Are you thinking about how you are going to spend your $1,200 energy resource rebate?
This significant state expenditure started as a way to provide Alaskans with energy cost relief. Through thoughtful (and surprisingly fun) expenditures, you can still achieve this important goal in both the short and long run.
A year from now, wouldn't it be satisfying to reduce your energy consumption by 10 percent or 20 percent a month, if not more? The savings you achieve will last for years, adding up to thousands of dollars, and will reduce your carbon footprint.
So, what might a $1,200 shopping list for energy relief look like?
You might invest the first $50 in a "Kill A Watt" electricity use monitor. This user-friendly diagnostic tool tells you exactly how much power a electronic device consumes, and how much money it costs to run. Once you realize how much you're spending -- and wasting -- on electricity you don't need, you can cut costs by changing your consumption habits.
Unplugging appliances and electronic devices that are not in use is a very simple and effective strategy. An easy way to do this is to plug appliances into a power strip with an on-off switch. For example, you can plug your toaster and coffee maker into a strip and turn it off in the morning after use. You could use another strip for your entertainment electronics. The strips cost only $5-$10 apiece.
Another wise purchase would be programmable thermostats, costing approximately $60 each. Easy to install, these devices can substantially reduce your heating bills and energy consumption -- by as much as 10 percent. You can readily program these devices to reduce your home temperature by 6 or even 8 degrees when you are at work or school then increase the temperature when you are scheduled to return. They can also drop the temperature when you are sleeping, and warm it up in the morning before you get out of bed.
Now would be a great time to convert all your energy-eating incandescent lights to compact fluorescents (CFLs). Manufacturers make CFLs in virtually every shape and size. You can even buy ones that can work with dimming rheostats. CFLs last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. One CFL can save more than $30 in energy costs over its life. Savings like that really add up. So, Alaskans might consider spending, say, $200 on CFLs for a complete conversion and a little stockpiling.
Is your house leaking heat, and therefore money? Caulking is an easy and inexpensive way you can seal many window leaks yourself.
There are lots of ways to achieve transportation cost relief too. Pumping up tires to their manufacturer's specification saves the average driver $840 a year. That's a huge return on a $5-$10 investment in a tire gauge. Keeping your tires pumped up also extends their useful lifetime by 25 percent. Most gas stations provide free air. Just go to both pumps (gas and air) with your tire gauge several times a year.
What are other ways to reduce gas usage? How about buying an inexpensive bike for short trips, or some good walking shoes? Every mile walked or biked saves gas and money, and the exercise is an added benefit. Or, you might invest in a bus pass for $50 per month.
Of course, family members can pool their rebates and consider, in addition to the above, more substantial investments in energy-efficient upgrades to the household furnace, water heater, windows, insulation, refrigerator, washer or dryer.
When we invest our resource rebates in reducing our energy use and costs, we demonstrate to ourselves and others that we are wise stewards of our state's surplus, our pocketbooks and our environment.
Deborah Williams is president of Alaska Conservation Solutions, an organization that advocates action to deal with global warming. More energy-saving ideas are on the Alaska Carbon Reducer page at www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com.
By DEBORAH WILLIAMS