Energy Conservation
Last fall, the Michigan legislature passed the Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act (2008 Public Act 295). The new law requires that electric and natural gas utilities in Michigan implement Energy Optimization programs designed to reduce energy use by encouraging investment in more energy efficient products.
To fund these new energy efficiency programs, all electric and natural gas customers in the State of Michigan will be charged a monthly Energy Optimization surcharge which will appear as a line item on their electric bill. Under this new law, the EO surcharge for residential accounts is based on a per-kilowatt-hour charge and all other rate groups will pay a flat meter charge plus a per-kilowatt-hour charge. The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved these charges through December, 2011.
The energy savings achieved through participation in these programs is expected to outweigh the new monthly surcharge and help achieve the energy reduction targets established by the Michigan legislature.
To read more about Public Act 295, go to http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2007-SB-0213.
We will publish information on the MBLP's Energy Optimization Plan here as it becomes available.
The Marquette Board of Light and Power can help customers find ways to save energy and money.
The best way to conserve energy is to use it wisely. A good place to begin your path to energy saving is to reference the BLP’s Energy Saving Tips to help reduce your home’s energy use and better manage your energy costs. This guide is available at our Wright Street office. Also, the following websites also have the latest information on energy saving programs and incentives that you may be able to able to take advantage of.
http://www.energy.gov/energysavingtips.htm
Together,our utility and its consumer-owners can team up to improve the quality of life in our community and throughout the country, and ensure reliable clean electric service at the lowest possible rates. For more information about how you can save energy, contact BLP Customer Service at 228-0328.
Simple Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill and
Keep Your House Cooler
Forgoing the family road trip will spare you from getting dinged by sky-high gas prices this summer, but staying at home in the air conditioned comfort of your living room may not result in the cost savings you expected. That’s because the same commodity cravings that are driving up oil prices have also increased costs of coal and natural gas – prime fuels needed to generate electricity.
Conserving energy doesn’t mean you need to suffer. These days you can do right by the environment and your pocketbook without any major lifestyle sacrifices. In fact, by taking some relatively painless steps, you can cut your bills by one-third or more.
Arrange an HVAC inspection. Hire a certified technician to check that your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is operating at peak efficiency. A worn out filter or unsealed duct could reduce the unit’s energy efficiency by as much as 20 percent. Make an appointment before the hot weather hits. An inspection will usually set you back $50 to $100, but that could easily be offset by the energy savings you’ll reap over time. Plus, if you schedule your appointment before contractors are swamped with repair requests, you could possibly snag a 10 percent early bird discount.
Shop for size. If you’re in the market for a new room air conditioner, use Energy Star guidelines (http://www.energystar.gov) to assess how powerful a unit you need. A too-powerful unit will cost more in both initial purchase price and ongoing energy bills.
Keep it clean. Whether you have central air or an individual window or wall unit, be sure to clean the air filters every month. Dirt and dust hinder air flow, reducing efficiency.
Seal up your home. Pricey cooled air can leak through cracks along window and door frames. Invest in some caulk and weather stripping to plug up these drafts as you notice them. You could spend as little as $10 on the project, which would more than pay for itself over the course of the summer. Check to see that your fireplace damper is tightly closed.
Change your light bulbs. If you haven’t swapped your incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents yet, get to it. Not only do CFLs use 75 percent less energy than conventional bulbs, but they also generate 70 percent less heat. Also, do you still have one of those halogen lamps left over from your college days? Do yourself a favor and dump it. Not only are these dangerous fire starters, but their bulbs, which can generate temperatures of 700 to 1,100 degrees F, are energy hogs as well.
Close your blinds. It’s a simple concept: rooms get hotter without shades or curtains to block the sunlight. Install white shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
Use fans. A breeze makes the room feel a few degrees cooler. Just be sure to turn it off when you leave. Fans cool people, not rooms. Even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler. Make sure your ceiling fan is turned for summer—you should feel the air blown downward. When using an air conditioner, use a fan in conjunction with it to spread the cool air through your home.
Unplug. Gadgets like your cell phone charger and microwave suck energy—and generate heat—as long as they’re attached to a power source. Plug them into a power strip that can be turned off when not in use.
Go green. This will require a bit of effort on your part, but the returns are twofold: planting just three shady trees around your house not only can save $100 to $250 off your annual heating and cooling costs, according to the Department of Energy, but will most likely make your yard more attractive to boot. Leafy trees can shield the house from direct sunlight, keeping temperatures down while still permitting sunlight to hit your house in winter. Daytime air temperatures in the summer can be 3 to 6 degrees cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods.
Cool your attic. Consider installing a whole house fan. Attics trap fierce amounts of heat; a well-placed and well-sized whole-house fan pulls air through open windows on the bottom floors and exhausts it through the roof, lowering the inside temperature and reducing energy use by as much as a third compared with an air conditioner. Cost is between $150 and $400.
Little Things Mean A Lot
- · Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
- · Use a microwave oven instead of a conventional electric range or oven.
- · Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
- · Lower the thermostat on your water heater, 115 degrees is comfortable for most uses.
- · Take showers instead of baths to reduce hot water use.
- · Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
Here’s how to make the most efficient use of the lights you already have.
The race is on to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. They save money, energy and carbon emissions. Environmentalists all use them. Politicians want to make them mandatory. Even big-box retailers are behind the great push.
But what if you just don't like them? They do have trace amounts of mercury that can vaporize if the bulb breaks, requiring special cleanup precautions. Or maybe you're one of the unfortunate few who suffer from extreme sensitivity to ultraviolet light, which the CFLs emit.
On average, lighting accounts for 10% of a home's energy bill in this country and 20% of its electric bill. Given that each home's energy use is responsible for the release of 22,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, twice that of a typical car, even a 5% or 10% reduction per home can add up, says Maria Vargas, spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program (www.energystar.gov).
"It's really about getting rid of the waste in the system," Vargas says. "If you just make sure that those lights are on only when you need them on, and you have the right amount of lighting directed at the task at hand, we would make tremendous strides in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions." And that's whether or not you embrace CFLs.
Here's how to get started:
Install dimmers or three-way light fixtures. Dimmers let you carefully adjust for the amount of light you actually need -- and use correspondingly less electricity. Lower the light by half and you'll cut your electricity usage by almost half. You’ll also extend the life of the bulb by as much as 20 times. Dimmers can be fitted into wall-plate switches or plugged into outlets for use with external lamps. Dimmers can be controlled with sliders, toggles, rotary dials, touch-pads or remote controls with memories of previous settings, and are available for as little as $10 with do-it-yourself installation instructions. Make sure the dimmer can handle the voltage and wattage you need. Three-way lights do the same, except with three settings, and can also be set up with adapters that plug into the wall.
Use timers or motion sensors. Timers ensure the lights really do get turned off when you're not using them: the porch or garage light; plant lights; reading lights; or lights in areas people just tend to forget. If you're using lights for burglary protection, timers not only save electricity but also mimic real-life situations. Leaving the porch light on all day and night can actually signal that you're away. Solar timers are available that can flip lights off at sunrise based on latitudinal coordinates that you enter into their computer.
And motion sensors? They're not just for the porch anymore. Small units that fit between the light bulb and socket are available for as little as $20 and are ideal for any room you're just walking through -- the garage, a hallway, the laundry room. Small motion-sensor and bulb combinations can also replace nightlights for hallways, bathrooms and kitchens.
Focus your light. Stop and take a look at the light you're using. Is there waste? Are you lighting the entire end of your apartment to cook when single lights over the counter and stove will do? Cutting down on wattage doesn't mean you have to live in the dark. Think about how lamps or track lighting can focus light in the areas you're using them: by the sofa, desk or work table. You might be able to ditch the energy-sucking overheads for hours a day.
Flip the switch. Yes, you've heard it since childhood: Turn the lights off when you leave a room. But do you practice it? Contrary to the old myth, it does not generate much excess electricity to power a bulb back on. And sometimes, contrary to your best intentions, you don't come right back to the room. Flipping the lights off every time you leave is a good habit that saves money.
Consider a skylight. Building or moving into a new place? Consider a skylight, or high windows, and let a little light in. Or a lot. Be sure to shop for thermal-pane windows so the energy saved on lighting doesn't go back out for heat.
Learn your LEDs. Tell your neighbors you're cashing in on the next great revolution: light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These small, focused lights -- more energy-efficient than CFLs -- are used in electrical panels and headlamps, and are finding new applications: traffic and bridge lights, Christmas lights, even home lighting.
LEDs are durable and long-lasting and can pay for themselves in energy and replacement costs. At present, the cost of a single bulb can be high -- up to $40 compared with a $3 CFL -- and the focused light is best left for task lighting, but LED bulbs last about 10 times longer than CFL bulbs and more than 100 times longer than incandescents. And with the technology improving, some say LEDs will be the standard -- and green -- bulb of the future.
