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At Your Service
If rising energy costs have given you the chills this winter, you’ll warm up to some of the latest tips and
technologies we’ve put together to help you beat the cold and save energy and money.
First, we’ll help you separate the fact from fiction when it comes to keeping your home warm when you need it,
and saving energy and money when you don’t. This edition also offers great ideas for adding energy-efficient
lighting, new options for keeping your toes toasty and home warmer with hydronic radiant heat, and an inside look at
some of the hottest green-energy technology that’s being put to use right in our own backyards.
Don’t forget to check out our checklist for saving on hot water costs, which can be a big budget buster during
the winter months.
We wish you the best for the Holiday Season and for the New Year ahead!
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Fact or Myth? Get the straight story on winter heating.
Little things make a big difference in energy savings. In the winter, you can save energy by setting back the temperature
when you’re asleep or not at home. For every one degree you lower the thermostat for eight hours, you can save about
1% on your heating bill. Here are some common heating myths and the facts behind them.
Myth: “It costs as much or more to heat a home back up after a setback.” (Or to cool the house after
a summer setup.)
Fact: The longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more heat you save. (If the average temperature difference
between indoors and outdoors is smaller, less heat is needed.) If you were leaving for a week you’d set back the
temperature, so why not for shorter time periods?
Myth: “The house will warm up faster the higher the thermostat is raised.”
Fact: The thermostat isn’t like the gas pedal on a car. It’s either calling for heat or not, so setting the
thermostat too high may cause you to overshoot the desired temperature.
MYTH: “The kids will kick off the covers and get cold.”
Fact: Children older than about two weeks can regulate their body temperature just like adults, so they don’t need a
different temperature than adults. If they kick off the covers, try dressing them in two sets of pajamas with feet or using
a sleeping bag.
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Light up your life with a tubular skylight
Many people prefer sunlight over artificial light, and sunlight is free! If you’re looking for a way to light
up a hallway or kitchen, think about installing a tubular skylight or light pipe.
Tubular skylights…
- avoid the condensation problems of regular skylights.
- can be used in small, tight spaces unlike regular skylights.
- allow you to switch off lights during the day, saving energy.
- have minimal heat gain or heat loss.
- are easier to install and less expensive than regular skylights.
- don’t provide a “view” or ventilation like windows do.
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MGE installs “Urban Turbine” in Fitchburg
What looks like a big drill bit but could provide enough electricity to power two-to-three homes annually? It’s MGE’s
new “vertical access wind turbine” installed in Fitchburg’s McKee Farms Park in October. “It’s wind
energy designed for an urban setting,” says MGE employee John Drury. “It uses very little space and it gives people the
chance to see firsthand how the technology works.” Standing 42’ tall, the turbine is very quiet and is the first in Wisconsin.
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Share your energy-saving story
Do you have an energy-saving story to share? Your experience can help others who are working to save energy. You can make a difference.
Send your story to us and if we use it in an upcoming newsletter, we’ll send you a FREE Conservation Kit valued at $45.
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Should I use my gas fireplace instead of my furnace to save energy?
Probably not. The Gas Technology Institute studied this question and found gas fireplaces increased
gas use in most homes.
It depends on two things: 1) how much more efficient your furnace is than your fireplace. And, 2) whether the parts of
the house not heated by the fireplace get cold for enough hours to offset the lower efficiency of the gas fireplace.
Comparing efficiencies of fireplaces and furnaces
Gas logs in a conventional hearth are about 5% efficient. Natural draft fireplaces are about 45% efficient. Direct vent
fireplaces, with outdoor air intakes and sealed fireboxes, are at best 70% efficient. About 60% is more common. In contrast,
the vast majority of furnaces in the Madison area are at least 80% efficient, and the majority is over 90%. Unless you allow
much of your house to cool down to temperatures in the 50s, it's hard to overcome the lower efficiency of gas fireplaces.
Enjoy your gas fireplace, but don't expect it to lower your bills. To calculate the cost per hour of any gas appliance, find
the firing rate in BTU per hour (BTUH) and call MGE's Home Energy Line at 608-252-7117.
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Keep your toes warm with hydronic radiant heat
There’s a lot of talk these days about hydronic radiant heat, but how does it work? A boiler heats up water, which is pumped through your house. This water flows through a network of tubing that sits just underneath your floor, radiating the heat outwards, giving you a steady, even source of heat.
While conventional heating systems rely on air circulation to distribute heat, radiant heating takes advantage of the fact that warm air rises. The heat warms up your feet and body directly without heating the whole building. Installing a radiant system can cost up to 50 percent more than conventional forced-air heat, but can save significantly in energy costs.
Radiant heating includes two primary components: the tubing, which is placed in or beneath the floors of your home and the heating source, a water heater or boiler. (The traditional "wet" system embeds the tubing into a concrete slab on the floor. The "dry" system puts the tubes underneath the floor framing.) This type of heat is much simpler to install in new construction, but many choices in retrofit products are available on the market today.
There are some advantages of hydronic radiant heat:
• It’s "invisible." There are no grills or baseboards. You can place furniture anywhere.
• It’s quiet — there are no blower fans. (This also keeps your house cleaner.)
• It works with virtually any hot water heat source or fuel (oil, natural gas or propane).
• You can install wood, tile, carpet or any other floor coverings without fear of cold feet.
• It eliminates cold spots and cold blasts of air from registers.
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Related Link:
Department of Energy - Radiant Heating |
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Dimmable CFLs now available
If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer switch, you'll need to use a compact fluorescent bulb that is marked “dimmable.” Don’t use a regular CFL bulb with a dimmer switch as this can shorten the life of the bulb.
Dimmable CFLs are a little more expensive than standard CFLs. Also, multiple dimmable CFLs on the same dimmer switch may not appear to be at the same brightness level.
Unfortunately, even if a CFL is designed for dimmers it might not work in yours. (The CFL packaging spells this out, as well.) Sometimes the only way to be sure a bulb will work is to test it. Check the store’s return policy and keep your receipt. But know that there's a bit of trial-and-error involved in the process.
Once you've screwed your dimmable CFL into your fixture, you might notice a difference in its dimming range. While incandescent bulbs dim smoothly between being completely off to 100 percent brightness, CFL bulbs have a narrower dimming range. It is worth the effort to find a CFL for your dimmer. Dimmable CFL bulbs are much more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. They use less electricity, cause less pollution and last much longer. Plus, when you dim a CFL bulb, you save even more electricity.
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Related Links:
Lighting Brochure
[PDF – 880 KB]
Focus on Energy - $2 Cash Back Reward on CFLs
[PDF – 47 KB] |
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Don’t be a drip - 8 ways to save hot water
1. Turn off the water. No need to let it run while you shave.
2. Make it a full load. Run the dishwasher and the clothes washer with full loads.
3. Wash laundry in cold water. Clothes get just as clean.
4. Fix the leaks. A leaky faucet can waste up to 2,700 gallons in a year.
5. Take a shower. Baths require 30 to 70 gallons, while a shower uses 25 gallons in 10 minutes under a 2.5-gpm showerhead. Then take a shorter shower.
6. Use a trickle. Go with a trickle, not a torrent, for dish rinsing.
7. Get an aerator. Aerators come in a range of flow rates, cutting the water flow from 3 to 4 gallons per minute.
8. Install a low-flow showerhead. Showerheads generally run from $10 to $20 and can cut water use in half.
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If you have questions or comments about this e-mail, please contact us.
We respect your right to privacy.
Copyright ©2008 Madison Gas and Electric, Inc. All rights reserved.
Madison Gas and Electric Company
133 So. Blair Street
Madison, WI 53703
energywise@mge.com |
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