Family cuts down on energy use
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| • | Even when left idle, appliances use power |
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| • | Chart: Where the power goes |
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
William Gonsalves of 'Ewa Beach leaves his air conditioner on all day, all night — and he's paying for it, with an electric bill three times the O'ahu average.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
When the family moved into their four-bedroom, two-bath home in 'Ewa Villages eight years ago, Gonsalves installed a powerful central air-conditioning unit to ensure that the home stays a comfortable 75 degrees. At night he cranks it down to 69 degrees.
William Gonsalves of 'Ewa Beach was using a 40-watt incandescent bulb in his kitchen but has since replaced it with a 15-watt compact fluorescent light to cut down on the costs of his electric bill.
"When all the other kids are sweating in their beds at night, mine are sleeping under the covers. We love it," said the 36-year-old correctional officer and father of four.
Gonsalves agreed to let The Advertiser review his home energy use along with Derrick Sonoda, program specialist, and Dean Oshiro, program engineer, in the energy services department of Hawaiian Electric.
First, they told Gonsalves just how much energy he was using — 68 kilowatt-hours every day, compared with the 20 kWh used per day at a typical home.
Sonoda considers 68 kWh "very high" for a household. He said Gonsalves could cut the family's bill in half by simply turning off a few energy-draining appliances.
Keeping costs down
Like the central air-conditioning unit Gonsalves installed — and keeps on 24 hours a day.
If you'd like to get a handle on your electricity bill, call HECO's customer service at 548-7311 to arrange to have a field inspector walk through your home and show you where electricity is being used — or wasted.
After water heating, air conditioning is the biggest load residents put on their power systems. Gonsalves knew that, and he took some productive steps to keep his costs down, such as insulating his walls and roof, tinting his windows and making sure the cold air can circulate easily throughout his home.
Utility expert can visit home
To further lower Gonsalves' bill, Sonoda suggested he use a timer or Smart Controller, which allows the homeowner to program when the air conditioner is on and for how long. Because Gonsalves likes to come home to a cool house, Sonoda said, he could set the timer to turn on an hour before he opens the front door.
Gonsalves said he was shocked to discover how much energy was being wasted on things he wasn't even using, like a cell phone charger that keeps drawing power even when no phone is plugged into it.
"Those are what we call 'phantom loads,' " Sonoda said. "It's like paying someone to do nothing. It may not seem like a lot, but these (gadgets) are constantly taking power from you."
Gonsalves was also keeping six ceiling fans on all day, thinking they were helping to circulate cold air. But each fan has a typical wattage of about 100 and keeping them on for 24 hours at high speed was adding up. Along with the electricity bill.
"Leaving the a/c on all day, leaving fans on to circulate the air — those are all myths," Sonoda said. "Those are stories people have been telling for years. And they're not true."
As in many other local homes, Gonsalves keeps a second — and older — refrigerator outside. It uses about 688 kilowatt-hours per year. Sonoda said it would be more economical to get a smaller, energy-saving refrigerator that would use about 100 kilowatt-hours less.
His other recommendations: when possible, use a microwave or toaster oven rather than the big electric oven, which eats power while it also releases heat into the home; watch the use of the clothes dryer, which can draw several times the power used in washing clothes; install low-flow showerheads to reduce hot water use; and use power strips to make it easy to shut off the electrical draw of items like a cell phone charger.
Reducing your electricity bill can be as easy as changing your light bulbs, Sonoda said.
Finding energy savers
The light fixture over the kitchen table in the Gonsalves home was using a 40-watt incandescent bulb. Sonoda replaced the bulb with a 15-watt compact fluorescent light in the shape of a light bulb. In addition to using less energy, the fluorescent bulb is cooler — 85 degrees compared with 120 degrees — while giving off the same lighting.
While compact fluorescents cost more — from $5 to $20 for a single light — they last longer by 10 times or more.
Compact fluorescents come in a variety of shapes and styles, including three-way bulbs, flood lamps and dimmable bulbs.
"And you can't tell the difference in the lighting," Sonoda said. "You can save energy easily."
Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.
