BY JAMES DULLEY

Many people feel more comfortable with brighter lights and better home security but don’t like higher electric bills. What are some good, inexpensive home-security options?

Adequate home security has become a high priority for many families. While a well-lit yard provides a good deterrent against break-ins, outdoor lighting can be expensive to install and operate. At an average rate of 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, the electricity for two 150-watt floodlights on for 10 hours per night costs about $120 annually.

BY JAMES DULLEY

When it’s time to replace an old — and obsolete — dishwasher, what are the important efficiency features? Is hand washing dishes more efficient?

Using an automatic dishwasher is typically more efficient than hand washing dishes (although if you take your time and are miserly with water usage, hand washing can be more efficient).

No matter which new dishwasher you select, you can be certain it will use less electricity and hot water than your old one. The vast majority of dishwashers made today exceed the Energy Star efficiency standards. Over the life of the new dishwasher, the energy and water savings can pay back your initial cost.

It may help a family make lifestyle changes to reduce its electricity if family members can see how much is being used. How can a family  do this, and what are the savings?

It is surprising how some minor lifestyle changes can affect the amount of energy your home consumes. It can also affect when you use electricity.

Controlling what’s called peak demand can make a big difference for all of us. Peak demand is like rush hour for the electric grid — the time of day when folks come home, switch on lights, crank up the air conditioner and start bustling around the house. If you want to always have electricity available, your electric cooperative has to have enough electric generation capacity to meet this peak consumer demand. And since building a generating plant is extremely expensive, using less electricity during these peak times can eliminate or delay the need for more plants, keeping electric rates down.

In order to trim energy use in a home, it may help to first educate family members on which electric devices use the most electricity so they can minimize the use of these devices. Generally, any appliance or device that creates heat uses the most electricity.

Landscaping does more than make a home look nice ~ used correctly it prevents air leaks and provides shading.
 
Q. We just built a house and it needs a lot of landscaping. I want to plan and plant it all myself. I’ve heard proper landscaping can impact my utility bills. What are some basic efficient landscaping tips?
 
A. People tend to appreciate landscaping for its aesthetic value, but proper landscaping also impacts the energy efficiency of your house. From an overall environmental standpoint, good landscape design also minimizes the need for mowing and other lawn care. This not only saves you time, but you may be able to get by with a push mower or a battery-operated mower to eliminate gasoline costs.
 

In addition to increasing the efficiency of your home, wise landscaping can reduce the need for watering. In the past, this was an issue primarily for the Southwest. Today, water shortages are an issue across the nation. Even if there’s adequate water available, it takes large amounts of energy at municipal waterworks facilities to process and pump domestic water.