SAVE MONEY ON YOUR UTILITY BILLS

Consumers' Corner Newsletter - November/December 2012

"In This Issue:

*Help available for consumers facing a utility disconnection

*Save money & stay safe while lighting your home at night

*Important tips for energy choice shoppers

*Save money and energy with utility sponsored efficiency  programs

*FirstEnergy's renewable energy program "seriously flawed"

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Help available for consumers facing a utility disconnection

As temperatures drop, Ohioans are starting to crank up their furnaces.  For many families, the onset of winter, and winter heating bills, can be  worrisome.

The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) offers information about assistance programs available to help consumers stay connected to their utility services.

In September, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) issued a Winter Reconnect Order providing electric and natural gas utility customers the opportunity to avoid a disconnection or have their services restored by making a one-time payment of $175. Customers using the Winter Reconnect Order must then enter into a payment arrangement with their utility company for any remaining balances. The Order went into effect October 15th and extends until April 15th 2013.

Other things to know about the Winter Reconnect Order:

*Ohioans with household incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines ($46,100 gross annual income for a household of four) may contact their local community action agency and use funds provided through the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP) in order to receive the $175.

*An additional reconnection fee of up to $36 may be charged by the utility company if service has been disconnected. Some utilities charge reconnection fees of more than $36. In such cases, the balance may be billed to the customer the following month.

*If a customer is in disconnect status for electric and natural gas
service at the same time, the $175 payment may be divided between the utilities. The utilities may come to an agreement as to how the payment will be divided or a community action agency (if one is involved) may be able to help facilitate that arrangement.

*The $175 can be used instead of a deposit to establish electric or
natural gas service. If the deposit is more than $175, the remaining
balance will be added to the next bill.

*The Winter Reconnect Order also can be helpful for consumers wanting to remain on the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP Plus), Graduate PIPP or those wishing to re-enroll in those programs. However the Winter Reconnect Order is different for those customers than in years past.

PIPP customers are still eligible to receive $175 under the E-HEAP
program through their community action agency. But this year customers must pay the balance of any missed monthly PIPP payments by the due date of their next bill.

For more information about other utility assistance programs, please visit OCC's website:

 

http://www.pickocc.org/publications/factsheets-assistance.shtml.

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Save money & stay safe while lighting your home at night
Daylight hours are shrinking and winter darkness is upon us again.
Ohioans are spending more money to light the areas around their homes at night. Some consumers do so for aesthetics, while others use outside lighting for safety. Many consumers use outside lighting for both reasons.

There are several types of outdoor lighting. Understanding the
differences can help you reduce the cost of lighting the outside area of your home at night. This article will show you how to calculate the cost and enjoy potential savings by changing the types of lighting used around your home.

Many consumers place lights around their doorways, on their porches, patios, walkways, driveways and other dark areas outside of their home.

 

Light fixtures can be operated manually, have motion or infrared
sensors, use solar cells or be timer-controlled.

Consumers can estimate the cost of lighting their home at night based on how long bulbs are lit, the amount of energy each bulb uses and the cost of electricity charged by their electric utility. For example, an American Electric Power (AEP) customer using four outdoor lights for 12 hours may pay around 44 cents each day ($14 monthly) as detailed in the accompanying chart:

http://www.pickocc.org/news/2012/newsletters/nov-images/chart-1.png

In order to calculate your home's night lighting costs, take these
three easy steps:

*Identify the wattage for each bulb. Divide this number by 1000. This number represents the amount ofkilowatts each bulb uses.

*Determine the kilowatt hour charge for your electric utility by
referencing the chart;

 

http://www.pickocc.org/news/2012/newsletters/nov-images/chart-2.png

*Multiply the number of kilowatts each bulb uses by your utility's
kilowatt hour charge by the number of hours the bulb is on. This figure will be the estimated cost of lighting your home each night. To estimate your monthly cost, multiply that number by how many days are in the month.

Night Lighting: Four Cost Saving Tips

OCC recommends several ways for consumers to save on the cost of lighting their homes at night, including:

*Shift to more energy efficient lighting

Traditional incandescent lighting is inefficient - 90 percent of the
energy used by an incandescent bulb produces heat, not light. Using more efficient types of lighting is a great way to cut back on your bills.

 

When purchasing efficient lighting, pay attention to the watts (how much energy the bulb uses) and the lumens (how bright the bulb is). The typical incandescent light bulb has a short life span and uses more energy than newer and more efficient technology. Halogen lights, which are often used to light a specific area, are slightly more efficient and last a bit longer than incandescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use much less energy than traditional bulbs and LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are even more energy efficient than CFLs. These bulbs each have a longer life-span and can save up to or above 75 percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs.

Note: Most CFLs used outdoors need to be in enclosed fixtures to protect them from the weather.

*Conserve energy through the use of motion sensors

Motion sensors allow lights to remain off until they are activated by
movement in an area. Adding a motion sensor to outdoor lights can save consumers money by eliminating the need to leave lights on throughout the night. Motion sensors can be added to many outdoor lighting installations. The cost of motion sensors varies and they can be purchased at many hardware stores or online.

*Use Dawn-to-Dusk Sensors

Some Ohioans may prefer to have certain areas of their home lit
whenever it is dark. But, forgetting to turn off your outdoor lighting
during the day can add to your electric bills. To avoid the need to
manually turn on and off your outdoor lighting, consider using a
dawn-to-dusk sensor on your lights. This sensor is designed to switch off the light in daylight. Many retail home improvement stores sell inexpensive sensors that can be added to your current light fixtures.

*Use solar lighting

Light your walkway without adding to your utility bills with solar
powered lighting. Easy to install solar lights convert sunlight into
electricity. Typically these lights include a battery to store the
electricity during the day and power the bulbs at night. Many retail
stores sell a variety of solar lighting options.

For more information about saving energy and money, visit

http://www.pickocc.org/publications/energy_efficiency/Easy_Ways_to_Save.pdf.
The cost of outdoor lighting is relatively inexpensive and could be well worth the safety benefits. We hope you will use these tips to save money on your energy bills."

By Marty Berkowitz