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The Rural Missouri NEWS Service
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April 2008 Seven Tips to Having a Healthy Computer Whether we are part of a small business, a multinational, or are just trying to find a recipe online at home, we seem to spend just as much time fixing issues and conflicts on our computers as we do working on them. For the home user this is merely an inconvenience, but to a business it can add up to tens of thousands of dollars lost to decreased productivity or repairs. Although the mere thought of trying to fix a computer would cause a cold sweat to break out in most of us, it is in fact the simple little things that even the most timid technophile could prevent which cause the majority of our desktop woes. “Malware, viruses, identity theft and spyware account for about 80 percent of all computer issues resulting in downtime,” reveals IT guru Chip Reaves. “It is estimated that the lost-productivity cost due to these alone is around $50 billion, and the associated IT costs of dealing with it have skyrocketed from $20 billion to $198 billion in the last five years.” That is a lot of money and a lot of work time lost. But Reaves, the national director of Computer Troubleshooters, explains that there are certain simple tips everyone could adhere to — businesses and individual computer users alike — that will keep our computers (and wallets) in tip-top shape.
Lessons from Benjamin Franklin: Future energy challenges can be met if we all pitch in. Benjamin Franklin was an electrical experimenter who also created the first successful cooperative business in America. Toss in his pioneering work as a newspaper editor, and it’s easy to see why he’s the favorite of the many people. We’ve borrowed his “penny saved is a penny earned” saying before when talking about energy conservation: “A megawatt saved is a megawatt unburned,” one that didn’t need generating. Energy efficiency and conservation once again is the focus of your electric cooperative. Cutting waste and using less electricity will be an important component in meeting future energy demand. It’s important to our environment. It’s important to our national security by lessening our dependence on the world’s volatile natural gas supply. We’re facing a challenging energy future. Projected electricity demand will soon rise way beyond the current ability of all power companies to produce it. Global competition for fossil fuels is making energy costs climb worldwide. Environmental concerns over carbon cast a cloud over all fossil-fueled electricity. The inefficiencies and inability of renewables to meet baseload demand for the foreseeable future will also add to energy costs and concerns. These are major problems at the power supply end of the electric grid. Meanwhile, we as consumers can continue working on our end of the line by conserving and cutting waste. In addition, we need to use energy more wisely. We don’t always do that. Consumers use large amounts of electricity in the morning when we get ready for work and school. We use large amounts again in the late afternoon when we all come home. We use much less electricity in the evening and at night. Electricity can’t be stored. So, power suppliers must build costly generating capacity or purchase power to meet that peak demand. The peak consumers set is also factored into the amount electric co-ops pay their power supplier. That’s in addition to the actual kilowatt-hours their members use. Ideally, demand would graph as a fairly straight line over the course of the day. But that’s not how most people live and use electricity. We cycle between steep peaks and deep valleys. But we can help mitigate them. We can help our co-op keep electric rates more stable by shifting some of our demand to the evening. If we can wait till after 8 p.m. to run the dryer, dishwasher or other major appliances, we can help shave that peak. Contact your electric cooperative for more ways you can shift some load to off-peak hours. To meet future energy needs, the electric industry must develop new clean technologies and add more nuclear and renewable forms of energy. But these will take time and money. Conservation and wiser use of electricity are immediate no-cost, low-cost things we as member/owners can do today to help our own pocket books, our co-op, our nation and our environment. We need to be smarter about electricity and end our wasteful ways. Doing so will give us, our children, our grandchildren and our nation a cleaner, brighter and more secure future. Doing so, to paraphrase another Franklin proverb, will make us all “more healthy, wealthy and energy wise.” Prepping for summer’s heat Spring is the perfect time to prepare your home for the blast of summer heat sure to come. Once summer’s here, you can take other steps to lower your home’s temperature, but now’s the time to make the changes that will reduce your air conditioning use the most. Think of sunlight as the enemy of your cool house and air conditioning as your primary defense. Air conditioning keeps the heat at bay, but at a high cost: It uses more electricity than any other single device in your home. Your goal now is to implement some simple, no-cost or relatively inexpensive steps to reduce your air conditioning bill when the heat hits. Seal the leaks – The same weatherstripping, caulking and insulation you use to keep the cold air out in winter also will keep the cool air inside in summer. Insulate your home’s outer walls, particularly around windows, doors and electrical outlets and save up to 2 percent on your energy bill, according to California’s Consumer Energy Center. If you’re in the market for new windows, choose Energy Star windows or the most efficient ones you can afford. Install storm doors if you’re in a hot climate, or replace them with screens in a more temperate climate. Close the flue in fireplaces. Check air ducts for leaks and the level of attic insulation. The latter may have settled. For our climate zone, the most common types of insulation should be 15 to 18 inches deep in the attic. Install a programmable thermostat – You’ll reap the same benefits in summer from a programmable thermostat as you do in winter. If set and used properly, a programmable thermostat can save up to $150 in energy costs each year, according to Energy Star. Each degree in summer you raise the thermostat typically saves 2 percent on your cooling bill. Energy experts recommend setting the thermostat at 78 degrees or above in summer. Install ceiling fans – Circulating air with fans will help cool your house, reduce your air conditioning use by as much as 30 percent and use very little energy doing it. A ceiling fan in summer can make a room feel as much as 7 degrees cooler by creating a “wind chill” effect. Adjust your ceiling fan so it turns counterclockwise and blows air downward. Portable fans also can be effective in moving air. Even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel 3 or 4 degrees cooler. Change light bulbs – According to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, about 98 percent of the power consumed by an incandescent light bulb is wasted as heat. Most of a compact fluorescent light bulb’s (CFL) energy produces light. Swap those hot incandescents for cool CFLs. Tune up cooling equipment now to save this summer Here’s some tips for getting the most out of the dollars you spend for cooling this season. Remember, the money you save is your own, the expense saved for not generating it belongs to all of us. Tune up or upgrade your cooling equipment – Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals are busiest in the summer, so schedule a spring cleaning of your air conditioner and other cooling equipment. If your equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your home comfortable, be sure to have it checked. If you’re replacing an existing system, consider a high-efficiency system that is Energy Star qualified. It could save up to 20 percent on cooling costs and use 25 percent to 40 percent less energy than a new conventional system, according to Energy Star. When installing a new air conditioning system, proper sizing is crucial to achieving maximum energy savings. Oversized equipment could actually increase your energy costs and still not keep you comfortable. According to Energy Star, proper sizing depends on many factors, including the design, size and orientation of your home and the construction materials used. HVAC contractors should use industry-accepted calculations when sizing your new cooling equipment. Manual J, published by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), is the most common sizing method used in the United States. Add dampers – A home improvement expert with Microsoft Network Home Advisor recommends talking with your air conditioning contractor about installing dampers to restrict the flow of cooled air to rooms you rarely use. Also talk with the contractor about whether closing doors or registers in those rooms will affect your system’s efficiency. Change the filter in your air conditioner – Put a clean one in for summer and change it monthly. Clean and shade your air conditioner’s condensing unit – That’s the part that sits outside your house. If you covered it for winter, take the cover off and hose down the coils. Also shade the condenser from direct sunlight — plant shrubs or trees or add an awning or screen. Prune shrubbery – Remove dead leaves and grass that could block air flow to your air conditioner’s condensing unit, and prune overgrown shrubbery around it for the same reason. Spruce up landscaping and save on summer cooling costs Early spring is the time to plant trees and shrubs to shade your house, save on cooling costs and add value at the same time. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says shading your home can reduce indoor temperatures by as much as 20 degrees and predicts three properly placed trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 annually. The southwest corner is probably the best location for a shade tree because it will cool your house from the afternoon sun. Young trees that shade your east and west windows will eventually shade your roof, too. For our climate zones, avoid planting a tree directly to the south, because while ideal in summer, even the bare branches of a mature deciduous tree could significantly reduce the amount of sun reaching your house in winter. Erin Witt, a home efficiency and improvements advisor, writes in “Ten Tips for Cooling Your Home – and Your Energy Bill – This Summer,” that “… air temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than air temperatures above nearby blacktop. A well-planned landscape can reduce an unshaded home’s summer air conditioning costs by 15 percent to 50 percent — and as much as 75 percent for small mobile homes.” Plant shrubs at least 1 foot away from the wall to prevent a dead air space from forming that could actually hold heat around the outer walls. It’s also important to plant trees away from utility structures and lines. A good rule of thumb is to plant trees no closer to overhead lines than their mature height. For example, a tree that will grow to about 25 feet should be planted at least 25 feet from overhead lines. Specific guidelines can vary. Contact your local electric cooperative for planting recommendations. Passively cooling your house You can retrofit your house in the spring with some low-cost cooling options to reflect heat away or block heat from your home. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers methods to prevent heat gain inside your house, most of which is from sunlight absorbed by your house through the roof, walls and windows. Block heat Insulate – The same winter insulation rules apply to summer insulation. DOE’s Web site at www.doe.gov/energyefficiency/index.htm offers fact sheets and information on insulation, caulking and weatherstripping. Here’s a short list of the most important areas to insulate:
Shade your windows – Don’t wait until summer to install drapes, blinds, exterior shades and other window coverings. Applying solar control window films to existing glass is an effective method to reduce the amount of solar light and heat entering your windows. This method can save 5 percent to 10 percent on your energy bill, says California’s Consumer Energy Center. Shade with landscaping – Trees that lose their leaves in the fall (deciduous) help cut cooling costs the most. Vines on trellises are a quick way to shade and cool windows or even the whole side of your house. The University of Missouri Extension offers these tips in its “Tree Placement on Home Grounds and Landscape Plantings for Energy Savings” guides:
Reflect heat away Go light - Light-colored exteriors reflect most of the radiant energy from the sun away from your house. Dull or dark home exteriors absorb 70 percent to 80 percent. Update on consumer tax credits for home improvements for 2008 Congress did not extend the energy efficiency tax credits for home improvements that expired Dec. 31, 2007. Congressional leadership has said it will look for opportunities to move this legislation in 2008. Ask your tax advisor for an update on the status of the tax credits or go to www.energytaxincentives.org. Useful Web sites to prep for summer www.doe.gov/energyefficiency/index.htm - The U.S. Department of Energy offers fact sheets and information on insulation, caulking and weatherstripping. Download its booklet on Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home. www.howstuffworks.com – Includes easy-to-understand information about common electricity-using appliances and systems in homes and how much electricity they use. www.energystar.gov – Look in the Home Improvements section for cooling tips and information about energy efficient air conditioners and fans. www.consumerenergycenter.org
– This site from the California Energy Commission includes tips on being “energy ready” for summer. www.extension.missouri.edu – The University of Missouri Extension Web site has helpful landscape planting, home improvement and energy efficiency guides. |
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