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Beat the Heat
As temperatures rise this summer, so will electricity consumption driven by the use of fans and air conditioners. At the same time, the reliability of the country's electric grids is expected, at times, to falter. At a June energy summit in Silicon Valley, Carl Guardino, president of the high-tech industry organization Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group said "our aging powergrid is not able to meet the needs of the information age." The interrupted power supply represents a loss of billions of dollars to the high-tech industry.
Experts say demand is outpacing power plants and transmission cables. A report in May from the North American Electricity Council said the states hardest hit will be the big energy-users: New York, New England, California, Arizona, New Mexico and southern Nevada. Building more power plants isn't the only solution, say experts. A better answer would be to encourage peopleto reduce their energy consumption.
As to what you can do this summer to stay cool and save money, here's some tips from PG&E, one of California's biggest utility provider.
- Close your drapes and blinds during the day.
- Set your air conditioner thermostat at 78° or higher when at home. Turn it to 85° degrees or off, when you leave. (Air conditioners make up as much as 60% of summer energy bills.)
- Clean or replace air conditioning filters.
- Use fans to circulate air (they can allow you to set the thermostat at least 4 degrees higher.)
- Turn off lights when not needed; three fourths of the electricity used by the average light bulb becomes wasted heat.
- Cover your swimming pool with a solar pool cover or thermal blanket.
- Use heat-producing appliances such as ovens, dishwashers and clothes dryers in the morning.
The Department of Energy (DOE) says the most effective way to keep your home cool is to prevent heat from building up in the first place. A big source of heat buildup is sunlight, absorbed by your home's roof, walls and windows. So, if you're looking for a summer project, how about a new paint job? Dark-colored home exteriors absorb 70% to 90% ofthe radiant energy from the sun that strikes the home's surfaces; that can result in heat gain in your house. In contrast, light colored surfaces effectively reflect most of the heat away from the house. Another project idea this summer: get out in your garden this summer and plant some trees. The DOE estimates that just three trees, planted on the south and on the west sides, will help keep your house cool in the summer, and still allow the sun to shine in the windows in the winter. Such carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of a typical household's energy for heating and cooling. That translates into annual savings of $100 and $250. Bottom line: there are a lot of ways to keep cool this summer, and cut energy costs at the same time.
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