Energy Services: An energy-saving tool for all seasons

The Energy Services Web site now has a new look and improved navigation to make useful tools like the Energy Solutions database and the Heating System Fuel Cost Calculator easier to find.

The groundhog has little influence in the west, where Old Man Winter is just getting started in February and everyone is looking for ways to stay warm at home and work without breaking their energy budgets. Since knowledge is power, Western's Energy Services Web site provides our customers with resources to teach consumers how to control their energy costs during the coldest time of the year—and beyond.

Tools help consumers make energy efficiency investment decisions
Heating and cooling are the biggest line items on electric bills for homes and many non-industrial businesses, but proper equipment maintenance and installation of energy-efficient technology can have a big impact. For example, caulking and weatherstripping, increasing insulation, retrofitting the heating system or just installing a programmable thermostat are effective ways of improving energy efficiency. Determining which measures are most cost effective and best suited to the application, however, can be a confusing proposition.

Web-based Energy Services tools can help utilities assist their customers sort through the options. The Energy Solutions Database offers a vast, searchable library of energy efficiency information on 31 topics, from industrial and agricultural technologies to energy efficient appliances. Visitors can search for specific information using key words like "thermostat." Search categories for residential, non-residential or agricultural applications allow users to tailor information even more. A search with the key word "insulation" for residential applications yielded three FAQs and 22 sources for articles, fact sheets, Web resources, programs, reports and software on the subject.

The database draws from sources that include the U.S. Department of Energy, state energy offices, utilities, energy industry associations and universities.

After browsing through the Energy Solutions Database, suppose a customer becomes interested in converting from an old propane boiler to a more efficient heating technology. The Heating System Fuel Cost Calculator can help to determine which system will offer the biggest bang for the energy dollar.

The calculator compares the yearly operating costs of two different heating systems based on the efficiency of the heater, the distribution system and the cost of fuel in the area, assuming an equal amount of space to be heated in both cases. Comparing an Energy Star heat pump connected to standard ductwork with that old propane heater using the same distribution system shows that upgrading could cut the homeowner's yearly fuel bill by as much as half.

The values the calculator assigns to heater efficiency, distribution efficiency and fuel cost fields are based on averages. Utilities can help users obtain more accurate estimates by supplying fuel costs and information about the current heating system. Actual values may vary significantly from the estimates, but the calculator is a good jumping-off point for making decisions about heating technology.

Online publications keep utilities informed of latest trends
New energy saving technologies and strategies are evolving all the time for power suppliers and their residential and commercial customers, and it can be easy to miss a great idea. Energy Services publications can help busy utility managers keep up to date on the latest industry trends.

Readers of the online, bimonthly Energy Services Bulletin know that the newsletter is great for learning about Western customers' energy efficiency and renewable energy efficiency activities. Consumers are showing more interest in energy efficiency so they may appreciate their utility publishing the Bulletin's URL in their own outreach publications. Energy Newsbriefs, by the WSU Energy Program Library, promotes awareness of emerging trends in the energy industry. The service profiles news from professional journals of interest to utilities and cooperatives.

Another good place to get ideas to promote energy efficiency is the Utility Options database. The database contains actual competitive and marketing projects and programs that public power entities are using to retain existing customers and win new customers, diversify and market their services and deliver their services more efficiently and cost-effectively.

Western encourages utilities throughout the nation to enter their programs in the database so utilities of all types, sizes, resource levels and geographic locations are represented. The information includes the type of project, the sector it addresses, contact information and a summary with links where appropriate. Additional information comes from current utility industry news and publications. Visitors can browse the latest entries or search the database using key words.

In the coming months, look for the Energy Services Web site to refine its look and add useful new information. As sure as winter turns to spring, heating loads become cooling loads, and saving energy is a year-round effort. Western will continue to find ways to help its customers meet any challenge the weather—and the market—can send.