Contact: Priscilla Knight, 703-392-1580, pknight@novec.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA—The Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative has added the Home Energy Suite to its Web site, www.novec.com. The suite’s calculators help consumers see how much energy their homes currently use, how much carbon dioxide their use is adding to the atmosphere, and how much energy and costs can be saved with specific changes.
Consumers can access the calculators by clicking “Energy-Saving Calculators” on the Web site’s home page, or by logging on directly to www.novec.com/useitwisely12.
“This new tool is one more way NOVEC is working to help customers manage their home energy costs,” says Mike Curtis, vice president, public relations. “It’s part of NOVEC’s Use It Wisely campaign.”
Although estimated energy costs are based on NOVEC’s electricity rates, all energy consumers can use the calculators in the Home Energy Suite to determine approximately how much energy they will save by, for instance, switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs, reducing their water heater temperature to 120 degrees, and setting their thermostats at 78 degrees in summer and 68 degrees in winter. Users can customize additional calculators to see approximately how much energy they use for indoor and exterior lighting, televisions, heating and cooling, and pools and spas.
“The television calculator really surprises most of our customers,” says Curtis. “They can see that plasma televisions use three times as much power as traditional tube TVs, and the average DLP (digital light processing) TV uses 201 kilowatt-hours of power annually when simply plugged in but not on, compared to only16 kilowatt-hours for the average LCD (liquid crystal diode) television. By adjusting the calculator to the types of televisions, the number in a home, and the number of hours they are on, consumers can get an estimate of how many energy dollars their televisions cost them.”
Curtis notes that tips associated with household appliances and areas suggest specific changes that will reduce power consumption in the home.
Curtis says people who want to take advantage of federal tax credits for energy-efficient upgrades in 2009 and 2010 will appreciate the suite because they can study different scenarios resulting from making specific changes to their homes. “For example,” Curtis explains, “Someone considering purchasing new energy-efficient windows can study different scenarios of upgrading single-pane windows to double- or triple-pane windows to see how much energy will be saved with each type.” Curtis points out that the suite also provides information about windows, from casement construction to energy-saving Low-E glass.
NOVEC’s Home Energy Suite includes a library that explains the basics of energy and electricity. The tools provide energy-saving tips for almost every room, electrical device, and appliance in a home. Curtis says the Kids Korner helps parents and teachers make energy education fun.
