Month: April 2020

By Posted on Posted in Energy

#2 Home Energy Saving tip

Find every incandescent bulb and replace it.

We know how it is — you’ve been buying LEDs to replace old bulbs as they burn out, which seems like the most frugal approach. But those old incandescents use up to 70% more energy and burn out 25 times quicker than LEDs. And they can lurk in odd places like inside your fridge or oven, or in your ceiling fixtures and outdoor lights. See how much energy you can save by replacing them.

 

3. TURN OFF THE EXTRA FREEZER, FRIDGE OR WINE COOLER.
This may seem like the worst of times to consolidate your food into a single refrigerator, but if your extra fridge or freezer is an older model that’s been retired to a garage or basement, it’s far less energy efficient than newer models. A ten-year old refrigerator could cost $53 annually, depending on the model, and a chest style freezer could cost $35 annually. Decide if that extra cooling is necessary. For the fridges that remain in operation, give them a spring cleaning by vacuuming the condenser coils, inspecting and cleaning the door gaskets for a proper seal, and checking that the temperature settings are correct (at or below 40 degrees for fridge and at 0 degrees for the freezer).
Wine chillers operate at higher temperatures so they use less energy than fridges. Having said that, a new Frigidaire wine cooler’s annual operating cost is $42.

By Posted on Posted in Energy
What can you do right now at home to save energy, just by making a few changes?
We’ve come up with six easy ways to save money by making a few adjustments at home. Look out over the next six days!
#1. Turn off your consumer electronics.
Gadgets that stay on continuously, which includes consumer electronics and common devices like radon fans, account for 23% of the average electricity bill, which translates into $322 annually. Your gadgets are silently, stealthily trickling energy savings out of your pocketbook.
Take a tour of your home and put your printers, PCs, laptops, home entertainment equipment and gaming systems on power strips — smart ones, if you have them — and turn them off when they are not in use. Some things have to remain on, of course, like a cable box, but does your printer need to stay in idle mode all the time?

By Posted on Posted in Energy
Day light view

Looking for ways to brighten your home without adding lights or using electricity?

Tubular skylights are the latest technology to bring natural sunlight into a dark room, hallway, office, kitchen, etc.

Night light view

Adding a Sun Tunnel® Skylight is a cost-effective way to add natural light to areas that need a brighter, more vibrant appearance. Get the solar powered nightlight option and qualify for the federal 26% tax CREDIT on the entire installed cost!
(this is not an endorsement of any particular product or vendor by DEC)

Link to one of the product lineups   http://www.veluxusa.com/products/sun-tunnels

 

Photos by Dana Lavoie, DEC board member

By Posted on Posted in Energy, Solar

Wonderful news!

The Dunbarton Solar Project is now ONLINE and OPERATING at the Transfer Station!! It went online Tuesday Feb. 18, 2020.

 The town pays its current electric bill to GSS for 6 years and then the town buys the array for 50k minus the excess energy payments for energy produced but not used that will go into a capital reserve account to reduce the 50k payment. We expect to produce about 10 % more than we use.
If you would like to see more info about how much the solar array has produced, you can check it on the web, Click here to see the Dunbarton Town Solar Array online.

Array Performance

Mar output – 7280 kWh (projected value $1019)

Apr output (thru 4/19) – 4380 kWh (projected value $613)

By Posted on Posted in Energy

Dunbarton Energy Committee meets on the third Monday of each month
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (EDT) ta the Dunbarton Town offices.

During the current COVID-19 Shelter at Home rules, we are meeting via Gotomeeting.com video conferencing.

Members of the Public are welcome to attend and observe the meetings.

If you would like to attend a meeting, Please email Line C. at the town offices to get the sign in information emailed to you during the day on Monday of the meeting.