UTILITIES - TIPS

Energy Savings: Summer
Energy Savings: Winter
Energy Savings: Homeowners
Energy Savings: Renters
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How to read your meter

The electric meter keeps track of the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity you use. Each month, a Town of Forest City representative reads the meter to determine how much electricity you have used since the last reading. Your monthly bill is based on this meter reading.

The electricity you buy from the Town of Forest City is measured in kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt equals 1,000 watts, and a kilowatt-hour is 1,000 watts used for one hour. As an example, ten 100-watt light bulbs left on for one hour use one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Some appliances, like heating and cooling appliances use more.

Reading a meter is easy. Once you learn the basics, you can easily check your own meter to see how much electricity you are using.

Your meter is one of two types -– dial or digital.

A dial meter face usually has four or five dials. Each dial has the digits 0 to 9 around its edge and a pointer in the middle, somewhat like a clock. The pointers turn when electricity is being used, but because they move so slowly, you can hardly see them turning.

The dials are read from left to right. Some numbers run counter-clockwise, some run clockwise. When a pointer falls between the two numbers, the smaller number is recorded.

To read the meter in the illustration labeled January, start with the dial on the far left.

jandial

The pointer falls between the 7 and 8, so the 7 is recorded as the first digit of your meter reading. On the next dial, the pointer falls between 2 and 3, so the 2 is recorded. Continue with the remaining dials. In January, this meter reads 7235.

What is the meter reading shown in the illustration labeled February?

febdial

It reads 8390 kilowatt-hours.

Your Town of Forest City representative does not reset the meter each month, so you can see how much electricity you have used by simply subtracting last month's reading from this month's reading. In this example, 1155 kilowatt-hours were used between the January and February meter readings (8390 - 7235 = 1155).

Some Town of Forest customers have digital meters. This type of meter records electricity usage in the same way that a car's odometer records mileage. You read the numbers from left to right.

In the illustration below, the January reading is 7235 kilowatt-hours and the February reading is 8390 kilowatt-hours.

janmeter

In this example, 1155 kilowatt-hours were used between the January and February meter readings (8390 - 7235 = 1155).

ENERGY SAVINGS: Summer

Keeping cool and comfortable in the summer and watching your electricity usage can be a challenge. Your home's heating and cooling system uses about half of your total electricity.

Air Conditioning

Make sure your central air conditioning system or window unit is properly sized for the space it is intended to cool. Improperly sized units use more energy than necessary.
Remember that window air conditioning units generally are not designed to cool more than one room.
Clean or replace window unit or central air conditioning system filters monthly. Dirty filters cause air conditioners to work harder and use more energy.
If you have a central air conditioning system, do not close off unused rooms or close air registers in rooms. The system will be less efficient and will cost more to operate.
Make sure an outside air conditioning unit or heat pump is not blocked by shrubbery, leaves or other objects.
Set the thermostat on the highest comfortable setting. Raising the temperature just 2 degrees can reduce cooling costs by as much as 5 percent.

Insulation

Check weather stripping around doors and caulking around windows. Properly sealed doors and windows help prevent warm outside air from entering the home.
Close blinds, shades or drapes during the hottest part of the day to block the sun's heat.
Make sure the attic is properly ventilated to relieve excess summer heat.

Household Tips

Place heat-producing appliances such as lamps and televisions away from the air conditioning thermostat to prevent inaccurate temperature readings.
For homes without air conditioning systems, use fans to draw cooler air inside during the night and to circulate air throughout your home during the day. Fan blades should rotate clockwise in the summer months.
Save jobs that produce moisture -- like mopping, dishwashing and washing clothes -- for early morning or night-time hours. The humidity from these activities can make homes uncomfortable. On hot days, cook outdoors, use a microwave oven or prepare cold meals to avoid excess heat in the kitchen.

ENERGY SAVINGS: Winter

Staying warm in the winter and watching your electricity usage can be a challenge. Keep in mind that your home's heating and cooling system uses about half of your total electricity.

Heating

Have your heating or cooling equipment checked each season by a qualified technician to make sure it is operating properly. Heating and cooling account for about half of the energy costs for the average home.
Keep your thermostat at the lowest comfortable setting. If you are going to be away for several days, turn the thermostat to a lower setting, but not to "off."
Change air filters every month. Dirty filters can increase operating costs.
Make sure heating registers and vents are not blocked by draperies, furniture or rugs. These vents should also be cleaned regularly with a vacuum or a broom.
Check your heating system's ductwork to ensure that it is well insulated.

Insulation

Check to make sure your home is adequately insulated. Add insulated or storm windows and doors to reduce unwanted heat loss. Like other insulation, storm doors and windows quickly pay for themselves by reducing energy losses.
Weather-strip around doors and windows. Seal cracks or crevices where two different building materials meet. It's also a good idea to weather-strip between heated and unheated areas such as garages, basements and attic openings.
If you have a window air conditioning unit, remove it for the winter months to prevent heat from escaping through and around the unit. If it cannot be moved, buy an inexpensive cover to prevent drafts.
Always make sure the fireplace damper seals tightly and remains closed except when a fire is burning or smoldering in the fireplace.

Household Tips

Insulate your water heater with at least R-6 insulation. Your water heater is the second-largest energy user in your home. You can save enough money in energy bills to pay back the cost of materials within months and then keep on saving.
Take advantage of natural solar heat. On sunny days, leave the draperies open to allow the sun's rays to warm your house.
Ceiling fans help keep you comfortable not only in the summer but in the winter as well. Reversing the direction of the blades pushes warm air down into the room. Fans should turn clockwise in the summer and counter-clockwise in the winter.

ENERGY SAVINGS: Homeowners

The climate control system accounts for about half of the energy used in a home, but there are opportunities to save throughout a typical household. Take a whole house approach to energy conservation and the savings will add up.
Try implementing the following energy saving techniques to reduce your energy costs:

Heating and Cooling

Have your system maintained annually by a qualified technician.
Control your thermostat setting. The temperature at which you set the thermostat will affect your energy savings.
Consider installing a programmable thermostat.
Ensure that your thermostat is located on an inside wall away from drafts and heat sources.
In the summer, raise your thermostat setting.
Ensure that your ducts are properly sealed.
On sunny winter days, open blinds, shades, and curtains, especially if your windows face south, to help keep you warm. At night, close the blinds, shades, and curtains to help keep heat inside.
In the summer keep heat out by closing window shades and blinds. It's helpful to keep windows closed to prevent hot air from blowing inside.
Change the filters in your heating and cooling system regularly.
Be sure that your fireplace has a tight fitting damper and keep it closed when the fireplace is not in use.
Upgrade the attic insulation to R-30 and R-19 under the floor.
Weather-strip doors and caulk windows.
Ensure that your home has proper ventilation.
Consider landscaping. The shading produced by properly placed trees and vines can reduce cooling cost.

Water Heating

Insulate hot water pipes.
Use less hot water.
Install low flow showerheads.
Turn down the thermostat on your water heater to a temperature of 115 degrees. If you have a dishwasher, check to make sure that this lower temperature will clean the dishes properly or that the dishwasher has a booster heater.
Insulate your water heater if it's an older unit and in an unconditioned space.
Make sure leaky faucets are repaired. A drip can waste up to 48 gallons of water per week. If it's a hot water faucet that's leaking, you're probably losing over a tank of hot water per week. That's at least a couple of showers down the drain.

Appliances and Lighting

Use warm rather than hot setting when drying clothes.
Wash clothes in cold water.
Clean dryer filter after each load.
Cook everything at once and use pots that fit the burners.
Clean refrigerator coils annually.
Let food cool before putting it in the refrigerator.
Try the dollar bill test. To be sure your refrigerator and freezer door seals are airtight, check the seal on door gaskets by closing the door on a dollar bill. If it pulls out easily, consider a new door gasket.
If you have an old refrigerator that you operate in the garage, consider eliminating its use.
Run only full loads in the dishwasher and scrape dishes with cold water.
Microwave when possible.
Turn lights off when not in room.
Use fluorescent or energy savings lights.
If you are considering purchasing new appliances look at the Energy Guide label.

ENERGY STAR® is a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency that seeks to increase consumer awareness, interest and desire for energy efficient products.

ENERGY SAVINGS: Renters

Remember about half the energy used in a residential structure goes to the climate control system. But there are savings to be had throughout your home.

Heating and Cooling

Control your thermostat setting. The temperature at which you set the thermostat will affect your energy savings. In the summer, raise your thermostat setting.
On sunny winter days open blinds, shades, and curtains, especially if your windows face south, to help keep you warm. At night, close the blinds, shades, and curtains to help keep heat inside.
In the summer keep heat out by closing window shades and blinds. It's helpful to keep windows closed to prevent hot air from blowing inside.
Change the filters in your heating and cooling system regularly.
Use fans to distribute air.

Water Heating

Use less hot water.
Turn down the thermostat on your water heater to a temperature of 115 degrees. If you have a dishwasher, check to make sure this lower temperature will clean the dishes properly.
Insulate your water heater if it's an older unit and in an unconditioned space.
Make sure leaky faucets are repaired. A drip can waste up to 48 gallons of water per week. If it's a hot water faucet that's leaking, you're probably losing over a tank of hot water per week. That's at least a couple of showers down the drain.

Appliances and Lighting

Use warm rather than hot setting when drying clothes.
Wash clothes in cold water.
Clean dryer filter after each load.
Cook everything at once and use pots that fit the burners.
Clean refrigerator coils annually.
Let food cool before putting it in the refrigerator.
Run only full loads in the dishwasher and scrape dishes with cold water.
Microwave when possible.
Turn lights off when not in room.
Use fluorescent or energy savings lights.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK FOLLOWING LINKS:

North Carolina State Energy Office - Conservation tips - www. energync.net

Energy Star - www.energystar.gov

NC Green Power - www.ncgreenpower.org