Some Tips for Summertime Conservation

Some tips for Summertime Conservation June has finally arrived and if the warm weather this spring was any indication, we may have a more typical Midwest summer this year. The cool weather and lower humidity levels we saw last year may give way to the sweltering heat and intense humidity levels we are accustomed to in this part of the country. If this prediction holds, cooling costs will be one of your biggest energy expenses over the next three to four months. Here are a few tips on how to control some of those costs.

While some folks have invested in new cooling systems, many of you may be like me. The air conditioning (AC) unit at my home was there when I bought the house. It is reaching the end of its productive life. To get as much efficiency from the unit as I can, I make sure I keep up with a normal maintenance schedule. Once a year I have a technician service the HVAC system and I make sure I change out my filters in the home each month. If you change the filter as the calendar month changes, I find it is much easier to remember to keep up on this schedule. Many people forget about this simple task and I am no exception.

To help your AC unit cool your home in an ongoing manner as effectively as possible, keep your thermostat set on 78 degrees and run the system on the “Auto” setting. Running it in the “On” position uses more electricity and can decrease the ability of the system to remove moisture caused by humidity from the air. Speaking of moisture, monitor the relative humidity in your home in the summer time. If your system does not have an indicator, home improvement stores sell inexpensive and simple measuring devices you can use in your home. If your humidity level stays in the 60 percent range or higher, ask a HVAC technician about what you can do to lower the humidity level. A lower humidity level will make the home easier to cool.

If you have a window unit air conditioner, you may want to check and make sure the fresh air vents are closed. Make sure the window openings around the unit are weather-stripped and sealed on all sides. These units also have a filter that should be removed and cleaned monthly for maximum efficiency.

Some more general tips to help with summertime cooling include the closing of shades and drapes during the day to block out solar heat, running ceiling fans on the medium setting and making sure they are blowing the air downward, and making sure your floor registers are not covered by rugs or furniture. These are just a few tips. If you are interested in more, go to our web site at “Tipmont.org” and view the information entitled “101 Easy Ways to Save Energy and Money.” On our home page, this is located under the “Learning Center” banner at the top of the page. From there, click on “Energy Efficiency” and simply scroll down the page to find the link.

While I have you here, you may have read the article by Jason Monroe in April about our new “Smart Meters” that will be installed over the next 36 months. Once this system is in place we will be able to obtain a much greater amount of usage information in more frequent time intervals. We will be able to use this information to help members pinpoint when they are using the most energy and offer suggestions on how to lower your usage further. These meters will eventually allow us to design rates that will allow members choices about when and how they use energy that could benefit them through incentive rate structures.

One last comment on these meters, there have been a few newspaper articles and some member comments questioning the security aspects of these devices. Let me say here that any system we install will have to pass functionality and security assurance testing. If you would like to read Jason’s original article and information on the security of the metering system we are installing, go to “Learning Center” link our web site (Tipmont.org) and click on “Security”. You can also use the new “Search” feature in the top right corner of the home page. As always, if you have any comments or questions feel free to drop me an email and I will respond as quickly as possible.