Energy conservation lowers electricity bills. Compact fluorescents, LED light bulbs, and radiant barrier paint all help to lower KW consumption as fuel surcharges rise.
Mission Energy Conservation
A few years ago I started off on a bold new mission: energy conservation. OK, perhaps not so bold, but at least new. Energy prices were climbing, and here in South Texas the summers are blistering. Which means what? The air conditioner never stops running.So the mission was to cut electricity usage.
At the time I was somewhat gainfully employed as the Engineering Supervisor at a large Marriott hotel. Well, a building that large uses a lot of power so we were always looking to pinch the penny.
The Case for Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
I got to be pretty good friends with the salesman who kept us supplied with light bulbs. With over 300 rooms and a lot of public areas, you go through a lot of light bulbs. So he preached to me the glories of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). Every time an incandescent light bulb burned out, in went a CFL. I’m thinking about LED light bulbs in the bathroom vanity light fixture now.
So far, so good. My KW’s were dropping. But now I had a problem. The first step was to admit it. Yes, I confess… I had become an anti-electricity junkie. I needed a fix.
Really Right – Radiant Barrier Paint
I heard about radiant barrier paint on one of those weekend “ask-the-handyman” shows. Sounded like science fiction but I researched it. Then I had to have it. I bought a bucket of the powder and 5 gallons of paint and went up into the attic with my spray rig. OK people; don’t do this job during the summer. Hot!
The KW’s continued to fall. My bill never went down. The electricity “fuel surcharge” kept rising, but at least I’m treading water.
