Evergreen is Winning Energy Contest

This is from Cooper Young's community newsletter, The Lamplighter. Cooper Young is competing with Evergreen Historic District to see who can use the least energy.

About 30 people turned out at First Congregational Church on January 27th for the launch of The Smallest User campaign to reduce energy consumption in the neighborhood. The Smallest User is a partnership between Cooper-Young Development Corporation (CYDC), the Evergreen Historic District Association, MLGW, and The University of Memphis.

During the launch party, Tom Chamberlain with MLGW reviewed the literally dozens of programs that they have available to homeowners to help reduce their energy consumption and make their homes more energy efficient. You can visit The Smallest User Facebook page to learn more about these programs.

Tom also revealed that, as of the end of January, Cooper-Young is LOSING to the Evergreen neighborhood. Our energy usage (as compared with January 2008) went up about 6%, and Evergreen’s usage went down by about 3%. We can do better!

So, in an effort to try to get Cooper-Young back on top, here are a few tips to stay warm and save money on your bill during the winter.

• Set your thermostat at 68° or lower when you’re home. Every degree below 68° saves four percent on your heating bills.

• Wear layered clothing and thick socks to keep warm, then set your thermostat even lower.

• At bedtime, lower your thermostat and add extra blankets.

• Lower or turn off your thermostat when leaving your home for four hours or more.

• Close garage doors, cover foundation vents, and close off vents and doors to seldom-used rooms.

• Keep curtains and blinds closed at night and on cloudy days; open curtains on sunny days for warmth.

• Place rolled-up towels inside against the bottom of exterior doors and window sills to block wintry drafts.

• Adjust your water heater temperature to 120° or “warm.” It still provides hot water and avoids scalding. You can lower it when not in use, too.

You can save you more on your bill with these low-cost efforts.

• Buy a programmable thermostat and program in lower temps when needed.

• Make sure central heating air filters are replaced every 30-90 days.

• Caulk cracks around windows and doors.

• Install storm windows and doors.

• Add more insulation in your attic.

• Install a new energy-efficient furnace or water heater with Energy Star endorsement.