HO

,ECO INFO ©

_. THERE IS plenty you can
~~ do to save on power all year
_ long, but the cold weather
gives us even greater oppor-
tunities to see how well we
can control our electrical
~ bills.”

: Cutting back on energy con-

_-.- Sumption is indeed a good way to

“save money. In 1991, B.C, resi-
dents saved a collective $3 million
by participating in BC Hydro’s

.. Power Smart programs.

It?s the.only way to forestall the
necessity for major new hydro-
electric dams, which not only .

+ flood out vegezation and animal
“habitat with their huge reservoirs,
’- but disrupt wildlife downstream as
well duc to the change i in the
- Tiver’s flow,
' Saving energy around the home
_ can be one of the more enjoyable
eco-tasks that conscientious fami-

lies assign themselves, because you

can (a) involve all family

members, ' (b) tackle the challenge
with a variety of strategies, and (c)
easily measure your results.

It’s easier to Jearn energy con-

“servation techniques if you know
the basic rules of power measure-
ment.

Your energy consumption is
measured in kilowatt-hours. A
kilowatt-hour is used by a 100-
watt bulb burning for 10 hours.

And a watt is simply a unit of
electrical power.

You can see for yourself how
many kilowatt hours your house-
hold is consuming by reading your

--meter, which consists of four or
five dials.

Write down the number i in-
dicated by each dial (the lower of
the two if it’s in between two
numbers), and see how that
number has changed at the end of
the month.

You can even keep track each
week if your family really wants

E & GARDE
nergy saving one of the
ore enjoyable eco-tasks

Tackle the challenge with a variety of strategies

to keep tabs on its progress.

For those homes heated elec-
trically, keeping your house warm
accounts for about 45% of your
power bill.

With the cold weather now
upon us, this is defintely the time
to review some of your heat-sav-
ing stategics.

If you have trouble remember-
ing to turn the heat down at night,
consider purchasing an automatic
timer.

When you’re at home during
the day and evening, the recom-
mended temperature setting is
20°C. For every degree set above
this level, your costs rise by about
five per cent.

At night turn the thermostat
back to 18°C or Iess, and keep
basement and storage areas set at

about '15°C if you can.

You don’t save much by turning
the heat right down to its mini-
mum at night time, as it takes so
much energy to return the house
to 20°C the next morning.

You can help keep heat inside
your home by closing your cur-
tains or blinds early in the even-
ing, and closing the door on any
rooms you’re not using.

We attempted to be clever at
our place, and stapled that special
heat-retaining plastic sheeting to
our rec room window frame,
creating a six-inch wall of dead
air between the window and the
room.

Technically, we were at that
point supposed to heat the
sheeting with a hair dryer, which
would cause it to become in-
credibly taut and well-nigh invisi-
ble. :
This did not happen.

‘The blow dryer didn’t seem to

elicit much of any sort of response

from the sheet, with the result that
the overall effect of our efforts is,
in a phrase, highly tacky looking.

But, hey, when you’re curled up
on the couch downstairs watching
the latest Star Trek: The Next
Generation, what’s important?
Looks or warmth?

I knew you'd agree.

There are, of course, iots of
other ways to save on your elec-
tricity bill.
© Put an insulating blanket on
your hot water tank.

@ Compare the EnerGuide ratings
affixed to all major appliances to
ensure you are purchasing an
energy-efficient model.

® Keep your hot water tank set
between 54 and 60°C, and install
low-flow showerheads to keep
your hot water heating costs
down.

@ Install compact flourescent
bulbs, especially in areas where
the light is left on for long periods
of time (such as in well-travelled
hallways or outside your front

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door).
@ Be sure your fireplace damper
is closed when the fireplace is not
in use.

@ Jf you have an old fridge
plugged in down in your base-
ment, it could be costing you $300
a year just for the sake of having
cold drinks handv to the TV.

BC Hydro will not only come,
take it away for you, and dispose
of it in an ‘environmentally con-
siderate’’ manner, they will pay
you $30 for it.

Call 683-2274 for more details.
@ BC Hydro offers a Power
Smart phone line that gives you
information on its current pro-
grams, plus ready information on
a wide range of energy conserva-
tion subjects.

The Power Smart number is
540-8883.

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