Simple energy changes can save money BY JAMES CAREY AND MORRIS CAREY For The Associated Press
You needn’t search for spare change in the sofa cushions to find some extra cash in your home. With these simple, energy-efficient home improvements you can save $500 in five rooms: LIVING ROOM: $215 Replace your five most frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs for a savings of $65 each year. These bulbs use less energy and can last up to 10 times longer. In addition, install an Energy Star-qualified programmable thermostat, which can help control the temperature while you’re away from home or at night when you’re sleeping. When used properly, these thermostats can save as much as $150 per year in energy costs. BATHROOM: $145 Most showers account for about 22 percent of the total water used in a home. Replace your existing shower head with a new 2.5-gallon-per-minute (lowflow) shower head. A low-fl ow shower head usually works by mixing air into the water flow to increase the water pressure. The new water-efficient shower head coupled with a 10-minute shower will save five gallons of water over a typical bath and save up to $145 each year on energy used to heat the water. LAUNDRY ROOM: $74 To save hot water — and the $24 to $40 in fuel that it takes to heat that water each year — wash your clothes in cold water. Be sure to choose a laundry detergent that is formulated for use in cold temperatures. Save another $34 each year by cleaning the lint trap in your clothes dryer before every load of laundry, which will help increase drying efficiency. Using an Energy Star water-efficient frontload washing machine can cut water usage by about one-third, saving more that $16 annually. BASEMENT OR UTILITY ROOM: $36 Lower the temperature on your water heater from 145 degrees to 120 degrees. The only place you’ll notice the difference is on your utility bill. This slight reduction in temperature can save the average homeowner between $36 and $61 each year. KITCHEN: $35 To keep your hard-earned money from literally going down the drain, be sure to repair faucet leaks at the kitchen sink. Hot water leaking at a rate of one drip per second can waste up to 1,661 gallons of water annually — and up to $35 in electricity or natural gas.
Oil or gas? More homeowners eyeing a switch BY CANDICE CHOI The Associated Press
NEW YORK — With his furnace sputtering its final gasps, Charles Comito decided it was time to trade in his heating oil system for natural gas this year. The switch cost $4,400, a price he says will be worthwhile in the chilly months ahead. “It was for the convenience and cost,” said Comito, a 71-yearold resident of Little Egg Harbor, N.J., who lives in a three-bedroom, ranch-style home. With oil topping $90 per barrel, some homeowners are weighing whether the price tag for switching to a natural gas furnace makes sense. The decision may depend on a variety of factors, including the availability of natural gas lines, an issue in the Northeast, where gas pipelines have historically been less common. Costs vary depending on the size and location of the home, but switching a typical three-bedroom house from heating oil to natural gas might run an average of $5,000 to $6,000. Removal of an oil tank, which some local governments offer rebates for, might run an average of $2,000 additionally. Since early 2006, heating oil has been more expensive than natural gas and is currently nearly double the cost, according to Tim Evans, an energy analyst with Citi Futures Perspective. On Thursday, the price of crude oil, which has surged 20 percent in one month, reached a record of $96 per barrel. While natural gas prices are also rising, the Energy Department says those who rely on heating oil will face much higher prices this winter, while those who use natural gas should only see a moderate price increase. Heating oil customers will pay an average of $319 more this winter than last, while natural gas customers are forecast to pay $78 more for heat between October and March. Still, the monthly heating bill is just one of several factors to consider when weighing a switch from heating oil to natural gas. Not all homeowners have access to natural gas, and those that do would need to buy new equipment and have their local utility run a natural gas line to their home, which the company will typically do for free. Running the line may take up to about four weeks, but the removal of old equipment and installation of a natural gas furnace shouldn’t take more than a day or two. Heating oil is currently used by 7 percent of American households, mainly in the Northeast, while about 58 percent use natural gas and 30 percent use electricity. In 1997, 9 percent used heating oil, while 53 percent used natural gas and 29 percent used electricity. Many homeowners first start looking for alternatives to heating oil because their equipment is old and cranky, breaking down frequently and sometimes even giving off odors and soot. Those with relatively new heating oil systems shouldn’t experience such problems and may not find changing to natural gas is worth the cost. Heating systems have an average life span of about 25 years. Today’s heating systems, whether for heating oil or natural gas, do burn fuel more efficiently than those built a decade or two ago. That could make investing in a new furnace attractive, even if the current one hasn’t yet run its course. Another major reason many consider switching is the risk of leaking oil tanks. Cleaning up a leak could cost several thousand dollars, meaning many opt to have their tanks insured through either their heating oil suppliers, homeowner’s insurance or independent insurers. The removal and disposal of oil tanks must be handled by licensed contractors, with regulations varying from region to region. That might tack about $2,000 on to the cost of changing to natural gas, bringing the total bill for a switch up to about $8,000. Some states or counties offer rebates for the removal of oil tanks. For New Jersey resident Comito, trading in heating oil for natural gas was an easy choice since his boiler needed to be replaced anyway. His natural gas utility was also offering a discount promotion, considerably lowering the cost. The $4,400 price tag to switch to natural gas included permitting, new equipment, installation and removal of his oil tank. The entire process took less than two days. Even if his equipment didn’t need to be replaced, Comito said he would have switched to natural gas. He didn’t like having to worry about whether his tank was full or if it would leak. Over the last few years, he was also been paying up to $2,000 a winter to heat his home. Despite record oil prices this year, there are reasons to stick by heating oil, said John Maniscalco, a spokesman for the New York Heating Oil Association, which represents about 150 heating oil companies. While there are hundreds of heating oil suppliers serving most regions, some areas may only have a single natural gas provider. That competition among heating oil suppliers, which are often smaller and family-run, means better service and more options, he said. Maniscalco also pointed out that a good heating oil system is as efficient and hassle-free as a natural gas. If your heating oil equipment is giving off any odor or soot, Maniscalco said it’s time for a checkup. If serviced properly once a year, risks of oil tank leaks should also be minimized, he said. A steady stream of homeowners are nevertheless giving natural gas a second thought as oil prices continue to climb. Over the past decade, about 35 percent of the 110,000 new customers at New Jersey Natural Gas Co. were residents or businesses switching from heating oil, said Bob Gallo, the company’s marketing director. “It’s cleaner and more reliable,” Gallo said. One such resident is Colleen Gayduk, who switched from heating oil to natural gas in October fi ve years after moving into her threebedroom ranch. The oil equipment in her laundry room was so old it would leave a fine black dust over the washer and dryer. She worried it might aggravate her 11-year-old son’s asthma. On top of all that, oil was only getting more expensive. “From when we moved in here, the bills were going up a little every year,” she said. Now, with her new furnace ready to go, Gayduk is expecting fewer worries over soot and smell — and lower monthly heating bills to boot. MEL EVANS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jesse Gayduk, 11, sits on the dryer as he helps his mother, Colleen Gayduk, in the laundry room of their Manchester, N.J., home last month. Gayduk switched from heating oil to natural gas in October, five years after moving into the three-bedroom ranch house.
On Oct. 27, I filled up my gas tank in Schenectady at $2.99 per gallon. On Oct. 29, I traveled to Atlantic City, N.J. On the New York State Thruway, gas prices ranged from $2.99 to $3.11. On the Garden State Parkway, and in Atlantic City, the price of gas was $2.62 per gallon. These prices stayed the same through Oct. 31, when I returned home. When I filled up back in Schenectady, the price was $3.07 — and a few days later, $3.12 at the same gas station. My main point in this letter is the difference in prices in Schenectady and in New Jersey. It was 45 to 50 cents per gallon cheaper in New Jersey. Now if you think the difference is because of taxes, you are wrong. The state and federal taxes in New York total 50.3 cents; while in New Jersey, they total 33.3 cents. The difference in those taxes is only 17 cents. There may be additional local sales taxes not included in the New York prices, but that would only add another eight cents bringing the total difference to 25 cents. Why are we paying an additional 25 cents a gallon after all taxes are included? Do you think that we are being gouged by the oil companies because we live in New York? HARRY J. BARTIK Mariaville
Actually, Mr. Bartik, that's now 12 cents in Schenectady County, as it's 4%. 12 cents per gallon at the $3 level. So, that brings you a little closer. Maybe it's time to look to soo what all the taxes are.
Correct BK. And Mr. Bartik shouldn't have used NJ as an example. Their gas may not be taxed as high as NY and they also don't pay sales tax...but ask them how much it costs them in property tax. And then ask them what services they get for their tax dollar. They get nothing!
Remember that in good old NYS, we are taxed to death. And our tax dollar goes to every government program(handout) you can think of. They take our tax dollar and spread the wealth among it's citizens. That Mr.Bartik is socializm at it's finest. Then NYS has more public jobs than private! So don't look at price gauging....look to the NYS government and what they are doing with our over inflated tax dollar. And next time use another state for a comparison. Perhaps like California!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Isn’t this deafening silence strange? In this area, gasoline prices have risen nearly 25 cents per gallon in one week, and not a single word has been heard from our elected officials. From the out-of-touch Bush administration to the do-nothing Democratic majority in Congress, from the sad group of presidential candidates of either party to our state officials wallowing in the increasing revenue from the tax on higher gas prices — silence. I guess if you are being chauffeured around in taxpayer-funded limos and big SUVs, there is no pain. But what about the increased prices of consumer goods, especially food, as a result of higher costs for transportation? When we think of all the facets of our economy that rely on the automobile and truck, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the average family is being financially squeezed from every direction. If this silence doesn’t underscore the complete cut-off of our elected officials from the average citizen, nothing does. CHARLES MAETTA Ballston Spa
From the out-of-touch Bush administration to the do-nothing Democratic majority in Congress, from the sad group of presidential candidates of either party to our state officials wallowing in the increasing revenue from the tax on higher gas prices
WOW Charley, you said a mouthful here. And accurate you are, too!! Good job!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I noticed the cumberland on Rt7 by Stock bldg was $3.26/gal and the one on highbridge was $3.22/gal. I thought they would be all of the same prices.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
But a new report by the Washington state-based advocacy group Power in the Public Interest shows that instead, the opposite has happened: During the past seven years, electricity price increases in New York have been larger than price increases in regulated states, according to the report, released earlier this fall.
not the fact that these companies look to the bottom line,,,,regardless of regulation or deregulation......we think the government always has the low-down on the lower prices,,,,false,,,they cant fix their own hemmorhaging by unscrupulous forces of corruptness......especially in NYS.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
If you thought Al Gore’s documentary about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was scary, try another documentary, called “A Crude Awakening.” It’s about how oil discovery and production have peaked, even as the demand for the stuff continues to climb dramatically. That means the era of abundant, cheap oil is over; and our world, totally based on abundant, cheap oil and the expectation of it, is about to change. And there is no sign that we are ready for it. The film can certainly be called “alarmist,” but, like Gore’s, it backs up its message with sobering statistics and realistic projections by people — geologists, scientists, oil ministers, economists and others — who know what they are talking about. It tells us how and why we came to be hooked on oil — so versatile, so dense with energy, yet so cheap — and how hard it will be to get off it. “The devil’s excrement,” someone called it. Almost everything we humans make or do today is produced from or relies on oil, whether it is cars, heating, food, clothing, consumer appliances, cosmetics, packaging. And there are more and more of us wanting these things as the populations and economies of countries like China and India grow. But the amount of oil in the ground or under the seas cannot grow; it is quite finite, and the numbers show that most of it has already been discovered and produced. We are coming down from the peak, and the descent could be fast. The only hope — the only way to avoid real hardship, wars over oil, etc. — is to start using less, at the same time as we make much more use of existing alternatives like solar and wind and urgently look for new ones in an Apollo moon landing-type program. For that, we would need the kind of leadership we are not getting in Washington, where the current administration has perhaps the closest ties to the oil industry of any in history. Nor is it coming from anywhere else in the world, not Europe, not Asia and certainly not the Mideast — where oil states, many of them unstable, repressive breeding grounds for terrorists, now have the “problem” of spending $5 billion a week in petrodollar profits. How and when are we going to kick this habit?
Gas prices are going up; people are complaining. I read the editorials every day, but I've read nothing about gas prices. I have a suggestion for whoever owns or drives a car.
With the price of gas at our corner station at $3.35 per gallon, cut back $1 every month when you fill your tank; this amounts to a little more than a quart of gas. If everyone does this, then every fourth car on the road will back up a gallon of gas. With the amount of cars on the road, every month this will back up a lot of gas. If this works, they will have to drop the price of gas. You can gas up at your favorite station. If you fill your car for $40 stop at $39. You probably won't even miss the quart of gas. SAM CERONE
Logged
