by Drew Francisco
Hello again everyone!
Summer is fading way too fast. I hope all of you have gotten out and enjoyed the amazing weather we have had. I have spent a lot of frustrating time on the golf course in my free time; not improving and can’t wait to play again!
Over the last month I have been around the great areas North Itasca Electric serves, meeting and trying my best to help membership by providing insight on potential energy saving measures and preventative maintenance homeowners can add to the honey do list.
I thought it’d be a good idea to share some of the things I would be looking for if I were to come do an evaluation. In a perfectworld, purchasing and installing high efficiency equipment would be great! But it’s not always possible with personal budget constraints or other aspects taking priority. Your home’s energy efficiency can improve by doing some low to no cost maintenance.
The first place I look is up. What are the lighting sources? Are there LED lights installed in your home? What about the porch light you leave on like most of us do; is that LED?
For example, my porch light bulb was a 60-watt incandescent bulb left on for 24 hours a day because I’m forgetful. 60-watts in a 24-hour period is equal to 1.44 kilowatt-hours. If I leave my porch light on 24 hours a day for 7 days, my energy usage would go up by 10.08 kilowatt-hours. 10.08 multiplied by your energy rate (0.13) is equal to $1.31. If I change that to a 7-watt LED bulb, in the same scenario I’d be spending $0.15. Doesn’t seem like much, but add 15 bulbs to that and your usage starts to climb without realizing it. Some of the newer bulbs are expensive, but we do offer rebates on bulbs when you change them out!
Another thing I am looking for is the condition of the furnace. It may be an older unit that runs great, but a few things can make your furnace run longer to meet your desired set point.
How often do you change your furnace filter? Is one time a year enough? Bigger homes with more air flow may need to be changed more frequently; add some pets to the mix and the filter gets dirty more often.
Another thing to look at is visible connections. There could be air loss around the duct work
needing some attention. Add some vent tape to keep air flow moving to the conditioned areas of the home. The outdoor condenser is often forgotten about but heavily relied on with the humid summer days. Keeping the coils clean, providing proper air flow, will keep the unit running more efficiently.
Refrigerator coils should also be cleaned. Grab a vacuum and get all the dust bunnies out of there; You might even find some hidden gems under there that your kids “lost.”
We all want our homes to smell good. But have you ever thought about the usage your “fall colors” wax warmer is costing you to run? Most of the units have a 20-to-25-watt bulb inside to melt the wax; little amounts of usage add up!
As I’ve mentioned before, I am here to help. If you as members have any questions or want some input on anything related to energy efficiency, please reach out! I’m more than happy to help in any way possible.
I hope the next month brings more good weather and all of you get to enjoy it.
Until next time!
Drew Francisco
