United REMC is YOUR Energy Advisor

Nick Caley has recently joined United REMC as our energy advisor. Residential energy efficiency is an important issue at your electric co-op, and people seek ways to curtail their electric energy use. And, you can go direct to our Home Energy Suite for information to help you calculate your energy use. Nick’s background is in heating and cooling, and he brings years of experience to his new position. He will be working directly with residential consumers on ways to save energy throughout their home.

In addition to his practical knowledge on heating and cooling, construction, and new technologies, Nick will have access to other sources of information on energy consumption.

Nick will be available upon request to come to your home and give you suggestions on ways to be more energy efficient. Or, in the best case scenario, he can advise you that the steps you’ve taken with your home are the right ones to keep your energy consumption in line. The service is free, and will be provided as his schedule allows. For more information on energy efficiency, go to our HomeEnergy Suite.

Nick will also be heading up our new Touchstone Energy Home Program, which will be rolled out later this year. That program, based on national Touchstone Energy standards, will give consumers who are building a new home some useful ideas and methods on ways to make their home more energy efficient for heating and cooling. And many of the guidelines for the program will help seal and tighten up existing homes as well.

Energy efficiency is and will continue to be a huge concern for our consumers. Saving energy not only saves on our consumers’ monthly bills, but it’s the right thing to do. United is always looking at new building techniques and technologies as well as new energy-saving products that will benefit our members. United REMC has joined other electric co-ops in northern Indiana in introducing the Touchstone Energy Home program.

If you’re thinking about building a new home, you’ll probably want to make sure it’s as comfortable as possible – and that it’s so energy-efficient that you’ll see lower utility bills.

You’ll find inspiration and practical advice in the Touchstone Energy Home program. Through this program, Touchstone Energy cooperatives like ours have worked with experts throughout the energy and homebuilding industries to identify specific features that will make homes more comfortable, while reducing energy costs.

All that knowledge has been assembled into a set of nationally recognized energy efficiency standards tailored to each climate zone across the country. These standards provide the information builders need to build that level of efficiency and comfort into their homes. Some of the more important features of Touchstone Energy Homes include:

• Controlling air infiltration throughout the house to prevent drafts and leaks • Attic insulation with at least an R-42 value and minimum R-19 wall insulation • Externally vented exhaust systems in bathrooms and kitchen • Attic ventilation with ridge vent and aerated soffits, • Conditioned crawlspace with R-10 perimeter insulation and moisture control • Double pane, low-E glass in windows and insulated exterior doors • An energy-efficient electric water heater • A high-efficiency electric heat pump or geothermal unit.

Because homes built to these standards are so well-insulated and minimize air infiltration, homeowners won’t be bothered by pesky drafts that can cause temperature variation throughout a room. Proper ventilation ensures that normal household moisture created by cooking and bathing can escape, so mold and mildew will also be less of a problem.

Another reason co-ops such as ours encourage members to build Touchstone Energy Homes is that more efficient use of energy is good for everyone. It helps us ensure a reliable, affordable supply, and it helps the nation’s environment by reducing the need for extra power.

Not thinking about a building a new home? You can still apply these standards to an existing home to improve your comfort and ensure that your energy bills are as low as possible. For example, the most important step you can take is to identify and block sources of air infiltration that create annoying drafts and drive your heating and cooling bills up. You can also seal bypasses in your attic and add insulation to achieve the R-42 standard, or replace an older furnace or heat pump with a newer, more efficient model.

If you’d like to learn more about the Touchstone Energy Home standards, or if you’re thinking about building a new home and want to ensure that your builder knows what to do, you’ll find a great source of information right here at the co-op. Our Energy Advisor, Nick Caley, will be happy to explain the program and answer your questions about it.

Also, the cooperative periodically sponsors energy efficiency seminars and open houses. Call our office for more information.

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Energy Tip # 1: Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and save 75% off lighting costs.

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Energy Tip # 2: You can greatly cool items by putting them in a container and soaking them in a pot of cold water for 15-30 minutes, which reduces the amount of heat the fridge will have to remove once you place them in the fridge.

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Energy Tip # 3: For Central AC, install a programmable thermostat with a built-in timer.
For Window AC units, just buy a plug-in timer from a home improvement store.
Either way, set the timer or thermostat to turn off about the time you leave for the day, and to turn back on a half hour before you get home. Contrary to popular belief, this does NOT use more electricity than having the AC constantly maintain a cool temperature; it uses less.

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Energy Tip # 4: Purchase Energy Star appliances. They will cost a bit more to purchase but you’ll quickly make up the extra cost in monthly energy savings – and continue to save money every month throughout the life of the appliance.

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Energy Tip # 5: Your water heater is the second largest user of energy in your home. To reduce its cost – use less hot water by taking shorter showers and washing clothes in cold water. Limit shower length to 5-7 minutes. Try using a low-flow shower head to keep pressure up but water usage down.

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Energy Tip # 6: Electric tumble dryers are commonly the second biggest energy user in the home, after the fridge. They are obviously used a lot less, but still use a huge amount of electricity when switched on.
You can avoid using the dryer so often by line drying clothes whenever possible or using an indoor clothes dryer when the weather is bad.
If you do need to use the dryer, then ensure the clothes are as dry as possible after washing, eg, they have gone through a fast spin so that there is minimum excess water. This will reduce drying time considerably.

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Energy Tip # 7: Many of us with use the remote to switch off the TV or stereo, leaving the appliance running on standby.
This actually means the appliance is still using up electricity and wastes a considerable amount of energy. By switching off at the main power button, or even the socket, you could be saving both energy and money.
Items left on standby use up to 85% of the energy they would use if fully switched on. An extra million tonnes of carbon will be released into the atmosphere through this power wastage.

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Energy Tip # 8: A screensaver that shows any image on the screen doesn't save any energy at all, you save energy only if the monitor goes dark by going to sleep. If you turn the monitor off at the switch it will use 0 to 10 watts.

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Energy Tip # 9: Have your heating system tuned and inspected by a service professional before each heating season. Heat losses from a poorly maintained system add up over time—sometimes at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year.

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Energy Tip # 10: Keep furniture, carpeting and curtains from blocking heat registers and air return ducts.

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