you with energy saving tips. We also offer
energy smart appliances at the Energy Store, such as our highly
rated Marathon Water Heaters, or our great line of Energy Star washers,
dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and freezers - which are currently
on-sale through June!
If we all combine simple
energy saving steps with high-efficiency products, we can equal
year-round energy savings without compromising luxury or convenience
in our homes.
ARA content
Kay
Marshall is the Internet Projects Coordinator and Editor for TEC
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