Spend a little cash, save later
By Brady Shoemaker bshoemaker@lebanondailyrecord.com

Local electric utility customers continue to suffer the brunt of high energy costs every time they turn on air conditioners, and higher winter bills for homes that heat with electricity are in the offing, too.

Area electric company executives are formulating some tips for energy conservation to help customers keep their bills as low as possible.

Some home efficiency rebate programs are already in place, with a few more on the horizon.

Byron Dudley, manager of communications and public relations at Laclede Electric Cooperative, said the co-op helps homeowners and renters who are willing to take steps to slow down the utility meter.

“We have two incentive programs that offer rebates to customers to put in energy efficiency heating and cooling systems,” said Dudley.

The cooperative gives a $250 per ton rebate for installing a ground source heat pump.

“There’s no doubt, the ground source heating system is an expensive buy. On the back side, it’s the cheapest to operate, month by month. Even with the capital cost, most customers will see a payback in a 7-to-10 year period. The system will lower bills (by) 50 percent and greater,” he said.

According to the Web site www.energystar.gov, the pumps meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. The Energy Star site also claims that the expense of the units will be defrayed over the long term by savings on heating bills.

“A ground source system is not for a 1,700 square foot house. But when you start getting into the more expensive houses, the payback period becomes even shorter,” said Dudley.

Ground source systems are mainly for homeowners or property investors.

Dudley said dual-fuel systems are less expensive to install, but are still efficient to operate on a month-by-month basis. The systems are becoming one of the more popular ways to heat and cool a home.

The dual-fuel system combines an electric space-conditioning heat pump with a fossil-fired furnace. The furnace can use any common fuels, such as natural gas, propane or oil, according to the Electric Power Research Institute Web site (www.epri.com).

“We also offer a $150 per ton rebate for the dual-fuel program,” said Dudley.

“With dual fuel, you have a heating and cooling system, with a back up of either propane or natural gas as the supplement,” said Dudley.

The rebate programs are a benefit to both the customers and the utility company.

“The programs help us keep the all-electric furnaces from kicking on during peak times, which drives up costs over a period of time,” he said.

Dudley admits that the cooperative is focusing on energy alternative rebates for homeowners, but there are also incentives for day-to-day energy conservation.

Smaller homes are usually easier to refit for efficiency, and Dudley said, the cooperative provides cost-share efficiency home energy audits for any homeowner, landlord or renter.

“We will be working with third-party vendors to do what’s called a blower-door test, which finds areas of leaks in the home, then the vendor gives a recommended report back to the customer,” said Dudley.

Laclede Electric and its power supplier will pick up 50 percent of the audit’s cost of about $250.

“At that full cost, the supplier will pay for $125, Laclede Electric will pay $65, and the residential customer will pay $60,” said Dudley.

If the utility user makes the retrofits based on the audit recommendations, Dudley said, the power supplier will pay 50 percent of the retrofit costs, up to $500.

“After the customers make the recommended fixes, they should bring receipts and documentation to us,” he said.

Dudley said the cooperative has no programs for installation of solar, wind or other alternative collection systems, but state and federal rebate programs are available.

“If a customer puts in a solar or wind collection system, there are several federal programs that the customer may be able to tap into for allowances. From our standpoint, if a customer generates more electricity than they use - we’ll buy that power back,” said Dudley.

City leaders are working on some conservation proposals.

Lebanon Public Works Director Richard Shockley said he will present an energy incentives package to City Council on July 14. Shockley told The Daily Record he’d release details of the customer incentives after that.

In recent months, both Laclede Electric and city utilities have raised rates by 12 percent. The city has absorbed some of the supplier rate hike costs, but City Administrator Joe Knapp said another 12 percent rate hike is anticipated in January.

For Laclede Electric customers, “Rural Missouri” July edition features several energy-saving tips.