Power Lines

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.

Homeowners looking to replace older, drafty windows to improve their home’s energy efficiency should examine all their options. New windows are often the most costly and least cost-effective energy efficiency investment you can make. There are, of course, sound reasons besides energy efficiency to invest in new windows, such as comfort, resale value, aesthetics, and even need.

If you have an aging central air conditioner — even if it’s still working — it might pay off to look into replacing it sooner rather than waiting until it fails.

Replacing an inefficient AC unit with a more efficient model could significantly reduce your electric bill; new units are likely to be 20 to 40 percent more efficient than one from the 1990s. ENERGY STAR-certified systems are even more efficient. Replacing an aging system now, before summer starts, could help you avoid delays or price premiums.

At the beginning of March 2017, after what had been, to that point, an unusually mild winter, a huge storm system came through southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, bringing with it winds that brought down trees and power lines and causing power outages in large swaths of the area.

Electric cooperatives do everything they can — regular maintenance, tree-trimming, etc. — to prevent such outages, but sometimes, Mother Nature has her own ideas. When outages do happen, the co-ops are ready.

There are lots of reasons that electric consumers may check into the possibility of generating some of their own power — after all, sunshine and wind are seemingly free, and modern technology has made it possible to use those resources at the household or building level in a way that’s never been possible.

But there’s much to consider before making that decision: economics — the real monetary potential of the system; safety — for both consumers and lineworkers trying to restore power during an outage; and reliability — ensuring a steady flow of electricity.

While many people endorse the benefits of solar power, the idea of their actually installing and maintaining a costly rooftop grid might never see the light of day.

Through a community solar program called OurSolar, members of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives will soon be able to plug into the sun without the drawbacks of doing it themselves. As part of OurSolar, Buckeye Power is beginning to build new solar panel arrays at several locations around the state, bringing more emission-free energy to Ohio’s electric cooperatives.

Dear Pat: We have two kids, which means we do a lot of laundry — it never ends! What are some ways we can reduce our energy use in the laundry room?  – Frank

Dear Frank: The average American family washes about 300 loads of laundry per year — all that laundry uses a lot of energy! However, there are some easy ways to reduce your energy use in the laundry room.