Ronnie Kweller spends most of every day explaining how to save money on energy costs. The spokesperson for the Alliance to Save Energy, a non-profit Washington D.C.-based coalition founded in 1977 that promotes energy efficiency, said that just switching light bulbs can help. Being energy-conscious when buying new appliances, or thermostats, can go a long way to help someone save on energy costs, as well, she said.
“Anything we can do to use less electricity can take the burden off of natural gas problem,” Kweller said. “That’s one of the messages we’re trying to convey.”
Installing compact fluorescent light bulbs has become one popular way to save money and energy in this time of rising energy costs, she said. According to Jim Kelly, the president of KW Solar Solutions, which installs solar systems downstate, a 13-watt fluorescent bulb will produce as much light as a 60-watt regular bulb.
Locals can purchase the energy-saving bulbs for about $4 to $8 at G&E Hardware in Ocean View, for example, or at other area hardware stores. Just by changing all of the light bulbs in his house to compact fluorescents, Kelly said, he saves about $30 on monthly electricity costs.
Also, a programmable thermostat would help conserve Kweller said. The thermostat can be purchased for about $100 at any hardware store and then programmed to remain off for most of the day when no one is home but start cooling before residents return home.
As for the appliances, Kweller said that customers shopping for a refrigerator or a microwave, for instance, should look for the Energy Star label.
“It’s the government’s stamp of approval, if you will,” said Kweller, adding that Energy Star products are 30 percent more energy-efficient than standard appliances. “The label means that this particular item is among the most efficient in that product line.”
There are federal tax credits available for installing some Energy Star-rated and other appliances and equipment including insulation upgrades, doors and windows, according to the Alliance’s Web site at www.ase.org. And soon, similar state credits may be available. According to state Rep. Gerald Hocker, one of the six bills to be introduced to legislators next week calls for $8 million to be set aside for credits for similar improvements to homes and businesses.
If passed, the proposed power bill (SB 282) would provide as much as a 50 percent cash incentive to specified applicants for insulation projects, heating system upgrades, replacement windows and even energy-efficient light bulbs
But conserving energy does not have to come in the form replacement projects. Kweller said that just turning the thermostat up by 1 degree in the summer could save residents up to 5 percent on their cooling costs. Sealing drafts could save residential customers up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs, she said.
Even turning down hot water heaters or washing clothes with cold water would help, Kweller noted. The latter, she added, could save an average household up to $63 a year in energy costs, she said.
Taking any one of these measures would not only save money, Kweller added, it would help reduce dependence on fossil fuels such as natural gas, helping cure the underlying problem.
If every household in the nation switched four regular 75-watt light bulbs with four fluorescent bulbs, for instance, the energy savings would amount to that used by 38 million cars a year, according to the Alliance’s educational booklet, “Power$mart.”
“That just shows that small actions by large numbers of people can add up to large savings not just on pocketbooks,” Kweller said, “but on the nation as a whole.”