Watt's Up Featured Articles
Be your home’s private investigator
Do-it-yourself home energy audits reveal savings in energy and money
By Magen Howard
No matter the age of your home, it could benefit from a private energy investigation — also known as an energy audit. Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative offers In-Home Energy Evaluations conducted by certified professionals. But you can get started on your own search to find low-cost solutions that could save money every month on your electric bill.
To be an energy “private eye,” ask yourself a simple question: Does my home feel drafty and cold in the winter or stuffy and hot in the summer? If your answer is “yes,” then your home probably experiences air leakage.
To track down where those spots are, round up the usual suspects — culprits like damaged seals around doors and windows. If you see daylight or feel air, apply caulk and weather stripping to keep outdoor air where it’s supposed to be.
But don’t forget spots you might not immediately think of like recessed canister lights and electrical outlets. Outlet insulation kits can be purchased for as little as $2 and you can fix up your canister lights with some caulk around the edges.
Also look where walls meet the ceiling. Cobwebs mean you’ve got drafts.
Next, poke your head into the attic, and inspect the crawl space or basement for sufficient insulation. How much you need depends on your climate. Check out the insulation calculator from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory at www.ornl.gov/~roofs/Zip/ZipHome.html. It’s important to remember insulation won’t do its job well if there’s not a proper air barrier working in tandem. That means all joints and cracks must be sealed between your living space and insulation.
Finally, look to your light fixtures. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are up to 75 percent more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, and they’ve come a long way in light quality, design and affordability. You can purchase CFLs in a variety of shapes and hues. They cost more upfront, but you’ll make your money back in less than nine months — after that, they start saving money. Make sure to purchase a CFL that’s rated by ENERGY STAR, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s program that denotes products meeting specific energy-efficiency criteria. ENERGY STAR-rated CFLs will typically last 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs producing the same amount of light.
To learn more about ways to reduce your electric bill, visit www.TogetherWeSave.com or call MLEC at 931-729-3558 and ask about our home energy audit program.
Sources: EnergySavers.gov, Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative, EnergyStar.gov
Know how to stay safe after storms
Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding can leave more than damage in their wake — they can leave hidden dangers as well. In some cases, more lives are lost after the storm than from the storm itself.
“When you’re dealing with storm cleanup or flood-damaged property, the prospect of an electrical accident is probably not at the top of your mind,” says MLEC Safety Coordinator Doyle Totty. “But it’s the first thing you should think of before you go outside, step foot into a flooded area or enter a storm-damaged building.”
When outside, stay away from downed power lines and be alert to the possibility that tree limbs or debris may hide an electrical hazard. Treat all downed or hanging power lines as if they are energized. Lines do not have to be arcing or sparking to be live. Warn others to stay away, and contact Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative.
Do not touch downed power lines, and do not touch objects or puddles of water in contact with those lines. There is no way to know if they are energized. Encountering these objects can be as hazardous as coming into contact with a downed power line itself.
As part of its “Teach Learn Care TLC” campaign, Safe Electricity urges parents and other caregivers to make sure children are aware of these hazards as well.
Safe Electricity offers other precautions following storms:
• If you are driving and come upon a downed power line, stay in your vehicle, warn others to stay away and contact emergency personnel or MLEC. Never drive over a downed line as it could pull down poles and other items along its path.
• Be alert at intersections where traffic lights may be out; treat them as four-way stops before proceeding with caution. And be sure to stop at all railroad crossings.
• Before re-entering storm-damaged buildings or rooms, be sure that all electric and gas services are turned off. Never attempt to turn off power at the breaker box if you must stand in water to do so. If you cannot reach your breaker box safely, call MLEC to shut off power at the meter.
• Never step into a flooded basement or other area if water is covering electrical outlets, appliances or cords. Be alert to any electrical equipment that could be energized and in contact with water. Never touch electrical appliances, cords or wires while you are wet or standing in water.
• Keep electric tools and equipment at least 10 feet away from wet surfaces. Do not use electric yard tools in the raining or when the ground is wet.
• Electric motors in appliances that have been drenched or submerged should be thoroughly cleaned and reconditioned before they are put back into service. It may be necessary to replace them. Do not use any water-damaged appliance until a professional has checked it out.
• If, after a storm or disaster, the power to your home is out for a prolonged period, know important safety rules such as never using a charcoal or gas grill to cook inside.
• If you use a portable generator, be sure a transfer safety switch has been installed or connect appliances directly to the generator. This prevents electricity from traveling back through the home to power lines — what is known as “back feeding,” which creates danger for anyone near lines, particularly crews working to restore power.
For additional information, tips and safety videos, visit www.SafeElectricity.org.
Safe Electricity is the safety outreach program of the Energy Education Council, a nonprofit organization with more than 400 electric cooperatives as members and many others who share the mission of educating the public about electrical safety and energy efficiency.