July 2001

Turned-off Appliances Add to Bill

News & Views from Your Elected Representatives

     Thirty-six years ago I moved into my present all-electric home, looking out at acreage, fir trees, scotch broom and the cows that ate my dahlias over the barbed wire fence. Those were the days when electric prices were pretty special, especially when you were served by Salem Electric.
     Today I look out on rooftops, wonderful neighbors, a very different scenario. It's called progress. It has changed the way we look at energy. With progress comes a price, as it has in California - the most populated state in the United States.
    Having recently spent five weeks in California, we were bombarded in the television news and in the newspapers. We heard conversations in grocery stores, in malls, in beauty shops: Were they going to be able to use hair dryers? Such concerns are on everyone's mind. Unfortunately they came a bit too late. They are facing serious problems with lack of energy resources. We need to heed this warning from our neighbors to the south and not make the same mistakes. We don't need brownouts and blackouts, and there is some talk about grayouts, ala Governor Gray Davis.
     We at Salem Electric are now bombarding our consumers about the energy crisis here in Oregon. We can do little about the drought, but there are many precautions we can take to save energy. I picked up this article from a desert newspaper that I want to pass on to you. Some of these ideas we know about. Some serve as reminders that we need all the help we can get.

Alicia Bonesteele
Director

TOP

     WASHINGTON  - Like a drippy faucet that wastes water, electricity leaks out of TV sets, microwave ovens and stereos when they're switched off and consumes billions of dollars of unnecessary energy every year.
     Just keeping a TV, video cassette recorder and a cable box plugged into the wall, but not turned on, will eat more electricity than a 40-watt light bulb burning constantly.
     Consumers can buy appliances that cut this leaky electricity by up to 90 percent, but few know about the problem, said Steve Hanson, chief executive at On Semiconductor, a Phoenix company that is one of several that builds chips that reduce energy use when placed in appliances.
     "The major element for consumers is lack of awareness," he said. "You cannot buy a car without looking at the fuel-efficiency rating slapped on the back window".
     Cutting back on this electricity seepage from household gadgets will not solve California's energy shortages overnight but could reduce demand in the long run. Nationwide, TVs and VCRs eat up about $1 billion worth of electricity yearly when not in use, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) figures.
     Stereos, TVs, and especially fax machines each ooze more than 10 watts of power. Those, plus the numerous cordless phones, battery chargers and coffee makers around the house, can add up to 10 percent or more of a family's total electricity usage.
     "If it's that much, that surprises me," said Jim Babb, a spokesman for consumer-electronics retailer Circuit City, who was aware of electricity leakage but not how much power was consumed.
     The EPA's ENERGY STAR Program has focused on cutting electricity usage by refrigerators and washing machines but only recently turned to smaller household items, said Maria Vargas, a program spokeswoman.
     Rather than requiring manufacturers to increase the energy efficiency of small appliances, the EPA hopes manufacturers will include energy information on their products so that consumers can make educated choices, Vargas said.
     Hanson disagrees, saying the government should push manufacturers to build more energy-efficient equipment or offer incentives for consumers to buy these devices.
     Rising energy costs and electricity shortages in California have brought more attention to this issue, he said.
     "I don't think there's anything that tomorrow will solve California's electricity crisis," he said. "Consumers will not flip the main breaker of their houses when they leave every morning."
     Vargas said other energy saving steps for consumers include installing compact fluorescent light bulbs, which can cut electricity usage by two-thirds, installing programmable thermostats, and ensuring that computers purchased more than a year ago have their sleep modes activated.

TOP