Santa's Coming Late this Year...

For those big-hearted givers among you looking to buy your significant other the perfect energy efficient appliance for Christmas...you might want to wait until the new year arrives. According to a recent LSU news release (below) there is an upcoming energy efficient appliance rebate program slated to begin in January 2010.

DNR awarded $4.2 million for Energy Star Rebate Program
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been awarded $4.2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support energy efficiency and alternative energy efforts in Louisiana homes through the Energy Star Rebate program.

In awarding the funding, DOE approved the comprehensive plan drafted through DNR’s State Energy Office for providing rebates to Louisiana homeowners who replace existing household appliances through the purchase of appliances with the “Energy Star” efficiency rating.

The State Energy Office has committed to making all DOE Energy Star-eligible appliances available to homeowners through the Louisiana program, except those that are not appropriate to Louisiana’s climate.

Included on the list of applicable appliances are clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, HVAC, and room air conditioners. The rebate amounts will range from $75 to $500, depending on the appliance purchased.

DNR Secretary Scott Angelle said the Energy Office staff has been working to make sure that the program is managed in the most quick and efficient way possible to meet the needs of consumers and ensure the funding is handled appropriately. “This rebate program serves two important goals,” Angelle said. “It is an economic boost to businesses selling these appliances and it will help consumers to use less energy and cut their household costs in the long run.”

The State Energy Office will be working with a third-party contractor to help manage the program, and expects to formally announce the schedule for rolling out the program in January 2010, at which time the details will be spelled out.

In addition, DNR will be partnering with utility companies, retailers, and other stakeholders to assist with marketing the program. That will be done in part through bill inserts and other publicity measures to ensure the public is made aware of the program once the rebates are available.

Louisiana homeowners will receive a mail-in rebate for the purchase of an Energy Star appliance once they’ve submitted proof of purchase. The Energy Star federal guidelines require replacement and proper disposal of old inefficient appliances. Therefore, participants will be required to certify compliance with LA R.S. 30:2421, which requires disposal of those appliances in an environmentally safe manner.

To learn more about the program, go to DNR's website.

'Twas the night before meter reads

'Twas the night before meter reads, when all through the house
Not an electronic device was whirring, not even my mouse;
The computer was in sleep mode; the screensaver bare,
In hopes that I’d save some energy there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
Having visions of their ipods plugged in close by their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just plugged in our cell phones to charge for a snap,

When on the side of my house there arose such a chatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The floodlights on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a spinning of the numbers on my electric meter here.

With everything turned off, the house was all dark,
But I knew in a moment it must be a farce.
All those ipods and vcr’s and tv’s I liked,
were gobbling up all of my wattage by night.
How could this happen? What a cruel game!
I mumbled and grumbled and called them by name,
"Now, printers! now, Tv’s! now, answer machines!
And stereos! And cellphones! And Nintendo Wii!
Stop wasting my wattage and raising my bills!
Just turn off for real, not just sleep mode, if your will"

And then, in a twinkling, I knew what to do
I’d spend the whole night, unplugging all, not just a few

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
My wife met me asking what exactly I’d found.
I just sighed and told her I was on my way to bed
A better solution I would need instead,

So I stole a few moments to search on the web
And find a few power strips that kill vampire loads dead
I ordered them quickly and turned off the light
When I remembered my computer pulling wattage all night
After shutting it down, I turned off the strip
That powered my whole desk with one button flip
And giving a nod, I shuffled off to sleep
With the assurance that our standby load would soon history be,

Later the next month, when the meter man came,
He stared at my meter and then did exclaim,
“Wow! This family must have unplugged half their home!
Or maybe declared a ‘no vampire zone.’”
I heard the meter man say, as he drove out of sight,

"They got rid of their standby load, now that’s savings outright!"

Composed by
Rachel Miller
of LaGrange Consulting

Have You Hugged Your Heater Yet This Year?

Cooler temperatures are finally here, and now is a good time to prepare for the upcoming heating season. Whether you use a gas furnace or heat pump or heat strip, it is important to have them regularly inspected for safety and efficiency. A typical inspection will cost between $150 and $200 and should include the following:
Gas Furnace:
Burners checked for debris
Heat exchangers inspected for cracks
Proper venting and combustion air
Safeties working
Blower motor operation
Adequate temperature rise

Heat Pump:
Proper pressures on condenser unit
Defrost board and electric heat for defrost mode
Auxiliary heat and safeties are working properly
Inside and outside coils are clean
Adequate temperature rise

If you need a recommendation for a HVAC service company, please feel free to call the office at 985-845-2148.