When cutting energy costs every degree counts
Winter
is here and heating units across the Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative
service area are working hard to keep us warm. However, that generally means
higher electric bills. You may be surprised to learn that just by lowering your
thermostat by even one or two degrees can mean savings on your heating bill. For
example, lowering your thermostat from 70 degrees to 68 degrees will save 6.2
percent on your heating bill. Lowering the thermostat just one degree will save
you 3.1%.
However, raising the thermostat to 76 degrees will
increase your heating bill by 18.6%!
Another
forgotten energy thief may be your freezer. With ice cream season long gone and
the summer’s frozen vegetables being quickly used up, your freezer may be
nearly empty. Yet a full freezer uses less energy because the already frozen
food keeps the unit’s temperature low.
If you have a freezer that isn’t quite full, pack
it with water-filled plastic milk cartons or two-liter bottles. This will keep
your freezer running efficiently.
The water filled containers – filled to four inches
from the top – will ease the strain on the freezer’s motor and keep food
cold longer during a power outage. And you can drink the water in and emergency.
Also:
Keep the freezer’s temperature higher than zero. Colder temperatures waste energy without extending the shelf life of your frozen food
Chest-style freezers are cheaper to run than uprights because cold air stays in the unit when you open the top. When you open an upright freezer, all the cold air flows out.
Defrost a freezer if frost builds up to one-quarter of an inch. That happens only in units that aren’t self-defrosting or frost free.