Programmable thermostat too complicated? Get a new one

When your house is full of dinner guests and overnight company, you’re bound to use more energy than you do on almost every other day of the year. To keep your electric bill from skyrocketing: Lower the heat a couple of degrees before company arrives. You’ll be using the stove and oven all day, so the house will be warmer than usual anyway. Plus, people generate heat, so a cooler house will feel more comfortable. Keep an eye on the refrigerator and freezer so you’ll know the doors at snugly closed. Doors that aren’t tightly sealed will send cold air into the kitchen. Wait until the leftovers cool off a bit before placing them in the refrigerator. The appliance has to work harder to cool hot food than to keep cool food cold Place lids on pots and pans as you use them for cooking. The lids keep heat in, so food cooks quicker. Heat up whatever you can in the microwave instead of on the stovetop or oven. Microwaves use about half the energy as your oven. Fill your oven with as many different dishes as you can fit, and cook them all at once. As long as the recipes don’t call for temperatures that vary by more than 25 degrees, everything should cook or bake evenly.

By: NPPD Energy Efficiency Program Manager Cory Fuehrer For something as ubiquitous as electric lighting, it may be hard to imagine a time when our homes were without it. However, using electricity for residential illumination only became common in in the United States during the 1940s. Since then, we’ve been extending our days into our nights, often with a flick of a switch. Consider that almost everyone has a light or a number of lights they rely on to nurse their night owl tendencies. Why wouldn’t you want efficiency, quality and the most overall value from those essential fixtures? Here are a few of the most common, including opportunities for their improvement: Ceiling fixtures Around 2500 BC, the ancient Egyptians began using the first known ceiling lights. Made from clay, these lamps burned animal fat, bees wax or plant-based oils including olive, sesame and grape-seed. Fast-forwarding to the 1950’s, almost all residential ceiling lights required incandescent bulbs. While much safer and efficient than producing light from combustion, about 90% of the electricity they consumed produced heat rather than light. Today, homeowners can select light-emitting diode (LED) replacement bulbs that require six to seven times less electricity to produce the same amount of light while lasting up to 12 times longer. Another option consumers have is to install fully dimmable LED replacement bulbs and the appropriate dimmer switch. By doing so, users can adjust light levels to their desired effect. For even greater energy efficiency and longevity, consider replacing an old fixture with a solid-state LED fixture. Many are also fully dimmable. Solid-state fixtures have embedded LEDs so bulb replacement is no longer necessary. Plug-in lamps It is common to leave a wall or table lamp on for someone needing to pass through an area of the home after everyone else has gone to bed. In 1902, bulbs with two carbon filaments were created to allow for adjustable lighting levels. Shortly thereafter, manufacturing of lamps with multi-level switches allowed homeowners to select multiple illumination levels. This reduced the amount of electricity used when minimal levels of illumination were appropriate. With a simple twist of the switch, full lighting levels could be restored. As with other socket-type fixtures, improving efficiency is as simple as replacing older incandescent bulbs with three-way LED replacement lamps. Outdoor sconces and pathway lights Especially as we enter the winter season and our nights become longer, exterior lighting becomes a matter of maintaining safety. Sidewalks can become snow or ice-covered, which creates slipping hazards. While converting these to LED is an easy option to improve efficiency, when was the last time you cleaned these fixtures? Over the past forty years, The Illuminating Engineering Society has commissioned several luminaire dirt depreciation studies to find that outdoor fixtures can lose 11 to 29 percent of their light output due to outdoor environments. A simple way to reestablish their lighting levels is to add “fixture” cleaning to your fall routine. After a season of dusty winds, lawn mowing and plants pollenating, this is the perfect time to restore their functionality. Plug-in lights How easy is it to plug a small night-light into an electric socket to provide a little extra illumination where you need it? Though they may only require between 2 and 7 watts of power, many operate continuously and do not switch off during the day. Over the course of a year, they can double the amount of energy needed to provide that small amount of extra safety and security. Instead, install an LED night light with a photosensor switch. Most require one watt or less of power to operate and automatically switch “on” or “off” depending on the amount of light from other sources. In partnership with Nebraska Public Power District, Southwest Public Power District wants to help you effectively and efficiently light up your night when and where you need it! For additional ways you can save energy every day, contact Southwest Public Power District or visit www.energywisenebraska.com.

As the holidays approach, your refrigerator is probably getting as full as you do at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Can it handle the extra food you’re storing? How about the constant opening and closing as everyone opens and closes it more often to find leftovers and cold drinks? If your fridge is more than a decade old, the holidays might be too much for it. Consider replacing your old fridge before the holidays. And this time, buy one that bears the Energy Star label, means it uses at least 15% less energy than federal standards require, and 40% less than one that’s been around for a decade or more, according to the Department of Energy. Yet more than 60 million households have refrigerators that are more than 10 years old, DOE says. By replacing it with a new, energy-efficient model, you could save up to $300 in electricity charges over its lifetime. When shopping for a new refrigerator or freezer, read the EnergyGuide label. It tells you how many kilowatt-hours of electricity the unit will consume over a year of operation. The smaller the number, the better. Look for refrigerators that have a freezer on the bottom or the top, as side-by-side designs consume more energy. Chest freezers are typically better insulated than upright models. Whether you're buying a new fridge this year or not, follow these tips for more efficient use around the holidays: Brush or vacuum your refrigerator's coils regularly to improve efficiency by as much as 30 percent. Keeping your refrigerator full shouldn't be hard this time of year, and doing so will help your unit retain cold better. If you have trouble keeping it stocked, fill the extra space with bottles or containers of water. If your milk is frosty in the morning, reduce the refrigerator's temperature. Refrigerators should be set between 36 degrees and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Freezers should stay between 0 degrees and 5 degrees. Put a dollar bill in the door's seal to see if it is airtight. If the dollar slips out easily, so will cold air.

If you heat your home with a gas furnace or use other gas appliances at home, you must install carbon monoxide detectors. You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, which is a potential byproduct of burning fossil fuels. Your home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector to alert you of the presence of gas. Follow these safety guidelines: • If you install only one carbon monoxide detector, put it near the bedrooms so it can alert your family to wake up in case levels of the gas reach an unhealthy level. Better: Place a detector on every floor of the house. • Keep your detectors at least 15 feet away from a gas stove or oven, which may emit a small amount of carbon monoxide on startup. • Detectors don’t operate properly in humid areas like the bathroom. • Replace the batteries in your alarms twice a year. • Properly maintain your gas appliances, including the furnace and stove. Same goes for devices that use gasoline.

Adults like to huddle inside the toasty, heated house when it’s cold outdoors. But kids love to play outside in the snow and cold. November is Child Safety and Protection Month. Keep your child safe and protected by following these winter safety tips: · Dress kids in layers. As their body temperature warms up they can remove clothes one layer at a time to stay comfortable. · Kids should wear hats when playing outside in the winter, as most body heat is lost through the head. · Remove boots and clothing as soon as it gets wet. · Discourage snowball fights. Snowballs are blamed for too many injuries, especially to the eyes. · Teach your children to sit up or kneel on a sled rather than lying on it. Reclining on a sled and going downhill head-first increases the risk of head, spine and abdominal injuries. · Apply sunscreen. Even on cold days, the sun’s rays can still cause sunburn, especially when they reflect off of the snow. · Lure your kids inside for frequent breaks that include warm drinks and healthy snacks.

By: NPPD Energy Efficiency Program Manager Cory Fuehrer While demand for tankless water heaters continues to increase, more than 95% of homes have conventional storage tank heaters installed. About half use electric resistance or heat pump technology to produce hot water, while the other half uses natural gas or propane. If you’re like most, the only time you think about your water heater is when water fails to come out of the faucet or the tank starts to leak. Most homeowners overlook the importance of regular maintenance, which can lead to decreased efficiency, higher energy bills and premature replacement. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates the average product lifetime for storage tank water heaters to be around 15 years. By annually doing the routine maintenance described below, you can help assure your water heater provides the efficiency and longevity you expect. Before starting, use a thermometer to identify your hot water temperature at the faucet located furthest from the hot water heater. Most water heater manufacturers preset thermostats at 140º Fahrenheit (F). The DOE recommends a setpoint of 120°F to optimize efficiency, slow mineral buildup and reduce corrosion. Temperatures lower than this can pose a slight risk of allowing bacterial growth, while temperatures above 140ºF significantly increase inefficiency from standby heat losses and create scalding risks. For every 10 degrees the temperature is lowered, you can expect to save up to 5% in water heating energy use. Next, take safety precautions. This should always be your top priority. Before beginning: 1. Turn off the power: For electric water heaters, switch off the circuit breaker. For gas-fired units, turn the gas valve to the “pilot” position. 2. Identify the cold-water line supplying the water heater and close it. 3. Wait a few hours after turning off the power to allow the water in the tank to cool. 4. Wear gloves and goggles to protect from hot water and debris. 5. If you have a gas water heater, ensure the area is well-ventilated to prevent the buildup of harmful gases. Now, perform the following maintenance steps: 1. Test the Temperature and Pressure Relief (TPR) Valve. The TPR valve is a critical safety device that releases internal pressure if it becomes too high. To test it: a. Place a bucket under the discharge pipe connected to the TPR valve. b. Lift the valve’s tab to release some water. c. If water flows freely and stops when you release the tab, the valve is working correctly. If not, the valve needs to be replaced. 2. For electric resistance and heat pump water heaters, inspect and replace the anode rod if it is less than half-inch in diameter. The anode rod attracts corrosive elements in the water, thus protecting the tank. 3. Flush the tank to remove sediment. Sediment buildup can reduce your heater’s hot water volume, require longer runtimes to provide hot water and corrode elements in electrical units. To flush the tank: a. Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. b. Open the valve and let the water drain into a bucket and not a floor drain. Sediment could plug the floor drain, creating another problem. c. Once the tank is empty, briefly open the cold-water supply to stir up any remaining sediment. d. Continue flushing until the water runs clear. Close the drain valve, disconnect the hose, and refill the tank. Double-check to assure the TPR valve is closed to prevent flooding the floor. 4. If necessary, adjust the temperature setting. a. Locate the thermostat. While they are often installed on the bottom exterior of gas-powered units, they are usually located behind access panels on electric units. Also, electric units usually have two (top and bottom) thermostats. b. Adjust the dial in the direction you want your hot water temperature to be. You may need to use a screwdriver to adjust the dial. Most thermostats do not have markings that exactly correspond to the desired temperature. Therefore, small adjustments followed by waiting a couple of hours and checking the temperature at the faucet may be necessary to establish the desired temperature. c. Since electric hot water heaters usually have two thermostats, assure both are adjusted to the same setpoint. d. Remember to turn the water heater off or set the thermostat to its lowest setting if you’ll be away from home for more than three days. Southwest Public Power District, in partnership with Nebraska Public Power District, wants to help keep you effectively and efficiently in hot water! For other ways you can save energy while running your household or business, contact Southwest Public Power District or visit www.energywisenebraska.com.

Even if you like to prepare Thanksgiving dinner by yourself so it’s just right, consider letting your children in on the fun—and the work—this season. Of course, you’ll have to keep your youngsters away from the hot stove and sharp knives. Still, there are lots of fun, safe ways to get everyone involved: · Very young children can take the crusts off of bread for the stuffing. They can also snap the ends off of the green beans. · Children ages 3 to 5 can help pour in ingredients, and they can help stir or whisk. Have them stand at the kitchen sink to wash vegetables or let them use a hand-masher to make the mashed potatoes. · Older children can follow directions for a recipe and use cooking utensils with supervision. Let them cut, chop and peel vegetables. These older kids also are strong enough to knead dough, so let them shape and divide the rolls or biscuits. · Cooking can be a great way to get kids interested in science, math and physics, as well as the history of the holiday. Talk about the food you’re making, the measurements of the ingredients and the steps involved in getting food from the farm to the table.

It’s pretty easy to keep drafts out of the house on cold and windy days: Simply insulate your windows by caulking around them. All you need is caulk and a caulk gun, which you can find at any home or hardware store. You can even show your children how to do it. · To get started, clean the windows, window sill, trim and frames with a damp clot. Allow everything to dry. · Scrape old caulk and any peeling paint off of the windows and the area surrounding them · Using the caulk gun, apply the caulk between the window frame and siding on the outdoors. Indoors, fill in the gap between the windows and the trim. · Don’t over-apply or the caulk can look messy. Repeat the routine every few years as the caulk starts to crack and peel.

After years of endorsing gas-powered leaf blowers over electric, Consumer Reports has changed its tune, saying that electric models outperform traditional gas devices for vacuuming, handling and noise. In fact, the magazine, known for its objective testing of appliances and other products, said in a comparison of leaf blowers that “electric is the clear winner.” “The best electric leaf blowers we’ve tested match or beat the best gas models in every single test we conduct,” the article said. Their only drawback, when compared with gas, the magazine said, is that electrics require recharging, which takes some time. So if you’re in the market for a lightweight, quieter and still powerful leaf blower, consider a cordless electric model.