Energy Articles | Energy Conservation and Electric Deregulation

Connecticut Utility Rates in Jeopardy to Repay 203M Following October Storm

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:27:47 -0600

Many Connecticut homeowners found themselves in disarray back in October when an unanticipated Nor'easter crashed through the state and much of the northeast. While Connecticut may have in fact endured far worse storms in regard to snowfall and other measures, the October 2011 Nor'easter has proven itself one for the record books. The storm is projected to cost $203M and left 830,000 Connecticut residents without power, some for more than ten days.

Do Residents Have to Pay?

Regardless of the amount of money to be repaid, Connecticut residents will be expected to help fund the millions, $162.8M alone goes to CL&P restoration. So how much could ratepayers pay? The Northeast Utilities spokesperson announced a predicted $144M from Connecticut ratepayers.

Thankfully, the CL&P rates have already been proposed and set throughout much of 2012. Though some paperwork can and may be submitted by the utilities for a rate change. Any rate change documents must first be reviewed and approved, to be followed by a public hearing.

The Effects

This wasn't the sole disaster Northeasterners would endure this year, the coast also endured the brute strength of Tropical Storm Irene, which caused power outages, flooding, and destruction-all of which would amount to $92M.

Such expenses would appear vast until the October Nor'easter; now Irene pales in comparison. In addition, the power outages were less numerous and short-lived.

Connecticut has not been the only state in disarray following the October storm. Massachusetts and New Hampshire have reported millions in expenses. Though these states also report high numbers in repairs, the ratepayers in the two states have far less potential repayment to have to worry about- an estimated $34M between the two states.

Deregulation

With the potential of a rate change in Connecticut and the high demand for electricity, Connecticut residents are encouraged to consider the most affordable route for their electricity. The state, one of the several deregulated in the nation, opens the door for residents to reduce their monthly payments now and in the future.

As the utility may increase their price, there is always benefit in finding the least expensive supplier in the area. Some independent suppliers offer fixed rate plans for the next year, some stability for the seemingly unstable Connecticut electric market.

Options for Residents

Whether or not the utilities instate a rate change, there is money to be paid. Since these costs have occurred to return power to the residents, it only makes sense to pay for some of the expenses. However, payment should come at much debate not merely through the utility.

Remain up to date on CT electric rates in your area, check in with the local utility regarding the matter of possible rate change, and seek a less expensive supplier to provide some sort of peace of mind.

JCP&L Under Review for Nearly $86 Million in Overearnings from 2010

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:13:08 -0600

It's never a good feeling being told you've been swindled, "had", used, and lied to by a company. And perhaps that isn't even being told to Jersey Central Power and Light customers just yet-as JCP&L is under investigation for nearly $86 million in overearnings during 2010. This may even reach into other years, but as of right now 2010 is the only year that has been researched or under further investigation.

Where the Allegations Arose

According to Stefanie Brand, director of the state's Division of Rate Counsel, JCP&L has earned far more than they should have in 2010 by upwards of $86 million- a high number that has authorities and customers concerned. Unfortunately, this case could get worse as Brand has only made allegations and accusations regarding 2010, but there is possibility that this infraction very well could have occurred in other years prior. Though there is no evidence to prove either way, some customers must feel the need to have this sorted out.

The Evidence

As the saying goes, "hindsight is 20/20," and many are looking into this and thinking that the signs were all there. Brand and her affiliates have indicated several notable cues that should have caused alerts, but at least now are being noted in the case against the JCP&L.

Brand and her affiliates noted that the JCP&L had not sought an increase in rate of return from their services making for a lack in transparency as Brand notes that the JCP&L didn't ask for any rate increases and yet their expenses may have decreases meaning they received more return. Something that needs to be identified and communicated to the BPU and/or the state's Division of Rate Counsel.

Could this have been an oversight?

The Final Straw

Brand may have been willing to see this as a harmless act of error or oversight, but there's more that has led to the accusations. Unfortunately, the utility was falling behind others when trying to help its customers regain their electricity after Hurricane Irene and actually "underscored" findings. Thus, a consultant examined the case, Robert Henkes.

"My review indicates that JCP&L's actual 2010 return on rate base for its total electric operations amounts to 12.37 percent, which is substantially in excess of JCP&L's adjusted BPU-authorized return on rate base of 8.75 percent," said Henkes.

In addition, Henkes found that the rates were unreasonable in comparison to other company's rates and BPU-authorizations.

Despite the harsh numbers and findings, JCP&L is denying the claims and says that their rates are reasonable and there isn't reason for them to file a rate change, but they will comply if asked.

Energy Utility Bills Increase by 5 Percent in Massachusetts

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:12:16 -0600

The latest news from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. (WMECO) is a bit of a catch-22 in that there has been a decrease in one area only to avail and increase in another. So, how is the public to receive such news? Are locals going to have difficulty adapting to this increase? If Massachusetts weren’t deregulated than there may be a bit more of a backlash, but seeing as customers of WMECO have options, this alteration may not exactly cause as much of an uproar as possible.

The Increase and Decrease in Price

The teetering WMECO network of customers is about to experience the highs and lows of this local utility. Although the utility’s delivery costs are dropping in 2012, there will be an increase of about 5% in customers’ total utility bill. Though not set in stone, these changes must first be approved by the state.

It appears that the decrease in delivery fees is actually in place to lessen the blow of an increase in supply rates, which will drive a customers’ bill to be about 5% higher than previous months. This 5% increase is actually an average released by spokeswoman Sandra Ahearn.

If one reads between the lines, some customers will not see much of a change, while others may see more than 5% increase in bills. This is of course only for customers who receive their electricity through WMECO instead of a competitive supplier.

Competitive Suppliers

Not exactly thrilled to take your chances with the 5% average? Well, thankfully Massachusetts is a deregulated state where customers can choose among several electric suppliers. There are several, all of which have their own MA electricity rates, plans, and services. Though you will avoid the increase in prices by choosing a different supplier than WMECO, you must be sure to review all the fine print and understand what you’re signing up for-as some are fixed rate plans and others aren’t.

Make sure to ask valuable questions such as, "Am I bound to this plan by a contract? Are there any discontinuation fees should I choose to stop the services?"

Uncertain whether it’s worth it to start seeking an alternative? CEO of WMECO Peter Clarke thinks it might be time for some customers to do just that! In a statement, Clarke says, "The increase in price is likely a reflection of seasonality and we encourage customers to shop for a competitive supply price."

Timeframe for Price Change

According to the Berkshire Eagle, the price changes will take place in January 2012 with the decrease in delivery taking place on January 1 and the increase in supply increasing on February 1.

Although this change in price may seem a bit intense to some customers, this isn’t all that rare for WMECO as they make changes to their prices about twice a year: January and July.

At the end of the day it’s great that Massachusetts’ residents and businesses can benefit from choosing their own supplier. If WMECO were in an unregulated state, customers would have to withstand the change in price.

Is Connecticut Doomed To Power Outages

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:37:39 -0600

The state of Connecticut has been hit hard by storms this year. Hurricane Irene was the big one, of course. However, different parts of the state have been hit by various rain and snowstorms that have left customers without electricity for days. Some state residents are wondering if this is the "new normal" or if there is something that can be done to improve the situation so that they retain electricity even in the face of natural disaster.

It would be unreasonable to expect that all utility lines remain up and running during huge storms. However, many customers feel that they are not asking too much to have their utility restored in a prompt, timely manner. People are often without power and heat for days following a storm, and many say that this should not be accepted as a normal situation.

In fact, Connecticut House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, D-Meriden has proposed that the state of Connecticut pass legislation that would hold CL&P and UI more accountable in the aftermath of storms. He reports that Massachusetts has a law that requires all utilities to restore 95% of power service within 72 hours following a storm. He'd like to see the same thing happen in Connecticut and many customers agree.

Although they don't like it, customers are reluctantly accepting that things may remain this way for the time being. They are stocking up on flashlights and buying backup generators. They are installing wood stoves in the home because they seem like a more reliable heat source than what the utility companies are providing. Hopefully, though, the voice of the consumers will rise up and start forcing the major utilities to do a better job in dealing with power losses caused by storms.

Source: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/state/article_93c1fdd0-0823-11e1-a9be-001cc4c002e0.html

League City Texas Gets First Smart Meters

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:05:58 -0600

There is something in the air in Texas. All throughout the state the delivery of energy is changing thanks to the rollout of new smart meters. These smart meters will offer a number of benefits to customers all along the energy grid. Energy customers in League City are about to see these benefits since the rollout recently launched in their area.

There are numerous potential benefits of switching to smart meters. Those benefits include:

o Customers can monitor their own energy use. People are getting smarter and smarter about finding ways to reduce their energy waste in the home. Smart meters allow customers to track their usage as they make energy-saving changes in the home. In the same way that tracking your spending helps you to save more money, tracking your energy use with smart meters helps you to save more energy.

o Enhanced ability to take advantage of peak and non-peak times. The better tracking offered by smart meters makes it possible for energy companies to truly know when the peak and off-peak times are and to offer discounts to people who are willing to reduce their energy use during peak times. This helps individuals to save money on energy bills and also reduces strain on the energy grid to prevent outages.

o Quicker response to outages. Smart meters provide information to the electric company in a fast fashion, which means that the company has the ability to respond more quickly when outages threaten or actually occur.

o More privacy. If you've ever felt uncomfortable about having the meter reader come into your yard then you'll be happy to know that smart meters eliminate this issue.

The League City rollout is the first part of a statewide smart meter rollout by Texas New Mexico Power. The rollout in this area will take until mid-2012, at which time more than 30,000 residences and 3000 additional businesses will have smart meters. Texas New Mexico Power will then move on to other Texas areas including Dickinson, Texas city, La Marque and Friendswood although some of those rollouts will not begin until 2013.

Source: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/bay_area/news/texas-new-mexico-power-rolls-out-first-smart-meters-in/article_f0ee761d-c5db-5a84-9d8e-931dee96e498.html

More Home Energy Improvements Needed by Most Americans

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:30:11 -0600

There are many different things that you can do to make your home more energy efficient. You can update your heating and cooling systems. You can install energy-efficient appliances and home upgrades. You can get a home energy audit to find out where your home is losing energy and then make changes to make the home more efficient. Making these small efforts can save a lot of money on utility bills and is also a good eco-friendly action to take. In spite of this, most Americans aren’t doing these things according to a new Energy Pulse study.

The Energy Pulse study has been conducted every year for the past seven years. The goal is to find out what steps Americans are taking to improve the efficiency of their homes. The results of this year’s study are not good. Some of the findings include:

o 58% people of people have failed to install more energy-efficient windows

o 61% have not taken advantage of the benefits of installing extra home insulation

o 63% have not updated their home heating and home cooling system to a more efficient option

o More than 75% of people have failed to install a high-efficiency hot water heater

One great way to find out where your home is losing the most energy is to get a home energy audit. Unfortunately, Americans are not doing that either. One out of three people say that they think they do need to get one but less than half of those surveyed thought that they would actually following through with doing it. Only 15% of those surveyed have gotten a home energy audit despite the fact that getting one is simple and can go a long way towards improving home energy efficiency.

Unsurprisingly, people do say that if their utility bills went up a lot they would make these changes. Surprisingly, though, the poorest people would require the biggest price hike to make a change. The survey found that people earning six figures annually would need to see an increase of $113 per month in order to make energy efficiency changes at home whereas people earning less than $25,000 per year would require a price increase of $120 per month to make the same change. This points to a need to educate consumers about the cost-saving benefits available with some low-cost efficiency updates to the home!

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/energy-efficiency/americans-not-making-great-progress-home-energy-efficiency-improvements.html

No Power, No Heat and Higher Bills in NJ

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:01:12 -0600

New Jersey state residents have been greatly affected by storms this year. Electricity goes out fordays before it is restored. This means that people are suffering with no power and no heat, just waiting for their utility company to get things back on track. Worse yet, they are being asked to pay higher costs to reimburse utility companies like PSE&G.

Utility companies say that they have incurred a huge cost trying to restore power to customers in recent storms. For example, PSE&G said it cost them more than $40 million to restore power to customers after Hurricane Irene. They want to charge a rate increase to recoup nearly $30 million of that expense. Their argument is that customers typically cover the cost of outage restoration but that standard electrical charges don't cover the extreme damage of such large storms. Customers argue that they aren't happy with the restoration actions of the utility companies and therefore don't want to be charged for the inconvenience that they experienced.

PSE&G is not the only utility company that is seeking to increase rates because of recent New Jersey storms. Orange & Rockland and Jersey Central Power and Light both incurred huge costs thanks to the storms and are also seeking to pass those costs on to customers. Customers aren't going to know for months or maybe even years weather or not these rate increases will be approved. It is a slow process involving the Public Board of Utilities. Nevertheless, customers are eager to speak out immediately against the rate hikes. After all, why should a customer have to pay a higher NJ electric rate to get electricity and heat back after a storm when that should be a normal practice for a utility company?

Source: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/55707--storm-rate-hikes-could-be-on-the-horizon-in-nj

IL Governor Says No to Higher Electric Rates

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:34:18 -0600

If you were asked whether or not you wanted to pay higher rates for your electricity, you would probably say no. And if you live in the state of Illinois, the governor is on your side. Gov. Pat Quinn has vetoed a bill that would have raised electric rates. However, people who are supportive of the bill say that they don't believe that the veto will stand because they will not be able to secure enough votes in the State House and Senate to override the veto.

There are some decent arguments to be made for the bill that was vetoed by the governor. The core reason for the electric rate increase would be to improve the state's power grid, ultimately allowing better electric service for customers. It would provide the funding necessary for adding smart meters to the state's electric grid. These meters are designed to provide consumers with energy-saving information to lower their bills over time as well as to allow utility companies to provide quicker customer service in response to outages.

However, the governor (among many others) doesn't think that customers should have to pay the cost for those upgrades. The governor says that the rate increase is unfair and that there aren't enough benefits for consumers to justify the cost. He knows that there is an intention to try to override his veto but says that it is his belief that alternative legislation should be worked out instead. He would like to see a plan put in place by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

In the meantime, there are actions that customers can take to lower IL electric bill. You don't need a smart meter installed at home to learn about your energy use. You can use energy-saving technology, switch to a lower cost energy supplier and work with green companies to reduce your own electric bill regardless of what the state decides about rate raises.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PNM5V02.htm

Enthusiasm for Underground Power Lines Wanes Due to Cost

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:19:35 -0600

Every big power outage is immediately followed by talk about the benefits of burying power lines underground. This would protect power lines against damage during major storms, reducing the likelihood of widespread and long-lasting outages. However, enthusiasm for the idea tends to fade quickly after the storms disappear because the cost of moving lines underground is just too high to make it feasible in most areas.

We saw this exact scenario happen recently in the Northeastern United States in the wake of Hurricane Irene. States like Connecticut and Vermont went without power for more than a full day due to outages caused by the storm. While the power was out there was a lot of talk about how such a problem could be prevented in the future if only the lines were buried underground. Once the power was back up and running, though, the conversation changed.

State legislators and representatives from major utility companies like Connecticut Light and Power say that this type of response to a major outage is understandable but burying power lines is not financially realistic. It costs more than four times as much to put a power line underground than it does to put it above ground, a cost as high as $3.5 million per mile for underground lines. Utility companies like CL&P are unwilling to pay that tab. They would be happy to make the change but only if the towns or private individuals choose to foot the bill.

Some legislators believe that the cost may be worth it for their towns. State governments face serious economic losses in the face of major disasters such as hurricanes. Some Connecticut officials would like to see a study done to weigh the costs and benefits of paying to move power lines underground. For now, though, those lines remain above ground, where they are not properly protected from storm damage.

Source: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Underground-lines-can-inspire-sticker-shock-2154315.php#page-1

Businesses Testing How Electric Cars Will Affect Austin Smart Grid

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:05:19 -0500

More and more people are considering the benefits of switching over to electric cars in the next few years. One of the things we aren’t sure, yet, though is how it is going to affect the electric grid if that happens. Pecan Street is an Austin, Texas organization that is helping to study the possible impact that electric car adoption could have on smart grid development in the area. And Austin is really the perfect place for such research.

What is Pecan Street?

Pecan Street is a research and development organization with headquarters at The University of Texas at Austin. They are working to study and develop smart grids to provide a stronger TX electric system that is also more energy-efficient. They are also studying water and natural gas use in the test area. Pecan Street’s biggest project is the Pecan Street Demonstration, an Austin based research project to develop and test a clean energy smart grid in up to 1000 homes and 74 businesses in the Austin area over the next five years.

Electric Car Adoption

As part of the project, residents in the research area have been offered the opportunity to purchase a highly discounted electric car (A new Chevy Volt) to help test how adoption of plug-in vehicles will affect the smart grid. In addition to general research into the impact of the vehicles, there will be research done into integrating car charging with solar power options.

Texas is a Perfect Market

Austin is an ideal setting for researching smart grid development for a number of reasons. One core reason is that deregulation of energy in the state means that energy companies are interested and willing to offer their customers different ways to monitor and conserve energy. Another reason is that Austin has new green-built neighborhoods that can be compared with older neighborhoods to obtain the most information possible about the benefits of a smart grid. What is learned in Austin will help to provide energy-saving information for people throughout the nation.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/us/austin-studies-power-grid-including-plug-in-cars.html?_r=1

New WMECO Electricity Towers are Stronger and Better

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:25:14 -0500

The Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) has been steadily adding new electricity towers to its service area. These new towers are stronger than their old counterparts and that means that they are better able to stand up in storms. They are also better in the sense that they can carry the greater weight of new transmission lines that have higher wattage. The result is that there is more power in the service area.

WMECO is installing these new structures and corresponding new overhead electricity lines across twenty three miles of land between Ludlow and Southwick. This area has seen a large increase in the demand for electricity in the past few decades and the new power towers are designed to help meet that demand. The new structures can handle a much higher voltage which basically means that there can be more power moved around the area in a much more efficient manner.

The increase in power capacity is the main purpose of these new electricity towers but there’s the added benefit that the towers are stronger than older towers. This means that they can hold up better in inclement weather, particularly in terms of winter storms when high winds and thick ice accumulation had caused problems for their older towers.

How will this affect you if you are WMECO customer? Actually, that’s a little bit unclear at this point. The project is costing nearly $800 million but it hasn’t been stated whether this will lead to a change in customer’s WMECO electric bill. The good news is that service shouldn’t be affected in any way during the construction which is set to be complete by late 2013.

Source: http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/hampden/wmeco-installing-new-electricity-towers

2000 BGE Customers Benefits from Upgrades to Prevent Power Loss

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:18:22 -0500

Baltimore Gas & Electric customers have things to worry about whenever a storm hits their area. In addition to any other concerns that they may have about the damage to their homes and lives, they have to worry about being without power. However, BGE is trying to make changes that will result in fewer power outages for their customers. Changes that they are already in the process of implementing should result in improved service and fewer outages for at least 2000 Harford County customers in the near future.

The actions that BGE have taken or plan to take in the immediate future include:

o $1 million investment in new equipment. This is both above and underground equipment. The main purpose of this investment is short-term relief from the outage problem while the entire system is being upgraded.

o Cable in the service area will be replaced.

o A new transformer will be installed.

o A new circuit is to be created. The purpose of these changes is to allow for load increases to be managed efficiently without having to actually send a crew out to the area. This reduces the amount of time necessary to react to a possible outage, either preventing it or making its duration shorter.

BGE is currently in the design and permitting stage of an upgrade plan that will cost $5 million but should result in significantly reduced outages during storms in their service area. There is a clear need for such updates considering that there were nine power outages just this summer alone and that some of them lasted many hours.

Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-08-02/news/bs-md-ha-power-outages-20110802_1_outages-bge-kevin-l-bernhard

Can IL Utilities Offer Upgrade to Prevent Outages

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:56:29 -0500

Major utility companies in the state of Illinois want to update their electric system in order to prevent power outages during big storms. However, they are at odds with state authorities and therefore the plan may not move forward. For now, big storms often mean power outages in this state.

ComEd, the largest electric utility in the state, is pushing hard to get the updates approved. However, many authorities in the state say that ComEd is being too ambitious with its plan. The governor of Illinois, the utility regulators and various consumer advocates all say that although it’s a great idea to update the electric system, it’s not something that ComEd or neighboring utility company Ameren Illinois can actually afford to make happen.

It is no wonder that ComEd wants to make changes to prevent outages caused by storms. There have been ten large storms in their service area this year, leaving their customers without power for sometimes days at a time. The largest of the storms, which occurred on July 11, 2011, caused a loss of power for almost one million customers. Dealing with it led to a cost of $80 million.

What ComEd wants is a Smart Grid program. They are seeking the governor’s signature on Senate Bill 1652, a 10 year plan costing $2.5+ billion. So far, they are being met with resistance. The problem is that the cost would be passed on to customers. Although it has the potential to save customers money in the long run, authorities are concerned about placing the burden of upgrades on consumers rather than on the utility companies themselves. This is an ongoing battle.

Sources: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576488512668810974.html, http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110815/news/708159767/

Electric Safety Tips for Dorm Rooms

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:27:22 -0500

Parents worry about many different things when their children head off to live in a dorm room. They worry about everything from whether their kid will get homesick to whether they will make it on time to classes. But one thing that they don’t often worry about - but should - is how safe the electricity is in the dorm room. Dorms are often in old buildings with outdated wiring and this can cause serious risks that can easily lead to fires in dorm rooms.

Here are some electric safety tips for teens who are living in dorms (or anyone living in a small space with old wiring!)

Follow the rule that one outlet = one appliance. This can be tough. Dorm rooms have many different electrical appliances, from computers to small refrigerators. Nevertheless, it is important for safety reasons that only one appliance be plugged into each outlet at any given time. And no, you can’t just plug in a power strip and then plug a bunch of stuff into that. Power strips should never be used as a long-term solution. One outlet = one appliance.

Pay attention to the space around your appliances. Any appliance that generates heat can lead to a fire if anything is too close to the item. You want to make sure that you keep papers, fabric and all other items at least a short distance away from all appliances when they are plugged in. This includes not hanging clothing or towels close to items like light bulbs.

Pay attention to your cords and outlets. Check them regularly and see if they feel warm to the touch. If they do then there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. It’s time to contact campus housing staff (or landlords if you’re an off-campus renter).

Turn off and / or unplug electrical equipment that is not in use. Every time that you leave a dorm room, you should check to make sure that you’ve turned off everything that runs on electricity. People who have trouble remembering to do this should consider switching out their existing appliances for ones with automatic shutoff features.

Most colleges have guidelines for their dorm rooms. Encourage your teen to read the rules and follow them to stay safe!

Source: http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/wiltonbulletin/news/localnews/101551-clap-offers-dormitory-safety-tips-.html

2011 Summer Crisis Program Offers Relief for Ohioans

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:54:00 -0500

Summertime in Ohio can be extremely hot and, in turn, quite expensive. Did you know that more than 50% of the average Ohio homeowner’s summer energy expenses go towards cooling their home? It’s true. And if Mother Nature consistently deals us 90-degree days, that percentage can increase, resulting in very expensive summer energy bills.

Fortunately for Ohio residents of Marion, Crawford, and Morrow counties, there is some relief in sight. Thanks to the 2011 Summer Crisis Program, which received an initial grant of more than $140,000, eligible residents can receive a payment up to $175 towards their summer electric bill. They may also receive an oscillating fan to help keep cool during hot months. Using a fan alone can help a room to feel up to three degrees cooler than it actually is.

Last summer the crisis program helped more than 1,100 households in the three counties with an initial grant of more than $150,000 and nearly $23,000 added later to meet increased demand. The program’s leaders believe if demand is high this year as well, the state of Ohio will once again increase funding for the program.

To be eligible for the 2011 Summer Crisis Program, residents of Marion, Crawford, and Morrow counties must meet the following criteria.

- Total household income must equal 200% or less of this year’s federal poverty guidelines.
- Applicants younger than age 60 needing help paying their summer electric bill and/or an oscillating fan are required to present a statement from his or her medical physician or Registered Nurse Practitioner (applicants 60 years old or older are not required to present a signed medical statement).

Applicants must provide the following when applying for the 2011 Summer Crisis Program:

- recent Ohio heating and Ohio electric bills;
- Social Security numbers for all members of the household;
- income statements for the previous 13 weeks for all members of the household;
- a doctor’s note or proof of disability, if required.

Residents do not have to present a disconnect notice from their utility company to be eligible for assistance. The 2011 Summer Crisis Program will be available to qualified residents of Ohio’s Marion, Crawford, and Morrow counties until August 31, 2011. To make an appointment, call 866-861-6421.

National Grid Agrees to $1.2 Million Settlement for 2010 Winter Storm

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:43:56 -0500

Residents of Massachusetts expect harsh weather conditions during the wintermonths. Most simply think of it as part of living in the chilly northeastern region of the United States. Unfortunately, on December 26, 2010, one of the largest power companies in the Northeast, National Grid, did not expect to receive - and was not prepared to receive - a truly significant winter storm in their service area.

One such storm did occur, however, and left more than 110,000 Massachusetts residents without power for an extended period of time. The storm also resulted in hundreds of downed wires, threatening public safety. Due to National Grid's initial miscalculation of the storm's expected impact, the company's response to the storm's aftermath and to its millions of powerless customers was significantly delayed.

As a result of this severe winter storm, which crippled much of Massachusetts on December 26 and several days afterwards, National Grid has agreed to a $1.2 million

settlement for its customers. This is in addition to $1 million National Grid allocated in June 2011 for training and service improvements, as well as for charitable contributions.

Much of the training funds have been set aside for police and firefighters in the affected Massachusetts towns, preparing these community leaders for a variety of emergency responses, including the necessary knowledge and safety precautions required for dealing with downed wires. According to the settlement, consumers will not be responsible for the costs to National Grid Massachusetts that resulted from the 2010 winter storm.

National Grid provides electric and gas service to millions of Americans in the Northeast, including residents and business-owners throughout New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. The company's leaders hope this settlement will benefit their customers, restore a positive public image, lead to improvements in National Grid's internal and external communications, improve storm response and public safety, and prevent similar mishaps in the future.

PEPCO Wants to Trim Your Trees

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:37:28 -0500

Large utility company PEPCO wants some residents in its service area to let them cut down the trees on their personal property. PEPCO says that this is necessary because the trees are posing a threat to utility lines. However, hundreds of residents want PEPCO to stay out of their yards. It's caused a huge standoff.

PEPCO says that the work needs to be done. They claim that trees falling over during storms and knocking over power lines are responsible for nine out of ten power outages. They want to be proactive and prevent the problem rather than trying to take care of outages after they occur. To that end they have trimmed trees along nearly 2000 miles of utility lines. And yet they've been stopped or delayed more than 600 times by property owners who want PEPCO to get off of their land.

In Montgomery County, Maryland alone there are nearly 300 homeowners who will not let PEPCO come on to their property to trim their trees. They say that they don't believe that the trees are necessarily posing a threat to utility lines. Moreover they are worried that PEPCO isn't going to do a good job of the work and they will be left with unsightly trees in their yards.

PEPCO seems to be getting a little bit fed up with the problem. They have asked members of the County Council in Montgomery to step in and require the residents to allow PEPCO on to the property to trim the trees. PEPCO suggests that a neutral opinion from the county arborist about the need to trim the trees might appease residents and allow the work to move forward.

The council members, however, question whether paying the arborist to do this is something that should come out of the county's budget. They note that PEPCO electric utilties is ranked in the lowest twenty five percent of providers when it comes to performance and this is true during times of good weather when fallen trees are clearly not the problem. The situation currently remains unresolved.

Source: http://www.gazette.net/article/20110720/NEWS/707209656/1022/pepco-seeks-greater-authority-to-trim-trees-on-private-property-in&template=gazette

ComEd Power Grid Is Failing

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:01:49 -0500

We all understand that when a big storm hits an area there is some chance that our power will go out for a little while. We may not like it, and we may push to work with energy companies that limit such outages, but we understand that it happens. However, even the most understanding person would be rightfully upset if a power outage that happened on a Monday left them without power all the way through Saturday. And yet that's exactly what happened recently to tens of thousands of ComEd customers in northern Illinois.

The storm that ripped through Northern Illinois was a big storm but it wasn't actually unusually large. It wasn't a huge hurricane. It didn't even end up causing a single tornado. It was just a big storm. And yet the storm resulted in a power outage for more than three quarters of a million Northern Illinois ComEd customers. Some of them were lucky enough to have their power restored in a relatively timely manner but tens of thousands of them went without residential power for more than five days.

Think about what it would be like to live in your home with no power for five days. How exactly would you spend your time? How would you cool your home? How would you cook your food? These customers had little choice but to figure out the answers to these questions until ComEd was able to get the power up and running days after the storm. Surely they are concerned that the next big storm will just bring the same problem again.

ComEd wants to create a smart grid system. They have been using the example of this big storm and resulting huge power outages to lobby for the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act, which would allow them to create the smart grid. The smart grid would help to monitor electricity demand so that energy production can be shifted around to reduce outages. It would also reportedly help in getting power up and running faster after an outage. However, not all residents want to pay the added cost that would show up on their ComEd electric bill in order to create this smart grid. The legislation faces the treat of a veto from the state's governor.

Source: http://www.nwherald.com/2011/07/19/power-grid-inadequate/a1fe0qw/

How to Find the Most Energy Efficient NJ Electric Water Heater

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:54:31 -0500

Water heating can account for up to 25% of a New Jersey home’s energy expenses.We use heated water to wash clothes, wash dishes, take showers, cook, and much more. To save money on energy and water bills, it’s important to find the most energy efficient NJ electric water heater available for consumers. Before we cover the ins and outs of water heating, let’s take a closer look at why many New Jersey families prefer electric water heaters over gas water heaters.

Electric vs. Gas

While NJ natural gas prices tend to be less expensive than NJ electric rates, many New Jersey homeowners still choose electric water heaters over gas water heaters. That’s because electric water heaters are cheaper to both buy and install. Plus electric water heaters are, in general, more efficient than gas water heaters because they lack a continuously-burning pilot light. Studies show that tank electric water heaters lose roughly 20% of the heat they generate due to standby loss, while gas tank water heaters may lose up to 45%.

So it seems that electric water heaters are both cheaper and more efficient than gas water heaters, but how can you find the most energy efficient NJ electric water heater? You must start by learning the basics of water heating.

Tank vs. Tankless Electric Water Heaters

The two most common types of water heaters are electric water heaters and gas water heaters. However, these fuel-types come in a wide variety of options, including the two most popular water heating unit-types: tank water heaters and tankless water heaters.

Tank electric water heaters hold up to 80 gallons of heated water in a large storage tank. The water is continuously heated in the tank to a preset temperature, typically around 140°F. Because the water in a tank water heater is always kept at such a high temperature, it incurs standby heat loss and wastes energy. In this way, a tank electric water heater is not as efficient as a model that does not incur standby losses, such as a tankless water heater.

A tankless electric water heater does not hold gallons and gallons of hot water in a large storage tank. Rather, this energy-efficient method of water heating simply heats water as it’s needed, or "on demand." When you turn on a hot water faucet in your home, a tankless water heater heats the water instantly. When you turn off the faucet, it stops heating water. In this way, no water or energy is wasted, making a tankless water heater a very energy efficient type of electric water heater.

How to Make the Most of your NJ Electric Water Heater

There are many ways to maximize the energy efficiency of your NJ electric water heater, whether it is a tank system or a tankless system.

1. Choose the right size for your family - You should base the size of your electric water heater on the size of your family and/or hot water needs. Large families require larger electric water heaters that either have a large storage tank (for a tank water heater), or a high flow rate and temperature rise (for a tankless water heater). Installing an electric water heater that is too large for your NJ family, however, will simply waste energy and cost more money to use.

2. Insulate a tank electric water heater - Just like you insulate your attic and basement to protect it from heat loss, it’s important to insulate a tank electric water heater as well. Water heater insulation jackets cost as little as $15 and can save nearly 10% of the energy it takes to heat water.

3. Lower the water heating temperature - To make your NJ electric water heater more energy efficient, simply lower the water heating temperature. Many electric water heaters have a default setting of 140°F, which not only wastes energy but also poses the threat of scalding. Most NJ households can lower their water heater temperature to around 120°F. This will lower your water heating bills, increase energy efficiency, and lengthen the life of your electric water heater.

As you can see, there are many factors to take into consideration when trying to find the most energy efficient NJ electric water heater. A tankless electric water heater is perhaps the most energy efficient, but you can increase the efficiency of a tank electric water heater by installing the smallest size possible and insulating its storage tank.

CT Energy Costs to Decline Over Next 6 - 12 Months

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:45:57 -0500

Connecticut residents often find that the news about energy in their state isn't good. For example, the state's two major electricity providers have been ranked among the lowest in the entire nation when it comes to customer service. But every once in awhile Connecticut gets some good energy news and that happened recently when Commissioner Dan Esty announced that he expects energy rates to decrease considerably over the course of the next six months to one year.

The decrease comes thanks to changes in the laws as to how the energy companies procure their energy. Utilities have been buying their electricity three to four years into the future but new changes allow the companies to take better advantage of the ebbs and flows in energy prices. Utility companies can see when prices are low in certain markets and take advantage of that to offer lower rates to customers.

Recently approved legislation in the state merges the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Utility Control for the purpose of centralizing the state's energy policy and focusing on energy efficiency and reduced energy costs. The agency will assess future electric demands and determine how to best meet those demands, taking that power away from the utility companies and putting it in the hands of the government.

There are mixed feelings about the change but Esty says that it will result in rate drops that would of course please residents. He didn't make any predictions about the amount of the rate decrease but said it would be "measurable". One of the state's large utility companies predicted a drop of 5 - 10 % in January 2012.

Whatever ends up happening with this legislation and the results it produces, don't forget that there are many things that you can do to lower your own CT electricity bill. Smart choices for reducing energy waste around the home combined with switching to a lower cost energy provider can help keep your bills low.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9O4ESHO1.htm

Texas Energy Bills Decreasing Despite High Temps

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:34:57 -0500

One of the things that Texans dread each year is the summer heat. Even if you happen to be one of the few peoplewho enjoy the triple digit weather, you may find yourself distressed by the fact that it typically means that your energy bills go up as you try to cool off your home. Luckily things seem to be a little bit different this year for some Texas residents who are finding that their electricity bills are staying low despite the fact that the temperatures are up.

The trick is to make sure to take advantage of the lowest per-kWh price that is offered in the area at any given time. There has been a huge fluctuation in prices from one month to the next and one company to the next. For example, some customers find that their rate is 6 cents per kWh one month and then double that the following month. If you can lock in a rate at the low end of that spectrum then you can keep your energy bills fairly low in spite of increased use of electricity to cool off the home during these hot summer months.

The main thing to make sure about when you lock in these rates is that you're not locking yourself into a variable rate plan. Make sure that you are choosing a fixed rate plan at the low rate. This keeps the price at the rate that you expect to pay and helps you budget for your summer electricity spending.

And, of course, you should still do what you can to reduce your own energy usage in the home as much as possible to keep your bills as low as they can be. Leaving the home during the hottest times of day so that you don't have to use energy to cool it off at that time is one key way that you can lower your TX electric bill.

Source: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/business/Summer-Heats-Up-Electric-Rates-Simmer-Down-125116504.html

HDTV Set-Top Boxes Waste More Energy Than Your Fridge!

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:58:36 -0500

Do you use an HDTV set top box in your home? If you were paying diligent attention to your energy bills then you may have noticed a huge increase in costs after you introduced this new appliance to your home. In some cases, the set top box can actually use more energy than your home’s refrigerator, adding considerable cost to your monthly bills. This is due primarily to vampire energy and is something that you may want to think about when budgeting your monthly household bills.

The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that eight out of ten homes in the U.S. currently subscribe to pay TV services and more than 150 million homes use set-top boxes for their viewing. The annual energy required to operate all of those set-top boxes is equivalent to the annual household electricity consumption of the entire state of Maryland, a cost exceeding $3 billion not to mention its impact on the environment.

Not all set-top boxes are equally to blame. A regular no-frills set-top box uses about the same amount of power as your desktop computer, which is a lot but not excessive for most homes. However, if you’ve added DVR functionality to your set-top box then energy use increases to a level exceeding that of a 21 cubic foot refrigerator. Wow! Two thirds of this is due solely to the vampire energy that is draining because of the fact that these devices are always on, twenty-four hours per day.

Hopefully this is on its way to changing. Energy Star is working on creating better guidelines for these relatively new home devices. Increased awareness of the problem will also help consumers make smarter choices about set-top box use in the home. When looking at your monthly electric bill you may wonder if you should eliminate pay TV. Don’t forget to take into consideration the energy costs of your set-top box as you make this decision.

Sources: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/home-theater/your-tv-set-top-box-might-cost-you-more-on-your-energy-bills-than-your-refrigerator/5026, http://www.nrdc.org/energy/settopboxes.asp

PECO Customers Get Paid to Reduce Energy Bills

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:39:58 -0500

Turning off your air conditioner on the hottest days of the year may not sound too appealing but it is certainly a great way to significantly reduce your home energy bills. And if you’re a PECO customer then it’s actually a way to earn an annual bonus of more than one hundred dollars. What a great incentive to get out of the house during the dog days of summer!

PECO’s program is called the Smart A/C Saver and it is designed to encourage residents to stop using their air conditioners during the hottest times of the hottest days of the year. The resign for this is because when too many people have their AC on at the same time it creates stress on the transmission system. If some people are willing to shut the AC off during these high-demand times then the system remains intact.

PECO is willing to reward such customers with a $120 annual bonus for participating in the . The way it works is that PECO will install radio devices on home air conditioners that allow the utility to shut off the unit for up to fifteen minutes per half hour period during the peak demand times. So far more than 65,000 residents have signed up to participate in the program. These customers not only get the annual bonus for their participation but may also see reduced energy bills because of the reduced usage of their home AC.

Because the AC is only shut off for fifteen minutes at a time there should be no significant temperature increase in the home during these times so customer shouldn’t feel uncomfortable. However this actually brings up a great point that all people, PECO customers are not, may consider, which is that finding a way to reduce AC use during the hottest times of year is a great way to save money on monthly PECO electric bills. Get outside on those afternoons and hit up the local public pool or air-conditioned library to stay cool for free instead of paying to cool off your home!

Source: http://articles.philly.com/2011-06-15/business/29660767_1_philadelphia-utility-regional-grid-operator-peco-energy

National Grid Wants to Raise NY Energy Rates

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:11:01 -0500

Many customers who live in upstate New York get their energy from National Grid, a UK- based energy company that has a subsidiary in the United States. National Grid has been frustrated because they are reportedly losing money on their investment in upstate New York. In order to remedy this problem they are seeking a rate increase. This means higher energy bills for National Grid customers in this area.

The Public Service Commission has already approved a rate increase of more than $100 million. This will go into effect in 2012. However, National Grid had originally asked for nearly four times that amount. They say that the amount that did get approved isn't enough to cover their costs for providing energy in the area. They intend to file for new rates as soon as possible, which will most likely happen next year.

In practical terms for customers this means that energy bills are going to go up a small amount next year when the approved rate hike goes into effect and then it may go up again later in the year or in the following year if the next rate hike ends up also getting approved. That's certainly not something to look forward to as a customer of National Grid.

The good news is that energy customers in upstate New York have several different options in terms of energy providers. It is possible to select a NY electric company other than National Grid, one that may not be charging rates that are so high or seeking impending rate increases. It's certainly something worth looking into as a National Grid customer.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2011/05/19/national-grid-seeks-rate-hike.html

PECO Raising Rates This Summer

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:18:07 -0500

Commercial customers of PECO Energy Co. have the right to switch to an alternative energy supplier in the same area. Although some small business customers have taken advantage of this right, others have not bothered to do so yet. If it is something that you’ve been thinking about doing for your small business but haven’t gotten around to it yet then now could be the time. That is because PECO is going to be raising rates on its customers this summer and those customers who don’t switch are going to see a serious climb in their energy costs.

PECO is raising its commodity charge on all commercial customers. This accounts for approximately two thirds of the customer’s bill so a rate hike to this portion of costs can mean significantly higher monthly energy expenses. More than 100,000 commercial shop owners will be affected if they elect not to seek out a less expensive alternative energy supplier.

The actual rate of the increase varies depending on the size of the business. Small business customers are going to see an increase of 9.4% on their bills. Medium-sized businesses will see a rate increase of 12.6%. In more practical terms this means that the average small business owner is going to pay $40 more per month after the rate change takes place. The rate change is due to take place on July 1st.

Most small business owners can’t afford such a huge increase in their monthly bills at this time. Therefore it is important that if you are in this position you take the time to compare lower cost PA energy suppliers in your area. There are companies that are charging their commercial customers lower rates than what PECO will be charging. Why pay more than you need to for the energy required to run your business?

Light Bulb Finder App Saves Energy and Money

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:48:54 -0500

Choosing the right light bulbs for your home isn't easy these days. You have to decide if the right light bulbs are the traditional incandescent, the increasingly popular compact fluorescents (CFLs) or the up-and-coming LEDs. You have to determine power and wattage. Then you have to figure out where to get the bulbs that you want at the lowest possible cost. Choosing the right light bulbs can mean saving a lot of money at the store and on your energy bills but how can you make the right choice when there are so many confusing options? A free app called Light Bulb Finder can help you out.

Light Bulb Finder is a free mobile app that is available for both Android and iPhone users. After downloading it, you can enter in some basic information that will greatly assist you in understanding the most energy-saving cost-effective choice for light bulbs in your home. It's easy to use and involves the following basic steps:

o Select the fixture type that you are shopping for. You will see an icon that describes the fixture type but also shows a basic image to help you be sure that you're selecting the right one. For example, you may select a track light fixture.

o You will then receive information about the best bulb for this type of lighting. It shows you your estimated bulb cost, the lifetime savings of using the recommended bulb and the annual energy and carbon emissions savings with this bulb.

o If you like this recommendation then you can select to add this bulb to your shopping list. When your list is complete you can either email it to yourself to take it to the store for light bulb shopping or you can use the "buy online" button to find the best available online price for the bulbs on your list.

Many people waste money on their energy bills because they don't have efficient light bulbs in the home. This free app can help you start saving on those costs immediately. And since it's free there's no harm in testing it out to see if it can be useful for your home.

Are Atlantic City Electric Customers Saving Enough This Summer

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:40:07 -0500

Are you a customer of Atlantic City Electric or one of the other major New Jersey utility companies? If so then you are probably going to be happy to see that your electricity bills will be going down this summer. Thanks to positive results at the annual electricity auction (which is how utilities buy their electricity and how rates are set), electricity bills are decreasing. However, customers could be saving more than they are if they made a few changes around the home.

The rate decrease is definitely a good thing. An Atlantic City Electric customer who uses approximately 1000 kWh of energy per month will see a bill decrease from $188.60 to $182.80. This means that customers will save nearly $6 per month and more than $70 per year. That’s a great thing. But when you think about it, an average monthly electricity bill exceeding $180 is still a lot of money.

So what should you do if you want to decrease your electricity costs even further? The first thing that you should do is to make sure that you’ve updated the air conditioning unit in your home since cooling costs are the highest energy expense in the home during the summer. Have a professional come out and service your central air conditioner, making sure to replace the air filter so that you will get the most efficient use out of the AC.

After you’ve addressed this big issue it is time to turn to some other money-saving energy-saving actions around the home. A big one is to change your light bulbs, replacing all traditional incandescent bulbs with the more energy-efficient CFLs or even LEDs. This will considerably decrease your Atlantic City Electric bill, saving you a lot of money throughout the year.

And finally, you shouldn’t assume that Atlantic City Electric is offering the best current electricity rate just because they’ve decreased their costs. Many companies are offering lower rates this year and there may be an alternative energy supplier that can offer you an even better price than the one you are getting. Shop around and compare your options to make sure that you are paying the lowest per kWh price possible.

Source: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/business/atlantic-city-electric-residential-customers-will-see-average-decrease-in/article_6220bb22-8330-11e0-ae9a-001cc4c03286.html

Energy-Saving at Home: CFL vs. LED Light Bulbs

Tue, 17 May 2011 10:04:35 -0500

Traditional incandescent light bulbs are being phased out in favor of more energy-efficient alternatives. As more and more people become aware of this, they are starting to explore the myriad of different money-saving, energy-saving options for lighting the home. The two main options right now are the CFL bulb and the LED bulb. They both have their benefits and drawbacks - which one is the right one for you?

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)

The more common of the two choices is the CFL bulb. The reason for this is because it is an energy-efficient light bulb that costs considerably less to purchase than an LED bulb does. However, the CFL bulb doesn’t last nearly as long as an LED bulb so it must be replaced more quickly, meaning that you shell out money more often for these bulbs.

LED Bulbs

These bulbs are increasingly attractive to people who want to save money and energy at home. They use considerably less energy than CFLs meaning that your ongoing utility costs are lower plus these bulbs last longer and don’t need to be replaced for as long as five or even ten years (depending on where they are placed and how often you use them in the home). However you do have to pay a lot more for these bulbs. If you were to drop an LED bulb and break it you would really feel the sting of wasting money!

So which one is better?

In terms of costs you are going to find that the LED bulb is more expensive to buy but offers you the better value over the lifetime of the bulb. This is especially true of home energy costs keep on going up! In terms of energy-saving lighting, the LED bulb is clearly the better choice. It wastes a lot less electricity around the home. And it’s also better in terms of eco-friendliness - it doesn’t contain any of the earth-damaging mercury that is found in a CFL bulb and since it’s longer lasting fewer of them end up in the landfills.

The bottom line is that the LED bulb is better if you can afford to invest in it but the CFL bulb is still a good energy-saving choice compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs.

Reference source: http://www.greenzer.com/face-off_5

Will You Let PPL Keep Raising Rates on You

Tue, 10 May 2011 13:01:37 -0500

Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) delivers electricity to nearly one and a half million people in the state of Pennsylvania. Are you one of those people? If so then you should start saving your pennies now because PPL is about to launch a rate hike that has the potential to break your piggy bank. As of June 1st they are raising rates by 15% on their electricity customers.

Can you afford an electricity bill increase of 15%? It is doubtful considering that most of us are struggling to pay the bills we already owe! And yet those one and a half million customers are going to have to find a way to pay the increased rate unless they take advantage of their right to shop around and find a Pennsylvania electricity provider that will offer them a better rate.

There are definitely providers out there that will charge you less than PPL. In fact, there are companies out there that are charging less than PPL is charging now, even before the company has raised its rates. PPL charges its customers a default rate of nearly ten cents per kWh of energy used in the home. Alternative Pennsylvania energy suppliers often offer rates lower than nine cents per kWh and some have current rates as low as six and a half cents per kWh.

When the PPL rate hike takes place on June 1st, customers of the energy company will begin paying a default rate of 11.22 cents per kWh. That’s higher than the average rate in many regions across the nation. Do you really want to let PPL do this to you?

Many residential and business customers are choosing to stay with PPL simply because they aren’t sure what it means to switch to a new energy provider. It is easy to stick with what you know. You are familiar with it and so it is comfortable. But how comfortable can you really be knowing that you may be paying twice as much as you need to for your electricity each month? Switching to a lower cost provider is easy and you will get comfortable with your new provider quickly, especially when you see how low your PPL electric bill can be!

Can Cuomo Prevent 12 Percent Electricity Rate Hike

Tue, 10 May 2011 12:54:51 -0500

If you are a New York electricity customer then you should prepare yourself for a huge financial hit in the month to come. That is, unless Gov. Cuomo has his way. He is working to get a proposal voted into law that would reverse an earlier decision for a rate hike. If his proposal fails then New York electricity customers could see a whopping 12% increase on their bills beginning at the start of May.

Previously the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the rate hike decision. It would increase area electric rates by $500 million per year. Individual customers would pay 12% more than they currently do, something that most residential customers would likely struggle to do give the state of the economy!

Gov. Cuomo says that the basis of the rate hike approval is related to property taxes that are charged to electricity companies. Basically they have abatements that can be pulled at any time and if that happens they would incur huge costs that they want to pass on to customers by raising rates now. What Cuomo is proposing is to offer permanent property-tax abatements to those companies. Without the risk of increased property tax costs, the companies don’t have a reason to justify the rate hike and customers would therefore be saved from exorbitant bills.

A spokesperson for Cuomo made the great statement that this is a "common-sense fix". This makes sense. Why charge New York electricity customers money based on a risk that may never happen when a promise that the risk won’t occur could be issued instead? The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is having a meeting on May 19, 2011 at which they will make a decision about Cuomo’s proposal. It is expected that they will see the "common sense" in this and agree to reverse their earlier rate hike based on this information. However, you never know what may happen. If they do choose not to reverse their decision then the 12% rate hike is set to go into effect on May 28, 2011. Keep an eye on the news to make sure that your energy bills aren’t affected so that you don’t get shocked at the end of May!

Source: http://www.istockanalyst.com/business/news/5062747/andy-s-power-line-i-ll-undo-12-rate-hike

PSE&G Installs Solar Panels in NJ

Mon, 02 May 2011 16:21:34 -0500

If you live in or around Wayne Township in New Jersey then perhaps you have spotted the solar panels that PSE&G workers have been diligently installing on top of telephone poles in the area. What you may not know is that these panels are part of a new program called the Solar 4 All program that PSE&G launched at the beginning of April.

The PSE&G Solar 4 All Program is designed to bring enough solar power energy to the area to power approximately 12,500 average sized New Jersey homes. Adding 80 megawatts of solar electric generation capacity to the company’s electrical system by the end of next year should accomplish this.

That’s right; the solar panels are hooked directly into the electric grid. This means that the renewable solar energy that the panels gather will be used by all of the customers on the grid.

The panels that you might have seen going up on local telephone poles are only one part of the project. The Solar 4 All Program is divided into two parts with half of the panels going up on neighborhood utility poles and the other half going onto "centralized" locations. What does that mean? PSE&G is leasing space on rooftops and other third party sites where the company can install large scale solar farms. For example, the program is affiliated with Yardville Solar Farm, one of the largest solar farms in the state.

You may be wondering what this is going to cost you as a PSE&G consumer if the company is paying to lease space for solar panels. However, the program itself offset the costs. The solar energy collected has value that is worth federal investment tax credit creating savings that the company can then pass on to NJ PSE&G electric customers. This offsets the cost of installing the solar panels according to the company.

Source: http://www.pseg.com/family/pseandg/solar4all/index.jsp

How to Understand Energy Efficiency Ratings

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:27:32 -0500

Most people who want to save energy in the home know that they are supposed to look for the Energy Star Rating on any appliances that they purchase. These appliances are more energy-efficient than the federal minimum standards required for appliances. Just buying one of these helps you save money on energy bills compared to your use of older appliances. However, if you really want to get the right appliances then you need more than just the name "Energy Star" in your mind. You also need to really understand what the energy efficiency ratings mean on each appliance.

Here’s a guide to some of the most common energy efficiency ratings that you’ll see when buying appliances:

Energy Efficiency Rating (EER). This is the most standard and straightforward rating that you’ll find. It rates the energy efficiency of items like room air conditioners. The higher the rating, the more efficient the air conditioner is. Select the highest rating possible for the size of room air conditioner that you need in your home.

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER). This is similar to the energy efficiency rating but instead of providing year-round efficiency information it provides you with information about the rate of efficiency during the cooling season. It is used as a rating for central air conditioners as well as central air-to-air heat pumps. It is recommended that you select a SEER rating of 12 or higher if you want an energy-efficient appliance.

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF). This is an efficiency rating that is given to heat pumps. The higher the HPSF number, the more efficient the heat pump will be. This is important to consider if you live in a cool climate where you will use this often.

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). This number measures the efficiency of natural gas and oil heating systems. The number that you want to look for on an Energy Star product is AFUE = 90.

In addition to these numbers, it is important for you to know about a rating called the Energy Factor (EF). This rates the efficiency of dishwashers and washing machines. The number reflects the number of complete cycles that a machine will operate while using one kWh of electricity. Energy Star ratings require that dishwashers have an EF of at least 0.52 and clothes washers have an EF of at least 3.5.

As a general rule, you want to look for acronyms like these and select the highest one for the size of energy efficient appliance that you need.

Source: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/energyratings

Illinois Wants to Hike Electric Rates

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:50:20 -0500

If you are a resident of Illinois then you need to perk up and listen to the news. That’s because the major utility providers in the state are planning to try to raise your electricity rates. You are probably already paying more than you need to in order to power your Illinois home so you definitely don’t want those bills to get any higher!

Com Ed and Ameren Both Want to Raise Rates

The rate hike could affect nearly all energy customers in the state of Illinois. That’s because both of the major electricity providers in the state (Com Ed and Ameren) are in on the rate hike plan. They specifically want to raise rates on their delivery systems, upgrading them with a $3.6 billion plan, and they want to pass those costs on to you the consumer.

How Much Higher Would Bills Be?

How much of an effect these rate hikes would have on you will depend whether you are a customer of Com Ed or Ameren. Ameren customers are a little bit luckier in that the extra charge would only total approximately $5 per year. That’s a little drop in the bucket compared to the Com Ed customer who would see an increase of approximately $36 per year.

One thing that you need to pay attention to, though, is that there would be the potential for either company to raise rates again in the near future. That’s because these charges would be in addition to any normal rate hikes that the companies could ask for in the next decade.

The Smart Grid as the Goal

The stated purpose of the rate hike is to improve the state’s energy delivery system by creating a smart grid. In theory this would allow customers to reduce their total energy bill through more efficient use of energy. However the costs would cut into total customer savings since they are being passed on to consumers.

Alternatives to Com Ed and Ameren

The majority of residents in the state are going to be affected by this proposed rate hike because the majority of residents still get their energy from the state’s main providers. However you should know that you do have other options. There are smaller energy companies that can offer you electricity at lower rates than the major providers. You can easily switch your bill and receive a lower IL electric bill so that you aren’t affected by any Com Ed or Ameren rate hikes that do occur now or in the near future.

Source: http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/springfield-51643-coming-electricity.html

One Third of New Jersey Residents Impacted by PSE&G Plans

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:44:11 -0500

If you live in the state of New Jersey then there is a one in three chance that you are going to be affected by a plan that PSE&G has to upgrade transmission lines throughout the state. The goal of the so-called North Central Reliability Project is to improve energy service in the state. Although the company says that customers’ power won’t be affected, it’s always hard to make such a guarantee with a massive project like this one.

PSE&G’s proposed plan includes the following changes:

Transmission lines will be revamped and improved across 35 miles of the state in, primarily central and Northern New Jersey. The distribution lines leading directly to customers’ homes should not be affected.

Older electrical towers will be replaced with new taller monopoles.

The result will be an upgrade to a more powerful system of 230,000 volts compared to the 138,000 volt system in place there today.

If the upgrade is successful this should lead to more reliable energy service for PSE&G customers in this area.

This plan is designed specifically to help support the increased energy use in the area that has occurred over the years as residents have adopted energy-using technologies like personal computers. It is also designed with an eye towards future energy use including the likelihood that some customers will adopt energy-abusing electric cars in the relatively near future.

As with all types of construction, the time during which the construction occurs will be inconvenient to some people. At the end of construction, these people should have better energy service. If the plan is approved then work will begin on the project next year. Customers will be notified via mail if the work will affect them (but only if they live within 1000 feet of an area where work will be done).

The project is expected to cost $336 million dollars. It has not been stated whether this will lead to increased NJ electricity rates for customers in the future.

Source: http://chatham.patch.com/articles/pseg-to-upgrade-transmission-lines-4#pdf-5343745

Lower Electric Bill Today to Sponsor Travelers Walk MS Team, For the Petit's

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:56:32 -0500

Lower Electric Bill Today announced today that it will sponsor the team, "For the Petit’s" in the 2011 Travelers Walk MS in Cheshire, Connecticut. The Walk will take place Sunday, April 10, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cheshire High School.

"We are so proud and honored to be a part of this special event, and to sponsor the ’For the Petit’s’ team," said Christina Cleri, president of Lower Electric Bill Today. "The members of this team have helped transform a horrific tragedy into a positive event with both local and far-reaching benefits for individuals and families affected by multiple sclerosis."

On July 23, 2007, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, a sufferer of multiple sclerosis, and her two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were brutally killed during a home invasion in the small community of Cheshire, CT. Though severely beaten, husband and father, Dr. William Petit, survived the attack. He now dedicates his life to spreading the hopeful message of his beloved wife and daughters.

"After that fateful night, I learned that these three beautiful ladies were dedicated to finding a cure for MS and worked tirelessly to raise funds as well as awareness for the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter," said Cheryl Dulina, Walk MS team captain of For the Petit’s. "If there is something I’ve taken away from this tragedy, it’s that I want to give back to my community and make a real difference, like the Petit women did."

Dulina formed the team, For the Petit’s, in 2008. The team has participated in the Travelers Walk MS in Cheshire each year since, raising thousands of dollars to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis.

"I know we are making a difference and answering Dr. Petit’s call to carry on the work of the women he loved," Dulina added. "By joining the fight against MS, we are continuing the Petit legacy and helping all families affected by this horrible disease."

To learn more about the National MS Society, or to make a donation to the For the Petit’s Walk MS team, visit www.ctfightsMS.org. To support this cause and permanently lower your electric bill, visit www.LowerElectricBillToday.com or email info@lowerelectricbilltoday.com

Are New York's Electric Company Infrastructures Ready for Electric Vehicles

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:33:33 -0500

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are coming to our roads sooner than you might think. If you aren’t interested in green driving or don’t plan to purchase an electric vehicle then you may think that this news doesn’t affect you. However, if you are an energy customer in the areas where these vehicles are likely to be common then you may want to pay closer attention to the news. That’s because if energy companies in your area aren’t prepared for the onslaught of these vehicles then the energy infrastructure in your area might suffer.

A new report on electric vehicle forecasts put together by Pike Research reveals that there will be more than 350,000 PEVs on the road by 2017. The two most popular states for these vehicles will be California and New York. The metro areas of these states, specifically New York City in New York, are the areas that will rapidly be flooded with plug-in electric vehicles. You’ll start seeing vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf on your streets soon if you live in the area. In fact, PEV sales are expected to make up nearly four percent of new car sales in New York by 2017.

If the electric companies aren’t ready for the increased demand that these vehicles place on the electric grid, you could start seeing the impact in the form of power outages as well. Major New York utility companies like Con Ed and Orange & Rockland really need to get in gear if they way their energy infrastructures to stand up to this increased pressure on their grids. Customers of these companies already regularly deal with power outages caused by a variety of different forces. Adding the additional impact of PEVs could be devastating if these companies don’t get ahead of the curve and start adapting their power infrastructures immediately.

The Pike Research report is designed to aid with this problem. The hope is that electric companies in New York and other areas where PEV adoption will be strongest are going to use the report’s information to get ahead of the trend. Currently, however, there is no agreement in the industry on how to develop a strong infrastructure to support these vehicles. Will your New York energy company be able to adapt? And as they do, will they pass these increased infrastructure costs on to energy customers in the form of rate hikes? Let’s hope not! But keep your eye on new developments to make sure that you’re getting the energy you need without an added cost!

Source: http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/stories/researchers-predict-359000-plug-in-electric-vehicles-by-2017

Duquesne Light Offers Refrigerator Recycling Program

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:00:56 -0600

Appliance recycling programs offer a state’s residents some terrific opportunities to easily get rid of their old refrigerators, freezers and other big appliances. Customers who have appliances that are energy efficient can save a lot of money on their electricity bills by replacing those machines with new energy efficient models. The best recycling programs offer customers a rebate to help them pay for the new energy efficient appliances that they need.

One example of a current recycling program is the refrigerator and freezer recycling program offered by Duquesne Light Company in Pennsylvania. It’s called Watt Choices. Here’s how it works:

- You schedule a pick up date and time for the company to come out and get your old freezer or refrigerator. You can schedule it online through the company’s website or you can call them to schedule a convenient pickup time.

- They come out and take away your inefficient old refrigerator or freezer. Most people use this service to have them haul away a second machine that is in the basement or garage just wasting electricity. However, some people use the service to get rid of an inefficient old machine that’s being used as the main kitchen item. Either way there is no fee to haul away the item. You save money right there on the cost of getting it hauled to the dump.

- You receive a rebate check of $35. That’s right, the program pays you $35 for your participation in the recycling program. It takes about six weeks to receive the rebate after your appliances have been picked up.

It’s that simple. Plus, if you purchase a new more energy-efficient freezer or refrigerator to replace the one that has been hauled away then you should check the current rebates from Duquesne Light Company because you may qualify for additional rebate money for your purchase.

At the very least you get $35 for someone to take away an old appliance that you aren’t using anymore. If you had been using it and you stop using it (if it was a second refrigerator) or you replace it with a new energy-efficient model then you’ll see additional savings on your PA Duquesne electric bill over time. It’s a win-win situation.

Note that there are some rules and restrictions for eligibility for this program so you’ll need to read the terms carefully to make sure that you qualify for the rebate.

10 Ways Orange and Rockland Customers Can Save Money on their Energy Bills

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:55:51 -0600

Are you a New York energy customer who uses Orange and Rockland as your electricity provider? If so then you might be interested in knowing that there are ways that you can save money on your energy bill. In fact, here are ten quick and easy ways to get you started:

Invest in an energy efficient air conditioner. O&R is currently offering $50 rebates to customers who buy new Energy Star air conditioners. More efficient AC systems will also reduce your summer energy bills.

Recycle your home’s extra freezer. O&R is also offering $50 rebates to customers who opt to get rid of the energy-draining second freezer stored in the basement or garage.

Get a more energy efficient furnace, water boiler and / or indirect water heater. O&R is offering 2011 rebates for all of these things as well as long as they meet certain conditions. This can actually save you hundreds of dollars this year!

Submit a meter reading. If O&R’s meter reader can’t gain access to your meter then they may send you an estimated bill that is higher than what you should be paying. However, you can submit your own meter reading through the O&R website to avoid this costly problem.

Report energy theft in your area. Sometimes people divert electricity, an illegal act that drives up energy costs for everyone. O&R has a simple energy theft form on their site as well as a hotline you can call to report energy theft and keep costs down for all customers.

Get a home energy audit. This allows you to find out where energy leaks are in your home so you can repair them and reduce expensive home energy waste. Did you know that most New Yorkers qualify for a free or cheap energy audit through the Green Door Project NY?

See if you qualify for HEAP. Some Orange and Rockland customers do qualify for reduced energy bills if they are low income in this area. Note that you may qualify for emergency HEAP assistance even if you don’t qualify for longer-term HEAP cost reductions.

Check if you qualify for the Orange County Fuel Fund. This is for Orange County customers that don’t qualify for HEAP but are struggling to pay their New York heating bills.

Switch to a lower cost energy supplier. This allows you to immediately lower your energy bills without any cost or disruption to your electricity service. Your energy will still be delivered by O&R but the per kWh rates will be cheaper.

Use PowerSwitch when you do switch energy suppliers. This is an O&R program that provides a one two 7% discount on the supply portion of your O&R bill for the first two billing periods after you switch energy suppliers. What a deal!

Duquesne Light Wants Rate Increase; Do You

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:22:50 -0600

Pennsylvania’s Duquesne Light Company wants to raise rates on electricity customers. They say that they have some good reasons for doing so. However, savvy PA electricity customers know that it’s possible to get good electric service at a lower rate than what the company is already offering, let alone what their higher rates will be if the rate hike is approved!

Why Duquesne Light Company Wants a Rate Increase

This electric company says that it needs to increase base rates for customers for the following reasons:

1. The company needs to improve its infrastructure and a rate hike would offset the costs of doing so.

2. The company isn’t in compliance with a 2006 federal act regarding pension plans and needs the additional funds to become compliant.

3. The company wants to increase low-income assistance programs for customers but needs to offset the cost by charging regular customers some of the difference.

4. They haven’t asked for a base rate adjustment in 4 years so it’s about time.

Why This Thinking Is Flawed

Those reasons sound legitimate but they actually may not be. Consider the following:

Duquesne Light Company customers are already paying more than some of their neighbors for the cost of electricity. Where is this money going if it hasn’t gone towards improving infrastructure and creating compliance with federal regulations established more than four years ago?

Assisting low-income families with better rates for electricity is a wonderful thing. However, what justifies passing on those rates to people with average incomes? The average person today needs to save money, too!

Just because a certain amount of time has passed doesn’t mean that a rate hike is necessary. When other people in the area are already paying less for electricity it simply doesn’t make sense to insist upon a rate hike.

Luckily, PA Has Electricity Deregulation

Pennsylvania was one of the first states to deregulate electricity. This means that customers in the state have the right to choose their electricity company from among many competitive companies. You don’t have to accept the higher rates that Duquesne Light Company is asking for even if that rate hike is approved. You can switch to a more affordable electricity company and lower your PA electric bill. Where you choose to spend your money sends a big message to the large utility companies!

Source: http://www.duquesnelight.com/News/NewsReleases/2010/nr100723.pdf

4 Key Things to Know if you Get NJ Energy from PSE&G

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:44:41 -0600

Are you a New Jersey resident who gets your electricity from major utility company PSE&G? If so then there are some things that you should make sure that you know about working with this company to get your NJ electricity. Here are four important things to get you started on your way to a better knowledge base about this utility company:

PSE&G charges more than many other energy companies. The average PSE&G bill in the winter is upwards of $200 per month, an amount that few New Jersey residents can really afford. This is due in part to the fact that PSE&G charges more per kWh on average than the nationwide average rate for electricity.

PSE&G rates recently went up. If you haven’t been paying close attention to your NJ energy bills then you may not have realized that a rate hike approved last year by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is driving up PSE&G bills. The change is slight, just about $1 per month for the average energy bill, but that’s a little bit of money that is going into PSE&G’s pocket instead of staying in your own.

PSE&G is guilty of overcharging customers in the past. If you’re one of those people who hasn’t been paying close attention to your New Jersey electricity bills and you’re a PSE&G customer then you might want to get out your magnifying glass. That’s because this company has been guilty of overcharging customers in the past. You don’t want to pay more for your energy than what the company is already charging you so always look at your PSE&G bills carefully and challenge any discrepancies that you see.

PSE&G is not the only energy supplier in your area. Did you know that you have the option of switching to a lower cost energy supplier instead of continuing to use PSE&G? PSE&G will still provide your energy but it will be supplied by a company that charges lower per kWh rates. The result is that your monthly NJ energy bill will go down. In fact, there are suppliers in this area that aren’t only charging less than PSE&G charges but are actually charging less than the nationwide average for electricity.

5 Things Con Ed Consumers Should Know

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:39:27 -0600

Do you get your New York electricity from utility company Con Ed? If so, you should make sure that you know the following five important things about this energy supplier:

1. Con Ed customers pay an average of nearly $100 per month for their electricity. The average Con Ed customer is shelling out more than $90 per month on average for their energy. The amount is obviously higher during the times of year when the weather is most intense and heating / cooling systems need to be in constant operation.

2. Even customers living in small New York apartments are paying a fortune for Con Ed energy. Did you know that the average Con Ed customer who lives in a small apartment is paying more than $70 per month on average to power that apartment. This is for running on average only 300 kWh of energy per month!

3. Con Ed is raising rates. A series of rate hikes was approved for this New York energy company in 2010. They are taking place gradually throughout next year. This is happening at a time when other companies in the area are actually decreasing their rates in order to compete in the newly deregulated energy business.

4. Per kWh rates for ConEd energy may be more than double competitor rates in the area. One recent report noted that Con Ed is charging as much as nearly twenty four cents per kWh for energy. Compare that with energy companies that are charging less than ten cents per kWh!

5. There are alternatives to using Con Ed for your energy. Many Con Ed customers don’t realize that they have the option of getting their energy from another electricity supplier. Switching suppliers doesn’t cost anything. Cost comparisons can easily be done online and you can switch suppliers online as well. There is no disruption to electricity service and you can significantly lower your NY energy bills.

Make sure that you do your research into your energy company so that you get the best service at the most affordable prices!

Are You Willing to Pay O&R's Proposed Higher Rates

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:19:45 -0600

How much do you currently pay each month for electricity? Can you imagine trying to scrounge up the cash to pay a $153 bill each month? That is what the average Orange and Rockland energy bill is expected to be by 2013 if a rate hike requested by the company is approved.

The 3 Phase Rate Hike

O&R has requested a rate hike that would take place in three phases over the next three years. They have offered two suggestions for how the rate hike would occur:

1. A large rate increase would go into effect in July 2011 with smaller increases each year for the following two years.
2. A 4% increase would go into effect in July 2011 with two same-size increases each year for the following two years.

In either case, the total rate hike would be approximately 12% at the end of the three-year period.

Average Energy Bill Costs

O&R says that the company’s average residential customer uses slightly more than 675 kWh of energy per month. At the current rates charged by the company, this results in an average monthly energy bill of $131.31. That’s already high in comparison with average energy bills for customers in other areas. By the end of the proposed rate hike period, this average monthly bill for the O&R customer would be $152.60. That’s more than $20 extra per month that you’d be paying for your energy bill, costing you nearly $250 per year in excess electricity charges.

What to Do About It

The best thing that you can do to avoid becoming a victim of this rate hike is to stop getting your energy supplied by O&R. Thanks to electricity deregulation in the area served by this company, customers have the right to choose to get their energy supplied by another company. Many companies offer low per-kWh rates. That means that even if you use the same amount of electricity with the new company as you do with O&R your will receive a significantly lower NY energy bill. They should go down immediately and can stay low even as O&R’s rates rise over time.

Source: http://www.oru.com/documents/customerpublications/0810ElectricFiling.pdf

Average JCP&L Electric Bill

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:14:00 -0600

Jersey Central Power and Light Company (JCP&L) is one of two major energy companies in the state of New Jersey. This company provides energy to more than one million people in the state. Did you know that the average bill paid by these people for their energy is higher than it has to be? What’s worse is that it’s difficult to understand your average bill with this company.

Rates for JCP&L aren’t straightforward. Take a look at the rate information on their website and you will see that instead of providing you with easy-to-understand information about the per kWh rates that they charge, this company breaks it down into tiny bits of information so it’s tough to tell how much you’re actually paying for energy. They include transmission charges and distribution charges. They have different rates for the summer than for the rest of the year. They have different rates for water heating than other energy. They have different rates for the first 600 kWh that you use each month than for energy used beyond that amount. They have peak rates and off-peak rates. It’s all really confusing!

What it boils down to, though, is that the average JCP&L electric bill is really high. In the winter months it exceeds $200 per month and sometimes climbs to as high as nearly $400 per month. Who has that kind of money to spend on their energy bills?!

The good news is that New Jersey customers have different options than just JCP&L when it comes to who gives them their electricity. It is possible to switch to a lower cost provider in order to dramatically reduce your NJ average electric bill. Even without making any changes to the amount of energy you use in your home, switching energy providers can be a cost-effective choice. Combined with smart energy-saving moves, this can really save you a lot of money on your monthly electricity bills in New Jersey.

The Average JCP&L Electric Bill is Too High

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:32:21 -0600

Did you know that New Jersey has one of the highest electricity rates in the nation? Did you know that a lot of people in this state get their energy from Jersey Central Power and Light Company (JCP&L)? And did you know that there are cheaper options that what this company offers in terms of pricing for electricity? If these are things that you didn’t know then read on!

New electricity is expensive

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the average per kWh rate for electricity nationwide in October 2010 was 11.62 cents. The rate for the Middle Atlantic is considerably higher at 15.89 cents. New Jersey is the most expensive state in the region, charging 16.64 cents per kWh for electricity.

JCP&L is a popular energy provider out of habit

JCP&L is a subsidiary of a large electric company headquartered in Ohio. It serves 1.1 million customers in New Jersey. However, most of these people didn’t actively decide that they wanted to have JCP&L be their energy company. Instead, they started using this company back before energy was deregulated. They never bothered switching to a different company because it seemed like too much of a hassle or they didn’t know it was an option or they didn’t see the benefits.

Average JCP&L electric bill

The result of not switching to a more affordable provider of energy is that customers of this company may be paying too much for electricity especially during the winter months! The average heating bill in New Jersey is anywhere between $200 and $400 per month. Customers who use electricity to heat their homes (instead of natural gas or alternative heating options) tend to have bills towards the higher end of this spectrum. Many of these customers are JCP&L customers.

Switching to a lower cost provider

You can still have JCP&L provide the service that you’re used to and yet pay less for your electricity by switching to a low cost NJ electric supplier. Switching doesn’t cost anything and it can decrease your average New Jersey energy bill.

What Con Ed's Rate Hike Means For You

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:38:55 -0600

"A record number of New Yorkers can’t pay their electricity bills as it is today, much less with this increase," said Public Service Commission Chairman Garry Brown (source)

The rate hike that Brown was referring to is the recently approved 12.6% increase that New York Con Ed will be phasing in over the next three years. Despite the fact that customers are already having a tough time paying their energy bills, they are going to see those bills go up.

The average Con Ed bill is currently $83.60 per month. After the third phase of the rate increase takes effect in 2013, that average bill is going to be $94.11. That’s more than an $11 increase in your monthly energy bills if you’re a Con Ed customer. In other words, you’ll be paying over $130 extra per year just to run the same amount of energy that you’re currently using in your home.

Con Ed actually wanted to raise rates even more. Last year they requested a rate hike that was 40% higher than this one but they were turned down. The lower rate this year was approved with a few minor conditions. The first condition was that the rate hike would take place in three phases. Each year rates will go up approximately 4%. The second condition was that a low-income program be expanded to help people who truly can’t pay their bills. And a third condition was that customers receive a one-time refund of their share of $36.4 million due to a recalculation of previously approved spending. Don’t get too excited, though. When you get your August bill reflecting the refund, you’ll see that you’re only getting about $5.35. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $130 annual increase you’ll be seeing on those bills.

So what can you do about this issue? After all, the rate hike has already been approved so you can’t stop it from happening. That’s true. However, you can protest the rate hike in your own way by refusing to use Con Ed as your energy supplier. Electricity deregulation allows you to select your own supplier. As a result, you can switch to a supplier offering lower NY energy rates. Instead of seeing an increase on your bills over the next three years, you should see an immediate decrease.

Average Texas Heating Bills

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:40:07 -0600

People who live in warm weather states don’t generally have to worry as much as their cold weather counterparts about their energy bills rising during the winter months. However, there are warm states where the average heating bills are still high and this can make it tough for residents on a budget to get through the winter. Believe it or not Houston has been named one of the top twenty priciest places to pay for heat in this nation causing many Texas residents to wonder what they can do to lower their heating costs this year.

The average winter heating bill in the Houston area is about $500 for the total winter season. This is considerably cheaper than some of the coldest places in the country (where people pay that amount on average each month during the season!) However, it’s still higher than spring and fall energy costs in the state and can be tough to pay for the people who live there.

One important thing to note is that Texas has about a fifty-fifty split when it comes to using natural gas vs. electricity to heat the home. This is important because the option that you select to heat your home can have a significant impact on your energy bills. Natural gas is considered the cheaper option and is expected to decrease in price for winter 2010/ 2011. The people using this option in Texas should find it fairly easy to pay their bills. Electricity costs are a bit higher than natural gas although Texas residents generally pay a fair price for electricity. The really good news for TX electricity customers is that they have the right to choose a lower cost electricity supplier to help immediately decrease their winter heating bills.

Two of the more expensive options for heating a home during the winter months are to use heating oil and propane. The costs of these heating options are expected to rise this winter. Luckily less than four percent of Houston residents are using these costly methods of heating the home. So residents are doing what they need to do to keep their average TX heating bill low even as those winter winds do start to creep in a little bit.

Average Heating Bill in Massachusetts

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:37:21 -0600

Massachusetts’ residents are getting ready to cringe again as the winter months approach. That is because this state has some of the highest winter heating bills out of the entire nation. This is due in part to the fact that this is a cold state, of course. However, other factors contribute to the problem as well, including the choices that people make for how to heat their homes.

In general, the least expensive option for heating a home is to use natural gas. That is particularly true this year since the price of natural gas has declined for the second time in a row. One prediction is that Massachusetts residents who choose to heat their homes with natural gas can reduce their monthly winter heating bills by as much as $133 this year as compared to last year. Unfortunately, not enough Massachusetts residents are taking advantage of this option. In the major MA city of Boston, less than half of the residents are heating their homes using natural gas.

A large percentage of Massachusetts’ residents (including more than one third of Boston residents) are currently heating their homes using heating oil. This is considered to be a very pricey option for heating the home. The number of people in the Boston area who are heating their homes this way is actually among the highest in the nation. What a mistake!

Of course, another way to heat your home is to use electricity. Approximately 13% of Boston residents are heating their homes this way. That’s frightening considering that the average electricity rates in Massachusetts are much higher than the national average. In general, the New England states pay considerably more than the rest of the nation for electricity and Massachusetts is no exception.

So what can you do to lower your winter heating bills in Massachusetts this year? The obvious answer is to switch to natural gas, the cheapest heating option in the state this year. However, this isn’t your only option. Another smart option would be to switch to a lower cost electricity provider that can heat your home for a fair rate. Doing this can allow you to save a significant amount off of the cost of your MA winter heating bills.

Average Heating Bill in New Jersey

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:07:57 -0600

Winter heating bills in New Jersey vary widely with most residents paying somewhere between $200 and $400 per month to heat their homes here each winter. Factors that affect the total cost of heat include the exact location of the home, the home’s size and the method used to heat the home. Luckily some of the winter heating options for this state do have the potential to offer lower prices this year as compared to last year.

One major way of heating homes in New Jersey is to use natural gas. This is widely considered the most affordable way to heat a home. The price of natural gas is expected to hold steady or decline slightly after a big drop in cost last year. New Jersey residents who heat their homes using this option may spend as much as one third less than customers who heat their homes using other methods.

Despite that, many New Jersey residents do use electricity to heat their homes in the winter. It is important for these residents to know that the average electricity rates in New Jersey are considerably higher than the nationwide averages. Winter is colder here than in many states and both factors can drive up winter heating costs considerably. Electricity customers should take care to shop around to find the lowest rates on electricity to keep their heating bills low this winter.

Some New Jersey residents do continue to heat their homes with propane or heating oil. Neither of these options are considered optimal in terms of cost. Both options are expected to see a spike in rates for the Winter 2010 / 2011 year. This translates to higher average heating bills for NJ customers who do use these options.

All New Jersey customers can take actions that will help them lower their heating bills this winter. The best thing to do is to winterize the home immediately to start saving costs as temperatures begin to drop. Weather stripping around doors and windows, switching from a whole-house heating system to a by-room heating system and adding proper insulation to the home are top things residents can do now to reduce their average NJ heating bill. Also note that this state offers heating bill payment assistance to residents in need.

Average NY Con Edison Bill

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:00:34 -0600

How much money are you paying for your New York electricity? If you’re a Con Edison customer then chances are that your average monthly energy bill is higher than it should be. And thanks to rate hikes that were approved in 2010, the average bill for customers of New York Con Ed is only going up.

Average Con Ed Bill

The New York Times reported in early 2010 on the rate hike changes that began affecting Con Ed customers that spring. Prior to the rate hike, the average New York Con Ed electricity bill was $84 per month. The rate hike was approved as a series of increases to take place over time. By 2012, the average New York Con Ed bill is expected to rise an additional ten dollars per month. That means that if you continue to remain a Con Ed customer through next year then your average electricity bill will total about $94 per month. Who wants to spend almost one hundred dollars per month on their electricity?

Average Con Ed Bill for Apartments

Many people assume that if they live in a small apartment then they’re going to get off cheap because they don’t need to use as much electricity. It’s true that the amount of energy that you use affects your electricity bill. However, Con Ed charges some of the highest rates per kilowatt-hour in the entire nation so even people in apartments in New York are paying a lot each month for energy. One recent report noted that the company is charging an average of 23.58 cents per kilowatt-hour. The cost to run just 300 kWh of energy, enough to usually power an apartment, is still more than $70 per month on average.

Suppliers Offering Much Cheaper Rates

The good news for customers in this region is that there are other options for getting your electricity besides getting it from New York Con Edison. Alternative low-cost suppliers in the area offer rates as low as $0.0999 per kilowatt-hour. Compared to the $0.2358 being charged by New York Con Ed, this is a serious bargain. It can drastically lower the average Con Edison electric bill for customers in homes of all sizes.

Average MD PEPCO Bill

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:09:34 -0600

Maryland energy customers frequently rely on a big power company called PEPCO for their service. Customers in the area who have made the decision to switch away from this company cite numerous reasons for doing so. Among those reasons is the fact that the average MD PEPCO bill costs more than residents want to pay for electricity today.

There are several factors that affect the amount of money that you pay for your electricity. One factor is the type of service that you get. Another factor is the amount of electricity that you use in your home each month. And yet another factor is the rate that you pay per kilowatt-hour for your electricity. It is this latter factor that is a big issue for PEPCO customers.

The average Maryland PEPCO customer that chooses a standard electricity service and uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month of energy in the home is currently paying $151.78 on average for their monthly electricity bill. That rate may climb to an average of $155.54 per month if a requested rate hike from the company is approved. This is higher than the average monthly electric bill for customers in many other regions of the nation.

A look at the PEPCO website reveals that the current average rate for residential electricity is more than eleven cents per kilowatt-hour. There are other electricity suppliers operating in the same service area which are providing electricity for as low as $0.0959 per kilowatt-hour. Just by switching to one of these lower cost electricity providers, MD PEPCO customers could save approximately $12 per month. That’s a savings of well over $140 per year that customers can put towards other home costs. The savings for customers of other utility companies will be even greater if the PEPCO rate hike is approved.

The high bills are just one reason that MD PEPCO customers are switching away from the company, though. The company is notorious for bad service, frequent power outages and many other problems. Customers don’t want to pay high average monthly electricity bills when they can switch to a low-cost electric provider and receive a lower PEPCO electric bill.

Average PA PECO Electric Bill

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:24:20 -0600

Pennsylvania customers who rely on PECO for their electricity service are paying more on average for their energy than other customers in the state. With the option to choose a lower cost electricity provider, it just doesn’t make sense to pay exorbitant monthly energy bills each month in this area.

Average Pennsylvania Electric Bills

A report by the United States Energy Information Administration back in December 2009 showed that the average resident in Pennsylvania was spending approximately one hundred dollars per month on electricity. The average customer was using approximately 875 kWh of energy per month and paying a retail price of approximately eleven cents per kilowatt-hour for that energy.

Average PECO Bill Just Increased

As of January 2011, the average PECO electric bill just increased. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved a rate hike that increases energy bills by about five percent. The result is that customers will be paying approximately $5 more per month for the average electric bill. This drives the average PECO electric bill up to $105 per month, costing the customer $60 per more annually for their electricity. Many customers are using more than the 875 kWh of energy per month so their bills are even higher than this average amount.

Average Cost for More Affordable PA Electricity

Customers who opt to switch to a more affordable energy supplier in the state can lower their PECO electric bills dramatically from these average costs. There are some suppliers in the state that are offering electricity at rates as low as $0.0899 per kilowatt-hour. If the average customer were to use 875 kWh of electricity (the amount used for the average PECO bill calculation) then the cost of the monthly bill would be less than $79. Compared to the average $105 PECO bill that’s an annual savings of more than $310!

What is The Most Energy Efficient Space Heater

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:43:11 -0600

One terrific way to lower your winter heating bills is to start using a space heater instead of heating the entire house unnecessarily. This is great when everyone is gathered together in one room or when only one person is alone in the house. Make sure that you keep the bills as low as possible by getting the most energy efficient space heater available.

Some general tips for buying the most energy efficient space heater include:

1. Select a space heater that is the right size for the area that you are heating. Most heaters show the proper room size for the space heater on the package. Look for this when buying a space heater so that you don’t buy an oversized one that wastes heat.
2. Select a heater that is controlled by a thermostat. A simple on/off switch isn’t sufficient for properly heating a space in an efficient manner.
3. Buy a new model. This isn’t an item that you want to get used. The newest models are the most energy efficient and are also the safest for the home.
4. Get a space heater that has a timer on it. This allows you to heat a room until you fall asleep, for example, and then to have it kick back on right before you wake up but doesn’t mean leaving it on all night.
5. Consider getting a combustion space heater instead of an electric space heater. They both have pros and cons so weigh the options carefully but know that an electric space heater is the more expensive option.
6. Use alternative energy to power a space heater. For example, if your home has solar energy then you should be able to generate enough power to use solar to run the space heater. This increases its energy efficiency.

Some of the leading energy efficient space heaters on the market today include:

Vornado Whole Room Heaters. These electric heaters use vortex action technology to evenly heat an entire room in an energy efficient manner. They come in several sizes.

eHeat. This is "the world’s first and only 100% pure convection, wall mounted, heater". It’s affordable, safe and energy efficient.

DeLonghi Mica Panel Radiator. This is a convection heater without a fan so it’s a very quiet option for an energy-efficient space heater.

Optimus H-5210 Infrared Quartz Heater. This is a radiant heater that is designed to efficiently heat very small areas of the home. It’s a top choice for someone working at a computer in a home office all day long!

5 Ways for New York Con Edison Customers to Lower Their Bills

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:44:19 -0600

If you are a customer of New York Con Edison then you certainly know that electric bills can be very costly in your area. If you’re smart, you will do all that you can to lower your bills. Here are five things to try to help get those bills reduced:

1. Get a home energy audit. This allows you to easily see where your home has leaks. Leaks let out the warm air in winter and release the cold air in summer, meaning that your heaters and AC need to work harder to keep your New York home a comfortable temperature. An energy audit shows you where to make repairs to reduce this waste and lower your electric bills.

2. Prepare your home for the season’s weather. Regardless of whether or not you do a home energy audit, you do need to repair leaks and prepare your home for the weather it’s facing each season. Clean out vents, replace filters and caulk windows at the start of each new season.

3. Make everything in your home programmable. The most important thing is to have a programmable thermostat. However, it’s nice if all of your electric items are programmed to turn off after idling for a certain period of time. This avoids electricity waste and keeps your bills as low as possible.

4. Start using renewable energy. Many people in New York are starting to take advantage of options like wind power and solar power on a small scale in their homes. Is this something that you could do to reduce your reliance on Con Ed?

5. Switch to a lower cost energy supplier. You can still have Con Edison deliver your electricity to you but have it supplied by a different, more affordable utility company. Paying less per kilowatt-hour for your electricity will significantly reduce what you pay each month when the electric bill comes. Compare New York electricity providers today to find one that will cost you less and help you receive a lower NY Con Edison electric bill

PEPCO Wants MD Customers to Pay for Good Service

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 11:53:25 -0600

Maryland power company PEPCO is notorious for having problems delivering reliable service to customers. Their day-to-day reliability has been declining steadily over the past five years. The company is now ranked among the worst in the entire industry terms of reliable electricity and customer satisfaction. To give you an idea of how bad the situation is, think about the fact that the average Pepco customer experienced seventy percent more electricity outages than customers of other big city utilities!

Winter is the worst time for these problems to happen. Customers of this electric company frequently find that their power goes out quickly and for long periods of time when there is a snowstorm. Customers who rely on electricity to heat their homes are in big trouble when this happens. And even other customers often can’t afford for their electricity to go out in the winter when daylight hours are short.

PEPCO claims that it plans to change, offering better service over the next five years. Five years is a long time for customers to wait for better service and there’s an even worse catch; they’ll have to pay to get that better service! In order to be able to deliver good, reliable service, the company says that it needs to make $100 million of changes in Maryland alone. They want to pass those costs on to customers.

PEPCO has asked regulators to approve a rate hike. The average Maryland electricity customer will pay an extra $1 per month if the rate hike is approved. The increase would be phased in with increases starting in approximately eighteen months. Consider the fact that it could be another three and a half years after that before the service improvements would actually be implemented. That’s almost fifty bucks that each customer would pay during that time for service that might not be any better than it is currently. That’s fifty bucks that you could keep in your own pocket!

The good news is that Baltimore electricity customers and other customers throughout Maryland have the option of choosing an electricity provider other than PEPCO. Thanks to deregulation of the industry, there is no need to keep paying a lot of money for bad service. Instead, customers can switch to an electricity provider that offers reduced rates right now and residents can receive a lower PEPCO electric bill. That plan just makes sense!

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/06/AR2010120607356.html

Baltimoreans: Avoid BGE's Upcoming Rate Hike by Finding a Low-Cost Electric Provider

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:55:08 -0600

On Monday, December 6, 2010, Maryland’s Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a rate increase proposed by Baltimore Gas and Electric, the state’s largest electric and gas utility company. The rate hike applies to BGE’s electric and natural gas distribution service and will increase the monthly electric bills of over one million BGE customers throughout the state, including residents of Baltimore County.

There is a simple and free way for current BGE customers to avoid the company’s upcoming rate hike, however. Basic economic theory tells us that the more companies that compete for consumers’ business (and money) in an industry, the more competitive and lower the prices. To that end, Maryland’s state government approved an initiative known as electricity deregulation, which opens the door for alternative electric providers to sell cheaper electricity to consumers at a lower rate.

Maryland consumers can transfer their electric service from BGE to an alternative, more affordable electric provider in just 10 minutes. The process is simple and 100% free. Consumers can go online to compare the electric rates of alternative Maryland electric providers and transfer their service to the provider offering the lowest rates in their town.

In addition to lower electric rates, alternative MD electric providers offer more flexible billing plans, eco-friendly energy alternatives, and fixed or variable rate plans. Maryland’s many alternative providers know that more options plus lower electric rates is the key to satisfied customers!

If you’re ready to pay less for electricity and say "no" to BGE’s unwarranted rate hikes, switch to a low-cost Maryland electric supplier today. Thousands of Baltimore residents and business-owners have already transferred their service and, in doing so, are saving hundreds of dollars a year on their electric bills. Now it’s your turn.Simply sit back and enjoy a lower BGE electric bill.

Average Electric Rates in Texas

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:47:11 -0600

Some states have really low cost rates for electricity. Other states charge a lot for people to power their homes. Unless you plan on moving out of state, you can’t do a lot about what the average electric bill is in your state. However, you can do something about your own personal bill. You can find out what the average electric rates are within your state and make sure that you’re working with an electricity supplier that is charging you lower than average.

First things first, you need to understand how electricity rates are charged. You are charged per kilowatt hour for the energy that you use. The average residential customer uses somewhere between 500 and 100 kWh of electricity per month (although this varies depending on the time of year, the location of the home, and the size of the home).

According to a January 2010 report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the average price paid per kilowatt hour by Texas residents in 2009 was 12.26. This was slightly higher than the national average. However, the report goes on to note that the average priced paid by Texas residents who were living in areas where electricity had been deregulated was only 11.01, an amount that was lower than the national average.

What this means for you as a Texas electricity consumer is that you want to work with companies that are offering competitive pricing thanks to deregulation in the area. Doing so will allow you to pay less for electricity than what your average Texas neighbors are paying. Ideally, you want to be paying less than the approximately eleven cents per kWh that is the average among competitive electricity suppliers in the state.

In fact, there are a lot of energy suppliers that are currently offering much better rates than this statewide competitive average. Some of the best local energy suppliers are able to provide rates that are between 8 and 9 cents per kWh. By switching to one of these truly competitive electricity suppliers, you can immediately receive a lower TX electric bill. You can also rest easy in the knowledge that you are paying less for electricity than your neighbors are!

How the end of PECO's Electric Heating Discount will Affect Philadelphians

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:44:00 -0600

Most Philadelphians aren’t aware of it, but for decades they have enjoyed an electric heating discount that saves the average family about $40 a month during the winter. Like most good things, however, PECO’s heating discount must come to an end.

Over the next two years, the Pennsylvania utility company will gradually reduce their electric heating discount, so that by the end of 2012, it will be a thing of the past. The end of this winter savings will affect more than 150,000 households in the Philadelphia area, and is expected to increase the average monthly electric bill between 5 and 15 percent.

Other discounts will be phased out as well, including an "off-peak offering," affecting over 80,000 customers that have a separate (discounted) meter for their hot water heater. PECO customers using more than 500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) during summer months will lose their "inverted block rate" discount as well. All in all, the end of these three utility discounts will have the most impact on Pennsylvania households with electric heat, central air conditioning, and a separate meter for the hot water heater.

Fortunately for current PECO customers, however, there is a silver lining to the impending rate increase. A government program known as electricity deregulation allows independent, state-approved electric suppliers to sell low-cost (i.e. cheaper) electricity to consumers throughout the state, including Philadelphia. PECO customers who find an independent electric supplier offering a lower electric rate can transfer their service to the new supplier - for free - with the hopes of negating or even surpassing the effects of PECO’s ending discounts.

PECO customers can also save money and lower their winter utility bills by adopting eco-friendly habits in their homes. Simple things like turning off unused appliances, insuring proper insulation, using CFL light bulbs, washing clothes in cold water, and using energy-efficient appliances can reduce a home’s utility bill by hundreds of dollars a year.

If you expect the end of PECO’s electric heating discount to affect your Philadelphia home (and budget), don’t fret. You can most likely find cheaper electricity through an independent electric supplier, and you can most certainly reduce your PECO electric bill year-round by adopting eco-friendly practices.

Average Heating Bill in Maryland

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:42:26 -0600

The average heating bill in Maryland is expected to be slightly lower this year than last year. Most residents aren’t getting too excited just yet, though. That’s because the average MD heating bill for the 2010-2011 winter season is still expected to be approximately $525 per month. Although this is a $30 per month drop from last year, it is still an exorbitant sum of money. The winter heating season in Maryland runs from November through March, which means that the total bill to heat the average Maryland home this winter will exceed $2600!

The slightly decrease in heating costs as compared to last year is due to a predicted lower price in the cost of natural gas. Natural gas tends to be the least expensive option for a winter home. Maryland residents who heat their homes with heating oil or electricity may not experience even this small drop in their monthly winter heating costs. High costs may be a particular problem for people who heat their homes with electricity. This is due to the fact that Maryland pays higher electricity rates on average than any other state in the South Atlantic Region (and higher than the national average as well).

Residents of this state should be aware that heating costs are expected to rise again next year. This is due to the fact that major Maryland Utility Companies have applied for the right to increase their rates after many years of not doing so. The rate hike would end up raising monthly electricity bills by approximately one percent and increase the cost of gas bills by about four percent. In the winter months, that can mean a lot of wasted money.

Luckily, there are many changes that Maryland customers can make to their homes to reduce their total heating costs this year and in the years to come. Some of the basic things that MD residents should do include:

Weather stripping all doors and windows to prevent heat leaks
Properly insulating the home especially the basement and attic areas
Limit heating to single rooms rather than using whole house heating
Turn the heat off when you aren’t at home
Keep the house slightly chillier this year than last year and don an extra sweater

Maryland residents who use electricity to heat their homes should also consider switching to a lower cost electricity provider. This can help residents in lowering their MD winter electric bills.

Average Heating Bill in Pennsylvania

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:33:20 -0600

How much money have you set aside to pay your Pennsylvania heating bill this winter? Many Pennsylvania residents will struggle to pay their costs. In Philadelphia the average bill will total more than $1300 for the winter season. Costs may be higher for people living in other parts of the state and vary depending on the method used to heat the home.

Customers who may have the highest heating bills in Pennsylvania this year are customers who are using electricity to heat their homes. That is because a 24-year-old-rate cap on the price of electricity in this state is set to expire on January 1^st. It is expected that electricity rates in PA may climb by nearly twenty percent after that happens. Considering the fact that the winter heating season runs through March in this season, this could mean several months of high bills. Pennsylvania residents are already paying higher than average electricity rates compared to the rest of the nation. Approximately sixteen percent of Philadelphia customers are currently heating their homes with electricity so this is definitely an issue of concern.

Customers who may suffer even more when it comes to their PA heating bills this year are those customers who are heating their homes with propane or heating oil. The average price of both of these heating options is expected to rise by more than ten percent as compared to last year. Approximately one in five Philadelphia residents will be affected by this and will see their heating bills rise accordingly this year.

The good news is in this state is that a large percentage of people are using natural gas to heat their homes here. This is the lowest cost option for heating a home. In Philadelphia, nearly sixty percent of residents are using this affordable option. In Erie County the number climbs to eighty percent. Prices on natural gas are expected to decline even further this year making this a highly affordable option.

Pennsylvania residents who don’t want to pay the high costs of the average state heating bill should take action now at the start of winter. Winterize your home to reduce the amount of heat required to heat the home. Lower your thermostat settings including your hot water temperature settings. And, if you use electricity for heat, switch to a lower cost electricity supplier to lower your average PA eelectric bill.

2 TX Programs to Reduce Winter Energy Bills

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:12:22 -0600

People who live in states with harsh winters are often aware of the fact that there are state and federal programs designed to help them pay the high costs of heating a home in the winter. People who live in states like Texas where the winters may be more moderate are often unaware that these same types of winter energy assistance programs are available to them. This is unfortunate.

Even in states like Texas energy bills can rise during the winter as people adjust their thermostats to make up for the cooling temperatures. As more energy is used in the home, customers in all states may find it tough to pay their bills. Texas residents deserve just as much help as people in colder states when these energy payment problems arise!

The core energy assistance program that Texas residents should look into if they need help paying their winter energy bills is The Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP). The CEAP program is a utility assistance program that helps low income TX residents pay their immediate energy bills. It can provide ongoing assistance as well as help pay for emergency heating costs. Additionally, the CEAP program helps to educate customers about energy conservation during the winter months to assist them in lowering the total cost of their energy bills.

In addition to CEAP, Texas residents have a second program available to them for reducing winter energy costs. It’s the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This program is designed to aid low-income residents in making energy-efficient weatherization updates to their home. When you winterize a home, you reduce the amount of heat necessary to keep the place warm. This will naturally lower your monthly TX utility bill. Texas residents may be aware of this but may not have the income necessary to do that weatherization. The WAP program provides those funds to winterize the Texas home.

Customers who are interested in determining whether or not they are eligible for these energy assistance programs should contact the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs (TDHCA) for additional information about the programs. The actual application process takes place with local agencies in different areas of the state but the links to those agencies can be found through TDHCA.

PA Offers Help to Residents Who Can't Pay Winter Heating Costs

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:45:46 -0600

Are you struggling to figure out how you can lower your energy bills even though you’re starting to need to heat up your home for the winter? Many Pennsylvania residents find that their winter energy costs are nearly impossible to pay regardless of what they try to do to decrease energy waste in the home. Those residents should be aware that there are several different federal and state programs available to them to help reduce the cost of their energy bills and even to pay bills that they’re having trouble getting paid.

Some of the programs that are available to Pennsylvania residents include:

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This is a federally funded program that helps low income PA residents pay their home energy bills. It covers ongoing winter heating costs as well as emergency heating situations that require additional funds.

Low-Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP). This interesting Pennsylvania program aids low-income customers in actually reducing the amount of electricity or natural gas used in the home. What this program does is it pays for the installation of energy-saving devices in the home. This waste reduction naturally lowers the total cost of energy bills.

Customer Assistance Program (CAP). Each utility company in Pennsylvania has a CAP program designed to lower the monthly bill for customers in need. The company works with the customer to figure out what the individual can reasonably pay. The program may also delete amounts that are overdue and cannot be paid.

Hardship Funds. These are designed to provide customers with assistance in paying their energy bills when their other resources have run out. These funds may be paid directly to the energy company or provided as cash assistance to energy customers who need help paying their bills.

Customer Assistance Referral and Evaluation Program (CARES). This is a program that customers with special needs should look into since it can help them find the right support to pay their utility bills. Special needs include everything from medical emergencies to unemployment.

Budget Billing. Pennsylvania customers have the right to choose "budget billing" at any time of the year. What this means is that the electricity bill will be the same price every month of the year (based on the customer’s average energy use throughout the year). This same-bill option makes it easier to budget to pay energy bills.

Customers who are interested in lowering their PA energy bill through these various energy assistance programs can contact the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to learn more.

NJ Energy Assistance Programs to Get You Through the Winter

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:33:28 -0600

New Jersey residents are getting out their sweaters and firing up their fireplaces as winter begins to get closer and closer. They are also starting to cut back on all sorts of luxuries in anticipation of needing that extra money to pay their winter heating bills this year. Unfortunately, many customers will still struggle to pay their NJ energy bills. What many of these people don’t realize is that help is available.

The state of New Jersey offers assistance to qualifying households that need help paying their home heating bills. This much-needed help can keep homes warm, bills low and minds at peace this winter. The three core energy assistance programs offered through the state of New Jersey are:

The Home Energy Assistance Program. This is a program designed for low-income New Jersey residents who need help paying their heating bills this winter. Incidentally, it will also help pay high cooling costs when summer rolls around. In addition to this financial help, the Home Energy Assistance Program can help pay for the costs of emergency repairs to home heating systems and emergency home fuel assistance needed by low-income residents.

Weatherization Assistance Program. This is a NJ state program that helps provide funds to people who need help weatherizing their homes. The grants provided by this program cover the costs of increasing the energy-efficiency of the home, which in turns lowers the cost of monthly electricity bills. The elderly, the handicapped and low-income residents in the state may all qualify for this program.

The Universal Service Fund. This is a program designed to reduce the actual rates that customers are required to pay for their energy bills. It’s a way that the state of New Jersey makes energy more affordable for its low-income residents. Make sure that you compare this discount with your options for choosing a lower cost electricity supplier to guarantee that you’re getting the best rates on your NJ energy!

There are certainly things that you can do to reduce your NJ energy bill this winter. You can choose a lower cost energy supplier. You can limit the waste of heat in the home. But these tactics will only lower your bills so much. If you still need help paying for heat this winter, contact the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and ask about their Energy Assistance Programs.

MA State Programs Can Help Pay your Heating Bills

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:41:14 -0600

Are you starting to get nervous about the impending cost of your Massachusetts electric bills? People who live in states with cold winters often suffer financially during the coldest months of the year. It costs a lot to heat a home! Luckily chilly states like Massachusetts offer a number of different energy assistance programs that can help residents pay their bills this winter.

Massachusetts offers a surprising number of different programs to help residents pay their winter heating bills. Those programs include:

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This program, known locally as "fuel assistance" is designed to help low-income Massachusetts residents pay their heating bills throughout the winter.

Citizens Energy Heat Assistance Program. This is another program designed to help low-income and elderly Massachusetts residents pay their heating bills. It is a two-part program that provides a voucher for free heating oil to customers who use heating oil or a gas bill credit to customers who heat their MA homes with natural gas.

Utility Arrearage Programs. It can be very scary to have overdue energy bills in the winter since the potential is there that your heat will get off during the cold months when you need it most. These programs help customers to pay those overdue bills in order to eliminate that threat.

Utility Shutoff Protection. This is another option for customers who are afraid of having their heat cutoff due to nonpayment of bills. Rather than paying the bills, though, this protection is designed to make sure that the shutoff doesn’t happen even if the bills aren’t paid. It’s designed for people living in situations where heat shutoff could be life-threatening (such as the elderly, infants and people who are very ill).

Utility Discounts. This is a program that helps low-income Massachusetts residents secure a lower rate on their utilities including their winter heating bills.

The Good Neighbor Energy Fund. This is a special fund for MA residents who do not meet the eligibility requirements for the low-income assistance programs but who need short-term financial help to pay their winter heating bills.

MassSAVE. Don’t forget to look into this program, which provides free home energy assessments as well as loans and rebates for weatherizing the home. Doing this can significantly lower your MA energy bill this winter.

Check out http://www.massresources.org/ to learn more about these MA state energy assistance programs and to determine your own eligibility for them.

If You Can't Afford Your NY Heating Bills Then State Programs Can Help!

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:30:05 -0600

Are you starting to get a little bit anxious about the cost of paying for your heating bills this year? You aren’t the only one. Many New York state residents find themselves preoccupied with fears about the rising totals on their energy bills that occur each winter. Heating a home is definitely pricey and it’s inevitable as the winter months approach. The state government is aware of this program and has set up assistance for people who need help paying their winter energy bills.

New York State offers the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). This is a federally funded program available to New York residents who meet certain income requirements. It helps cover the costs of paying for winter heating bills. It can also provide emergency assistance related to heating problems including assistance with furnace repair. New York residents who find themselves concerned about how they’ll pay their heating bills this winter should check with the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to see if the qualify for HEAP.

Within HEAP there are several different benefits that may be enjoyed. They include:

The regular benefit. This is the main HEAP program that New York residents should consider if they need help paying their winter heating bills. The 2010-2011 HEAP season opened on November 1, 2010 so now is the time to apply! What this program does is it helps to pay a portion of your NY energy bills during the winter when costs can be very high.

The emergency benefit. New York energy customers may unfortunately experience an emergency this winter related to their heat. For example, something may occur that prevents you from being able to pay your heating bill and the heat is going to be shutoff. This emergency benefit helps to pay those costs to avoid having your heat turned off this winter.

Repair / replacement assistance for heating equipment. One of the problems that homeowners may face this winter is that their furnaces and other heating equipment are no longer efficient and must be replaced. Some customers simply can’t come up with the funds for such a replacement. This money is available to help repair or replace heating units that aren’t working anymore.

Do what you can to lower your NY energy bills this winter. Weatherize your home to make it more energy-efficient. Switch to a lower cost energy supplier. And if you still need help, check to see if you qualify for the energy assistance programs that are available in New York.

Get Assistance to Pay your Maryland Heating Bills

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:25:38 -0600

Winter is a tough time in Maryland for many people. That chill gets into the air and you need to turn the heat up in your home in order to stay warm and healthy. When you do this, your energy bills naturally go up in cost. With a long winter ahead, it can be tough to figure out how you’re going to pay those higher bills. Luckily, the state of Maryland’s Office of Home Energy Program is available to help many MD residents pay their winter energy bills.

The MD Office of Home Energy offers four different programs to low-income residents who may need help paying their heating bills this winter. Those programs are:

Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP). This is a general program designed to assist MD residents in making payments on their energy bills. It also offers some limited assistance to residents who need to replace broken or inefficient furnaces in their homes this winter.

Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP). This is a program designed to help residents who have current electric bills as well as past due bills that need to be paid. It also helps pay for energy efficiency measures that can reduce the future cost of electric bills.

Utility Service Protection Program (USPP). This is a program that is designed to make sure that people don’t have their electricity cut off during the winter months due to non-payment of bills. It sets up a year-long payment system so that the person’s energy bills are always the same from month to month, making it easier to budget for payment of the bill throughout the year.

Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The MD Office of Home Energy can refer MD residents to the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development for this program. What it does is it pays for the cost of winterizing your Maryland home. With proper weatherization, your home will be more energy efficient and therefore your energy bills will be lower and easier to pay.

Maryland residents should contact the state’s Office of Home Energy to determine whether or not they are eligible for this type of heating bill assistance to lower their MD energy bills this year. Eligibility is determined by household size and income. Those residents who don’t qualify for these programs may be eligible for other assistance through the Maryland Department of Human Resources.

How to Get Help Paying your CT Heating Bill

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:00:07 -0600

With winter rapidly approaching, your Connecticut energy bills are going to increase. There are many energy-saving techniques that you can implement around the house to reduce the total cost of your bill. You can also switch to a lower cost energy supplier to further decrease your costs. But even with all of these smart efforts, you may find that it’s difficult to pay your winter heating bills this year. The good news is that you might be able to get help.

The State of Connecticut Department of Social Services has a winter heating assistance program that provides financial assistance to CT residents who need help paying their energy bills this winter. In fact, there are several different programs that Connecticut residents may apply to be a part of in order to reduce this winter’s home heating costs.

Programs offered through the state of Connecticut include:

Connecticut Energy Assistance Program. Customers who qualify for this program are able to receive between $605 and $880 in winter heating assistance assuming that they pay for heat separately from their rent or mortgage costs. Renters who pay for heat as part of their rent costs can receive between $380 and $410 in winter heating assistance.

Contingency Heating Assistance Program. This is a similar heating bill assistance program but it is designed to benefit households that may have an income to high to qualify them for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program. Customers who qualify for this program can receive up to $580 in winter heating bill assistance.

Crisis Assistance. This is for people who qualify for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program but who exhaust those funds and need additional help paying their CT energy bills this winter. It’s a one-time benefit of up to $400 for people who qualify.

Safety Net Services. This is yet another program from people who qualify for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program but who need additional help. It is for people who have used their crisis assistance benefits but are in a life-threatening situation related to their home heating and still need additional assistance.

Weatherization Assistance Program. In addition to paying the costs of energy bills this winter, the State of Connecticut can help pay the costs to weatherize your home. (These costs can be as high as $6500!) Proper winterization of the home will naturally reduce your CT energy bills.

These programs are available to people on an as needed basis. Eligibility depends on a variety of factors including the household income and the ages of people living in the home. Both renters and homeowners are eligible to receive energy assistance. Check CT.gov for more information about applying.

Does NJ Understand How to Save Electricity and Money in the Long Run

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:01:07 -0500

Individuals who wish to save on the energy bills usually know that they may need to make some initial investments that cost money in order to create that long-term savings. Apparently the state of New Jersey doesn’t understand this same concept. Although they have plans in the works for a smart meter plan that would save a lot of energy (and money) over time, the plan is on hold due to the cost of implementing it.

Spending money can save money in the long run

Individuals often make smart investment choices at home to reduce their energy waste. Of course you can simply cut back on how much energy you are using at home. However, to create long-term savings at home you need to make some bigger changes to the space. The completion of a home energy audit to determine where energy is being wasted, the addition of new insulation to a home and the installation of programmable thermostats are all examples of things that individuals may pay for in order to reduce energy waste over the long run.

New Jersey’s smart meters

Approximately two years ago the governor of New Jersey asked the state’s utility companies to install smart meters. The purpose of smart meters is to help customers to reduce their energy waste. This is a green action that reduces the average cost of electricity bills in the region. It could also prevent the need to build more power plants in the state. The utility companies were originally excited about the plan but the smart meters haven’t been installed. The reason cited is that the cost is too high.

Options for the utility companies

The question is how to pay for the cost of smart meter installation without putting the utility companies out of business. One option would be to pass costs on to customers. Customers may initially balk at the idea but openness to the plan would allow them to lower their NJ electricity bills in the long run. An alternative option would be for the state government to help fund the program’s launch. A combination of these two approaches may be a realistic way to make the energy saving plan happen.

TX Energy Customers Need A Rate Cut

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:24:38 -0500

A coalition of Texas cities in the Houston-Galveston area has come together to demand a rate cut for the state’s energy customers. The area’s main electricity provider, CenterPoint Energy, has actually requested a rate hike. The cities have adopted ordinances that not only block this rate hike but demand a rate cut of nearly $150 million from the company. The coalition says that TX customers are already paying too much for electricity.

The Gulf Coast Coalition of Cities is a group of nearly three dozen different municipalities located along the Gulf of Mexico region. Their goal is to protect customers in all of the municipalities from unfair rate hikes. CenterPoint Energy serves approximately two million customers in the Houston-Galveston area including numerous customers in the coalition region.

One of the affected cities is Dickinson. Julie Johnston, Dickinson’s city administrator, is actively involved in helping to prevent rate hikes from occurring. She says that the coalition has collected evidence that the reason that CenterPoint Energy recently requested a rate hike is because it wants extra money to offset losses that it’s accrued thanks to bad investments. Those losses should not be passed on to customers who would end up adding approximately $111 million per year to the energy company’s pockets if their requested rates were approved.

This type of rate hike is unfair to customers everywhere. However, the coalition says it is particularly unfair to their customers because they are already paying more than average for their electricity. The coalition reports that electricity rates in the Houston-Galveston region are considerably higher than in other parts of Texas and higher than other nearby states as well. They say that not only should the rate hike not be allowed but that their customers actually deserve a rate cut.

The issue is now out of the hands of both the coalition and the electricity supplier. It has gone before the Public Utility Commission of Texas. The commission has until the end of the year to determine what their decision is. At that time, they may approve the rate hike or may even require the electric company to lower their rates. In the meantime, Texas customers can take things into their own hands by switching to a lower cost electricity provider than CenterPoint Energy. This would allow residents to start receiving a lower TX electric bill today.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/12/2302927/gulf-coast-coalition-of-cities.html

Average Heating Bill in New York

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:07:37 -0500

In July 2010, New York State passed a new legislation that limits the sulfur content of No. 2 home heating oil, the most commonly-used method of residential heating in the state. While this new mandate will benefit the environment by drastically reducing pollution, it will not affect the cost of heating oil statewide. New Yorkers, therefore, will continue to pay top-dollar to heat their homes this winter.

The average heating bill in New York tops out at around $2,000 for the entire heating season (generally considered to be a four-month time period). That equates to an average heating bill in New York of around $500 per month. This figure is influenced by the type of heat the homes uses (oil, natural gas, or electric), the size of the home, the location, and the average temperature during the season. Some winters are harsher than others, and for winters with more snow and ice, the average heating bill in New York increases.

Luckily, there are a number of hassle-free ways for New York residents to both reduce their average heating bill and help the environment. You can do so by:

making a conscious effort to use less heat and/or electricity;

insulating hot water pipes;

lowering your hot water temperature to 110 degrees;

weather-proofing doors and windows;

regularly replacing air filters;

only heating the rooms you use;

sealing or closing fireplace dampers;

ensuring that your attic is appropriately insulated.

Adhering to these eco- and budget-friendly recommendations can reduce the average NY utility bill by more than 20%. That’s a savings of nearly $500 each winter... it’s like getting one month of heat for free!

Average Heating Bill in CT

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:42:44 -0500

Connecticut is known for having high electric rates, which can translate to expensive heating bills during winter months. In fact, Connecticut’s average residential electric rate in 2009 was the second highest in the nation at 20.36 cents per kilowatt hour, nearly doubling the national average of 11.42 cents per kilowatt hour.

With winter fast approaching, many Connecticut residents are concerned that heating their home will cost even more money this year. Last winter, the average heating bill in CT ranged from $220 to $450 per month, per household. Many factors affect the average heating bill in CT, including the size and condition of the home being heated, the harshness of the winter season, and the manner in which the home is heated (i.e. the price of oil, natural gas, or electricity). Let’s take a look at the differences in these heating systems as well as simple ways to lower your CT heating bill this winter.

In general, electric heating is more expensive than heating with natural gas or heating oil. This is particularly the case in CT, where, as previously mentioned, electric rates are off the charts. Heating your home with electricity is also less environmentally-friendly than other methods of heating. Studies show that geothermal heating (i.e. heat pump) has the cheapest operating costs over time; however, it is one of the more expensive heating systems to install.

In order to lower your CT heating bill this winter, it’s necessary to ensure that your home is properly sealed and insulated. A homeowner must protect the heat they’re paying for by reducing air leakage. You can do so by weather stripping doors and windows and by installing proper insulation in your attic and/or basement. Another way to lower your average CT heating bill is by only heating the room(s) you’re using. For example, if you spend most of the day in your home office, turn off your whole-house heating system and just use a space heater in your office. Following these two simple steps could lower your Connecticut utility bills by hundreds of dollars a year!

National Grid Raises Rates and Wastes Customer's Money

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:49:47 -0500

No customers want to have their electric rates go up. After all, many people are already struggling to pay their monthly bills as it is and a rate hike can put a big strain on the family budget. Nevertheless, most of us accept that rates do sometimes go up since businesses also have a bottom line that they need to meet. We do what we can to lower our electric bills and begrudgingly understand when a rate hike occurs. However, if we then find out that the rate hike is allowing electric company employees to spend lavishly on unnecessary expenses we are understandably angry. That’s exactly what is going in right now in New York for customers of National Grid.

National Grid is an international electricity and gas company that is headquartered in London but is also active in the northeastern United States with U.S. headquarters in Massachusetts. In fact, this utility company operates over 9000 miles of electricity transmission serving over 3 million customers in five different states. Many of those customers are located in New York.

National Grid recently requested a rate increase of nearly $400 million that would affect the electricity rates of New York customers. Customers are outraged after finding out that the increase may have been requested because National Grid employees are seriously wasting their money by spending extravagantly on various things.

Some of the reported expenses include:

Tens of thousands of dollars to cover the cost of sending an employee’s children to a private school.

Over $8000 to cover the cost of a single holiday cocktail party for the company

Nearly $4000 to repair a washing machine and pool cover privately owned by an employee

Over $2000 to ship the items of British executives to the U.S. Such items include a cat and a wine collection.

National Grid customers facing rate hikes may not even be able to afford their own cocktail parties, wine collections and private schools. They may be barely able to cover the costs of their NY electric bill each month. That’s why they’re infuriated to think that their energy bill funds are going to pay for these types of expenses.

Luckily, National Grid customers do have other options. It is always possible to switch to a lower cost electricity provider. With many providers to choose from, why select one that is going to waste your money?

7 Energy-Saving Gadgets Worth Their Cost

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:42:59 -0500

The year is flying by. Before you know it, Christmas is going to arrive. Take a look at these seven stocking stuffer ideas for gadgets that help you save energy around the home:

Energy Orb. One way that people waste money on energy is that they use power during peak hours when the cost of electricity may be higher. This cool little gadget uses a color-coded system to let you know what the current grid load is. You can easily glance at the gadget and see if it’s a cheap or expensive time to be using electricity. This helps you make smart money-saving decisions in the home.

iPhone app: Sunpower. This is an iPhone app for people who already use solar energy at home. It gives you real time monitoring of your solar array’s energy production. This helps you to maximize use of your home solar system.

Kill-a-Watt. Use this outlet-based plug to find out what the kWh energy use is of any item that you plug into it. Also use it to calculate daily, monthly and annual energy costs.

The Energy Detective. This is one of the best gadgets out there for accurately assessing how much energy you use in the home. It monitors home energy use so that you can see where to make changes to reduce energy waste. One cool thing about this gadget is that it links to Google PowerMeter, a free energy monitoring tool that you can access online so that you can better understand your home energy usage.

Visible Energy UFO Powercenter. This is a set of power strips that is much smarter than the ones you are using in your home today. The power strip automatically gathers information about energy uses and uses a color-coded system to keep you informed about how much energy is being used. This reminds you to turn off high-energy items that you aren’t actually using. Furthermore, the power strip can be set to turn on and off at certain times to further save energy and reduce your electric bill.

Wattson. This is another color-coded gadget for easily seeing how much energy is being used. What is cool about this one is that you can see how much is being used based on actual energy consumption or you can have the information show based on cash being spent on energy.

Wiser Home Control. This present is bigger than just a stocking stuffer but it’s also great for the whole family. It’s a total home energy control system that is connected to mobile phones and Internet. What that means is that you can use your cell phone to turn off lights, security alarms, AC units, etc. This one is great for people who rush out of the home and forget to turn off energy-draining devices.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/22/inhabitat-earth-day-special-seven-gadgets-that-help-you-save-en/

How to Save Money Despite the WMECO Hike

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:53:11 -0500

Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) is not very popular with customers right now. They are seeking to raise rates in ways that could have a huge financial impact on customers’ electricity bills. The Attorney General is opposed to the rate hike because of this terrible impact that it could have. Customers are feeling helpless as the struggle continues. However, there are things that you can do to gain back some control over the cost of your energy bills regardless of what WMECO ends up doing.

WMECO has requested a total rate hike of nearly $30 million. When asked why the company needed to raise rates so much, WMECO President Peter Clarke responded that the company is struggling. They need the money in order to stay afloat. The more financial difficulty they have, the higher their lending risk profile is. In other words, it’s tougher for them to get good rates on loans and therefore their own costs are rising.

However, Clarke did acknowledge that customers are also struggling as a result of the recession and that the rate hike would therefore have a negative impact on them. There are seven different fees that WMECO customers see on their bills and a rate hike could affect any or all of these fees. Those fees are:

Transmission charge (covers the cost of transporting electricity)

Customer charge (covers the cost of energy distribution)

Energy charge (covers the cost of maintenance and delivery of energy across WMECO’s poles and wires)

Fees to cover retirement and pension for WMECO employees

Transition charge (covers WMECO’s past investment costs)

Green charges (energy conservation charge, energy efficiency program charge, alternative power source fees)

Supplier services (covers that cost of the actual power that you receive)

The WMECO rate hike will affect residential customers. It will also affect the businesses that receive their energy from WMECO.

Customers who want to regain control over their energy bills in spite of this situation can choose to find their own electricity supplier. It is important to understand that WMECO purchases electricity for its Basic Service customers using an open bidding process. Although it is a competitive bidding process, the company bids on electricity for long stretches of time. People who choose to work with their own electricity suppliers can take advantage of seasonal price changes and company-based deals to get a better price and lower their MA electric bill.

Save Money and Energy in your New York Apartment

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:34:42 -0500

If you’re living in New York then there’s a good chance that you’re living in an apartment. There’s also a good chance that you are responsible for your own energy bills even if you’re renting the place. So how do you keep those bills as low as possible?

The first thing that you want to do is to replace the lights in the apartment with energy-efficient lighting. You can do this easily by just changing out the bulbs that are in there. You want to replace all old bulbs with LED bulbs if possible and CFL bulbs if you can’t find or afford LEDs. This will save a significant amount of money for you over the lifetime of staying in the apartment.

After the lights are taken care of, you want to look at the windows. Make sure that they aren’t drafty. If they need weatherproofing or caulking then go ahead and do that (or get the landlord to do it if you can). Then it’s up to you to make sure that you get the right window coverings. Choose curtains that will let in the light but allow for proper airflow to reduce extra heating and cooling requirements inside of the home.

Next you’ll want to take a close look at the appliances in the apartment. The ideal situation is that all of the appliances will be Energy Star appliances. If they aren’t then you might want to have a chat with your landlord about the appliances. Hopefully they’ll be willing to replace the appliances, especially if you point out that rebates are often available to do so. If he or she is unwilling to replace the appliances, express your concerns about how much cost the energy waste is causing you and negotiate a slightly lower rent because of it if you can. This will offset the cost of the old appliances although it won’t save energy.

The good news is that your New York apartment is probably a small apartment. If it also has low ceilings then you should find that you can keep your energy bills low. There may be a lot of drawbacks to the small spaces in this area but one perk is that it’s an energy-saver! Use the information on our site to get a lower NY electric bill.

Energy-Efficient Washing Machines We'll See One Day Soon

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:18:24 -0500

There are a lot of very intriguing concept washing machines in the work. These are washing machines that have been designed but aren’t necessarily available for sale yet. However, they soon will be. That’s because they not only have cool designs but they are also very energy-efficient. They typically save both water and energy to reduce costs and waste in the home.

One of the most interesting examples of such a washing machine is The Re-cycle Laundry Center. This is a three-in-one machine with three pods that are set up in the shape of the traditional recycle symbol. The pods hang on the wall. One is the washer, one is the dryer and the third is a water filtration system. It cleans and recycles the water that is being used in the machine. When the water is clean, it goes back into the washing machine pod. What a terrific water-saving idea!

Another type of washing machine that is taking off in the design industry is the steam-based washing machine. Two examples of this type of washing machine are the Electrolux Renew and The Pebble by Ning Ning Lee. The Electrolux Renew is a high-tech Wi-Fi enabled touchscreen washing machine that you simply run your clothes through to have them steamed. That’s what cleans them. The Pebble is an energy-efficient wall-hanging machine that rapidly washes, steams and dries your clothes. Since you aren’t running the machine very long, you’re not wasting energy in the home.

Speaking of washing machines that hang on the wall, that’s a design concept that is getting more and more popular. These are small machines that are specifically designed to improve urban living. That’s great because it allows you to have a smaller home. A smaller home is more energy-efficient and less wasteful. Of course, many of these machines are also designed to save water and energy. For example Electrolux’s SHINE concept washing machine provides ambient light for the room so that you don’t need to waste energy (or space!) on other lighting.

Another way to reduce the space your washing machine needs is to put it out in the open in other areas of your house. Freestanding futuristic washing machines are starting to look like works of art. Many of these have additional energy-saving functions. For example, the Maglev Washing Machine uses a unique rotation method that reduces the amount of water and the amount of detergent that you need. The Aquarium is another rotation-based washing machine.

It’s tough to say which of these machines will make it into our homes and which won’t. You never know with concept designs. However, this definitely reflects a growing trend towards small, energy-efficient washing machines. That’s something that we’ll undoubtedly see more and more of soon.

Pros and Cons of BGE's Air Conditioning Shutoff

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:56:58 -0500

Baltimore Gas and Electric offers a Peak Rewards program for customers who are willing to shut off their home air conditioning on the hottest, highest demand days. This rewards program is certainly one way for you to save money on your home cooling but does it actually make sense to use it? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.

Benefits of BGE’s Air Conditioning Shutoff

The main reason that customers are interested in BGE’s new program is because it is designed to save them money. BGE saves money if they don’t have to invest in energy megawatts during the most expensive peak times of use. They are passing this savings on to customers in the form of annual credits for people who choose to participate in the program. Getting a little money back at the end of the year while doing your part to reduce energy waste is surely a positive thing.

Drawbacks of BGE’s Air Conditioning Shutoff

The biggest drawback of this program is that it causes you to lose control of how cool you keep your home. BGE installs a device in your thermostat and then shuts off your central air at peak use times. Many customers find it uncomfortable for the electric company to decide when to turn off their home’s cooling system. An alternative would be to use a programmable thermostat to shut off the system on the hottest days while still retaining the control over that system in your own home.

Additionally, some people can’t help but point out that the hottest days of the summer are the times when you need your air conditioning most. Yes, you should do all that you can in order to reduce central air use during expensive peak times. However, if you’re going to be at home and need to cool off, you probably want to be able to do that on the days with the worst heat. Cutting back on energy use in other ways might make more sense in many homes.

In Summary

There are benefits to the new program in terms of cost savings. Additionally, the program does help raise awareness of peak use times and the higher cost of running home cooling systems during those times. Nevertheless, the solution might not be to save money by giving control of your central air to your electric company. Investing in a lower cost energy company, a programmable thermostat and good efficiency practices in the home might all be better ways to save during these hot days and lower your MD electric bill.

MD Reduces Cooling Costs with Great New Energy Rebates

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:25:51 -0500

One of the best ways to save money on energy in the home is to replace your old appliances with new ones that are more energy-efficient. Unfortunately, many people fail to do this because they don’t want to pay the initial cost to get the new appliances. Government rebates are the answer. A Maryland rebate program has just been extended, providing a terrific low-cost way for residents of the state to reduce their cooling costs and save money on their Maryland electric bill.

The Maryland Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, a program overseen by the Maryland Energy Administration, was launched earlier this year. In fact, it was launched on Earth Day, symbolic of how saving energy at home really does help to save the earth. The program has been a great success. Many Maryland residents have replaced their inefficient appliances with new Energy Star appliances and received rebates from the government for doing so. In fact, the program has been such a big success that it has recently been expanded.

What is really exciting for a lot of Maryland residents is that the program’s expansion aids residents in reducing their home cooling costs. This summer has been a hot one. Many people around the nation have been forced to spend more on home cooling than they would have liked. These new rebates allow those people to save money replacing their poor home cooling systems.

There are four different appliances that Maryland residents can now receive rebates on when they get new Energy Star efficient machines. Those four cooling appliances are:

Central Air Conditioning Units. People who are serious about improving their home cooling with big changes to their central air can get a $500 rebate on a new central air conditioning unit.
Room Air Conditioners. Even people who just want a new room air conditioner can benefit with a $25 rebate.
Freezers. Stock up on cool foods with an efficient freezer. Get $100 in rebates for your purchase.
Air Source Heat Pumps. These heat pumps use outside air to heat water in the home. They can also be used for cooling the home. A $500 Maryland rebate is now available.

These four new rebates aren’t the only rebates that Maryland residents can get for their home appliance upgrades. There are still ongoing rebates being offered for the purchase of refrigerators, washing machines and electric heat pump water heaters. The rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

10 Ways Companies Can Reduce their Energy Bills

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:10:29 -0500

Businesses can help green the earth while decreasing profit losses by choosing to find ways to reduce the amount of money spent on energy bills. Here are ten ways that companies can reduce their spending on electricity:

Replace your thermostats. It is important to make sure that you are using Energy Star programmable thermostats in your building.

Set the thermostats properly for different times of day. You want to make sure that the building is a comfortable temperature for staff and clients but that you aren’t cooling or heating it unnecessarily. Program the thermostat to a comfortable temperature during the times when the building needs it most and alter that temperature accordingly for nighttime when the building is empty.

Use fans and space heaters properly throughout the workspace. You can use fans and space heaters to reduce the need for a whole-building heating and cooling system. This is especially good on days when there aren’t too many people working in the building.

Switch to LED light bulbs. You want to choose longer-lasting light bulbs that are highly energy-efficient over time. Right now the best choice is the LED bulb, which has a high initial cost but lasts for several years and is a very energy-efficient form of lighting. If you can’t afford to switch to LEDs right now then definitely make sure that you’re using CFL bulbs instead of traditional bulbs.

Turn off lights that aren’t in use. You make use of this practice around your home so why aren’t you doing it at your place of business?

Unplug appliances that aren’t in use. Your business may have a coffee maker, an electric stapler or a little-used copy machine. Unplug these things when they are not in use so that they aren’t draining your building of energy.

Power down computers when they aren’t in use. Set all of your business computers to enter sleep mode after only a short period of time.

Reduce the amount of printing that you do. You’ll find that a majority of the items that you currently print off of your computer don’t need to be printed out at all. Make an effort to print as little as possible at work.

Invest in renewable energy resources. Solar power, wind power and other forms of renewable energy are great because they allow you to power your business cheaply for a long time to come.

Get an audit or use a business energy analyzer. Different businesses lose energy in different ways. If you want to reduce your electric bills as much as possible then you should get a professional energy audit or purchase a business energy analyzer to determine where your energy expenses are going. Then you can focus on reducing energy use in the areas where you waste the most.

10 Energy-Saving Things to Look for When Choosing an Apartment

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:16:23 -0500

Many renters have to pay their own electricity bills. This can be frustrating because a lot of the energy-saving changes that you can make to a home to lower your electricity bill may not be allowed by your landlord. Making sure to choose the right apartment for low-cost energy bills can help to guarantee that your apartment’s electricity costs will stay low.

Here are ten energy-saving things to consider when looking for a new apartment:

1. The size of the apartment. You want to choose an apartment that is big enough to meet your needs but not any bigger. The smaller your space, the less that you will spend on heating and cooling your home.

2. The height of the ceilings. Rooms with high ceilings require more energy especially during the summer months when you need to cool them off. Choose lower ceilings. If you choose an apartment with high ceilings, make sure that it has ceiling fans.

3. Look closely at the appliances in your apartment. Since you don’t get to choose the appliances for the apartment, you want to look at them carefully before you move in. Make sure that they are Energy Star appliances that are highly efficient. You want low-wattage appliances.

4. Select an apartment with a shared laundry. Although there are benefits to having a washer and dryer in the apartment itself, you may pay out a lot in energy costs. Choose a building with a shared laundry so the cost of energy for the washer / dryer is covered by the landlord.

5. Aim for natural lighting. Choose an apartment with good natural lighting so that you don’t have to spend a lot of money keeping lights on during the day.

6. Take a look at the light bulbs and fixtures. You want energy efficient light bulbs in your apartment. If your landlord has already installed CFL or LED lights then there’s a good chance that this is an energy-efficient apartment. If not, make sure that there’s no problem with you choosing these light bulbs when it comes time to replace what’s there.

7. Look for proper window coverings. You want ones that will let in that natural light while allowing for proper air flow in the home. If the apartment doesn’t have these, ask about your options before moving in.

8. Make sure that the windows are properly caulked. Ask when the apartment was last checked for energy leaks.

9. Request an energy audit for the apartment. It is possible that the landlord will allow this. If the landlord won’t pay for it but you are serious about getting the apartment then it may be worth it to pay for it yourself. This will tell you where the landlord may need to make changes.

10. Look for a flexible, green-minded landlord. You want to choose a landlord that is going to easily work with you to save energy in your apartment.

Major CT Electricity Suppliers Leave Customers Dissatisfied

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:57:16 -0500

If you want to be unhappy with your electricity company all you need to do is move to Connecticut and get service from one of the state’s major electricity providers. This is due in part to the fact that the region’s major electricity providers are among the most expensive in the entire nation. However, the problem is bigger than that. Connecticut’s two largest electricity suppliers rank among the lowest when it comes to customer service.

California-based J.D. Power & Associates did an analysis of the nation’s electricity providers based on customer service satisfaction surveys. They divided the country into four regions and assessed the customer satisfaction of more than 120 companies in those regions. The Eastern region (consisting of 29 electricity providers) was found to provide the worst customer service in general with Connecticut Power Utilities ranking among the very worst.

In fact, Connecticut Light & Power was tied for very last place with a New York electricity provider. United Illuminating, Connecticut’s other major electricity supplier, didn’t fare much better since it was tied for fourth worst place among all of the companies in the region. On a 1000 point scale, both companies received barely more than half the available points when ranked by customers. Interestingly, United Illuminating is doing a lot worse than it was in years past but Connecticut Light and Power actually received more points this year than last year despite the fact that it’s ranked at the bottom of the list.

Six different factors were taken into consideration when it came to customer service satisfaction. Price was one major factor that definitely influenced people’s dissatisfaction. Connecticut has the second-highest electricity rates in the nation (behind only Hawaii) and customers are none too happy about the issue. The other five criteria considered were power quality and reliability, billing and payment options, corporate citizenship, communication skills and general customer service.

This doesn’t mean that everyone in the state of Connecticut has to be unhappy with their electricity service, however. Deregulation means that customers can choose to get their electricity from smaller independent providers. These low cost CT electric providers may have the ability and interest to provide both lower prices and higher-quality customer service.

Source: http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news13986.html

Reducing your Texas Summer Electric Bill

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:39:33 -0500

Summer in Texas is hot. It is also humid in many parts of the state, which makes it feel as though it’s even hotter than it actually is. In your attempts to cool off at home, you may find that your Texas electricity bills are sky high. How can you stay cool without paying a fortune on electricity bills?

The most important thing that you can do is to switch to a lower-cost energy provider. Texas has many different options for who supplies your energy. The most well known electricity supplies are not necessarily the ones that are the least expensive. For example, you may be familiar with companies like Oncor and AEP Texas because these are the default companies for many parts of Texas. By switching to lower cost providers that serve the same areas (such as Bounce Energy or Champion Energy Services) you can significantly reduce your TX electric bills without changing your home electricity use at all.

Of course, reducing your home energy use will help to save even more money on your Texas electricity bills. The first thing that you should do is to fiddle with your thermostat. The goal here is to find the warmest temperature setting that you can handle while still feeling comfortable in the home. Seventy-eight degrees is the recommended setting for Texans who want to be cool in their homes without running the AC all day and all night.

You can further reduce your need to operate your home’s air conditioning unit by making use of fans around the home. Ceiling fans as well as portable fans are great tools for cooling off the Texas home. During much of the day, you probably aren’t even in the majority of rooms in your house. Why are you paying money to cool them off? Instead, just use fans to keep cool in the rooms where you are spending the most time.

Speaking of rooms, the kitchen is an important room when it comes to summertime in Texas. The appliances throughout your kitchen generate heat. When you add cooking to the mix, the house can get really hot. During the summer in Texas, you should try to avoid cooking indoors. Texas BBQ is always popular so take advantage of the great opportunity to do some cooking outside during the summer. That way you don’t heat up your home. Also, do your dishwashing during the cooler hours of the day.

Finally, take a close look at the lighting in your home. Texas gets a lot of natural light so you should take advantage of it in a way that keeps the house cool. You want to let in the light without letting in the heat. Two-way white drapes or clear reflective window film will allow you to use natural lighting without taking in heat from the sun. This prevents the need to use internal home lights, which heat up the house unnecessarily. In that Texas heat, you need to do every little thing you can to keep it cool!

How to Buy an Energy-Efficient Air Conditioner

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:51:27 -0500

If you want to save money on your energy bills then you need to reduce the amount of money that you spend on heating and cooling your home. During the hottest dog days of summer, it can seem impossible to stop paying to cool your home. However, a small investment now will save you money for many summers to come. The choice to invest in an energy-efficient air conditioner is one that will keep your home cool while reducing your electricity bills drastically. But how do you choose an energy-efficient air conditioner?

The first thing that you want to do when choosing your air conditioner, as you would for nearly any appliance for your home, is to narrow down your options to an Energy Star air conditioner. If your air conditioner doesn’t have an Energy Star rating then it’s not as energy-efficient as you want it to be. This is true whether you are getting an entire new central air conditioning system or just a little room air conditioner. Look for Energy Star.

The most important thing after the Energy Star label is the size of the air conditioner. You want to get one that is big enough to cool your space but not so big that it’s wasting energy. Energy Star has some great tips for choosing the right size room air conditioner. Notably, some rooms require stronger air conditioners than others. For example, the kitchen (which gets hot from cooking as well as from running appliances like the refrigerator) may need a stronger air conditioning unit than the bedroom, which is only used at night.

After choosing the right size of air conditioner, you can look at additional features. You want an air conditioner that has a built-in thermostat so it will automatically shut off when the room gets cool. You want an air conditioner than with multi-directional airflow that will circulate air throughout the entire room. You want an air conditioner that is easy to clean since a clean AC is going to operate most efficiently.

Once you’ve purchased your energy-efficient air conditioner, you still have a little bit more work to do. You want to maximize your savings by making sure that your home is well equipped to save energy. The most important thing is to prevent the cool air from leaking out and the hot air from leaking in by caulking up the windows and sealing up your ducts properly. Next you want to make smart choices about not using heat-generating appliances during the hottest part of the day or right near the air conditioner. Finally, use your energy-conserving habits to limit how often you run the AC and how cold you feel you must keep the house!

Oncor's Smart Meters Not So Smart for Customers

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:09:14 -0500

Imagine that your electricity company tells you that they are installing "smart readers" for your benefit. The purpose of the meters is to read your energy use and allow you to have more control over the amount of energy that you use. However, the meters fail to work properly and end up telling your electricity company that you use two or three times more energy than you really use. The result is that you receive a bill for over $1500 for one month’s worth of electricity. There is not much you can do other than pay it because the electricity company claims that the meters read your energy correctly.

This horrible scenario isn’t fiction. It is exactly what happened to customers of Oncor, the electricity distribution company in Texas. The company is dealing with a class action lawsuit related to the issue because customers could not believe that they were being charged such exorbitant bills for mistakes in the readings of the Smart Meters. In spite of these problems, smart meter rollouts continue. AEP Texas is about to launch their Smart Meters in Abilene.

So what are smart meters? These electricity meters are designed to read electricity usage with more detail than traditional meters. For example, they may read electricity use every hour, allowing electric companies to offer reduced rates during off-peak hours. Theoretically, this gives customers more control over their electricity bills, allowing them to take actions to control their electricity rates.

The class action lawsuit with Oncor (and another similar one in the state of California) suggests that these meters don’t necessarily work properly. In fact, individuals involved in the lawsuit have gone so far as to suggest that Oncor intentionally installed meters in low-income areas to take advantage of a population that isn’t likely to sue. Whether or not this is true is uncertain. Oncor denies the claims and says that their smart meters were not faulty but rather that the individuals in question increased their own energy use dramatically and were charged accordingly.

What is certain, however, is that these people are being charged a lot of money for electricity and something needs to be done about it. This may mean holding companies like Oncor accountable, it may mean switching to a low cost Texas electricity provider in the area, it may mean reducing personal energy use in the home or it may mean a combination of all of these things.

5 Biggest Ways to Reduce your Summer Electricity Bills

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:04:39 -0500

If you have already received your first electricity bill of the summer then you may be aching to know how to reduce energy use in the home. Those summer bills can be killer since everyones home and everyones hot! You dont have to do ten million little things to save money on your energy bills, though. Just tackle the following five key issues and your summer utility bills will go down in no time.

1. Switch to a lower-cost electricity provider. With deregulation of the industry, consumers can now choose the electricity providers that they want to work with. In order to lure customers during the busy summer months, many companies are offering great low-cost deals if you switch providers now. You dont have to change any habits around the house at all and you can still lower your utility bills just by shopping around for the lowest priced electricity in your area.

2. Develop good habits with your air conditioner. To reduce your electric bill in the summer, you need to reduce what you spend on your air conditioner. The first thing will be to clean and update maintenance on the air conditioner so that its running at its peak performance level. The second thing is to make sure that the house isnt letting in hot air by sealing up leaks and using drapes properly on your windows. And finally, you can limit use by setting your programmable thermostat to the warmest temperature you can tolerate this summer.

3. Paint your roof white. If you want to spend less on cooling off your home then its worth it to invest in a light-colored roof. The top choice is a highly reflective white roof. The surface temperature of such a roof can be as much as 80 degrees cooler than the surface temperature of a black roof. When the roof isnt absorbing all of that heat, the sun isnt heating up your home as much and you end up with a much cooler house and lower electricity bills.

4. Invest in great landscaping. If you want to reduce the amount of money that you spend on cooling your home then you can also use great landscaping to provide natural cooling properties for the home. Strategically placed shade trees are the top choice for affordably reinventing your landscape to allow you to turn off your homes cooling system.

5. Get out of the house. The more time that you spend at home during the summer months the more it is going to cost you when the electricity bills come. First of all, when youre home, youre cooling off the place and as you get adjusted to the temperature throughout the day it may require more and more cool air to make you feel cool enough. Second, youre using the lights, computers and appliances when you are home which drives energy bills up more. Get out and get active. Spend time in the pool. Find ways to cool off away from home. Let someone else pay to keep you cool!

Failure to Switch Electricity Providers Costs PPL Customers

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:52:51 -0500

Electricity customers in Pennsylvania have a choice about who provides their electricity. Despite this, many people fail to evaluate their options, preferring to remain with the company that they already know: PPL. The result is that a lot of people in the state are paying far more for electricity than they need to.

For more than a decade, the people in Pennsylvania didn’t have to worry about their electricity rates going up. A price cap on energy had kept electricity prices at the same rate that they were in 1996. That’s changed, now, though. The cap has already come off for PPL customers and will be removed for Met-Ed customers at the end of this year.

Prices for PPL customers have already been raised by about 30%. In other words, if you’re a PPL customer, you’re paying 30% more than you were one year ago even though your energy use may not have changed at all. The situation has made a lot of people feel powerless because even those who cut down drastically on home energy use in anticipation of the rate hike are seeing higher bills than they had in the past.

PPL customers are not helpless, however. It is possible to choose from different electricity service providers to get your electricity. PPL customers can shop around to find the best price on energy for them and receive a lower PA electric bill. Just because PPL may be the default energy provider doesn’t mean that they’re the best option. In fact, PPL is currently seeking permission for an additional 5% rate increase, which means that electricity bills could climb even higher. This additional increase would raise the average Pennsylvania electric bill another $7+ dollars per month.

Smart customers have already switched to other electricity providers that can offer the lower rates. They realize that they can get the exact same service with no service interruption and yet pay significantly less money just by switching PA electric providers. About one third of PPL’s customers have switched to another energy provider in 2010. However, that leaves two thirds of customers still paying hundreds of dollars per year more than they need to for electricity.

Source: http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x336267110/PPL-seeks-5-distribution-rate-hike

NJ Increases Summer Rebates for Energy-Star Appliances

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:38:09 -0500

When you save energy in your home, you lower your electric bills. When you save energy in your New Jersey home this summer using Energy Star appliances, you really save some money. That’s because the Clean Energy Program in New Jersey recently announced that they will be offering new summer rebates to people who use Energy Star appliances in their homes. The funding for the rebates comes from The American Recovery and Reinvestment act which is federal stimulus funding that the state received.

If you’re in need of any of the following appliances then you may want to get one before August 31^st so that you can get the rebate:

Central air conditioning. Lower your electricity bills immediately this summer with a more efficient central air conditioning system. Plus get a rebate for as much as $600!

Dishwasher. If you need to get a new dishwasher then it’s definitely smart to get an Energy Star dishwasher. For the maximum rebate of $50, get a model that uses less than 5 gallons of water per cycle and less than 307 kWh per year. Rebates of $25 are available for slightly less energy-efficient models of Energy Star dishwashers.

Washing machine. Once again, getting the most energy-efficient model of an Energy Star washing machine will allow you to get a full rebate of $50. Less efficient models may still garner you a rebate of $35.

Dehumidifer. If you need to a dehumidifer for your home this summer then make sure you get one that’s Energy Star rated so that you can get the $25 rebate that is being offered through the program.

Refrigerator. Your refrigerator is one of the biggest energy-drainers in your home. Save money on your electricity bills by getting a more energy-efficient fridge. You’ll also get a good rebate, too. The most energy-efficient models give you $100 back and other models get you $75. Plus you can get another $50 for recycling your old refrigerator at no charge (including free pick-up).

Remember that the rebate isn’t the only reason that getting a new Energy Star appliance makes sense. These appliances are designed to reduce energy in the home, which means that you will lower your NJ electricity bills.

Source: http://www.getsolar.com/blog/beat-the-heat-new-jersey-adds-more-energy-star-rebates-for-summer/8687/

If You're Using PSE and G Then You're Paying Too Much for Electricity

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:29:16 -0500

New Jersey residents who are still using PSE&G as their electricity provider are likely paying more than they need to for their energy bills. This utility company recently had to refund money to a number of customers because it was found that they were overcharging people for electricity. In spite of this problem, they have received approval to actually raise their electricity rates. Living in an era of electricity deregulation means that you have the option of choosing an electricity company that can offer you a competitive price. That’s definitely something to think about if you’re currently still using PSE&G!

The Board of Public Utilities in New Jersey recently approved a rate increase for PSE&G. The total rate of the increase is over $70 million. This translates to approximately a $12 total increase in the average customer’s annual NJ electric bill. Although this isn’t a significantly large amount of money for individual families, it is important to note that the utility company is raising its rates during a time when competition in the industry should be leading to decreases instead of increases in charges. Deregulation of electricity means that there are multiple companies offering electricity. Consumers seeking to get the best prices should be deterred by a company that is raising its rates in the face of competition.

Moreover, the company’s practices should make customers wary. The rate increase that was allowed is actually being limited because of another order by the Board of Public Utilities. The board found that the company has been overcharging its customers for a long time and must pay back the customers over the next two years. They owe over $120 million to customers who were overcharged. The immediate ramification of this is that the $12 annual bill increase will be offset by the refund and will actually only look like about $1 annual increase during the next two years. However, customers should consider the fact that this is due only to PSE&Gs previous practice of overcharging. What’s going to happen when the two years is up and the new rate fully sets in?

Electricity customers in New Jersey have a choice when it comes to their service providers. Smart customers want to get high-quality service at a low cost. It’s worth it to take the time to review the options. Although PSE&G may be the biggest utility company in the state, it’s not the only option. You may find it’s not even the best one for you.

Smart Appliances Respond to Utility Pricing Structures

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:24:18 -0500

Do you live in a place where your energy costs vary throughout the day based on your energy company’s peak hours? This is increasingly common. It costs utility companies more to produce power during the busiest "peak use" hours of the day than during other times when fewer consumers are using electricity. Many utility companies pass that savings on to customers by offering lower rates to people who use their energy during the hours when it is costing the electricity company less.

The problem that a lot of people have encountered with this situation is that they don’t really know how to take advantage of the lower cost. It just seems like a hassle to try to remember to turn the washing machine on during the time that you know is supposed to cost you the least. Frugal consumers do this. However, the average person might want things to be a little less complicated for them. Now, thanks to "smart appliances", things can be simpler.

Smart appliances are a line of new appliances produced by General Electric. These GE energy efficient appliances are designed to react to pricing signals from the utility company. They are set to work during the times when energy will be at the lowest price for you. For example, you refrigerator will wait until the cheapest possible time to use the excess energy needed to defrost. And your laundry and dishwasher can be filled but then set to not become active until the energy cost goes down later in the day. Even your microwave will be affected; a smart microwave powers down during the costliest energy-sucking times of the day.

In addition to being a great method of saving energy and money for consumers, "smart appliances" have benefits for the energy industry as a whole. As more consumers use them, the system will make it possible for utility companies to manage their energy demand much more effectively. This can prevent the need for building extra power plants and make the nation’s energy system more efficient as a whole. Plugging into a smart grid like this is certainly a way of the future and it’s increasingly looking like the smartest move to make today.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/smart-appliances-help-consumers-get-smart-about-energy-costs-2010-05-26?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Save Money By Turning Your Home Off During Summer Vacation

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:00:31 -0500

Most of us are going to be taking a vacation this summer even if only for a few days. We’ll pack up our things (including the kids) and enjoy a nice getaway. Maybe we’ll go the frugal route and hit the campgrounds or perhaps we’ll indulge in a nice beach hotel break. Whatever the case, we’ll be leaving our homes empty. And if you’re smart, you’ll also make sure to turn your home off while you’re gone.

There are many different appliances that you can turn off and unplug in your home. Doing so saves energy and reduces the cost of your electric bills. Some of these are things that you should turn off every time that you aren’t using them (like lights) whereas others can be too much of a hassle to turn on and off every day (like the water heater). Both types of home appliances should be turned off and unplugged when you go away on vacation. Why pay to power a home when you aren’t even there?

The first thing that you want to do is to make sure that you turn off all of those items in the home that you always try to turn off when you leave the house for the day. The lights should be off and lamps should be unplugged. The same goes for computers and their related accessories like printers. And definitely remember to turn off the air conditioner while you’re gone.

In addition to these basic things, you’ll want to unplug some extra stuff when you’re going away for a few days or more. For example, you will want to shut the water heater off at the circuit breaker so that it doesn’t keep on heating up while you’re away. You’ll want to turn off the pump on your swimming pool. You’ll want to go around the house and unplug daily appliances such as microwaves, coffee pots and alarm clocks. Anything that’s plugged in is draining energy from your home so make sure all of those plugs are empty when you leave on vacation.

The final thing that you might want to look at is your refrigerator. If you’re going to be on vacation for several weeks then you should clean it out and shut it down completely. Otherwise you should empty it out and turn up the thermostat so it’s not draining as much energy while you’re away. These little things can help to save money at home, which gives you more to spend on your vacation!

Five Cool Ways to Reduce your AC Costs

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:39:53 -0500

With the nation’s electric rates steadily on the rise, many homeowners are searching for ways to lower their summer AC bill. There are numerous ways to do this that don’t include sweating it out in a hot apartment or home. Perhaps the #1 way to lower your home cooling bill is to switch to a low-cost electric supplier offering a more affordable electric rate.

But don’t stop there, because you can save even more. Read below to learn more simple but effective ways to decrease your AC bill while remaining comfortable in your home.

Set an AC timer. Setting your AC to turn off during certain times of the day is one of the best ways to lower your air conditioning costs. If you have an AC window unit, you can purchase a plug-in timer from your local home improvement store. For central air conditioning, simply install a programmable thermostat with a timer. Once your AC timer is in place, simply set it to turn off when you leave for work in the morning (e.g. 8 a.m.) and to turn on about one hour before you typically return home from work (e.g. 4 p.m.).

Turn it off when you sleep. To lower your AC bill even more, set your AC timer to turn off one hour after your normal bedtime and one hour before you wake up in the morning. Or, better yet, completely turn off your AC at night and open your windows to let in the cool nighttime air or use fans to help lower your electric bill. Simply put: the less AC you use, the more money you’ll save.

Block the Sun. Another way to lower your air conditioning costs is to block direct sunlight from entering your home. You can do this by pulling down your window’s shades or closing your curtains or blinds. You can also install reflective window film or plant shade trees in your yard. The more direct sunlight you can block from hitting your roof or shining through your windows, the less you’ll need your AC.

Seal drafty windows and doors. One common culprit of an expensive electric bill is unsealed, drafty windows and doors. On a hot summer day, place your hand along the cracks of one of your windows or doors. Do you feel warm air seeping in? If so, the cool air you’re paying so much for is escaping through those cracks as warm air leaks in. You can seal any cracks and preserve your costly cool air with weather stripping and/or caulk.

Install a radiant barrier. In states with hot climates, a home’s attic can reach temperatures in the 130’s during the summertime. A great way to lower your AC bill, particularly for homeowners in sun-drenched states such as Florida, Arizona, or Texas, is to install a radiant barrier in your attic. A radiant barrier reflects over 95% of the sun’s heat back into the atmosphere and allows your attic to "breathe." With a radiant barrier, your attic will be much cooler and safer for storage purposes or even as an extra living space. Plus, it will decrease your monthly AC bill by more than 10%!

Best Electric Supplier in Texas

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:28:27 -0500

If you’re considering switching your electric service to a more affordable Texas electric supplier, you’re not alone. Thousands of Texans have visited Lower Electric Bill Today to learn how fast and simple it is to permanently lower their electric bill. In just five minutes, you can transfer your electric service to a low-cost supplier such as Champion Energy Services and lower your electric bill!

If the ability to choose an electric supplier is somewhat foreign to you, let us explain. Due to electricity deregulation, Texans are no longer required to purchase electricity from their (often overpriced) local utility company. Instead, consumers may choose a different, more affordable Texas electric supplier to receive a lower electric rate and a less expensive utility bill. Who wouldn’t want that?

Whether you live in El Paso, Amarillo, Ft. Worth, or Austin, switching to a low-cost electric supplier is fast and easy. Your local utility company will not charge a fee for transferring your service, and you have the right to cancel your new service at any time, penalty-free.

If you switch to a low-cost TX electric supplier, you’ll continue to receive just one electric bill and use the same power lines and poles. If your power goes out, you’ll call your local utility company just as you’ve always done. After switching your TX electric service, the only thing that will change is that you’ll receive a lower electric rate and a cheaper electric bill.

If reducing your carbon footprint is important to you, you’re in luck! Champion Energy Services cares about the environment, too. They offer a 100% green product to eco-friendly Texas homeowners and businesses. Now you can lower your electric bill and help the environment - at the same time!

If you’re ready to reduce your electric bill, simply compare TX electric rates and switch to a better and more affordable Texas electric supplier today!

Best Electric Provider in Pennsylvania

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:10:06 -0500

If you think along the same lines as most consumers, you want to pay less for electricity and permanently lower your electric bill. Perhaps you’d also like to receive a more flexible billing plan or have the option to use alternative (e.g. eco-friendly) sources of energy. At Lower Electric Bill Today, you can do all of that - and more! We take pride in helping consumers find the best PA electric provider. In just five minutes, you can significantly lower your electric bill!

Thanks to electricity deregulation, Pennsylvanians can now shop around for a low-cost electric supplier, just as they would for affordable car insurance. Electricity deregulation succeeded in increasing competition in the utility industry, which lowered electric rates across the state.

Rather than pay your local utility company’s overpriced electric rates, we can help you switch to a certified Pennsylvania electric provider offering low-cost electricity, such as Verde Energy USA or Champion Energy Services.

Both Verde Energy USA and Champion Energy Services offer considerably lower electric rates than larger utility companies like PPL, and also offer "green energy" alternatives. Their electric rates are fixed for up to six months (and in some cases, up to one year), meaning that your new low electric rate will not increase soon after you switch service. What’s more, if you are unsatisfied at any time, you may cancel with no penalty or fee.

Thousands of customers in all parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, Scranton, Williamsport, and Pittsburgh, choose a low-cost PA electric provider such as Verde Energy USA or Champion Energy Services. In doing so, they save hundreds of dollars a year on their electric bill. You can too!

Compare electric rates in PA and switch your electric service to a better and more affordable Pennsylvania electric provider today!

Best Electric Rates in Connecticut

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:31:34 -0500

Finding the best electric rates in Connecticut is not always a simple task. Thanks to electricity deregulation, consumers now have more options than ever when it comes to electric providers and their rates. Luckily, Lower Electric Bill Today can help make your search for the best CT electric rates fast, simple, and hassle-free.

Electricity deregulation was successful in making the electric industry similar to most others (e.g. insurance, banking, etc.): it increased competition in the marketplace, which forced rates to decrease and become more affordable. And, most importantly, it gave consumers a choice regarding their electric provider. Now consumers can break free from their local utility company’s expensive rates and choose a Connecticut electric supplier offering a lower rate.

At Lower Electric Bill Today, you can search and compare electric rates and various plans, and then choose the one that’s right for you. All Connecticut electric suppliers we recommend have passed our strict regulations, including customer service ratings, financial stability, eco-friendly energy alternatives, and, of course, low-cost electric rates.

In our search to find the best electric rates in Connecticut, we came across two companies offering low rates, green energy options, and trustworthy customer service.Verde Energy USA and North American Power offer electric rates much lower than other utility companies, including CL&P. In fact, switching from CL&P to a low-cost electric supplier would lower the average monthly Connecticut electric bill from $133.77 to just over $100. That’s a big savings!

To find and compare electric rates in Ct, visit us today! If you like what you see (and we know you will), you can transfer your electric service directly from our site in less than five minutes. In the amount of time it takes to brew a cup of coffee, you can permanently lower your electric bill and have more money to spend on fun activities with your family and friends!

10 Tips for Choosing a Texas Electricity Supplier

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:49:08 -0500

You now have the right to choose the company that is going to provide you with electricity in Texas. But how do you choose the right Texas electricity provider? Here are ten tips for making the right selection:

1. Review all of the options before you make a decision. You want to know what the different choices are in your area so that you can make an informed choice about your TX electricity supplier. Don’t just select the first provider that you come across.

2. Make a list of all of the things that you want in an electricity provider (low cost, green energy, etc.). Use this as a checklist when reviewing all of your options.

3. Confirm that the company you are interested in working with is a government-approved company. You can check state government pages online to confirm this.

4. Ask about the different types of services that are available from each company. As new companies emerge, options for services are expanding.

5. Compare TX electric rates - make sure that you understand what the price per kWh is going to be for your service. The lowest the price per kWh, the lower your electricity bill is going to be.

6. Ask if there is a current promotion going on. Make sure that you get the best deal possible by looking at both the long-term rate and the promotional rate that is offered.

7. Make sure to ask about the origin of the electricity. It is smart and responsible to work with a Texas energy supplier that uses renewable energy resources so find out if the ones you’re considering are on top of this trend.

8. Review the company’s history. Check online reviews and speak with any customers you know who have used the company before to get a sense of whether or not their customers like the work that they do.

9. Clarify the terms of your agreement. Make sure that you understand any costs of cancellation or any other fees or penalties that the company might have written into their agreement.

10. Let us help you out. We’ve already done a lot of the groundwork described here. We’ve thoroughly reviewed independent TX electricity companies and made it simple to compare them. Use our site to help you choose your provider.

What Is PowerToChoose And Why Choose Us

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:18:02 -0500

If you head over to powertochoose.org, you will find yourself on an educational website. This website is the official website established by the Department of Public Utility Commission in Texas to educate consumers about their options when it comes to electricity. What you’ll discover at powertochoose.org is that they offer a lot of the same information and help that we can provide for you here.

Some of the things that powertochoose.org offers that we also provide for you here on this site include:

What electric competition is all about. Powertochoose.org provides some great information about what electricity is and where it comes from it Texas. Like us, this public website helps you to understand TX electricity deregulation and what it means for you.

Why to switch TX electricity providers. There are some solid reasons that you might want to switch electricity providers in Texas starting with the fact that doing so could save you a lot of money. The powertochoose.org website helps you to gain a more complete understanding of those reasons for making the switch.

Guide to choosing TX electricity suppliers. The website provides information about some of your options and how you might make the choice between them. Like we do here, they provide helpful questions that you might want to ask when making your decision (such as the specific kilowatt per hour rates for the service).

Comparison of your options. The website offers a tool that allows you to enter your zip code and then do a comparison of the different available options in your area. This is similar to the way that we provide an in-depth look at the differences between Texas electricity suppliers.

Why Work With Us?

If Powertochoose.org provides you with a lot of the same information that we can provide, why would you want to work with us instead of with them? Well, the answer is simple: we do a lot of the legwork for you. The powertochoose.org website is a terrific educational website that can provide great insight into how electricity deregulation helps you. However, we go one step further and really look at the best electricity suppliers for you. Plus we make it simple to go ahead and sign up with those providers in just a few minutes right from our website.

DIY Energy Saving Checklist

Sat, 22 May 2010 07:24:25 -0500

Tips and Tricks you can do yourself around the house!

The number one energy saving tip is to have an energy audit done on your home from a licensed professional. However there are many DIY homeowners who would rather take matters into their own hands. Our Energy Saving Checklist gives you a great list of items you can start looking at to reduce your energy bills today!

Lighting

Change light bulbs to CLFs or LEDs

Use natural light during day to avoid turn lights on

Use certified energy saving lamps and other lighting fixtures

Install timers, sensors and/or dimmers on indoor and outdoor lights

Only turn on lights as needed and make sure to turn them off when leaving the room

Use one high-watt bulb compared to multiple low-watt bulbs

Ensure all recessed lighting is properly sealed

Windows and Doors

Caulk window and door frames inside and outside

Install storm or thermal windows

Close blinds and/or curtains to avoid temperature loss

Fix any broken or cracked windows or doors

Ensure all doors, sliders, storm doors and attic doors and/or stairs are sealed properly when closed

Refrigerators

Inspect both fridge and freezer doors for a tight seal so as not to lose cold air

Clean under and around refrigerator and refrigerator coils, dust build-up loses cooling efficiency

Make sure your refrigerator is not in direct sunlight or in an unheated space for best efficiency

Avoid having multiple refrigerators

Regularly defrost manual-defrost refrigerator units

Set temperature at a mid-level temperature, too cold or warm wastes your units efficiency

Try to take all items needed while cooking at once to avoid continuous openings of the door

Invest in an energy saving refrigerator

Washers

Only run a load when it is a full load

Wash in cold water whenever possible

Unplug or use circuit breaker to shut off power to washer when not in use

Inspect your washer and water pipes for leaks

If possible mover washer close to your water heater to help retain heated water in pipes

Always rinse in cold water, it has no effect on the cleaning of clothes

Adjust water levels on your washer if possible

Invest in an energy saving washer

Dryers

Inspect vent hoses for clogs and build-up of lint on a regular basis

Run multiple loads in a row to get best efficiency

Line dry clothes whenever possible

Unplug or use circuit breaker to shut of power to dryer when not in use

Clean lint trap before every load

Inspect vents on outside wall to ensure it is sealed properly

Don’t over dry your clothes

Invest in an energy saving dryer

Water Heaters

Insulate the outside of your water heater and the pipes leaving it

Turn temperature down on your water heater to 120 degrees

Use circuit breaker to shut off power to the water heater when hot water is not needed

Inspect your water heater for leaks

Keep water heater as close to kitchen as possible to retain heated water in pipes

Make sure you water heater is the proper size for your water needs

Drain your water heater 1 or 2 times a year to avoid mineral deposits and build-ups

Install water softener if you have hard water

Invest in an energy saving water heater

Consider investing in a natural gas water heater

Dishwashers

Avoid pre-rinsing when possible

Only run a load when it is a full load

Only use the dishwasher to wash dishes, then air dry or hand dry dishes

Inspect your dishwasher for leaks

Unplug or use circuit breaker to shut off power to dishwasher when not in use

Invest in an energy saving dishwasher

Maintain airs filters on your dishwashers if it has any

Run short wash cycles

Stoves/Ovens

When cooking in oven turn off the oven a little before food is done, the residual heat will finish your cooking

Use small cooking appliances when possible i.e. microwave, toaster oven, slow cooker, griddle

Avoid peeking in oven while in use

Ensure you oven door is sealed properly when closed

Use lids on pans whenever possible to retain heat

Check your ovens temperature for accuracy

Invest in an energy saving stove/oven

Consider investing in a natural gas store/oven

Heating/Cooling Units and Fireplaces

Ensure every part of the outside walls of your home are properly insulated including basements and attics

Regularly clean all vents and air filters

Close damper when fireplace in not in use

Inspect damper for air leaks

Avoid using heat and fireplace at the same time to prevent air loss thru damper

Use timers on your heating/cooling units, set if for less use while not home

Use only a fan instead of a/c if staying in one room

When cold, lower heat and dress warmer; when warm, lower a/c and dress cooler

Update ceilings to R-30

Have your units inspected to ensure all parts are working properly

Keep units out of direct sunlight

Use a unit appropriate for the size of space

Window a/c units should be sealed when installed and removed when season is over

Keep air vents clear to heat or cool your home

With you a/c turn off all appliances and electronics when possible to avoid excess heat in your home

Use a space heater to heat a single room instead of the entire furnace running

Invest in an energy saving furnace

Invest in energy saving units

Consider investing in a natural gas furnace

Outlets and Electronics

Install foam gaskets behind electrical outlets and switch plate covers

Unplug all unused products when not in use i.e. phone chargers, video games, microwaves, etc.

Use power strips to unplug multiple items at the same time more easily

Shut down and unplug computers when not in use

Sinks/Shower

Inspect faucets for leaks

Use faucet aerators to save water

Take shorter showers

Install a low-flow showerhead

Turn off water while brushing teeth

Use cold water with garbage disposals

Outdoors

Install solar panels

Run pool filters and/or heaters only when pool, hot tub or jacuzzi is in use

Clean and skim pool by hand instead of electronic devices

Outdoor landscaping should be localized to avoid excessive watering

LowerElectricBillToday.com is a resource for homeowners to help them lower their energy bills through energy saving tips and electricity deregulation.

PA Electricity Deregulation and How it Benefits You!

Mon, 17 May 2010 16:38:44 -0500

Would you like to lower your monthly electric bill? It’s a silly question, really - of course you would! But how can you? Do customers really have a say in the matter?

Thanks to electricity deregulation, Pennsylvania residents and business-owners DO have a say in how much they’re willing to pay for electricity.

Electricity deregulation offers consumers a rare anomaly in the electric utility industry: choice. Just as you have the choice to shop around for the most affordable computer, or the cheapest insurance policy, Pennsylvania consumers can now compare independent PA electric suppliers and find the one offering the lowest electric rate.

The goals of electricity deregulation are to rid consumers of just one option regarding their electric supplier (i.e. your local utility company), increase competition in the marketplace, and reduce electric rates and lower your Pennsylvania electric bill.

Thus far, electricity deregulation has been a huge success. Pennsylvanians who switch their electric service from an overpriced utility company, such as PPL, to a low-cost PA electric supplier, such as Verde Energy USA or Champion Energy Services, can save a significant amount of money per month on their electric bill.

Electricity deregulation saves consumers money and helps the economy because it introduces the need for independent electric suppliers. Transferring your electric service to a low-cost PA supplier takes just five minutes; after which, you can sit back and enjoy your permanently lower electric bill!

To learn more about electricity deregulation and how it benefits you, visit Lower Electric Bill Today!

Energy Efficient OLED Chandelier

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:03:42 -0500

Organic Light Emitting Diodes, better known as OLEDs, are a type of lighting now being explored in various industries. They are of great interest in terms of display lighting (such as your big screen TV or even your mobile phone.) However, some cutting-edge home designers are looking at ways to use these lights in actually lighting up your home. These are a more energy-efficient lighting option than traditional lights and could reduce the cost of home lighting. One designer, Ingo Maurer, recently debuted a new OLED light chandelier that is getting attention for both style and energy-efficiency.

Maurer’s chandelier, which he showed off at Milan Design Week, is a pendant lamp that consists of nine OLED panels linked together. The design of the lamp is intended to showcase the high-tech modern approach to lighting that OLED is really all about. Instead of hiding the OLED lights and their electric parts beneath decorative casing, the lights are exposed and shown off in all of their glory. This reduces waste in the design of the lights and lets people really see how OLED lights are supposed to work. Of course, they have been crafted in such a way as to still look aesthetically pleasing even though all of the inner workings are revealed for you to see.

The core benefit to using lighting like this is that it allows your home to become more energy-efficient. Lighting uses up a lot of energy in the home so finding ways to reduce light energy waste is a great way to reduce electricity costs. However, there are other benefits to OLED lights as well. For example, they are very lightweight, which makes it simple to use them throughout the house. Plus they are flexible which could lead to some interesting design options for these types of lights in the future.

One drawback of OLED lights to date is that they aren’t as bright as traditional lights are. However, proper design of these lights could counteract this problem. Either the lights could be combined in panels to create stunning chandeliers like Maurer’s or the lights could be used in lamps and areas where low lighting is sufficient in the home. Either way, the result is up-to-date lighting that’s kind on your energy bills.

Source: http://inhabitat.com/2010/04/16/ingo-maurer-unveils-double-c-future-oled-chandelier/

Intel Sensor May Reduce Electric Bill by 1/3

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:27:37 -0500

Intel is working on a new sensor that may have the ability to reduce household energy use by one third. The company is even making the bold claim that this technology alone could help to solve the problem of global warming. Whether or not that’s true, the technology is certainly interesting enough to warrant additional attention from household consumers.

The idea behind the new technology is fairly simple. You plug the sensor into an outlet in your home. It wirelessly connects to all of the different appliances and electrical devices that are located throughout the home. It then conveys information to you about the use of those products through your personal computer. By looking at the information, you can make necessary adjustments to reduce household energy waste and lower your energy bill.

For example, let’s say that you plug in your sensor and then you turn on your computer and it reveals the following information:

Your refrigerator is using more energy than an average refrigerator. You could use this information to make changes to the temperature, placement or nearby insulation of the refrigerator. This would reduce energy waste.

Fans, heaters or lights are being left on in rooms that are empty. As you look at the icon on your screen and realize how much energy this is wasting, you’ll be reminded to go shut those machines off.

The hot water heater is turning on when you do the laundry even though you’re washing clothes on cold. This allows you to look into the problems with either appliance and resolve them.

The sensor itself does not lower the amount of electricity that is used in the home. However, it provides you with the information that you need to easily see where you are wasting electricity so that you can make changes. Additionally, it may be possible to link the technology to information on your computer that would allow you to immediately receive tips for lowering energy waste based on the information gathered by the sensor. The sensor is a small device, about the size of a nightlight, which would require only one outlet for use.

Source: http://www.livescience.com/technology/intel-sensor-could-cut-electricity-bill-100417.html

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 3

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:27:17 -0500

This is part 3 in our 3-part series on electricity deregulation. In part 1 we looked at what Texas electricity deregulation is and what you need to understand about it as a consumer. In part 2 we provided you with some tips about how to really make the energy deregulation process work for you. Here in part 3 we want to dispel a few myths that people commonly believe in when it comes to electricity deregulation.

The first myth that we want to attack is the myth that electricity deregulation automatically means that you will have a lower electric bill. Yes, deregulation is great in large part because it lowers bills. However, this is not necessarily an automatic process. Electric companies are lowering their rates to compete against one another now. However, your rates may not change unless you opt to switch to the company offering the best rates. That’s why you need to take things into your own hands and become proactive about shopping around for the best provider.

This brings us to a second common myth - the myth that finding the right provider is hard. It can seem tough at first since you’ve never done it before. However, it’s just a matter of comparing the service and rates of each provider to see which one is best for you. And there is help out there. If you visit Lowerelectricbilltoday.com then you can get assistance in sorting through the many options that are available today in order to choose the best Texas electric provider for your needs.

This leads us into the third myth - that the lowest price is the best deal. This isn’t necessarily true. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. That’s why you want to consider customer service as well as price. Also, you want to look at long-term pricing instead of just introductory offer pricing. And finally, you want to review that the rate per kWh that you are charged is appropriate to the amount of electricity that you use. (A low rate for people who use 2000+ kWh per month isn’t useful if you use less than that.)

Now we get to the most common myth of all - that changing electricity providers is a difficult process. Many people assume that this might involve a complicated physical change like switching your electricity lines. This isn’t true at all. The infrastructure of your electricity isn’t going to change at all. The electricity is going to come through the same lines as before with action necessary on your part. The only difference is that the company charging you will change. It’s a simple process.

For more information on what Texas electricity deregulation means for you please read the other articles in this series.

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 1

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 2

Electricity deregulation is a win for consumers

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:06:19 -0500

Until recently, consumers had just one choice regarding their electricity provider. You either purchased electricity from your local utility company, or you lived in the dark, so to speak. Times have changed, though, and in 15 states, consumers can now comparison shop for electricity just as they can shop around for the cheapest car insurance. This is how deregulation can help you reduce your electric bill.

More energy providers = More competition = More savings for you!

Current States we offer deregulated electric suppliers:
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas

Have you ever examined your monthly electric bill? If you have, you’ve noticed that there are typically two charges: a supplier charge for the generation of electricity, and a delivery charge for the distribution of that electricity along power lines, poles, and towers. In the olden days, your local utility company acted as both the supplier and the deliverer of electricity.

If you live in a state that allows electricity deregulation, however, you can now choose the company that supplies the electricity that flows from power lines into your home.

Deregulation separates the energy supplier from the deliverer.

In the wake of electricity deregulation, local utility companies in the 15 participating states were made to sell their electrical generation plants. They kept their means of energy delivery (i.e. lines, poles, towers), but the business of supplying energy was opened to include independent energy providers, like us. With the electricity industry no longer a monopoly in towns and cities across the nation, homes and businesses began to see a drastic decrease in their electric bill. Now, consumers could choose from dozens of competitive energy providers offering lower rates than those of local utility companies.

More power for the consumer.

Government laws require local utility companies to work with consumers who opt for a different, more affordable energy supplier. For consumers, the transition is seamless. You’ll still use the utility company’s same system of power lines, but now you’ll be able to choose who you get your power from, and the price that you’re willing to pay for that power.

Two energy companies, one lower rate!

Though you’re now working with two companies - a supplier and a deliverer - you’ll still receive just one electric bill. The bill will continue to come from your local utility company, but now, it will reflect the lower electric rates of your new energy supplier. If you have a power outage or any other service-related issue, you’ll still contact your local utility company to correct the error. The only change that you, the customer, will see is a clear decrease in your monthly electric bill. It really is that simple.

You’re in the driver’s seat. Make today the last day that you overpay for electricity.

8 Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill by Using Less Electric

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:52:28 -0500

Did you know that, each year, the average home releases double the amount of carbon dioxide as the average automobile? With all of the emissions standards placed on cars, you’d think that there would be just as many eco-friendly regulations placed on homes. Since there aren’t, it’s up to the homeowner to take matters into their own hands. Using less electricity can not only lower your electric bill, it will also reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment.

Here are eight simple ways to reduce electricity use in your home.

Inspect Your Equipment - Check your heating and air conditioning systems to ensure that they are operating at 100% efficiency. A leaking duct, for example, could decrease a unit’s effectiveness by as much as 25%. If you’re not too handy around the house, you can have a certified technician inspect the equipment for around $75.

Cleanliness is Virtue - Cleaning and/or replacing air filters is one of the easiest ways to maximize energy efficiency in your home. Filters, by design, remove dirt, dust, pollen, and bacteria from the air. Too much dirt in a filter will seriously block air flow, though, so it’s important to keep a clean filter in your central air or window/wall unit.

Only Use What You Need - If you’re at work for eight hours a day and no one is at home, do you really need to have your A/C running? No. You can program most thermostats to turn on or off on a timer. That way, it is cool when you leave for work, cool when you return home, and pretty darn cool when you save about $200 a year on your electric bill.

Use Energy Star - Energy Star products and appliances, including air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers, use 10-50% less energy and water than traditional home appliances. And what’s more, the government offers a generous tax credit for energy-efficient home additions or improvements. Using energy-efficient appliances can reduce your monthly electric bill up to 5%.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better - If you need a new wall or window air conditioning unit, don’t get the biggest, most powerful one on the block. Instead, use Energy Star guidelines to determine how powerful your unit should be, based on the room’s square footage. Units that are too powerful for a given room waste energy and often have difficulty reducing humidity.

Use CFL Light Bulbs - If you have yet to switch your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs, this is a bandwagon you’ll want to jump on. CFLs use 75% less energy than regular bulbs, saving the average homeowner around $25 a year. Oh, and they also last ten times longer than regular bulbs. Small savings really do add up.

Seal Those Cracks - A properly insulated home can save you hundreds of dollars each year on your electric bill. After all, you don’t want the nice, cool (or cozy, warm) air that you’re paying for to simply leak out through cracks along window and door frames, do you? Insulation materials are even eligible for an energy-efficient government tax credit.

If You’re Not Using It, Unplug It - Though it may seem like a pain, unplugging unused appliances, chargers, or other equipment is a great way to reduce the amount of electricity you use in your home. The average household spends over $2,000 on energy bills every year, and 5-10% of that electricity is standby power for unused appliances attached to a power source. Save energy and money by unplugging unused appliances today.

Make sure to view all of our energy saving tips to make sure you are doing everything you can!

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 2

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:30:15 -0500

Texas electricity deregulation means that you can now choose your own electricity provider. This gives you the opportunity to select the best rates and service from among many competitive providers. Here are some tips that will make it a lot easier for you to understand how to take advantage of this powerful consumer opportunity to reduce your electric bill:

Take your time. Take a deep breath and get ready to take some time to do some smart comparison shopping. You don’t want to get lured in to choosing the first deal that sounds good. You want to really select the deal that is best for you.

Learn how to read an electricity facts label (EFL). This will tell you how much you pay for electricity when you use different amounts. For example, people living in small apartments may use 1000 KWh of electricity per month (or less). The rate for these folks can be different than the rate for a single family home that uses 2000+ KWh of electricity per month. You need to choose a company that offers a low rate in the spending area that suits your home.

Look for other charges. The usage charge is going to be the most important one. However, some companies offer a low rate for usage but then charge various fees that cause the total bill to go up. You don’t want to deal with that. Make sure that you ask about all fees, charges and taxes in advance of signing a contract with an electricity company.

Check into the company’s history. See if any complaints have been registered with the Better Business Bureau. Read some reviews online. Now that you have the right to choose an electricity provider, you want to choose one that has a good reputation.

Always look for a cancellation clause. Before signing up with an electricity company, make sure that there are no penalties involved for canceling your contract. You want the power to be able to switch to another provider down the line if a better deal comes up.

Visit us at Lowerelectricbilltoday.com. We will do the background research for you to assist you in finding the best Texas electricity providers. Then we can provide you with simple information that allows you to easily compare the deals that are offered from these top providers. The decision is still yours to make; we just make the decision-making process a whole lot simpler.

For more information on what Texas electricity deregulation means for you please read the other articles in this series.

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 1

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 3

Electricity Rates are on the Rise ... But Your Bill Doesn't Have to Go Up

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:27:22 -0500

Electricity rates are on the rise all around the nation. The amount of money that you are going to be asked to pay per kWh of electricity used in the home is likely going to go up. However, this doesn’t mean that your own electricity bill needs to rise along with the rates. Smart use of energy-saving tips around the home can keep your electric bills low even though rates are rising.

There are several different reasons why electricity rates are on the rise. One big reason is because the government needs money to fund renewable energy resource programs. The Los Angeles area has recently seen a rate hike for precisely that reason. The government is pushing to reduce reliance on non-renewable resources. In order for that to happen, a push needs to be made to increase renewable resource energy in all areas. This costs money. Some of that money is coming from fees that are being tacked on to electricity bills.

Another reason that electricity rates are rising is because electric companies are feeling the economic crunch. Many people started to reduce their use of electricity in the home in order to save money during the recession. Electric companies have suffered as a result since this means that less money is coming to them. Unfortunately, many of their costs of maintaining electric lines are still the same as they were before. This has resulted in a need for money. They hope to offset their recession losses by increasing their rates.

This is why it’s so important to conserve energy in your home. By making sure to use electricity wisely, you can keep your own bills low even though the average cost of electricity in your area may be on the rise.

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 1

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:04:51 -0500

If you were paying attention to the news in Texas back in 2002 then you might have noticed an important piece of legislation that was passed. This legislation deregulated the retail electric industry throughout the state. If you haven’t taken the importance of this seriously then you might want to start. That’s because electricity deregulation can save you a lot of money on your energy bills if you know how to take advantage of it.

What deregulation means for you is very simple: you can now choose your own electricity provider. Prior to the passing of this legislation, there was a monopoly on the electric industry. You had to work with the single electric company that had the monopoly in your part of Texas. You had to pay whatever rates they said were the rates at that time. Otherwise, you weren’t going to have electricity. Deregulation means that you can choose from a number of different electricity providers that may each offer different rates.

What this means for you is that you can effectively reduce your electric bill by doing nothing other than signing up with a new electric provider. This may sound complicated at first since you aren’t used to dealing with your electric company this way. However, it’s a process that you are already familiar with. Think about your cell phone company, for example. You chose a cell phone company based on the phones, plans and service that they offered. If you don’t like them, you can cancel your contract and sign up with a new cell phone company. Now you can do the same type of thing with your electric company.

This gives you, as a consumer, a lot more power than you used to have. You can demand better service from your electric company. If they don’t provide that service, you can leave then and switch to a better provider. You can also demand better rates by choosing the electricity providers that offer the lowest rates and the best deals. Electric companies now have to compete with one another to gain your support.

Of course, you do still have to choose the right electric company. But don’t worry; we provide an easy way for you to do that. If you simply go to Lowerelectricbilltoday.com then we will do your research for you. We’ll let you know who the best Texas electric suppliers are and provide you with simple information to compare the best choices for yourself. This empowers you to make smart electric company decisions right away.

For more information on what Texas electricity deregulation means for you please read the other articles in this series.

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 2

What Texas Electricity Deregulation Means For You: Part 3

Are You Paying More Than Average for Electricity

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:32:32 -0500

What do you pay for your electricity each month on average? Do you think that you use less electricity than your neighbors do or more? Do you think that the rates that you’re paying are about average for your region of the country? You might be surprised to learn what the average electricity bill is for people throughout the country.

Average Electricity Use in United States (2007)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on the average energy use in the United States in 2007. At that time, the average residential monthly electricity use was 920 kWh and the average price per kwH paid was approximately 10.4 cents. This resulted in an average electricity bill of $95.66 per month.

Rates Have Risen Slightly

The same reporting body indicates that rates have risen slightly since the 2007 report. The average amount of money that Americans paid per kWh in December 2009 was 11.55 cents.

Prices Vary by Region and by State

The average price that people pay for electricity based on the per kWh price varies significantly from region to region. For example, the non-contiguous states (Alaska and Hawaii) pay an average of 21.34 cents per kWh. In contrast, the West North Central States (including Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota among others) are paying only 9.07 cents per kWh. Within each region, the amount can vary from state to state. For example, Vermont and Connecticut are both in New England where the average rate is 17.5 cents per kWh but Vermont averages only 14.9 cents per kWh whereas Connecticut averages 20.36 cents per kWh.

Use Clearly Affects Average Bills

The price of electricity isn’t the only thing that affects the total cost of the bill, of course. It also depends on how much electricity you use. Places that are interested in conserving electricity tend to have lower electric bills even when they pay more per kWh than other places. For example, the states on the West coast (OR, WA and CA) pay slightly more than average at 12.37 cents per kWh but their total monthly bills are only around $83, which is considerably lower than average. This is because these areas have strong energy-saving efforts in place. Notably, Californians pay an average of more than 15 cents per kWh but still have a monthly bill averaging among the nation’s lowest at just $82. Saving energy definitely saves you money on your electric bill no matter where you live!

Opposition to Electricity Rates Going up in Ohio

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:18:06 -0500

An electricity security plan was recently approved in Ohio but it faces opposition because of the fact that it is going to mean higher rates for consumers. The plan was agreed upon by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and FirstEnergy Corp. among other interested parties. The result of the plan is to allow FirstEnergy Corp. to adjust rates upwards from June 2011 through at least May 2014. FirstEnergy says that the rate hikes are necessary in order for the company to be capable of upgrading and maintaining its wires, transformers, substations and the other equipment it uses to supply energy to Ohio customers.

Distribution-rate increases would rise significantly in the area. This would occur over a period of time with four different relevant bidding sessions taking place over the next two years. Opponents of the plan point out that utilities in the area were given approval for a rate hike in 2009 and that this new plan is double the amount allowed by that rate hike. There are 2.1 million FirstEnergy customers in Ohio who would be affected by this rate increase.

Consumer advocates and environmental advocates both oppose this plan. Citizen Power, the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, the Ohio consumer’s counsel and the Natural Resources Defense Council are among those who have voiced their opposition. The major reason that these people are opposed to plan is because they believe that consumers cannot afford increased payments at this time.

Ohio has been hit hard by the recession. Many people in the state are out of work. Things don’t seem to be improving rapidly in this area. This makes it impossible for consumers to consider paying higher and higher electricity bills. The one recourse that these customers do have is to choose an alternative energy supplier. There are competitive suppliers in the area that could be used instead of FirstEnergy. People who choose to work with such competitive suppliers might be able to keep their electricity costs down while also sending a message that rate hikes aren’t going to be accepted by consumers. And, of course, reducing energy use in the home will help to keep costs down as well.

Source: http://www.ohio.com/business/89094557.html

Using the PFT Air Infiltration Measurement Technique in a Home Energy Audit

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:29:01 -0500

A home energy audit is designed to help you learn about the way that your home uses and loses energy. There are many different tests that can be done to assist you in obtaining this information. In fact, professional home energy auditors use up to ninety different tests to help you conserve energy in your home. However, there are only a few tests that are the ones that are most commonly used. The blower door test is one of the most popular tests. It’s a very valuable test that shows you where air leaks exist in your home. Unfortunately, it has its drawbacks so a professional home energy auditor will probably suggest that you also use the PFT Air Infiltration Measurement Technique as a supplement to the blower door test.

The blower door test is a terrific test. Alone, it can help you to save a lot of energy in your home by pointing out where the leaks are and where more insulation is needed in the home. Professional home energy auditors like Dr. Energy Saver rely on this test to assist their customers. However, there are limitations to this test. The blower door test only measures the leaks in the home at the time that the test is taken. Many things can affect the results of the test. The weather outside can have a big impact, for example. Changes in atmospheric pressure and wind velocity can affect the home differently. Likewise, changes in the activities occurring within the house can change the air infiltration results.

The solution to the limitations of the blower door test is to supplement the test with the PFT Air Infiltration Measurement Technique. This is a long-term test that is done over a period of time to help figure out how these different factors may affect energy use in the home. Your professional home energy auditor will install an emitter and a receiver in your home. These are each small devices that are approximately the size of a pencil. The emitter does what its name suggests; it emits a small amount of a harmless gas into the home. The receiver absorbs the gas to measure the tightness of the building, which helps determine its overall energy efficiency. It can also provide information about the pollutants in the home. By using this test to supplement the results of the blower door test, a home energy audit provides a comprehensive solution to home energy loss over time and can help save money on your electric bill.

For more information on home energy audits please read the other articles in this series.

Part One: Home Energy Audits Make Saving Energy Easy

Part Two: Using Thermography to Reduce Home Energy Waste

Part Three: Why Home Energy Auditors Use Blower Door Testing

Save Energy by Automating Your Home

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:09:10 -0600

Automating your home almost sounds like a thing of the future. To have a home that knows when to turn itself off and on, when to cool down and heat up ... it sounds wacky and off the wall. However, this isn’t something of the future. In many ways, it is possible to automate your home right now. Why would you bother? Because not only does this make living in your house more convenient but it also allows you to save a lot of energy around the home. This means that your electricity bills will go down and you’ll be doing your part to green the earth.

The most popular way for people to begin the process of home automation is to start with their lighting. Lighting has a big impact on your electricity bill every month. Maybe you leave lights on when you leave the house because you know it will be dark by the time you get home. Or maybe you keep your lights bright all of the time because you like a well-lit house during meals. By automating your house, you can have the bright lights that you want when you want them but reduce their waste by having them shut off or dim automatically when they are not in use. You can put lights on timers. Alternatively, you could install an occupancy sensor, which turns lights off in rooms where nobody is present.

Your lights aren’t the only things in the home that you can automate. Another big change that you can make is to automate your heating and cooling system. Of course, most people have their thermostat set to a certain temperature so that heating and cooling kick in only when the house reaches a certain degree. A better option could be to automate the system so that it doesn’t start working until shortly before the family comes home for the day. This way, your house isn’t heating and cooling all day long but it’s still on and comfy when you’re at home.

Yet another area of the house that you can automate is your home’s various appliances. You can set your washer and dryer and other appliances to operate only at certain times of the day. Even if you load the washer up in the morning, it won’t turn on until the time that you’ve set. This is particularly money-saving for people who live in areas where peak hours are charged at a different rate. You can set your appliances for use during the cheapest times.

Home automation sounds like something from the future. However, we do things related to it all of the time. Making a more conscious decision to automate your home is just going to help you do a better job of saving electricity now. And that is going to be good for the future!

Why Home Energy Auditors Use Blower Door Testing

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:15:56 -0600

If you have never heard of blower door testing then you obviously haven’t had a home energy audit done for your house. This basic test is one of the primary tools used by professional home energy auditors. This test is one of the most effective tests for determining where there are air leaks in your house. By finding the leaks and sealing them up, you can save a lot of wasted energy. This results in a greener house and a much lower electricity bill.

How does the blower door test work? It’s actually fairly simple. The professional home energy auditor will set up a blower door fan in your home. In most cases, the fan will be placed in the front doorway area. The purpose of the fan is to suck out all of the air from the inside of the house (a process more formally known as depressurizing the home). What does this do? Well, when you pull out all of the inside air, the outside air will rush into the house through any leaks that exist.

Once the blower door fan is running, the professional home energy auditor is going to go from room to room. What he’s doing is checking for these leaks. He’ll make a note of all of the areas where outside air is coming into the house. He’ll be able to analyze what needs to be done to seal up these leaks in the most efficient manner.

Although finding the leaks is obviously important, it’s actually not the most important thing that this test does for you. As professional home energy auditor Dr. Energy Saver points out, "a blower door test also allows your home’s air-leakage rate to be calculated". Your professional auditor is going to be able to do a simple calculation using the information from the blower door test to determine exactly how much damage your home is suffering from air leakage. This will give you a clear picture of how much energy is lost to these leaks.

The blower door test is just one of many tests that a professional home energy auditor is going to perform. However, it is one of the most crucial tests that will be done. Sealing up the leaks in the home is one of the biggest things that you can do to make sure that your home is the most energy-efficient home that it can be.

For more information on home energy audits please read the other articles in this series.

Part One: Home Energy Audits Make Saving Energy Easy

Part Two: Using Thermography to Reduce Home Energy Waste

Part Four: Using the PFT Air Infiltration Measurement Technique in a Home Energy Audit

Using Thermography to Reduce Home Energy Waste

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:08:17 -0600

One of the best ways to find out how your home is wasting energy is to get a professional home energy audit by a reputable company such as Dr. Energy Saver. One of the main tests that your auditors will use to gather this information is a thermography test. This test may also be called a thermographic inspection, an infrared scan or thermal scanning. Regardless of the name that it goes by, the purpose of this test is to use infrared lighting technology to measure the surface temperatures in your home. This is a great way for an auditor to accurately assess where in the home more insulation is needed in order to truly reduce energy waste.

There are two types of thermography scans. The more common scan is the interior scan where infrared lighting is used throughout the inside of your home to look for heat loss. It makes sense to check for this loss from the inside out because of the fact that the heat may be lost somewhere inside the walls and therefore not escaping into the outdoors but still not working efficiently in the home. However, certain home designs and weather conditions do make it possible that an exterior thermal scan is occasionally the better option. Your professional auditor should explain why he is doing an external scan if that’s what he chooses for your home.

If you have more than one thermal scan done in your lifetime then you may notice that different auditors use different scanning technology. That’s because there are a few different tools that work for this job. A point radiometer (or spot radiometer) measures temperature at a single point so the auditor will move around the house registering each point along the way. A thermal line scanner will scan the temperature of an area across a line as the tool pans the room. The most effective tool is the thermal imaging camera, which is the one that most auditors use to get a truly detailed picture of home heat loss.

Regardless of the type of camera used or whether it’s done from the inside or the outside, the process of the thermal scan is basically the same. Infrared photography (both still photography and video photography) is used to scan the entire house. The images will record temperature variations; there will be white images where it is hot and black images where it is cool. The information can then be analyzed to easily see where heat is building up in the home and where it is being lost. A scan of the roof can clearly tell you that heat is escaping at the top of your home, for example. You use this information to figure out where you need better home insulation. Installing this insulation in the right areas will prevent you from wasting energy and help save money on your energy bill.

For more information on home energy audits please read the other articles in this series.

Part One: Home Energy Audits Make Saving Energy Easy

Part Three: Why Home Energy Auditors Use Blower Door Testing

Part Four: Using the PFT Air Infiltration Measurement Technique in a Home Energy Audit

Home Energy Audits Make Saving Energy Easy

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:36:33 -0600

You know what you’re supposed to do to start saving energy in your home. You need to reduce your energy waste. This is done by taking steps like insulating your attic and sealing your windows to prevent energy from leaking out. However, it’s tough to know which steps are really going to be the most efficient ones for your home. How do you really know if you need more insulation or if it’s time to re-caulk your windows? One great way to make this whole process a lot easier on you is to get a home energy audit.

Home energy audits are inspections of your home that will tell you exactly how your house is losing energy, wasting energy and properly using energy. This isn’t something that is easy to figure out on your own. In fact, professional home audit companies like Dr. Energy Saver may do upwards of 90 tests in your home to figure out exactly how energy is being used. Figuring it out on your own might not be easy but letting someone else do the work is. Getting a home energy audit isn’t a difficult process and it results in giving you the best information about how to use your time and money to make your home as energy-efficient as possible.

What’s involved in getting a home energy audit? On your part, not a whole lot. You hire a professional to come do the audit of your home. You answer some questions about your house and habits. (For example, it’s helpful to know if someone works from home to determine if electricity is lost during the day.) And then you might walk through the inspection while it’s being done so that you get a better understanding of what it’s all about.

Although the inspection process is very easy for you, a good home energy audit will be very thorough and comprehensive. The auditor will do a number of different tests to see how energy is being used in the home. For example, they will use calibrated blower doors to determine how much energy leakage your home has. They will use infrared cameras in a process called thermography to detect missing insulation and areas where the outdoor air is coming into the house. They will do an HVAC inspection, a lighting check and an inspection of your insulation.

At the end of your home audit, you will have a report about how to improve the energy-efficiency of your home. There will be no more guesswork about where to start with making your home more efficient. It will all be clear.

For more information on home energy audits please read the other articles in this series.

Part Two: Using Thermography to Reduce Home Energy Waste

Part Three: Why Home Energy Auditors Use Blower Door Testing

Part Four: Using the PFT Air Infiltration Measurement Technique in a Home Energy Audit

Making Basements and Attics more Energy-Efficient

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:45:29 -0600

Did you know that the top and bottom of your home might be the areas that are causing your energy bills to skyrocket? That’s right; the basement and the attic of a home can often be the troublemakers when it comes to wasted energy. These parts of the home are the parts we use the least and yet they can be the worst culprits when it comes to letting energy seep out of the house. By focusing on making energy-saving improvements to these two parts of the home, you could significantly reduce your electricity bills this year.

What to do in the basement to reduce energy waste

The main problem with your basement is that your home’s heat and air conditioning may seep out of it without you realizing it. If you go down there and there’s a draft then it might mean that your home’s hot air is escaping. Things that you can do to reduce energy waste in the basement include:

Finish any unfinished walls. An unfinished basement is stealing your home’s electricity.

Caulk all windows. You need to make sure that no air from the home is escaping out through the basement.

Add insulation. A lot of people fail to do this because they think it’s a waste of money to insulate the basement. Actually, this can save you a lot of money in the long run since it helps you avoid wasting electricity throughout the year.

You should also check the basement to see if you’re using electricity that you don’t need down there. For example, do you have light bulbs in the basement? They probably don’t need to be very strong so make sure you’re using low wattage. Do you have vents in the basement? Close them up since you probably don’t really need to heat or cool this part of the house.

What to do in the attic to reduce energy waste

The biggest thing about the attic that you need to know is that you can use the space up here to make your home more energy efficient. Have you ever considered using an attic ventilator? It’s something that you can install to allow your attic to breathe more. Why would you care about this? An overheated attic overheats your home and causes your air conditioner to have to work harder to keep the house cool. Installing an attic ventilator should allow you to easily reduce your home cooling bills during the hotter months of the year.

Like with the basement, you also want to make sure that the attic has proper insulation. This will help keep your cooling and heating systems from releasing their powers out into the world around your house. A properly insulated home is an energy-efficient home from top to bottom!

5 Signs that You're Overpaying for Electricity

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:16:46 -0600

Are you paying too much for electricity? It’s difficult for a lot of people to know whether their electric bills are "normal" or if they should be paying less for electricity. Here are five signs that indicate that you might be paying too much for electricity:

1. You’ve never shopped around. Electricity has been deregulated in many states. This means that you can actually choose the provider that you purchase your electricity from. By doing some comparison shopping, you can choose the provider that will charge you the least amount of money for your electricity. If you have never taken the time to shop around to see what the best price for electricity is then there’s a good chance that you are paying too much.

2. Your bill never goes down. You shouldn’t owe the same amount for electricity every single month of the year. Some months should be lower than others because you conserve more electricity in those months. For example, many people find that their electricity bills are lower in the spring when they aren’t running their heater or air conditioner very much. If you always owe approximately the same amount then you might not be conserving energy when you can which means you’re spending too much on your electric bill.

3. You never check your appliances for efficiency. Even worse than an electric bill that never goes down is one that seems to go up from year to year. A major cause of this problem is that the efficiency of your appliances decreases with use. Make sure that you check your appliances each year so that they are running optimally. Otherwise you’re going to be wasting money on your electric bill to keep them operating.

4. Your shopping list always includes light bulbs. You shouldn’t have to replace light bulbs very often. If you do then you’re wasting electricity. Either you’re running inefficient bulbs, you’re using your lights too much or your wattage is too high. Replace your bulbs with CFL bulbs and stop overpaying your electric bill!

5. You pay more than your friends and neighbors. There’s nothing wrong with asking other people what they are spending on their electric bills. In fact, exchanging this information is one way that we can help each other out. If you’re paying more than friends and neighbors who have homes and family sizes that are comparable to yours then you’re probably paying too much. You should switch providers or conserve more energy - or both!

5 Energy-Sucking Items in your Home

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:04:26 -0600

You want to learn how to save money on your electricity bills. (And you’re happy about the fact that this also means you’ll be wasting less electricity and therefore doing your part to green the earth.) But where should you start?

One way to start is to focus on the items in your home that waste the most energy. By making sure that these items are energy-efficient you’ll be doing the most that you can to reduce energy waste in the shortest amount of time. You can start doing smaller things after that.

Be aware that there are five major items in your home that waste the most electricity:

1. Air Conditioners. If you live in a place that’s warm even for a portion of the year then you know that your electricity bill goes sky high every time that you turn the AC on. Learn how to stop wasting money on your AC bill and you’ll really learn how to stop wasting electricity.

2. Heating. It’s not just the AC that is going to waste electricity in your home; the heating system does the exact same thing. Getting the temperature under control in your home in an energy-efficient way is crucial to saving electricity.

3. Washers and dryers. These machines suck up a lot of energy but it’s actually easy to reduce energy waste with them. Use them less frequently, choose a front-loading Energy Star washer and always wash on cold to get started saving money.

4. Refrigerators. This appliance is one of the most energy-wasting items in your home and yet you have to keep it plugged in at all times. The key to reducing waste here is to choose the right new refrigerator. Get a small, new Energy Star refrigerator with a top freezer and no frills (no ice maker, etc.) and you’ll start seeing a savings on your electricity bill.

5. Lighting. Switch to energy-efficient lighting. Turn lights off when not in use. Use CFLs (energy-saving light bulbs). Open up the windows and take advantage of natural light.

Stop being wasteful when it comes to using these five items and you’ll start making a real difference in the amount of energy that you use in your home and you will reduce your electric bill.

PPL Electric - Electricity Deregulation Shouldn't Increase your Bill

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:13:04 -0600

What does it mean for you as a consumer when electricity gets deregulated? In theory it should mean that there is more competition among electricity companies in your area. This should further mean that the companies would want to offer lower prices to beat out the competition. That means that deregulation should result in lower monthly electric bills. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Some utility companies actually increase their customers’ rates after deregulation. The good news is that you can choose to work with a business that doesn’t do that to you.

Take a look at PPL Electric if you want to see how utility companies can cause harm to their customers as a result of deregulation. When the electricity rate caps were lifted at the beginning of the year, changes began occurring in the way that this utility company charges its customers for electricity use. What does this mean for the customers? In simple terms, many of these people are going to be shocked to see bills at the end of the month that could be as much as 30% higher than what they are used to paying.

How did this happen? A few different factors came in to play. For one thing, the cost of fossil fuels is high so electricity companies argue that they aren’t able to significantly lower prices. Many companies moved out of state to where they could pay lower prices, which resulted in less competition for PPL. Moreover, there was a big marketing push arguing that the higher rates only reflect a normal increase that is to be expected after a long-term rate cap. They say that rates didn’t’ go up since 1996 so it’s reasonable for them to go up now. And people are buying that.

However, you shouldn’t get sucked into all of this because it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible for utility companies to sacrifice in small ways to allow them to offer lower rates to their customers. And it is possible for increased competition to allow these lower prices to thrive in the market. It’s just a matter of the customer demanding it. How do you do that? You choose to work with the businesses that are committed to providing high-quality electricity service without the high cost. This may not be the norm yet but that doesn’t mean that we can’t strive for it. In the meantime, keep working to avoid wasting electricity so that your personal bills remain low.

Don't Let Ohio Raise Your Electricity Rates

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:56:21 -0600

If you live in the state of Ohio then you might want to start looking for a good utility company. That’s because a majority of electricity companies in the state are raising their rates on customers in the next few years. Unless you want to spend more than you should be spending for electricity, it’s worth the time and effort it takes to do some comparison shopping in order to switch over to a company that offers the best prices on electricity.

FirstEnergy Corp is a great example of a bad utility company to be working with right now. This company put together a 2000+ page proposal back in 2008 explaining why they needed to raise their rates. Their efforts paid off - for them anyway. The rate hike was approved and rates have been rising steadily ever since. They just went up again at the beginning of the year and are expected to rise another 6% next year.

FirstEnergy Corp. argued in their proposal that these rate increases are necessary. It has even been reported that the company expects customers not to mind the increases that much. They say that customers know that the cost of fossil fuel is increasing and that they’ll accept that this means higher rates for them.

This does not have to be the way that it is! Yes, it is true that fossil fuel rates are on the rise. However it is also true that electricity companies can do things that reduce their own costs. They can make changes that allow them to absorb some of the rising cost of fossil fuels rather than just passing that cost on to customers. The fact that there is any assumption that customers would be happy to take on these costs in the midst of a recession speaks to bad business practices.

So what can you do? The main thing that you want to do is to become aware of the electricity issues in your area. Do you have the option of choosing a new electricity company to work with? If so then you should do some comparison shopping to work on getting the best rates possible. If not then you should begin exploring options for using renewable energy resources to power your home. And finally, make sure that you conserve electricity in any way that you can to lower your electric bill no matter which company you work with.

10 Energy-Saving Tips for Washers and Dryers

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:02:22 -0600

There are many different areas of the home where you can cut back on energy waste. One key area that you can start with is your process of washing and drying clothing. Just follow these ten energy saving tips:

Tips for Reducing Electricity Waste with Washing Machines:

1. Wash your clothes with cold water. Most electricity waste goes to heating up the water for your clothes washer. Wash everything on cold. If you must wash on "hot" then at least turn the temperature down a few degrees.

2. Invest in a front-loading washing machine. They use a significant amount less water which means that there’s less to heat up and therefore you’ll waste less electricity when you do wash clothes.

3. Switch over to a gas-powered washer. Unless you always wash/rinse on "cold" then this can save a lot of electric waste. Be aware that you’re still using a natural resource though.

4. Look for the Energy Star appliance label when you buy a new washer. This tells you that it’s energy-efficient.

5. Wear your clothes more than once before you wash them. Almost all clothes can be worn more than once before they need to be washed. Stop being wasteful!

Tips for Reducing Electricity Waste with Dryers:

6.Don’t use a clothes dryer. Hang your clothes on a line and air dry them. It’s healthier and it saves a lot of electricity waste.

7. Get a spin dryer. This is a dryer that you use before using your actual dryer. It is designed to wring as much water as possible out of your clothes so that they require less time in the actual dryer. This saves a lot of electricity waste as long as you make sure to check the dryer regularly and take the clothes out when they’re dry.

8. Make sure you have a great washer. An efficient washer will keep the clothes as dry as possible and reduce the need for a top-level dryer.

9. Switch over to a gas dryer. Again, you’re still using a natural resource but you’ll spend less money than you would with an electric dryer.

10. Keep it clean. Make sure that you clean out that lint filter every single time that you run the dryer. This is true even if you are repeating a load that didn’t dry completely. Keeping that filter clean makes the dryer much more efficient.

Source: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/dryers.html

Hot Water Heater Tips for Winter

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:36:32 -0600

Everyone complains about the gas and electricity bills going up during the winter. Most people have this complaint because they are spending a lot of money heating the home. However you should know that a lot of that added cost could be coming from the fact that your hot water heater isn’t properly set up for winter. If your water heater isn’t ready for winter then it will take a lot longer to warm the water in your home for bathing, doing dishes, etc. This can cause a big increase in your electricity bill. Luckily it’s really easy to make sure that your hot water heater is winter-ready.

The most important thing that you can do right now to keep winter electricity costs down is to go outside and wrap your hot water heater with proper winter insulation. There is a really easy way to determine whether or not your hot water heater needs more insulation; just touch it. A hot water heater that feels warm to the touch is losing too much heat and needs to be wrapped up with better insulation. Doing this will allow you to reduce energy waste in the home by as much as forty five percent and can immediately save you almost ten percent on your heating bills. Note that it’s a lot more difficult to add proper insulation to a gas-based heater so you might want to be careful if that is what you’ve got in your house. You can still do it yourself but you want to make sure that you know what you’re doing for safety reasons. If you have an electric water heater then you shouldn’t have any problems at all. Of course, you could actually consider switching to a solar water heater and then you would really be saving money on electricity this winter!

Wrapping up your hot water heater is the most important thing that you’ll do but it’s not the only thing that can help reduce energy waste in this area of the home. You will also want to take a look around the hot water heater and determine if there is any excess energy waste going on. For example, are the hot water pipes exposed and therefore not keeping the water as warm as you want it to be? If so then you should wrap those too. Or is it the hot water heater located in a drafty basement? Caulk up the windows down there and the room will be warmer so your hot water heater doesn’t have to work so hard. None of these things take much time but these tips will save a lot of electricity in your home.

10 Terms To Know to Save Money on Electricity

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:54:24 -0600

Most people who want to help you learn how to save money by wasting less electricity will provide you with tips and how-to guides for cutting back on your energy use. This is definitely important. However, you can’t actually benefit completely from these tips unless you already know the terminology that is included in them.

Here are ten important words and terms that you should know if you want to really save money on electricity:

(Kilo)watt and (kilo)watt hours. A main thing that you need to know is how electricity is measured. This will help you understand what your electric company is actually charging you for. A watt measures how much electricity is being used at any given moment. A watt-hour is a description of the amount of energy that you use in total. Electricity companies charge by kilowatt hours (1000 watts/hr) because you use so much electricity that it would be ridiculous to charge you by watt-hour.

Alternative energy. This term refers to energy that is created without using fossil fuels. Any renewable energy resource (such as solar or wind power) is a form of alternative energy. These resources are less wasteful and are greener than fossil fuel energy.

Fossil fuels. In case you were confused by the last definition, make sure that you know that fossil fuels are carbon-based fuels and include natural gas, coil and oil

Carbon footprint. The amount of carbon dioxide that you emit. If you use coal and oil then you emit more carbon dioxide than you do if you use solar power and wind power. Understanding how to lower your carbon footprint will help you understand how to reduce electricity waste.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). These are amazing light bulbs that save you a ton of electricity compared to traditional light bulbs. They waste less while in use and last a lot longer. If you want to save money on electricity in the home then get to know more about these.

Standby power. This refers to what happens when devices use electricity even though the device itself is turned off. Your television and your cell phone charger both use standby power. Learn to unplug things that use standby power and you’ll save a lot of money over time.

Radiant heating. This is a method of heating that heats direct elements and individuals through a wall or floor rather than heating up the air in the house. Radiant heating is a great way to save money on electricity waste especially during cooler months of the year.

Bed fan. This is a super-cool device that you attach to your bed to keep it cool at night. This allows you to stay cozy under the cover while still turning off the AC in the rest of the house. For people who love to sleep under the blankets this device can save a lot of money.

Surge protectors. These are devices that divert electricity whenever there is a surge in use. This helps protect computers and other electronics equipment from damage. Some companies try to tell you that you can cut back your electricity costs by using surge protectors; don’t believe them because it isn’t true. It’s great to use them to protect technology but it has nothing to do with saving you money or reducing electricity waste.

Energy Star. This term is used no products to signify that they have met a certain standard of energy efficiency. If you want an easy way to choose products that are energy-efficient then look for this label.

Reduce Energy Electric Waste by Improving Home Insulation

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:04:35 -0600

One of the best things that you can do to reduce your waste of electricity this winter is to make sure that your home insulation is in tip top shape. There are a lot of little things that you can do around the house to reduce the amount of energy that is seeping out of your home. The first things that you should do are to seal air leaks and air ducts and wrap your hot water heater in high-quality insulation. You might also want to do some advanced insulation, which involves replacing your home’s windows and installing loft insulation under the roof of your home.

The main thing that you need to do if you want to reduce energy waste in your home this winter is to seal off all of the areas of the home where there is heat leaking out of the space. You can get a good idea of where these spots in the home are because it will feel colder when you are around them. Common problem areas are the spaces around doors and windows and the ducts of the home. Head over to your local hardware store to get the supplies that you need to seal up these spots. You may want something as simple as caulk or you may want real weather stripping materials.

The next thing that you absolutely must do to reduce energy waste in your home is to wrap up your hot water heater with high-quality insulation. This will allow the water in your home to heat up more quickly. What that means is that you’ll waste a lot less electricity trying to get hot water this winter. Wrapping your hot water heater is a fairly simple process. There are even eco-friendly insulation options for people who want to truly be green.

If you want to truly save money by wasting less energy this year then you might want to do some advanced insulation in your home. Replacing your windows with double-paned glass would be a good start because much of the energy that leaks out of the house in the winter is going straight through your thin windows. If you have high ceilings in the home then you should look at installing loft insulation since heat rises and you lose a lot of heat up there. And if you have an older home then you may want to consider redoing all of the wall insulation to make your home more energy efficient. Less waste means that you’re doing more for the earth and saving yourself money at the same time.

Pennsylvania Residents Charged for Wasting Electricity

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:03:12 -0600

Most people do what they can to not waste electricity in the home. We all know that the more electricity we waste, the higher our electric bills are going to be. However most people also don’t do all that they can to reduce this amount to the lowest possible amount. Some cities are starting to take notice of the fact that people might need an incentive to truly reduce their energy waste in the home. Instead of offering a reward for good energy-saving habits, though, a lot of governments are finding ways to punish those people who don’t participate in the goal to reduce electricity waste.

One example of a state government that is doing this is Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Electric companies throughout the state are going to be raising their rates in the next 1-2 years. What this means is that the customers who decide not to take any actions to change the amount of electricity that they use can expect to be paying about 30% more each month when their electricity bills come around. What is really interesting about this rate raise is that it wasn’t even required by the state government; the legislators there were only in talks about the issue when the electric companies decided to beat them to the punch and go ahead and make the changes.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be something that turns out to be really good. Some electric companies will be offering major discounts for people who want to make energy-saving changes to their homes. Some companies will be offering cost savings programs to help PA residents lower their electric bill. People who live in low-income areas will be able to take advantage of government-sponsored deals that let them winterize their homes at a much lower cost. All of this means that there will be a lot of people who get motivated to make the switch to truly saving energy and saving money at the same time.

Pennsylvania isn’t the only state where these types of changes are taking place. There is a goal to reduce energy waste across the nation and many different government agencies are working to participate in achieving this goal. Some will approach it differently than others but most have found that raising rates on people will indeed cause them to do what it takes to cut back on waste.

Electric vs Solar Water Heaters

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:16:03 -0600

Solar water heaters are a great product for your home. They are significantly better for the earth than are the traditional electric water heaters that most of us are using today. In addition to being better for the earth, solar water heaters are a lot easier on our pocketbooks by lowering our electric bill. Most people don’t realize this because the initial cost of getting a solar water heater seems high. However when you look at the lifetime costs of owning electric vs. solar water heaters, you’ll easily see that you waste a lot less money in the long run if you invest in solar water heaters now.

The main thing that deters people from getting a solar water heater is the high initial cost of purchase. That’s unfortunate because this is a key problem preventing people from adopting a lot of important solar technology today. The initial cost of getting the products is high. For example, the average cost of an electric water heater today is about $400 whereas the average cost of a solar water heater is about $2500. That’s a huge cost difference which makes people wary of making the switch over to solar appliances.

In order to understand why it’s worth it to make the move, you need to look at all of the other costs involved in owning a water heater. First of all, you have to pay to heat the water in an electric water heater (a cost that goes on your monthly energy bill). The water in a solar water heater is heated by the sun and doesn’t cost you anything per month. Then you have to consider the fact that solar water heaters last twice as long as electric water heaters. You have to replace your electric water heater every 6-15 years whereas your solar water heater may be good for up to 30 years. Combined with the fact that you can get good federal rebates for buying a solar powered water heater and that you’ll also be doing something good for the earth, it’s clear that getting a solar powered water heater is worth the investment.