Energy Conservation

Free Energy Audit

UC electric customers can receive a FREE in-home energy audit from our Florida-certified energy rater, Stan DiBello. This program offers you the opportunity to have your home's energy consumption personally analyzed and learn what specific, energy-saving recommendations can to help you save money. Click here for a form.

Please note: You must contact us to initiate our free energy audit. Our State of Florida certified energy rater is Stan DiBello. If you are contacted by anyone else without having requested an audit from the Utilities Commission and you have questions, please call our Customer Service Department at 386-427-1361.

Consumer Energy Tax Breaks

Go to www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm for a U.S. Department of Energy summary of many of the tax credits available to consumers. See the ENERGY STAR® page on Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency for more details on federal incentives, and the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) for information on federal, state, local, and utility incentives. For example, consumers who purchase and install specific products in existing homes – such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment – can receive a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500 for improvements "placed in service" made between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010.

DOE Savings Tips

The U.S. Department of Energy offers simple, cost-effective, energy-saving tips to help consumers save. Click the graphic above to be redirected to the website.

Is Solar Water Heating Cost-Effective?

If you've ever wondered whether solar water heating is cost effective for your home, Florida Solar Energy Center's Residential Solar Hot Water System Calculator can help. The calculator provides consumer information on the energy, cost, and environmental savings potential of residential solar hot water systems in Florida.

Calculate your savings: FSEC Residential Solar Hot Water System Calculator.

Cool Your Home with Window Screens

A new idea for a cooler summer home without spending a lot of money - solar or mesh window screens.

The U.S. Department of Energy says that mesh window screens can diffuse solar radiation, reducing heat gain in the summer.

Contact your local screen supplier for more information.

Florida & Federal Energy Conservation Incentives

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Solar Energy System Incentives Program

Conducting an energy audit of your own home allows you to see how much energy you are using, where it is being lost, and what steps you can take to save money on your utility bill by conserving energy. The US Department of Energy has a thorough step-by-step process you can do yourself to audit your home's energy consumption, and offers mportant information on selecting a reputable professional energy auditor. Please CLICK HERE to be directed to this web page.

Federal Tax Incentives

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

Which appliances use the most energy?

Check out our Appliance Energy Cost Chart (PDF).

Control Your Electric Bill

Energy Conservation

(from www.eere.energy.gov/consumers/tips)

Click here to download Energy Saver$: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Did you know that a large portion of the energy spent in a home is wasted? And electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. And as for the road, transportation accounts for 66% of all U.S. oil consumption.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home and in your car. Start making small changes today. The key to achieving these savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts.

For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it’s a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will burn a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not insulated and leak.

Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely. Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over their lifetimes. In addition, your home could bring in a higher price when you sell.

Easy ways to save energy

• Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system.
• Use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
• Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
• Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120°F.
• Take short showers instead of baths.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
• Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on home appliances and products. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Proper CFL bulb disposal in New Smyrna Beach

Please use one of these two options to dispose of CFLs:

1. The Tomoka Landfill on Tomoka Farms Road and the DeLand transfer station both take CFLs from residents for disposal at no charge.
2. The Home Depot on SR 44, as part of a company-wide program, will take your old bulbs, as a courtesy for customers. Bring your expired, unbroken bulbs to the kiosk near the service desk, put them in the provided plastic bag, and place in the recepticle. There is also a kiosk next to the CFL recepticle that accepts cell phones and rechargeable battery for recycling.

Spot and Repair Leaky Ductwork

Leaky ductwork in your A/C system can cause your energy costs to skyrocket. Find out how to spot leaky ducts and what to do to repair them from the Department of Energy-click here!

SEER Ratings and What They Mean

(http://www.smarterwayinc.com/seer.asp)

SEER rating is the method used to describe the efficiency of a particular equipment system. SEER stands for "Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio."

The systems purchased today typically range from 10.00 SEER to 18.00 SEER. If you have a home and the current system is 10-15 years old, you may have a system that ranges from 6.0 SEER to 10.00 SEER. Of course at the time it was installed, 10.00 SEER was considered "High Efficiency." Today, with all the focus on conservation and energy savings, that "High Efficiency 10.00 SEER" from 10-15 years ago is growing obsolete.

In the chart above, the left column indicates operating costs and the gradually decreasing scale shows how with a higher SEER rating (numbers along bottom of chart) the operating costs are reduced. In essence, if you would have spent $100 to operate an 8.00 SEER system, by installing a 14.00 SEER system, your operating costs would drop to $57 as opposed to the $100 spent operating the lower efficiency system. These are estimates only, and designed to show that with the higher the SEER rating, the lower the operating costs.

If you have a 6.0 SEER, and you installed a new 12.00 SEER or 13.00 SEER system, you would cut your power consumption in half (in regard to your A/C system). Considering that in many cases the central air system represents the largest draw on power in your home, any improvement is a wise decision.

The systems today are very advanced as you move up in the efficiency range. They cost a bit more at initial purchase, but when you calculate the energy savings -vs- dollars spent they pay for themselves fairly quickly.

Here's an example:

Current system is 6.0 SEER and power bill runs $150.00 per month.

A 10.00 SEER system is $1500 and your power bill may be $125 per month.

Upgrade to a 14.00 SEER system for an additional $800 and your power bill drops to $90 per month.

The price between the 10.00 SEER and the 14.00 SEER is $800. The monthly savings equate to $35 per month (14.00 SEER -vs- 10.00 SEER). Take the $800 difference and divide that by the $35 savings and you would pay off the improved system through energy savings in 22.86 months.

The benefits are:

• improved power bill
• increased value of home
• your system won't be obsolete in 2 years

Bear in mind, the ratio of savings varies from household to household as people live differently in each case. The example given above is strictly as an example and there is no guarantee that you will see that exact example in your home.

Other Useful Links

Load Management (UCNSB)

Home Energy Audit (UCNSB)

US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The Alliance To Save Energy

Florida Solar Energy Center

The Energy Hog

A list of Florida Solar Contractors may be found at the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association directory.