Consumers learn details in electric bills

CORNWALL —  The town of Cornwall already leads the nation in promoting clean energy use — but members of the Cornwall Energy Task Force are not content to just enjoy that honor.

Last weekend, they hosted an event designed to help homeowners learn to decipher their electric bills —which can be so laden with “code†phrases, numbers and abbreviations that they discourage all but the most diligent from trying to understand them.

The same can be true about finding ways to save electricity. No one wants to spend more than they have to; but finding ways to conserve can turn into an energy-eating endeavor of another sort.

A Task Force workshop held last Saturday at Cornwall Library gave members a chance to reiterate and update their message and tips with area residents.

Task Force Chair Katherine Freygang offered a tutorial on reading  electric company bills.

The abbreviation “kwh,†for kilowatt hours, is the thing to look for. A kilowatt hour is 1,000 watts and kwh indicates the number of those kilowatt hours used in a month. That baseline number is used as a multiplier for determining a long list of other charges, including taxes and small amounts collected from each bill for programs such as the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.

Citizen-prompted legislation has forced power companies to make their bills more user-friendly. There is even a bar graph that shows the last 13 months of usage.

“It makes it very easy to compare,†Freygang said. “It’s also a place to find encouragement. I changed half of the light bulbs in my house to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and the graph dropped a lot.â€

Finding energy eaters

Bruce and Debbie Bennett spend a lot of time looking for ways to save electricity, at both their Cornwall home and at the Kent Greenhouse, which they own.

Their tool for scouting out energy wasters is an inexpensive (or free, if you borrow it from the library) Kill-a-Watt meter.

Debbie told a story about going to a barn at Kent Greenhouse, unused in December, to find out why it was still using $600 worth of electricity per month. She found that a heater, used occasionally to heat a plow, was plugged in all the time.

“We really didn’t need it. And someone forgot to unplug the pond heater, so we were paying to heat the pond so the non-existent goldfish wouldn’t die,†she said. “We got an electric heater for wreath-making that cost $200 a month to use. For a lot less than that we could have rented and run a propane heater that would have worked better.

“It’s about being aware and making personal choices, but also intelligent, informed choices.â€

She recommended visiting mrelectricity.com for simple explanations about electricity that can help anyone be more savvy.

Fighting ‘vampire’ power use

When the Bennetts mentioned what they had learned when buying a freezer, Freygang added her own spin on the subject. A full freezer is more efficient. Already-frozen food generates its own cooling energy. Her father used to fill empty spaces in the freezer with jugs of water; they were easily removed when  more shelf space was needed.

Sometimes older appliances eat electricity. It might seem  more cost-efficient to keep using something you own, rather than replacing it. But often a microwave oven or vacuum cleaner that seems to be aging gracefully is actually wasting electricity.  Sometimes it costs less in the long run to purchase a new, energy-efficient model.

Then there’s “vampire†power use, those appliances that are always drawing a little juice, such as televisions with an instant-on feature, or anything with an LED readout (digital clocks, for example). Those energy users are like a steadily dripping faucet. It might seem like that kind of moderate but constant use is not a big deal — but is it?

It is estimated that 5 percent of the total power usage in the United States is “vampire†power.

Unplugging those energy eaters can save a surprising amount of power. To save the trouble of unplugging and replugging multiple products (such as, for example, a television/VCR/DVD player), use a power strip or surge protector and use the on/off switch to activate everything attached to it. Freygang has one with a large, foot-operated switch. Nothing could be easier, she said.

There is a caveat, however, when it comes to cable and satellite television converter boxes. Service providers now do a lot of system upgrades that are downloaded automatically to the converter boxes. They’re done at night, and require power to the box be left on.

Building a green, healthy house

A look at clean building practices was offered by Nick Xatzis, a builder and renovator specializing in green homes. Moisture control is the first and foremost consideration, he said.

“We’re blessed with a plentiful water supply here, but it also causes problems.â€

With water problems come mold and insect and rodent infiltration.

“Those are unhealthy situations made worse by construction standards. A lot of us have well-sealed homes but no mechanical ventilation. It’s finally catching up. I believe five years from now mechanical ventilation will be a code requirement.â€

For residents of old homes, air-sealing is key.

“People immediately think of  replacing the furnace to get better efficiency, but really the first thing they should do is install a storm door, or buy some spray foam and fill in basement wall cracks or other sources of air infiltration.â€

There was a question about using the foam, which in most formulations is toxic. There are soy-based foams, which Xatzis said do not work as well. The chemicals in the urethane foam are so volatile that they outgas completely in a very short period, he said.

“Normally, I wouldn’t promote using a fossil-fuel based product, but this is one where a little bit will go a long way to saving a large amount of fossil fuel burned for heat and electricity.â€

Speaking of toxic, Xatzis said there are ways to clean the air in a house by simply removing, or not using, products that outgas chemicals. Synthetic carpets, for instance, outgas for years. Buy wool instead. Another culprit: plastic shopping bags from the grocery store.

Protect funds for green energy

Ann Scott advised that it’s time to write to legislators about how funds collected through electric bills are used.

The “combined public benefits charge†on electric bills is something utilities have been collecting since 1998, she said.

That money is supposed to be used for grants and educational programs such as the Clean Energy Fund and Energy Efficiency Fund. It could amount to more than $100 million over the next two years, and $350 million in the coming decade.

And there is nothing to stop the state from tapping those funds to use for the state budget deficit.

The same applies to federal stimulus “green dollars†coming into the state, Scott said.

“Let your legislators know how we’ve been helped by programs like the Clean Energy Fund. Let them know by June, when the legislative session ends. It has a huge effect.â€