Green Living: Energy Saving Tips from Santee Cooper Green

October 4, 2009

MONCKS CORNER, SC – Is your old refrigerator running? If so, you’d better catch all the energy and money you’re wasting.

According to Energy Star, a refrigerator made before 1993 might be costing you more than $100 each year to operate. Modern refrigerators use much less energy than older models thanks to recent improvements in insulation and compressors, and Energy Star qualified refrigerators are required by the U.S. Department of Energy to use 20 percent less energy than non-certified models. In fact, new Energy Star certified refrigerators use less energy than a continuously running 60-watt light bulb.

Energy Star says if you replace a refrigerator from the 1980s with a new Energy Star certified model, you’ll save more than $100 each year in utility bills. And if you’re still using a refrigerator from the 1970s, Energy Star says you could save nearly $200 each year by upgrading to a new Energy Star model.

Refrigerators are one of the workhorses of the home. They’re constantly running and typically consume more electricity each year than any other household appliance except for HVAC units and water heaters, says Vice President of Retail Operations Zack Dusenbury. If we added more of these efficient refrigerators to our system — while also removing the inefficient models — customers would see lower bills, and our demand would ease off. Everybody wins.

The savings are even sweeter for Santee Cooper customers, because the state-owned utility is now offering the following refrigerator rebates to its residential and commercial customers:

• $35 to recycle a working refrigerator manufactured before 1993

• $40 toward the purchase of a new Energy Star refrigerator

• $75 toward the purchase of a new Energy Star refrigerator and to recycle one working refrigerator manufactured before 1993

• $110 toward the purchase of a new Energy Star refrigerator and to recycle two working refrigerators manufactured before 1993

Santee Cooper will be responsible for picking up and recycling your old refrigerator for free. For more information visit www.ReduceTheUse.com or call 1-866-706-3985.

Consumers not in the market for a new refrigerator can still reduce the amount of energy their refrigerator uses by following these simple steps:

• Keep your refrigerator set between 35-38ºF and your freezer set to 0ºF

• Position your refrigerator away from heat sources like an oven, a dishwasher or direct sunlight

• Leave a few inches between the wall and the refrigerator

• Keep condenser coils clean

• Make sure the refrigerator seals are airtight; replace inadequate seals

• Minimize the amount of time the refrigerator door is open

For more on Energy Star refrigerators, including a calculator that will estimate how much money you could save by replacing your old refrigerator with an Energy Star model, visit www.energystar.gov.

 

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, and the state’s largest power producer, supplying electricity to more than 163,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry counties, as well as to 30 large industrial facilities, the cities of Bamberg and Georgetown, and the Charleston Air Force Base. Santee Cooper also generates the power distributed by the state’s 20 electric cooperatives to more than 700,000 customers in all 46 counties. Approximately 2 million South Carolinians receive their power directly or indirectly from Santee Cooper. The utility also provides water to 137,000 consumers in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, and the town of Santee. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.