93 - North Shore News — Friday, December 10, 1999 uy efficient appliances for lon From page 9% vent pipes from freezing. The starting point is proper insu- lation and air sealing, before you consider your backup or ne fo obtain information on energy efficiency contact: Energy Publications Office of Energy Efficiency, = ¢/o Canada Communication Group, Ottawa, ON, KIA 0S9. B Change to efficient appli- ances. Your backup system will do the most good if it is powering efficient appliances. Change to energy-efficient light bulbs like compact fluo- rescents. @ If your house is all electric don’t use a backup generator to heat your house or to power resistance heaters such as baseboards and fan heaters (a very poor choice — only 20% cificiency). Install a wood, oii, natural gas, or propane stove that uses a chimney. Or install a pellet, oil, natural gas or propane stove that vents through the wall. B Decide whsat needs power. Your backup must provide power for the ‘circuits. you depend on for comfort, safety and security. Decide what you must keep running in the “event of a power outage. - - Critical loads are the essentia! “toads. They might include lights, refrigerator-freezer, ““ microwave, sump pump, fur- _ nace, well pump, garage door opener, and the home office. Your backup power system’s capacity. is the maximum ‘ipower draw (in kilowatts) of I the fixtures and appliances -monthiy. that have to be served at one lime including higher startup loads. Remember: ventilation and fresh air supply can also be important loads. To deter- mine the size of your backup te ntify. the critical loads that you really need and check whether they can be sately served by alternatives that don’r require electrici For example, a properly vent- ed stove fuelled by wood, oil or gas could substitute for your furnace * total the wattage of the lights and appliances on the circuits you'd like to power © check the labels or owner’s manuals for each appliance’s rating ¢ add about 25% as a reserve for the starrup power needed for most electrical devices. This may not be enough for some furnaces and well pumps. Motor startups can draw as much as three to five times more power especially from cold — making a 2,500 watt generator borderline for starting an 800 watt furnace motor (ask about “slow start” motor options that draw less startup current.) The total will probably be berveen 1,500 and 5,000 watts. However a basic syster for efficient lights and a radio will require much less say 100- 300 watts. B Choose a backup system. Some systems include battery storage and a battery charger and an inverter. The inverter converts 12 volt DC. battery power to standard 110 or 220 volt AC power. These systems can also recharge the batteries using solar panels, a generator from $920.00 and your vehicle, or your vehicle alone (but remember that unless you have an RV your car battery is not a deep type and should not be allowed to go flat). The more capensive systems can power an entire cnergy- cient house. Hire an electrician. An electrician or electrical con- tractor should instal] and pre- pare your backup system to make sure it is safe for your family aad your home. You will need a manual transfer switch to send electricity from either the municipal power supply or your backup to the vital circuits, The switches cost from $100 to $230. Some residential uninterrupt- ible power systems are pre- assembled on wall-mounting boards with all the necessary safety disconnects and code- approved wiring already done. It is a good idea for an electrician to check v and grounding and determine if you need spike protection. In rural areas voltage fluctua- tions and even over-voltages that can damage sensitive equipment are not uncom- mon. Never connece a backup power system without, a trans- fer switch that disconnects your home from the munici- pal power supply. This is to protect electric utility crews working on your lines. @ Don’t use unvented appli- ances indoors. Don’t use unvented combustion appli- ances such as barbecues, cook stoves, fondues, propane, or kerosene heaters and lamps inside your house. They burn up available oxygen. They produce CQ, (carbon diox- ide) and other combustion gases and fumes, Some pro- duce huge quantitics of colourless, odourless and deadly carbon monoxide. Sterno cookers, fondues and chareoal-burning devices are especially dangerous. Never use them indoors. Room ven- tilation won't get rid of fumes from unvented appliances. Use portable propane or naptha cookstoves, heaters and lamps outside only. There KELLY Loask and Lauren Hough, both eight years old, recently enjoyed is avery real risk of fire explo- sion, asphyxiation or poison- ing from fumes B Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, Install bar terv-powered smoke alrite and carbon monoxide alarms. They are inexpensive and reli- able and they can save your ite spare barter- B@ Test your system regularly. Regularly test your backup system to make sure it can Little learners g-lasting power start your critical loads and keep them running. Remember to disconnect your main breaker before starting vour backup sy ur YOu can use an auxbians circuit pancl. Auxiliary panels for backup power prevent electrical utility field crews from being clectrocuted by your home power systems. They should be activated by a transfer switch and wired by an electrician. tlyities as Syivan Learning Centre celebrated : 29th anniversary and announced anew scholarship. 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