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The Rural Missouri NEWS Service April
2007 | June 2007
| September 2007 |
October 2007 | November
2007 | December 2007 |
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March 2008 Generators Effective if Used Wisely While owning an emergency generator comes in handy during an extended power outage, recent events have exposed the need for better safety awareness. Carbon monoxide (CO) deaths associated with the misuse of generators have risen sharply in the past decade, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which recorded an increase of non-fire CO-related deaths of 18 percent between 2003 and 2005. To safely use generators, camp stoves, and barbecue grills, operate them only in well-ventilated areas outdoors so emissions can’t enter your home. Also, install a CO alarm that detects the presence of the odorless and colorless gas. In addition, always turn off a generator when refueling it, and store gasoline, diesel fuel, or propane outside of living areas. Plug appliances directly into a generator or use an extension cord. Do not try to power a home’s wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet. All-important transfer switch Transfer switches are critical for two reasons:
An automatic transfer switch senses power interruptions. The switch delays activation for 10 to 20 seconds to determine whether power will resume. This prevents the generator from cycling on and off every time a power “blip” occurs. After power is restored, the transfer switch waits for sustained current flow before shutting off the generator. Permanent installation of a standby generator should be done by a licensed electrician and must comply with the National Electrical Code as well as state and local codes. Notify your local electric co-op if you are using a generator. During an outage, if a line crew sees your lights are on, they might assume you have power and proceed to work elsewhere. Power requirements Americans See the Light on CFL Use Americans are more than making good on their pledges to help fight climate change by replacing their lights with Energy Star qualified CFLs (compact fluorescent lights). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Energy Star CFL sales for 2007 were nearly double those in 2006, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the light bulb market in the United States. According to market data, sales of Energy Star qualified CFLs have risen dramatically over the last two years. In 2006, it is estimated that the market share jumped to about 11 percent, compared to a market share consistently under 5 percent in the early part of the decade. Sales in 2007 totaled approximately 290 million bulbs. Energy Star retail partners such as Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Costco, Menards, Ace Hardware and Sam’s Club have played an important role in educating consumers about the importance of saving energy and the value of these products. “More and more Americans are seeing the light — that protecting the environment, while saving money, is as easy as changing a bulb,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Together, we are brightening our country’s future, one Energy Star CFL at a time.” “By switching to CFLs at home and at work, Americans are increasing energy efficiency and furthering the president’s vision to increase the advanced technologies that will help meet the nation’s growing demand for energy,” U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said. “Using CLFs is a quick and easy way that Americans can save energy and money everyday, while also protecting the environment.” Energy Star-qualified CFLs use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. It is important for consumers to look for CFLs that have earned the government’s Energy Star label in order to ensure the best performance. Energy Star-qualified models have a minimum lifetime of 6,000 hours, maintain their light output over time, and are more energy efficient than standard CFLs. One Energy Star-qualified bulb can save about $30 or more in energy costs over its lifetime. The average home has approximately 30 light fixtures. If every U.S. household replaced just one light bulb or fixture with an Energy Star, our country would save more than $600 million each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars. To date, the national Energy Star Change a Light campaign has received more than 1 million pledges from Americans across the country to change nearly 4 million light bulbs to Energy Star CFLs, equating to potential savings of more than $100 million in energy costs and the prevention of more than 1.5 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. To join Americans already taking the Energy Star Change a Light, Change the World pledge, visit www.energystar.gov/changealight. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It is designed to save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. For general information, visit: www.energystar.gov. What about those CFLs and LEDs? Since 1879, Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb remained largely unchanged. But in the early 1990s, a new light bulb emerged, the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). It wasn’t very popular at first for good reason: It would not fit many fixtures, it cost up to $25 for one bulb and its light was dim. Just about the CFL’s only appealing quality was its energy efficiency: It used less than one-third the electricity of an incandescent bulb of equivalent light output and lasted up to nine years. Then came a new grade of CFL in a variety of sizes and styles, less expensive to buy and brighter. Many stores now promote CFLs, and just about every article you read about protecting the environment recommends changing to CFLs. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed by President Bush in December, phases out production of most incandescent light bulbs in the U.S. by 2014. There are good reasons to make the switch. According to the Midwest Alliance on Energy Efficiency, today’s CFL uses 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb of equivalent light output. About 98 percent of the power consumed by an incandescent is emitted as heat; in contrast, most of a CFL’s energy consumption produces light, not heat. If you replace your four most used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with four comparable 23-watt CFLs, on average you’ll save about $100 over three years. If all U.S. households did this, we would save the energy produced by 30 power plants annually! A study by Popular Mechanics tested seven common CFLs against a 75-watt incandescent bulb. According to the magazine, “The results surprised us. Even though the incandescent bulb measured slightly brighter than the equivalent CFLs, our subjects didn’t see any dramatic difference in brightness. And here was the real shocker. When it came to the overall quality of the light, all the CFLs scored higher than our incandescent control bulb. In other words, the new fluorescent bulbs aren’t just better for both your wallet and the environment, they produce better light.” So, if you haven’t made the switch to CFLs, now’s the time. Make the change in high-use areas to get more light with the same energy or the same light with lower energy use. How much energy can you save with a CFL? According to Energy Star, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs. If every American home replaced their five most frequently used light bulbs with CFLs, we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs. Energy Star-qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs with equivalent light outputs and last up to 10 times longer. They save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime. They produce about 75 percent less heat, so they’re safer to operate and can cut energy costs if used in high-use areas such as your kitchen. They are now available in different sizes and styles to fit just about all fixtures, indoors and out. The basic formula for calculating energy cost per bulb is (hours operated x wattage / 1000) x your rate in cents per kWh. Calculate for both the incandescent bulb and the CFL. The difference is your energy cost savings per bulb. Touchstone Energy Savers Web site at http://www.touchstoneenergysavers.com/lightbulb.php also has a handy Light Bulb Energy Saver that calculates approximate energy savings for replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs. How CFLs work According to the U.S. Department of Energy, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) consist of two parts: a gas-filled tube and a magnetic or electronic ballast. The gas in the tube glows with ultraviolet light when electricity from the ballast flows through it. This in turn affects a white phosphor coating on the inside of the tube, which emits visible light throughout its surface. CFLs with magnetic ballasts flicker slightly when they start. They also are heavier than those with electronic ballasts. This may make them too heavy for some light fixtures. Electronic ballasts are more expensive, but light immediately (especially at low temperatures). They are also more efficient than magnetic ballasts. The tubes will last about 10,000 hours and the ballast about 50,000 hours. Most currently available CFLs have electronic ballasts. CFLs operate within a specific temperature range. Temperatures below the range cause reduced output. Most are for indoor use, but there are outdoor models as well. The CFL’s temperature range can be found on its package. CFLs are most cost effective and efficient in areas where lights are on for long periods of time. The payback will be slower in areas where lights are turned on for short periods of time, such as in closets and pantries. Because they don’t need to be changed often, CFLs are ideal for hard-to-reach areas. Where to use a CFL Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are most efficient when left on for longer versus shorter periods of time. Start replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs in these areas first:
They are less efficient in pantries and closets where lights are typically on for 15 minutes or less per use. According to Consumer Reports, frequent cycling shortens the CFL’s life. When choosing where to use a CFL, remember, CFLs can take between 25 seconds and several minutes to fully light up. In contrast, incandescents take less than a second. Stick with an incandescent where you need fast, full lighting. What about the mercury in CFLs? It’s true compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have about 5 milligrams or less of mercury. That’s about 1 percent of the amount in an old-fashioned thermometer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 5 milligrams is not of great concern. Nevertheless, don’t just toss a used CFL in the trash. Check with your local recycling centers or hazardous waste collection centers to see if they accept CFLs. The Web sites www.lamprecycle.org and www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling may help you find a recycler. As a last resort, EPA recommends double bagging in plastic the burnt-out bulbs and putting them in the trash. It’s rare for CFLs to smoke, smell or darken at the base when they burn out, and because all CFL materials must be self-extinguishing, there’s not much danger of CFLs catching fire. If a CFL does break or smoke, EPA says there are no immediate health risks. Here’s what to do:
Match right CFL to right fixture According to Energy Star, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, such as table and floor lamps, wall sconces, pendants and outdoor fixtures. For recessed fixtures, it’s better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral one, since the design of the reflector evenly distributes the light down to your work area. If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer or three-way switch, use a special Energy Star-qualified CFL, designed to work in these applications. Choose a qualified CFL that offers a shade of white light that works best for you. While most CFLs provide warm or soft white light for your home, you could choose a cooler color as well. Once you know the type of bulb to shop for, follow these tips when comparing bulbs on the shelf:
What about LEDs? This past holiday season you may have seen LED Christmas tree lights advertised and perhaps have purchased some. The Times Square ball in New York City included LEDs for half its lights, and on Saks Fifth Avenue, 40,000 LEDs created a 10-story-high dynamic display of giant falling snowflakes. Closer to home, Silver Dollar City in Branson lit its huge tree with LEDs. You’re accustomed to seeing LEDs in digital watches and clocks, but they also illuminate street lights, light automobile interiors and form images on giant television screens (such as Times Square). You can now buy them in flashlights and lights for home lighting. So what is a LED? It stands for “light-emitting diode,” which, according to Tom Harris in “How Light Emitting Diodes Work” at http://electronics.howstuffworks.com, are tiny light bulbs that fit into an electrical circuit. But instead of light coming from a filament, as in an incandescent bulb, light in a LED is created by the movement of electrons in a material that conducts electrical current. LEDs don’t really burn out like incandescents but gradually decrease in light output. According to the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies, their life can reach 50,000 hours! LEDs have been around since the 1960s, according to Toolbase Services, a technical resource of the National Association of Home Builders, but until the mid-1990s were impractical for residential space lighting. Now, the new generation of LEDs have advantages over both incandescent bulbs and CFLs. LEDs and efficiency: Wow! The most important advantage of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is their incredible energy efficiency. According to Assistant Secretary of Energy Alexander Karsner, if all U.S. households switched all their lights from incandescents or CFLs to LEDs today, we would save almost $10 billion a year in energy bills! An active market for LEDs in all lighting uses in the U.S. would decrease the average total electricity consumption for lighting by 33 percent. That means the amount saved by switching to LEDs would be greater than the total amount of energy used to light all homes in the U.S. today, according to Karsner. A standard incandescent bulb has a life of 750 hours. A CFL bulb has a life of 10,000 hours. A LED bulb has a life between 20,000 and 50,000 hours! LED advantages and disadvantages According to Toolbase Services, a technical resource of the National Association of Home Builders, light-emitting diode (LED) lamps have these advantages over traditional lighting:
Toolbase offers these disadvantages for LEDs:
Stay safe in the field Farm machinery is getting larger. That’s good news to the farmer trying to get the most from his spring planting. But it can be a problem where overhead power lines cross the farm. Ashland farmer Joel Bullard, a director at Boone Electric Cooperative, discovered that fact recently. Bullard got the scare of his life when he discovered the planter he was operating came perilously close to touching a 69,000 volt transmission line that crossed his property. In Bullard’s case the planter’s row marker is 20 feet long. the transmission lines that cross his property are 22 feet high. That is too close for comfort when the marker is in the vertical position. Because of a gap in regulations, the potential exists for farm machinery manufacturers to build equipment that will not clear power lines. That power line you cleared with no problem last year could pose a threat if you replace machinery or if you or the weather make changes underneath that lowers the distance to the lines. The problem is a gap in the National Electrical Safety Code which mandates heights for power lines. Unfortunately, the required clearances, followed closely by your electric co-op, don’t apply to agricultural equipment or to what landowners do to their fields. As a result, farm machinery is getting closer and closer to lacking enough clearance around power lines. Cotton pickers, hydraulic hoists, hay and grain elevators and front end loaders are all potential candidates for an accidental contact. As you grease and oil your machinery to prepare for the coming planting season, make sure you inspect any areas where power lines cross your property. Take note of any changes underneath caused by the wet winter. Before you move any machinery make sure it will clear power lines. Stay safe! |
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