How to save money and energy by KUB

1
Energy
gy costs,, weather,, and customer usage
g habits are the largest
g drivers for heatingg
bills.
Each fall, we start hearing projections about what energy costs and the weather will
be for the winter heating season. This year, for example, experts are saying energy
costs will be down and that we will have a mild winter. That’s good, but those are
just projections that may or may not hold true.
No matter what energy market prices and the weather do this winter, however, there
are simple changes you can make to your energy usage that can help you save
money on your utility bill.
KUB wants to help customers lower their energy use to manage winter bills. That’s
why we give presentations like this and periodically offer workshops to help
customers lower their bills.
We also offer money-saving tips that expand on what is in this presentation and
energy audits on our Web site: www.kub.org.
2
As a KUB residential customer,, yyou have two energy
gy audit options
p
through
g the TVA
energy right ® Program: a free online audit and a $150 In-Home Energy Evaluation
by a Certified TVA Energy Advisor. Both options can help you find ways to reduce
your energy consumption and lower your utility bills.
KUB small commercial customers can also chose a free online option[s?] or an onsite audit. KUB has a link to TVA’s energy right calculator on www.kub.org. Mention
online business audit when it is ready.
y It shows business energy
gy costs based on factors
like building size, hours of operation, and heating and cooling settings. KUB also
conducts on-site energy audits for small commercial customers for $150.
The online audits and the on-site audits look at the same basic things: insulation, seals
around windows and doors, efficiency of heating systems and appliances, and usage
habits. Whether you would prefer an online or on-site audit basically comes down to
what your needs are and how comfortable you are evaluating your insulation, etc., and
interpreting the audit results.
With the on-site audits, you do get the experience and knowledge of the person
conducting the audit. And you can ask questions.
Free Kit Offer: If you take the free online energy audit, TVA will send you an
Energy Efficiency Kit with tools to help you save energy and money. [Kits are mailed
in four to six weeks.]
weeks ] Kit includes two compact fluorescent bulbs,
bulbs outlet and light
switch gaskets, a filter whistle, two faucet aerators, a hot water temperature gauge, a
home thermometer, and a "How to Save" brochure.
3
KUB electric customers can gget more than an audit and report
p from the TVA InHome Energy Evaluation program. Depending on the improvements you make, you
can earn a cash incentive for half the cost of qualified improvements, up to $500.
Qualifying improvements include replacement windows, insulation, or a new heat
pump. You must use a member of the TVA Quality Contractors Network (QCN) for
the improvements, except for some self
self-installed
installed improvements. (The advisor will
provide a QCN list.)
The advisor also inspects the completed work for quality control. After the
inspection, you submit receipts for the work and are eligible for the cash incentive
and the $150 fee refund.
For more information, call IHEE at 1-866-441-1430.
4
The first stepp to lowering
g yyour energy
gy use and yyour bill is understanding
g where and
how you use energy.
Finding ways to conserve in the areas where you use the most energy will save you
the most money.
Heating/cooling eat up the largest portion of your home energy dollar. Reducing
energy use in those areas results in a bigger reduction in utilities overall.
You can also look at “discretionary”
discretionary use.
use What do you use that you could cut out?
For example, consider the cost before you use non-essential gas appliances, like gas
logs or grills.
Did you know that it costs from 53 cents to $1.26 an hour to burn gas logs,
depending on the BTU [British Thermal Unit] of the logs? Most log sets range from
25,000 to 60,000 BTU.
That’s not much if you want to run logs occasionally, but it can add up if you use
your logs frequently during a month.
5
Here are average
g costs pper month [[based on KUB rate of 9.5 cents pper kWh]] of
running some common appliances. The costs will vary depending on the TVA rate
for that month, but these are general guidelines. [TVA now may make Fuel Cost
Adjustments each month. KUB passes 100 percent of the increase/decrease to
customers.]
We talked about limiting use of discretionary items, like gas logs or gas grills, but
you may also want to look at how you use other things.
A refrigerator/freezer uses up to 5% of the energy for a typical household – and it
runs all year, no matter what the temperature is outside. If you have an extra
ref/freezer, you may want consolidate all your food into one.
You can save money by running washers and dishwashers only when they are full.
Other tips are to use the air-dry feature on dishwashers, and wash in cold water to
save money on water heating.
We have many other money-saving tips on www.kub.org, and we’ll go over some
more of them today.
6
You ppayy good
g
moneyy to heat your
y
home – yyou need to keepp that heat in byy sealingg
leaks and ensuring you have good insulation.
If you have a fire in your fireplace, be sure to close the damper afterward to keep
heated air from escaping up the chimney. You may even want to use an inflatabletype insulator in the chimney. Just be sure to remove it before you start a fire.
Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilation fans sparingly. In just an hour, they can
vent a houseful of heated or cooled air.
Insulate, insulate, insulate!! Seal any openings around your doors and windows.
Increase the efficiency of insulation around walls, floors, and ceilings. Energy Star
offers many resources, including a Do-It-Yourself Guide to Home Sealing.
7
Set yyour thermostat for savings.
g Tryy 65-68 degrees
g
in the winter,, 78 in the
summer.
For every degree you decrease the heat in the winter, you save about 1-3 percent on
your bill. Raising the temp 1 degree in the summer also saves you 1-3 percent.
Don’t pay to heat/cool an empty home. Consider installing a programmable
thermostat to regulate heat/air when you’re not home.
 Change your clothes,
clothes not your thermostat.
thermostat Wear extra layers in the winter
winter.
Switch to thinner, loose-fitting fabrics in the summer.
 Don’t lose energy: It costs money! Seal any openings around your doors and
windows. Add insulation around walls, floors, and ceilings.
 Buy smart. Purchase the most energy efficient system you can afford when you
are in the market for a new heating or cooling system.
Don’t use it if you don’t need to. Reduce or eliminate the use of gas logs, gas
grills, or other non-essential gas appliances.
8
Water heatingg is the third largest
g energy
gy expense
p
in yyour home.
Using less hot water saves on energy bill – and using less water in general saves on
your water and wastewater bill.
Other things to do: see slide.
9
If e
everyone
e yo e purchasing
pu c as g a c
clothes
ot es washer
as e in 2012
0
chooses
c ooses an
a
ENERGY STAR model, together we would save 1.1 billion kilowatthours of electricity, 60 million Btu of natural gas, and 69 billion
gallons of water. The electricity saved in one year would power
every household in Washington, D.C., for eight months. Enough
water would be saved in one year to fill the Rose Bowl Stadium
818 times.
Even if you aren't ready to replace your appliances, keep them
clean and in good repair; clogged air vents or worn-out parts
make motors work harder, which wastes energy!
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1.
Keep the refrigerator door shut. If the door is open for only 30 seconds, the refrigerator requires
about 30 minutes to recover its initial temperature.
2.
Vacuum the refrigerator coils every three months. This helps the condenser to operate more
efficiently. Dusty, dirty coils consume as much as 25 percent more energy.
3.
Use the proper temperature setting: Set refrigerators at 36-40 degrees, freezers at 0-5 degrees.
Being 10 degrees cooler than necessary can increase energy use by 25 percent. (Test
refrigerator temperature by putting a thermometer in a glass of water inside for a few hours. In
the freezer, put a thermometer between two frozen items.)
4.
Place the refrigerator away from the oven, dishwasher, heating vents, and direct sunlight.
5.
Leave space around the refrigerator. Check the manufacturer’s operating manual for
information. (Two inches on all sides is a good rule of thumb.)
6.
Adjust the front leveling feet so the door closes on its own.
7.
Keep the freezer full—even if you have to add cartons of water. The ice holds the cold
temperature better and can always be used when extra ice is needed.
8
8.
Defrost manual defrost refrigerators and freezers when frost is one
one-quarter
quarter inch thick
thick. Both
operate most efficiently when nearly full but not overcrowded.
9.
Cover liquids when storing them in the refrigerator. That keeps the compressor from working
harder to remove extra moisture.
10. Wipe all moisture from containers before placing them in the refrigerator.
11. Check door gaskets regularly. If a dollar bill slips through the closed door, gaskets aren’t
sealing properly.
12 C
12.
Consider
id replacing
l i older
ld units.
it Older
Old models
d l (10 years or older)
ld ) use a greatt deal
d l off energy. If
everyone purchasing a refrigerator in 2012 chooses an ENERGY STAR
model, consumers would save 875 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and
more than $92 million in energy bills each year.
11
1.
Low water usage dishwashers built since mid-1994 use seven to 10 gallons per cycle. Choose
the lowest usage practical for your needs.
2.
Low wattage fans on newer models replace heaters to dry dishes and are much more energy
efficient.
3.
Air dry controls eliminate the heat drying cycle. These save up to 30 percent of the energy
normally used.
4.
Short cycle selections use less hot water and can save up to 25 percent of the water heating
costs.
5.
Water heater boosters heat water before washing with it. The water heater can be set at 120
degrees and the booster will heat the preheated water up to 140 - 145 degrees. That can save as
much as 18 percent on your water heating bill.
6.
Wash full loads of dishes, but don’t overload.
7.
Allow dishes to air dry if the unit has an energy saver dry cycle.
8.
Use short cycles whenever possible, but not the rinse-hold cycle.
9
9.
Use th
U
the rinse-hold
i
h ld feature
f t
as little
littl as possible.
ibl This
Thi feature
f t
uses three
th to
t seven gallons
ll
off hot
h t
water.
10. Use the proper amount and type of detergent. Insufficient cleaning and even damage to the unit
can occur if the wrong type of detergent is used.
11. Store powdered dishwasher detergent in a cool, dry place. It can cake and become stale over
time.
12. Try to run the dishwasher during the coolest part of the day during the summer months.
13. Rinse dishes in cool water if you must rinse before placing them in the unit. Refer to your
owner’s manual; most newer models say pre-rinsing is unnecessary.
14. Keep filters and drains clean.
15. Avoid placing the dishwasher next to the refrigerator. The heat and moisture from the
dishwasher cause the refrigerator to run less efficiently and use more energy.
12
•
Save water that would normally go down the drain while you’re waiting for hot water. Catch the cold water in a
container
co
e andd use it for
o drinking,
d
g, watering
w e g plants,
p
s, pets
pe s etc.
e c.
•
Letting your faucet run for 5 minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours.
•
Fix leaky faucets One drip per second equals 200-240 gallons of water per month.
•
Take a shorter shower or try a "Navy" shower: get wet, turn off water to soap, then turn water back on to rinse.
•
Don’t flush water down the drain unnecessarily: Toilets are biggest single user of water in the home.
•
Replace any old, inefficient toilets, which are responsible for most of the water wasted in American homes. Replacing
older toilets with WaterSense toilets could save about 2 billion gallons per day across the country.
•
Install low-flush toilets. One-third of household water is used to flush toilets. New models use as little as 1.5 gallons
per flush instead of 3.5 to seven gallons.
•
Reduce the amount of water your toilet uses by installing a toilet displacement device or simply placing a weighted
plastic container in the tank. (Make sure it doesn't get in the way of the flushing system.)
•
Fix leaky toilets. To find a leak, add 12 drops of food coloring to the tank and wait five minutes. If any coloring seeps
into the bowl, there's a leak that can usually be fixed by replacing the flapper.
•
g Dispose
p
of tissues,, insects,, and other similar waste in the trash instead of the toilet.
Avoid unnecessaryy flushing.
•
Replace or adjust the toilet flush handle if it frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly.
•
A properly loaded dishwasher can use less water than washing dishes by hand.
•
Minimize the use of kitchen sink disposals; they require a lot of water to work properly.
•
Do not use running water to thaw frozen items. Defrost them overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on
your microwave.
•
Consider an instant water heater for the kitchen sink so the water doesn't have to run while it heats up.
•
When washing dishes, fill one sink or basin with soapy water and rinse quickly under a slow stream of water from the
faucet.
•
Don't water your lawn excessively. If you must water, do so in the evening or morning and use a soaker hose or drip
irrigation system. A great deal of water from sprinklers evaporates, especially in the heat of the day.
•
Use a rain barrel to capture rainwater for irrigation.
•
Consider a secondary water meter
13
•
Turn off lights when you leave the room.
•
Keep all lamps and fixtures clean
clean.
•
Use task lighting (light for the specific task being done) instead of lighting the entire room.
•
Choose light colors for walls and ceilings. Light colors reflect light and reduce the need for artificial lighting.
•
Use floor lamps and hanging lamps near corners. The walls will reflect the light.
•
Let the sun shine in! Open drapes and blinds on sunny, cool days. This reduces the need for extra lighting and warms
the room in the winter.
•
p
several. A 100W bulb is more efficient than two 50W bulbs. Plus yyou save on the cost of
Use one bulb to replace
replacement bulbs.
•
Try 50W reflector bulbs in directional lamps (pole or spot lamps). These provide the same amount of light as a
standard 100W bulb.
Save Money With Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) can save you $40 or more in electricity costs over its lifetime. The bulbs use less
gy than incandescent bulbs,, produce
p
the same light
g output,
p , and last upp to 10 times longer.
g
energy
CFLs provide the greatest savings when they're used in fixtures that are turned on for more than 15 minutes at a time.
They provide the least benefit if they're used in closets, for example.
The federal government's Energy Star guidelines suggest using CFLs in open fixtures that allow airflow. Good
examples of uses are in table and floor lamps, hanging lamps, wall sconces, and outdoor fixtures.
CFLs do have a few limitations:
They don't perform well at cold temperatures.
If they're used in a fixture that vibrates, such as a ceiling fan, that may shorten their life.
You'll need to buy specially-marked bulbs if you plan to use them outdoors, in closed fixtures, or with dimmer switches.
14
Your electronics—computer,
p
, TV,, VCR,, even your
y
phone
p
chargers—use
g
energy
gy
even when they're turned off. Stand-by power can account for as much as 20%
of home energy use. Unplugging your devices (or turning off the power strip)
can save you money.
If everyone purchasing a clothes washer in 2012 chooses an ENERGY STAR
model, together we would save 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, 60
million Btu of natural gas, and 69 billion gallons of water. The electricity saved
in one year would power every household in Washington, D.C., for eight
months. Enough water would be saved in one year to fill the Rose Bowl
Stadium 818 times.
If everyone purchasing a refrigerator in 2012 chooses an ENERGY STAR model,
consumers would save 875 million kilowatt
kilowatt-hours
hours of electricity and more than
$92 million in energy bills each year.
Even if you aren't ready to replace your appliances, keep them clean and in good
repair; clogged air vents or worn-out parts make motors work harder, which
wastes energy!
Use your KUB bill as a reminder to check your home for energy efficiency. Do a
walk-through, change filters, look for leaks around doors/windows, etc.
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Often asked
asked, how we run the lines to each customers house?
Answer: We don’t!
The key is how the electricity is created (less pollution)
Renewable resources: wind, solar, methane
Homes and businesses that participate in Green Power
Switch are already doing something good for the
environment. Now, TVA and participating power
distributors offer consumers even greater opportunity to
support the growth of Green Power in the Tennessee
Valley. It’s called Green Power Switch (GPS) Generation
P t
Partners.
Generation Partners rewards participating customers
with 15 cents for every kilowatt-hour the customer
generates from approved solar and wind equipment.
16
KUB is a distributor. We don’t pproduce electricityy or natural gas:
g we buyy it from wholesale
providers and deliver it to our customers.
Our rates are made up of our cost to purchase electricity or natural gas and the cost of
delivering it: Maintaining/upgrading pipes, wires, substations, gas regulator stations, etc.
Includes equipment, employees, etc.
We feel we do a good job of controlling our cost of doing business, but we can’t control
market
k t costs.
t TVA’s
TVA’ 20 percentt rate
t increase,
i
for
f example,
l will
ill iincrease KUB’
KUB’s purchased
h d
power costs by approximately $80 million. The annual KUB electric O&M is $45 million
so the impact is nearly double our electric system O&M budget.
KUB has been very successful in managing and absorbing other cost pressures over time.
While we can't absorb this combined increase, we have absorbed and offset the rising costs
of fuel for our fleet, materials, etc. through cost management. In fact, KUB has had only
one electric rate increase of its own in the past 17 years – a 4 percent increase in 2002
2002. The
cumulative rate of inflation over this same 17-year period has been over 50 percent.
We pass along the cost of purchasing energy from our suppliers directly to the customer
with no markup.
When the market price of gas or electricity goes up, KUB pays more to its gas suppliers
and to TVA, our sole electricity provider. KUB passes the higher energy cost on to
customers, but all the extra money goes to suppliers, not to KUB.
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We’ve spent a lot of time talking about managing costs and lowering utility bills to compensate for the pinch
we’re all feeling at the gas pump, the grocery store, etc. For most of us, the “pinch” is just a pinch, but for many
in our community it is a knockout punch.
With the economy like it is now, just imagine how hard it is for the elderly, disabled people, or families that are
facing illness or unemployment to pay their bills.
A great way to help our neighbors is through Project Help, a program KUB helped start in 1983 to provide
emergency assistance to people in hardship. Even $1 a month adds up.
It is funded primarily by customer contributions and some fundraisers. We serve as the collection point for these
f d and
funds,
d sendd 100% off what
h t we collect
ll t tto CAC tto administer
d i i t along
l
with
ith th
the other
th energy assistance
it
programs
they already manage.
Due to the need last year, the PH Board increased assistance amount from $170 to $200 per family.
USE only through FC campaign: We also assist in managing a major fundraiser with Food City each year. This
campaign will begin in January, and we are hoping it will continue to grow. We are very grateful for the support
of all our partners; this campaign has grown each year, since the first campaign several years ago, the Food City
effort has brought in more than $90,000 to Project Help. Because we know this will be a difficult year, we are
also exploring other grant opportunities to help augment this effort.
FYI info Other facts:
$2.6M in assistance since it started in 1983.
This year, Congress has lowered funding for LIHEAP [Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program], so
Project Help is more important than ever.
Summertime requests for assistance generally are up more than 50% over the average for the past several years;
trend expected to continue
517 clients assisted last year w/$200 in assistance per family/$103,400 total amount raised
We have about 1400 customers participating on their bills, raising about $60,000
FC campaign has brought more than $90,000 over the past several years.
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We’ve talked about there beingg more money-saving
y
g tips
p and audit info on
www.kub.org. I just wanted to mention that we also have other convenient options
and new things on the site.
Paperless Billing. You can sign up to get an e-mail alert [instead of a paper bill]
when your bill is ready each month. You can pay online or keep paying however
yyou have been.
New payment kiosks. You can pay your bill at convenient payment kiosks in all E-Z
stop stores in KUB’s service area and in several Food City stores. The kiosk
communicates immediately with KUB to give you real-time credit for your
payment. Many of the stores are open 24/7. You can pay by cash or check. The
kiosk pprovider charges
g a convenience fee of $$1.95 pper transaction.
Start/Stop Service: We’ve enhanced our start/stop service. Whether you’re moving
to Knoxville or just to a new house or apartment across town, you can start or stop
your utility service online from anywhere, anytime. You can even select a date to
start/stop service online. And you will get a confirmation e-mail when your service
request is submitted.
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