Simple steps to cut energy costs
oil technician
Staff photo by Dave Leaming
EFFICIENCY CHECK: Jim Alden, a master oil technician with the Dead River company, cleans the burner from an oil fire boiler at a residence in Waterville. Alden said he is busy recently keeping heating systems running efficiently to reduce rising fuel costs.

celluslose insulation
Staff photo by Thomas Michael Corcoran
FILL 'ER UP TO STAY WARM: Bill Veilleux, a salesmen for Ware-Butler Inc. building supply in Waterville shows the texture of cellulose insulation that many people are now using to insulate their homes.
Energy savings tips for the do-it-yourselfer
Vacuum baseboard units: If you have baseboard heat, remove the baseboard covers to expose the heating pipes and their heat-dispersing vanes. Use a kitchen broom to sweep as much dust and lint as you can and then vacuum it off.
Make sure armchairs, couches, drapes, bookshelves, do not block your heat sources. Keep rugs slightly away from baseboards, because air needs to be able to pass through the bottom of the baseboard in order to force warm air out the top.
Keep closet doors closed. You don't need to keep clothes at room temperature, so why pay for the extra fuel?
Close curtains and shades at night to trap heat inside; open them during the day to let heat from the sun in. Keep windows on the south side of your house clean to maximize solar gain.
If you have a waterbed, make it every day. The sheets, blankets and bed spread will help insulate the water so you won't have to pay quite so much to heat it.
Invest in a high-efficiency, oil-fired water heater. Ask your oil dealer about an indirect water-heater system.
Bundle up. Go outside. Enjoy the winter. You can set your thermostat down five degrees while you’re out.
Invite friends over for a pot luck dinner. At 98.6 degrees, humans give off approximately 500 BTUs every hour. Put enough people in the room, and you can heat it with human power.
Source: Maine Oil Dealers Association.
ALSO: Local 1996 Carpenters Union has volunteers willing to install weatherization material in homes of people who have the supplies but need help getting the work done.
The labor is free to low-income families and the elderly in need of assistance. For more information, call KVCAP, 1-800-542-8227, ext. 1542 or 859-1542.
Energy series
The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel wanted to address rising energy costs, so we started discussing a way to do so several months back. We settled on a consumer-oriented series of articles offering tips on cutting home heating and electric costs, and how to save on gasoline. Other than the final day, all of the tips in this five-part series can be done for $1,000 or less and can be completed in time for this winter.
October 5, 2008: Insulating your home, or improving its insulation, can save big bucks. Plus, several local agencies offer home-energy audits. They’re not free but the payoff can come quickly.
Read story.

Energy audits can make difference

October 6, 2008: Hot-water heaters account for a significant portion of a home’s energy costs. We tell you how to have hot water but save money, too.
Read story.

October 7, 2008: It has a scary name — “phantom load” — and it should. Leaving certain electrical appliances constantly plugged in can cost as much as $190 a year. Read story.

October 8, 2008: How you drive plays a major role in how much you spend each year buying gasoline. In fact, it’s more important than scouting around for cheap gas prices. Read story.

October 9, 2008: If you’re really serious about cutting energy costs at home, redo everything. We’ll introduce you to a couple who recently have, and they offer tips of their own. Read story.

Energy savings resources on the web
Maine Public Utilities Commission
University of Maine Co-operative Extension
Governor Baldacci's energy site
Portland Press Herald's energy series


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