Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Sep 03, 2010
A new energy-saving program aimed at improving the energy efficiency of Lorain County homes has recently been launched by Columbia Gas and Raymond Plumbing is here to help you take full advantage of the program. The program will take advantage of multiple rebates and federal tax credits now being offered for energy-efficient home improvements. Many of these money-saving rebates expire at the end of the year, so Lorain County residents are urged to sign up for the Home Performance Solutions program fast.
The Home Performance Solutions program begins with an energy audit to identify where your home is wasting energy – and your hard-earned money – and target improvement areas. Lorain County homeowners will receive a detailed energy use report that specifies energy-saving tips along with estimated energy savings and applicable rebates for implementing recommended energy-efficient home improvements. Owners of gas-heated homes who use 1,000 Ccf of natural gas or more per year will profit most from this program.
For a limited time, Columbia Gas is offering Lorain County residents a complete home energy audit for just $50, a fraction of its $500 value. Generous energy efficient home improvement rebates and tax credits available through December 31, 2010, can save Lorain County homeowners as much as 70% off the cost of installing recommended home improvements.
But the savings don’t stop there. Installation of energy-efficient gas furnaces and other home improvements can reduce your natural gas use by as much as 30%, a savings you will continue to enjoy year after year. Now is the time to take advantage of multiple money-saving offers to cut your energy use and your gas bill. Contact Raymond Plumbing today for more information.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Thu, Aug 19, 2010
More Lorain County residents are tuning into the benefits of installing a solar water heater in their home. Solar water heaters offer attractive environmental and financial benefits. Electric and gas water heaters are notorious producers of environmentally-destructive carbon dioxide (CO2), Environmentalists say the amount of CO2 produced each year by residential water heaters is equal to the total CO2 produced by cars and light trucks. If just half of U.S. residents switched to solar water heaters, America’s CO2 emissions could be cut in half.
Let’s compare the energy use and cost of electric and gas-powered water heaters to solar water heaters.
Energy use
- Electric water heaters require 6,400 kilowatt hours of electricity per year to heat the water used by a family of four.
- Gas water heaters do not use electricity.
- Solar water heaters do not use electricity. They get their energy from the sun.
Carbon dioxide output
- Water heaters that use electricity generated by a typical U.S. power plant with an average 30% efficiency create 8 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, twice that emitted by a car.
- Gas water heaters emit about 2 tons of CO2 per year.
- Solar water heaters emit no CO2 and do not harm the environment in any way.
Cost
- The purchase price of an electric or gas water heater ranges from $150 to $450, but you also have to figure in monthly fuel costs for the life of the appliance.
- Solar water heaters cost from $1,500 to $3,500 but pay for themselves in fuel savings in 4 to 8 years. After that, all your hot water is free. Considering the average 20-year life of solar water heaters, that’s quite a savings.
More than 1.5 million savvy U.S. consumers already use solar water heaters. To find out more, contact Raymond Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning today.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Thu, Aug 05, 2010
With elections in the offing, Congress appears to have tabled passage of a comprehensive energy bill until next year. Washington may still take a few politically-safe potshots at the nation’s energy appetite but a forced diet plan will have to wait for next year. That leaves individual consumers to continue doing their part to decrease energy consumption and embrace sustainable living one Lorain County family at a time.
Join Lorain County
What can Lorain County consumers do?
- Educate yourself about the energy situation.
- Learn how to make your home more energy efficient.
- Replace old appliance with energy-efficient appliances.
- Embrace sustainable lifestyle choices.
- Share what you learn with others.
Survey Shows Many Underestimate
Energy Crisis
Despite all the national news reports, cable pundit machinations and History channel doomsday documentaries, a recent survey of Chicago high school students found that the majority of Americans are woefully uneducated about the energy crisis that is affecting us all. Most people have only a vague idea of the issues surrounding the energy conundrum and the true status of America’s renewable energy. Few are conversant with the facts.
Yesterday we shared the energy survey results in our blog, Test Your Renewable Energy Smarts. Test your energy knowledge and find out if you’re smarter than a 10th grader!
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Fun At The Ohio State Fair
If you’re planning a trip to Columbus to enjoy the Ohio State Fair (going on now through August 8), be sure to stop by the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel booth in the Marketplace building. Kids will enjoy playing the Beat the Heat wheel game to test their energy knowledge. Make sure you pick up a handy info sheet; it’s filled with great energy-saving tips that will help you save energy and cash when you return to Lorain County.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Tue, Jul 06, 2010
Save Money, Energy, and Benefit The Environment
Lorain County homeowners can save a nice chunk of change on their utility bills if they take a few moments to click off and unplug appliances before leaving on vacation. There’s no need to spend energy on unused appliances while you’re away from home this summer. Not only will you save energy – and money – but you’ll also cut down on the amount of polluting carbon dioxide your utility company would be creating to keep your appliances fired up in your absence.
Before leaving on vacation, take these energy-saving steps:
- Shut off the air conditioner. If it’s impossible to shut it off completely, raise the thermostat to 85 degrees or higher to prevent the A/C from running and switch the fan to automatic. For every degree you raise your thermostat setting, you’ll save 2% to 3% on your Lorain County electric bill. Use that extra cash for a little vacation splurge.
- Turn off your water heater at the circuit breaker. There’s no need to keep water hot when you won’t be using it and you’ll save $4 to $10 on your monthly bill.
- Set your refrigerator to a slightly higher temperature. With no one opening the door to let out the cold air, it takes less energy to keep food cold. If you’re planning to be gone for a month or more, clean out the fridge and unplug it. Remember to prop the doors open to prevent mold growth.
- Turn off all except security lights. Use timers and motion detectors on security lights to minimize their use.
- Unless you’re taping a favorite TV show while you’re gone, unplug the TV and DVD player. Ditto cell chargers, computers, microwaves, printers, alarm clocks. Unless unplugged, these electronic appliances continue to draw standby power which can add up to 10% of your electric bill.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Thu, Jun 17, 2010
Use These Top 5 Energy-saving Summer Tips
Summer in Lorain County has already reached “sizzle” and it’s only June! Record hot and humid weather is predicted this summer which has energy-conscious Lorain County home and business owners thinking SMART.
SMART is the energy industry’s helpful way to remember its top five energy-saving summer tips. Using these tips to save energy in your Lorain County home is guaranteed to take the sizzle out of summer and cool off your wallet too!
- S – Set your A/C thermostat to the highest comfortable setting.
- M – Move air in occupied rooms with ceiling fans.
- A – Adjust your water heater to a lower temperature.
- R – Repair “hot spots.”
- T – Turn on the outdoor grill and take the heat out of the kitchen.
Air conditioners typically use more energy than any other appliance in Lorain County homes. Setting your A/C thermostat to 78 degrees maximizes energy savings. For every degree above 78 you set your thermostat, you’ll reduce air conditioning costs by 3% to 5%. Switching from a manual to a programmable thermostat saves you money too, as much as $180 a year.
The gentle breeze created by a ceiling fan can make your body feel several degrees cooler for a fraction of the cost it takes to power your air conditioner. If you don’t have ceiling fans, use floor fans to help circulate the air. To save energy, turn fans off when you leave the room.
Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees. Decreasing hot water temperature from 140 to 120 degrees saves up to $85 in energy costs annually.
Do what you can to reduce any “hot spots” in your home by installing high-performance, energy-efficient windows and repairing window and door caulk.
Give the kitchen a break this summer. Outdoor cooking is a welcome change in the summer, and grilling outdoors doesn’t heat up the kitchen.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Tue, Mar 02, 2010
Energy watchers call it “the SnackWell Effect.” SnackWells are tasty low-fat, low-sugar cookies made by Nabisco that are a boon to dieters seeking low-cal treats. The problem comes when dieters over-indulge on the sweet confections, rationalizing that they can eat more because each cookie has fewer calories. Instead of losing weight, dieters started gaining. You, of course, see the problem. You can’t lose weight if you eat more, even if what you’re eating has fewer calories. Math wins every time!
Do You Have an Energy-Efficient Furnace or Air Conditioner? Using More Enegy Cancels Out the Savings
The same rebound effect can occur when a Lorain County resident has an energy-efficient furnace or air conditioner or heat pump installed in his home. Lulled by the fact that they’re saving energy, the family can easily slip into high consumption habits that all too quickly negate the energy savings provided by the energy-efficient appliance. It’s the SnackWell Effect. Even when your home is powered by energy-efficient appliances, using more energy cancels out the savings.
Reducing your carbon footprint is an ongoing daily commitment.
Recent studies have found that when people buy energy efficient appliances they feel less guilty about using them more often. In one study, people with energy-efficient furnaces lost 10% to 30% of their expected monthly energy savings because they cranked up the heat. Another study found that people who used energy-efficient light bulbs lost between 5% and 12% of their anticipated monthly energy savings because they stopped turning out the lights when they left a room. To realize the maximum potential energy savings on their monthly bills, Lorain County residents must continue energy-efficient practices even after installing energy-efficient furnaces, air conditioners and other appliances. The fight to decrease energy consumption doesn’t stop with the purchase of an energy-efficient appliance. Reducing your carbon footprint is an ongoing daily commitment. When properly used, energy-efficient appliances do allow us to save more energy, but we have to do our part.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Jan 15, 2010
Ohio’s Cash for Appliance Clunkers Rebate Program
Energy hogging appliances are about to get the Cash for Clunkers treatment. Instead of gas-guzzling autos, this time the Clunkers program will be directed at energy-wasting appliances. When the program goes into effect sometime this quarter, Lorain County residents will be eligible for money-saving rebates when they replace out-dated, energy-consuming water heaters with new, energy-efficient Energy Star water heaters. Refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers are among the other appliances included in the new Cash for Clunkers program.
Install Energy-Efficient Appliances in Your Home to Qualify
To encourage consumers to install energy-efficient appliances in their homes, last summer the U.S. Department of Energy set aside $300 million in federal stimulus money to provide rebates for the purchase of Energy Star appliances. At a news conference announcing the program, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, “Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there’s enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month.”
To Qualify Your Water Heater Must Carry the Energy Star Label
Ohio’s application for federal stimulus funds to finance an appliance clunkers program was approved in December. The state will receive $11 million to distribute nearly 90,000 rebates to Ohio residents who purchase qualifying energy-efficient water heaters, refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers from Ohio retailers. To qualify for a rebate, the purchased water heater or other appliance must carry an Energy Star label. Depending on the type of appliance, rebates will range from $100 to $250. Rebates will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are gone. The Ohio Department of Development is in the process of notifying water heater installers and appliance dealers about program specifics. Ohio’s Cash for Appliance Clunkers rebate program is expected to launch within the next few months.
Lorain County residents who want more information about the energy-efficient Energy Star rated water heaters that will be eligible for Ohio’s Cash for Appliance Clunkers rebate program, should contact Raymond Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Jan 08, 2010
It was recently reported that there have been significant finds of natural gas in shale deposits. Due to advances in drilling technology it’s now easier to remove these natural gas deposits, and it’s speculated that they could provide gas supply for the next 90 years.
While this discovery definitely effects the current energy debate throughout the nation – there’s another, equally important question about our energy use.
Will the U.S. Conserve Natural Gas or are we Energy Gluttons?
Americans are 5% of the global population, but consume 25% of the resources. Gas prices are the lowest they have been in seven years. Why upgrade to high efficiency heating equipment when you are saving 40% over last year without the investment in new equipment? In fact, crank up the thermostat! You can keep your house warmer and still pay less then you did last year – this is the U.S. mindset.
The U.S. population will not conserve energy when energy is cheap.
The 90-year supply will dwindle down as more industry; electric generation and homeowners consume gas like the quarter-pounder value-meals they line up for at lunch. When the costs start to rise because of dwindling supply they will call a foul and ask the government for help in curbing their energy consuming bellies.
The power companies aren’t waiting for Washington to “jump on the gas bandwagon” as it were. Moreover, with the impending energy legislation, calculating cost has changed dramatically, “coal may still be cheaper, but natural gas emits half as much carbon” – so what? We need to curb the national energy appetites before we switch to a ‘low-carb’ plan.
What’s the best way for you to lower your energy usage today?
For more information on natural gas prices and energy conservation click here.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Wed, Dec 30, 2009
Save Energy and Reduce Your Personal Carbon Footprint
The recent Copenhagen climate summit (see our previous post) was all about reducing worldwide carbon emissions, in effect, finding ways to reduce the planet’s carbon footprint. On a global scale, squabbling between nations at Copenhagen showed how difficult it will be to manage our carbon footprint on a global scale. Perhaps global change will come one individual at a time. While governments bicker over politics, individual Lorain County residents can take immediate steps to save energy and reduce their personal carbon footprint. It may be a small step, but all those small steps will add up.
So What is Your Carbon Footprint?
Your personal carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your life has on your environment. Your carbon footprint is the approximate measure of the amount of greenhouse gasses, particularly carbon dioxide, that are created as you go about your daily life. We’re not talking just the obvious things like how much CO2 is created from the gasoline you burn while driving your car around Lorain County or the amount of CO2 vented into the atmosphere from heating your Lorain County home. We’re also talking about indirect emissions, the carbon dioxide created to produce the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the electricity you use, etc. Nearly everything we use creates some amount of carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming. Click here to calculate your personal carbon footprint.
There are many things Lorain County residents can easily do to save energy and reduce their personal carbon footprint. Turning off lights when not in use and turning down your thermostat a degree or two will begin to decrease your carbon foot print immediately. Installing energy-efficient Energy Star appliances, particularly energy-saving furnaces and air conditioners will reap huge rewards in carbon savings.
Next time: Ways to reduce your carbon footprint
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Dec 18, 2009
Save Water with an Energy-Efficient Energy Star Water Heater
With global warming, saving water has become a group effort. Having your plumbing professional install water-efficient low-flow and dual-flush toilets can cut a family’s water use by as much as one-third. Trading in your old hot water heater on an energy-efficient Energy Star water heater can also result in significant savings in both water and energy. But not all water-saving efforts need to be major changes. There are also plenty of things you can do around your home to save water. Most take little effort and will result in a nice savings on your water bill. Good for you and the planet!
Water Saving Tips at Home
- Install twist-on aerators on sink faucets to reduce water use.
- Install a low-flow shower head in the shower. Practice the art of the quick shower or turn off water while you suds up, turn on to rinse off.
- Turn off water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Wait until you have a full load to run dishwashers and clothes washers.
- Instead of washing fruits and veggies under a running tap, wash them in a pan of water.
- Buy a rain barrel and use collected rain water to irrigate your garden.
- When you wash your car, don’t let the hose run. Park your car on the grass so water soaks into your lawn.
- Use a broom, not a hose to clean your driveway.
- Turn off automatic lawn sprinklers when it rains and use a timer to regulate watering.
- Use a soaker hose to water plants. Overhead sprinklers waste water, but soakers direct water right to plant roots.
- Mulching garden beds will decrease evaporation and help soil retain moisture.
- Plant native plants that require less watering.
Contact your plumbing professional to install an energy-efficient Energy Star water heater or for more water saving advice.