Tag Archives: energy efficiency

Summer Heat Pushes Power Demand To New Heights

It’s been a cooler than average summer up here in New England, but high temps elsewhere have pushed electric power consumption to record-setting levels. At the end of July, an Arizona heat wave sent electricity demand to a new record high. And on Tuesday, Orlando Utilities Commission set a new record for peak power demand, edging out the previous record set in 2007.

Although both utilities were able to manage the increased demand without a hitch, this is one record—like the record for biggest box office bomb—that no one wants to hold. (That dubious distinction is currently held by 47 Ronin, with a loss of ~$150 million. Ouch!)

So why isn’t a new peak great news? Just like a Hollywood flop, it can be costly. When power consumption rises to record high levels, utilities need to allocate new resources to meet the demand. Usually, that means increased expenses for consumers in the form of building new power plants or increasing new power purchases.

Fortunately, utilities are getting smarter about the way they manage demand for electricity. Through so-called “demand response” programs, they’re giving consumers incentives to use a little less power, which helps keep costs down. Sometimes information itself is enough of an incentive. For example, Orlando Utilities Commission is recommending that homeowners set their thermostat at 78 degrees or higher, about the same temperature of a typical Florida summer morning. By putting out these alerts, utilities are keeping customers comfortable—and avoiding blackouts.

With proper information and planning, utilities have shown they can manage peak demand without breaking a sweat. Or, as Ted Geisler, Arizona Public Service director of power operations, described it during the July heat wave, “We’ve been planning all year for a day just like today.”

Image credit: Chuck Coker/Flickr. CC license.

Should I Run My Air Conditioning All Summer Long?

Lots of homeowners worry about running their air conditioner too long. They want to save energy, or they don’t want to cool rooms that don’t need it. So they only turn on the A/C when it’s really warm out.

That seems like common sense, but there are actually different schools of thought on this issue. In fact, some people worry about running the A/C too little. Why’s that?

For one, when your house is very warm, it takes a lot of energy for your air conditioner to cool it down. The surfaces of your home all store heat—from your roof, to your walls, to your windows. And the greater the temperature differential between indoors and outdoors, the longer the air conditioner has to run to reach the target temperature. So it’s reasonable to think that if you leave the A/C running at a consistent temperature, your system won’t have to work as hard to keep you cool.

That may be true in the short term, but it can create unexpected consequences in the long term.

One big issue is “short cycling.” If your home is always close to your target temperature, your A/C only needs to run for a few minutes to cool it to the proper level. That shorter cycle may be long enough to reach your target temperature, but it’s often not long enough to dehumidify the air. Too much humidity can make your home feel warmer than it actually is, so you may end up running to the thermostat to turn it down even lower.

Also, short cycling isn’t the most efficient way to run your air conditioner. Think of the impact on your gas milage when you drive your car in stop-and-go traffic versus cruising along on the highway. For maximum efficiency, you want your A/C to cruise, not crawl. It can also be noisy. Many homeowners find it irritating it is to hear their system constantly turning on and off.

So, should you run your A/C at the same temperature, all summer long?

We recommend the “cruise control” option. Run your A/C when you need it, and let your programmable thermostat handle it when you don’t. Ultimately, you will save energy—and money—by running your system fewer hours per year.

Image credit: Jeremy Levine/Flickr. CC license.

Our Homes Have More Devices Than Ever—But They Use Less Energy

How many electronic devices do you have in your home? If you’re like most Americans, you’ve got a growing collection of smartphones, flat screen TVs, laptops, e-readers and other electronic goodies crowding your outlets for charging space. And with the rise of the “Internet of Things,” the number of devices in your home is only going to grow.

The good news is, a growing number of devices doesn’t necessarily translate into an increase in home energy use. In fact, the opposite is possible. And now we have the numbers to prove it.

According to a recent study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, the number of consumer electronics devices in use in the U.S. rose from 2.9 billion in 2010 to 3.8 billion in 2013. However, consumer electronics’ share of overall residential electricity consumption fell nine percent over the same period, from 13.2 percent in 2010 to just 12 percent in 2013.

In other words, American homes are more fun, convenient, and comfortable thanks to electronic devices, but all those consumer electronics aren’t turning our homes into energy hogs.

Or, as Ann Bailey, director of the ENERGY STAR Products Program, put it, “This is further evidence that American consumers don’t have to sacrifice to save energy and help protect the climate.”

As a consumer electronics company that cares about comfort, energy, and the climate, that’s music to our ears.

Image credit: Islxndis/Flickr. CC license.