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Carver Communications - Index

Carver Communications - nov152008 - Index

Vol.XXVI, No.22 © Carver Communications, Inc. November 15, 2008
Energy-Conscious Couple Saves a Bundle
At first glance, the home of Alan
Montemayor and his wife, Cheryl
Hamilton, looks like any other house on
the block.
A small Windtricity® sign staked in
the couple’s front yard and a tree blocking
the late-afternoon sun may lend a few
clues to what makes their home different.
To find out, someone would have to take
close look at a three-page list prepared by
Montemayor and Hamilton titled, “Energy
Strategies.”
Strategies include everything from
weatherstripping and caulking around
doors and windows to using CPS Energy
rebates to replace energy-inefficient appliances
and installing insulation in the attic
of their 1950s-style home.
“When you have an older home,
you have to adapt,” Hamilton said. “We’ve
decreased our (energy) consumption by 40
percent. Our average utility bill is now
between $60 and $70 a month.”
The energy-thrifty couple gave their
home appliances an energy audit by plugging
them into a Kill-A-Watt, a device that
measures the amount of electricity in kilo-
P.O. Box 33862
San Antonio, Texas 78265
watt-hours (KWH) an appliance actually
uses.
After using the device, Montemayor
and Hamilton decided to replace their
1986-model refrigerator, which used 2,000
KWH per year, with an Energy Star® unit
that uses 510 KWH per year.
The couple also booted an old toploading
washing machine that used 1,298
KWH a year for an energy- and water-saving
front-loading model that uses 191
KWH per year.
“Energy efficiency rebates really
gave us that extra incentive by making the
cost of the washing machine more palatable,”
Montemayor said. “It sets you up to
reap the benefits over the lifetime of the
appliance. The couple also applies an array
of strategies to save on heating and cooling
costs in their home. For starters, they
replaced their old air conditioning and
heating system with a 13 SEER (Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio) pilotless unit.
Montemayor and Hamilton change
their AC filter every month and keep their
programmable thermostat at 82 degrees in
the summer and 65 degrees in the winter.
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Antonio, Texas
Paid Permit #1957
Keeping the thermostat at or above
78 degrees in the summer months can save
on cooling costs, considering the cost can
increase by 4 percent for every degree
cooler in a home. The couple also closes
their full light-blocking shades to prevent
sunlight from heating up a room and uses
ceiling fans in two bedrooms to feel more
comfortable with a higher thermostat setting.
The proper placement of trees
around a home can save anywhere from 25
to 50 percent on heating and cooling costs.
Along with cutting back on the
energy used in their home, Montemayor
and Hamilton support clean, renewable
energy by subscribing to Windtricity.
Using Windtricity, the couple offsets 100
percent of their electrical use with windgenerated
power instead of electricity produced
with fossil fuels. Montemayor said
he and Hamilton saw the giant wind turbines
during a tour of the Desert Sky Wind
Farm near Iraan. The couple and other
Windtricity customers traveled by bus
through the arid West Texas landscape to
get a close look at the eco-friendly energy
source. The 107 turbines at Desert Sky,
situated on a 15-square-mile area of Indian
Mesa, are each fixed on steel towers that
stand taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Making Energy Conservation
a Family Tradition
While many parents hope that the
chores they give their kids will teach them
some responsibility, Hamilton and
Montemayor can say that the day-to-day
tasks they gave their kids taught them to
take responsibility for more than their personal
priorities.
Along with making sure they kept
up with homework and extracurricular
activities, Blake Hamilton and his younger
brother, John, had to make sure they
washed their clothes in cold water and
hung them up to dry to save on energy.
They also had to keep the thermostat
above 78 degrees, to make sure the lights
were turned off when not being used, to
limit the time they took hot showers and to
hand wash dishes instead of relying on a
dishwasher.
Hamilton said it was harder to
appreciate his parents’ efforts to conserve
energy when his friends complained about
the warm temperatures in the house. He
also said there were times he didn’t like
having to use fans instead of lowering the
thermostat, especially after coming home
from baseball practice at S. Mary’s Hall
High School.
Hamilton, now 23 and living in
New York, applies some of the same energy-saving
principles he learned from his
parents.
“I always turn the lights, appliances
and air conditioner off in the apartment
when I leave,” Hamilton said. “I take public
transportation to work everyday. I
don’t own a car. I also try to utilize the
outside air to cool the apartment by opening
windows where appropriate.”
Hamilton said his parents’ love for
saving energy inspired him to pursue a
career as an environmental scientist.
Today, he’s an employee of Malcolm
Pirnie, one of the largest firms in the U. S.
focused on environmental issues.
Hamilton said it’s important for everyone
to take responsibility and do his or her part
to work toward an energy-efficient future.
Submitted by; S. Taylor, CPS
Energy