Power Lines

Homeowners are constantly looking for ways to help keep heat in a home during the winter and to keep heat out in the summer. One of the best ways to do that is to use a radiant barrier.

Snow and ice storms can lead to downed power lines and outages. Remember the following tips to stay safe and warm should you find yourself in the dark after severe winter weather:

For most Ohioans, the first sign that something unusual was happening on that night 40 years ago was the shriek of a fierce, unrelenting wind.

In the late evening of Jan. 25, 1978, a low-pressure system from Canada met another low-pressure system from Texas. Such storms approach from opposite directions several times each winter, according to the National Weather Service. Usually they miss each other. This time they collided, causing what has come to be widely known as “the storm of the century.”

When a water heater reaches a certain age, it can be easy to assume it’s living on borrowed time. It’s hard to say how long your water heater will last. Certified home inspectors estimate the life span to be about 10 years. Some manufacturers suggest 12 to 13 years, but it’s not unheard of for a water tank to last more than 40 years before the heating element finally gives out. That said, it’s wise to replace a water heater before it fails, because that failure can cause a lot of damage.

If baseboard heaters and window AC units are driving up household electric bills, mini-split ductless heat pumps might be a good answer.

The pumps can heat efficiently even when winter temperatures drop below freezing, and they are an economical and energy-efficient way to beat the summer heat.

For most of us, heating and cooling accounts for the largest part of our household energy use. For someone wanting to replace a furnace system that runs on propane or fuel oil, an electric air-source heat pump could be a good alternative. A heat pump is also a cost-effective alternative to electric furnaces, baseboard heaters, and wall units.

Those who haven’t shopped for a new car in a while may be surprised to find the cost of new electric vehicles (EVs) is now comparable to that of gasoline-powered cars. With that in mind, it’s not so surprising that the EV market is growing rapidly. There’s lots more, however, that consumers should know about them in order to make an informed buying decision.

Many times, prospective homebuyers are so caught up examining other aspects of the houses they see, they don’t consider energy costs (such as electricity, gas, and propane) in their decision. They ought to, since the average home costs about $2,000 in energy expenses per year — that’s a lot of money over the life of the home.

The size of a home is one of the most important factors that will determine energy costs. As square footage increases, lighting requirements increase, and more importantly, the burden on heating and cooling equipment increases.

When Teresa Harshbarger and her family built their home outside of New Concord several years ago, they bought their water heater from Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative (GMEC). It came equipped with a radio-controlled switch that allows the cooperative to remotely turn off the heater to curtail electricity use during times of heavy demand. Though she says she’s sure the switch has been activated from time to time, she has never noticed when it happens.

Homeowners often fret about their older windows, perhaps even original to the house — maybe they let in cold drafts during the winter, or contribute to overheating in the summer. People like the look of the older windows, and replacing them with new ones is expensive. In last month’s column, we talked about replacing windows, but doing so is costly, and it could take 20 years of energy savings to recover the investment.

You can, however, make significant improvements to your existing windows without investing a large amount of money or time.