Posted on: Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Use of electricity hits all-time high on O'ahu
By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hot weather and a hot O'ahu economy combined yesterday to eat up more electricity than ever before.
For the record, the all-time peak of 1291 megawatts was recorded by Hawaiian Electric Co. at 1:16 p.m. yesterday.
"Tourism has made a roaring comeback and low interest rates have boosted construction, combining to support very strong economic growth," HECO spokesman Chuck Freedman said yesterday. "This, in turn, increases the use of electricity. And you don't need a weatherman to know it's hot out there."
HECO urges energy customers to take a home energy audit on its heco.com Web site. HECO's Top 10 energy-saving tips:
• Changing just one 100-watt bulb to a fluorescent equivalent saves $15 per year. • Using two fans instead of an 8,000 BTU air conditioner running four hours a day saves $161 per year. • Cutting shower time by just two minutes can save $215 per year. • Fixing leaky faucets and preventing just one hot water drop per second can save $56 per year. • Switching from hot to cold water for two loads of laundry per week can save $32 per year. • Turning off a power strip when the computer's not in use can save $7 per year. Power strips also can be used for stereos, televisions and battery chargers, which also use standby power when not in use. • Air-drying dishes instead of using a dishwasher's heat-drying cycle saves $15 per year. • Limit opening refrigerator and oven doors to save electricity and the appliances. • Using motion detectors on a 150-watt, floodlight can cut use from six hours to one hour per day and save $38 per year. Turning off one 100-watt light for just one, eight-hour day per week can save $18 per year.
Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8085.
