The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-11-02, Page 46Page 4
Watts there
You know the old joke:
Who goes there? Watt. I
said, who goes there? Watt.
etc. Another story goes like
this: We switch on our home
appliances and even trust
some to switch themselves
on, and._we_are hardly aware- --
of the watts quietly pouring
into our homes until the next
hydro bill arrives. So, who
goes there? . Money, that's
watt.
The people at the power •
station see it from another
angle. When we switch on a
small 1,000 -watt appliance for
an hour, we use one kilowatt..
hour (kWh) of energy, which
takes the equivalent of 10
ounces of oil or 13 ounces of
coal to produce, That.doesn't
sound like much, but an or-
dinary Canadian home can
easily use 12,000 kWh a year.,
for appliances alone, not
counting heating and lighting.
That's close to four tons of oil
or five tons of coal for each of
the millions of homes in
Canada: -
Three of the biggest energy
• users in the home are the
refrigerator, freezer and
stove, and all can be run more
economically without making
them less useful.
An electric stove uses an
average of 1,200 kWh per year
at a cost of about $30. Make
some savings ,• by using the
oven to cook larger quantities
at one time (freeze some if
you -don't need it all). There's
no need to preheat an oven if
the cooking takes more than
an hour, .and, you can switch
off 30 minutes before a roast
is done and let the existing
heat complete it.
On the top of the stove, use
the right size of pan for each
element, don't drown
vegetables in too much water
and, once it boils, use less
heat_ to keep it boiling. Again,
turn off the heat two or three
minutes early and let the heat
in the element finish the job:
Glass or glass -ceramic
dishes need less heat then
metal for baking in the oven. .
The best performing pots and
pans on top of the stove are
bright and shiny,- with
straight sides, flat bottoms
and tight lids. Double -boilers,
pressure cookers and
vegetable steamers (baskets)
also save energy.
Frost free refrigerators
and freezers cost more than
standard models, and can use
30 to 40 percent more energy.
Even a standard 14 -cubic -l=oot
freezer uses an average of
1,200 kWh' annually, and a
standard 12 -cubic -foot
refrigerator about 850 kWh.
Between them they can add
about $50 a year to your hydro
bill. When buying either,
make sure it is properly in-
sulated.
To save energy, place the
refrigerator or freezer away
from heat sources such as the
kitchen stove, direct sunlight
or heat vents. Leave space
around it for air to circulate
and take_ heat away.
Keep the refrigerator's
condenser coils clean for good
performance.' Make sure that
freezer and refrigerator
doors are airtight. For ef-
ficient cooling, defrost
whenever the frost is one -
,quarter of an inch thick.
Some don'ts — don't set the
temperature lower than
necessary, don't open doors
more than you must, don't
overfill (let air circulate
inside), don't put food in
while it's hot and' don't leave
the refrigerator running
while you are on vacation.
More horrible little habits,..
that turn people off.
An automatic timer on your block heater
makes an efficient waste beater.
The misfits:
An element
too big
for the
Pot
An oven -full
of heat
for one
potato.
Save them up
till you've got
a lot
Dripping hot water
taps drain the
pocket book
Don't leave
the lights burning
if you're not
returning;
iV.
O O
Save the power.
take a shower.
fl'
Wasting electricity turns people
Thts message is brought to you by your Hydro on behalf of people who c are 4
goderich public.
utilities commission
Clinton public
utilities commission
HVfl 3327