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Avoid
risk, be prepared
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May/June 2013
June 1 is the beginning of the Atlantic cyclone season. Are you and your loved ones prepared?
Hurricane preparedness do’s and don’ts lists from government agencies, media and businesses that sell all the essentials for getting ready for, lasting through, and recovering from one of these big storms are available everywhere you turn.
With one of these guides handy, all it takes is some time and effort to gather the supplies and arrange precautions.
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Create a family emergency plan:
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- Pick two places to meet, a spot outside your home for an emergency, such as fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.
- Choose an out-of-state friend as your family’s point of contact for everyone to call if the family gets separated.
- Discuss what to do if advised to evacuate.
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Implement your emergency plan:
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- Post emergency telephone numbers next to landline telephones and enter them into cell phones.
- Install safety features in your house, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
- Inspect your home for items that can move, fall, break or catch fire and correct the problems.
- Have your family learn basic safety measures, such as CPR and first aid, how to use a fire extinguisher, and how and when to turn off water, gas and electricity in your home.
- Teach children how and when to call 911 or your local emergency number.
- Keep enough food, water and other supplies in your home to last at least 3 days.
- Assemble emergency supplies kits and store the kits in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags.
- Keep important documents in a waterproof container.
- Keep a smaller emergency supplies kit in the trunk of your car.
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Plan to evacuate if you:
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- Live in a mobile home. They’re unsafe in high winds no matter how well fastened to the ground.
- Live along a coastline, an offshore island or near a river or flood plain.
- Live in a high-rise building. Hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
- Are told to by emergency management officials.
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What to bring to a shelter:
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- First-aid kit
- Medicine, prescriptions
- Baby food and diapers
- Games, books, music players with headphones
- Toiletries
- Cell phone and battery-powered radio
- Flashlights
- Extra batteries
- A blanket or sleeping bag for each person
- Identification
- Copies of key papers such as insurance policies
- Cash, credit card or debit card
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If staying at home:
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- Turn refrigerator to maximum cold and keep it closed.
- Turn off utilities if told to do so by authorities.
- Turn off propane tanks.
- Unplug small appliances.
- Fill bathtub and large containers with water in case clean tap water is unavailable. Use water in bathtubs for cleaning and flushing only. Don’t drink the bathtub-stored water.
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If winds become strong:
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- Stay away from windows and doors, even if they are covered. Take refuge in a small interior room, closet or hallway.
- Close all interior doors. Secure and brace external doors.
- If you are in a two-story house, go to an interior first floor room.
- If you are in a multi-story building and away from water, go to the 1st or 2nd floor and stay in the halls or other interior rooms away from windows.
- Lie on the floor under a table or other sturdy object.
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Watch for:
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- Tornadoes because they’re often spawned by hurricanes.
- The eye of the storm, which might seem like the storm is over, but, after it passes, the winds will change direction and return to hurricane force.
- Flash flooding.
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After the Storm:
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- Keep listening to radio, TV or NOAA weather radio.
- Wait until an area is declared safe before entering.
- Watch for closed roads. If you’re approaching a barricade or flooded road, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!™”
- Stay on firm, dry ground because moving water only 6 inches deep can sweep you off your feet.
- Remember that standing water may be electrically charged from power lines.
- Never use a portable generator indoors.
- Avoid bridges and washed out roads.
- Once home, check utilities and appliances for damage.
- Use a flashlight, not a candle or other open flame, to inspect damage.
- Wear proper shoes to prevent cutting feet on sharp debris.
- Do not drink or prepare food with tap water until officials say it is safe.
- Avoid electrocution by staying from areas with downed power lines.
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Websites with useful hurricane preparedness advice:
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Portable
power done safely
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May/June 2013
One of the great facts about the modern American electric grid is that power almost always flows when we need it.
Considering our dependence on electricity, it makes sense that portable generators are popular when the power goes out and stays out for a while.
But, generators can cause more harm than good if not used properly.
In honor of Electrical Safety Month, recognized each May, please allow CHELCO to give you a few safety tips to protect yourself and our linemen who work hard to restore your power when the lights go out.
First, never plug a portable generator directly into one of your home’s outlets. The only exception to that rule requires the expertise of a licensed electrician.
The electrician can install a transfer switch in your home. Without a transfer switch, power provided by the generator can “backfeed” along power lines, electrocuting a lineman working on those lines.
Second, don’t forget that portable generators create carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas that can quickly become deadly if the generator is used indoors. Attached garages with an open door don’t count as outdoors operation. The carbon monoxide can still seep indoors to asphyxiate inhabitants.
Generators must be placed outdoors in a dry area, which might mean you’ll need to rig a canopy to protect it from rain. Make sure the generator is a safe distance from your home’s windows, doors, and vents. How far is safe? More than 15 feet.
Other factors to keep in mind include:
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- Plug appliances directly into the generator using heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cords, but don’t overload it. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maximum load.
- Shut down the generator before refueling, or a fire could start. It’s a good idea to have a fully charged fire extinguisher nearby, just in case.
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Safety is a top priority at CHELCO, for our employees and members alike. For more tips on how to stay safe during a power outage, visit
www.chelco.com.
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Is
it time for an appliance upgrade?
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May/June 2013
You’ve had your refrigerator forever.
It’s in pretty good shape and keeps your food cold, though some of the door seal is crumbling.
So, why worry about budgeting for a new one?
Well, inefficient appliances can have a huge impact on your home’s monthly electric bill.
Replacing a refrigerator made before 1993 with a new, ENERGY STAR-rated model could drop as much as $100 from your power bill annually.
When evaluating older appliances, one key question emerges: Which is the biggest electricity user?
To estimate the energy consumption of an appliance, use this formula provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergySavers.gov. You can usually find the wattage of most appliances stamped on the bottom or back of the appliance or its nameplate. The wattage listed shows the maximum power drawn by the appliance.
(Wattage × hours used per day × days used per year) ÷ 1,000 =
annual kilowatt hours (kWhs) used
Remember: 1,000 watts = 1 kilowatt
Then, calculate the annual cost to use an appliance by multiplying the kWhs per year by 7.046 cents
For example, a PC and monitor:
[(120 Watts + 150 Watts) × 4 hours per day × 365 days per year] ÷ 1000=
394 kWh × .0746 or $27.78 yearly
Or, go to www.chelco.com
and at bottom of page, click Community. Next, click Residential and scroll to “Save Money & Energy,” where you click
Residential Energy Calculator. Then, click the link for the online appliance calculator.
Because some appliances have a range of settings – just like the volume on a radio – the actual amount of power consumed depends on the setting used at any one time.
Keep in mind that as electronics and appliances become more technologically sophisticated, they often draw power while turned off. A good indicator of this phenomenon known as “phantom load” is to check the device for a light that stays on all the time.
Phantom load will add a few watt-hours to energy consumption, but a few watt-hours on each of your many electronic devices adds up.
To avoid this silent power draw, unplug the device or invest in a smart power strip, which allows certain electronics, like a cable box, which takes time to reboot after it’s been unplugged, to continue using electricity while others can be completely shut down.
Here are examples of the range of wattages for common household appliances:
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- Clothes washer: 350 to 500 watts
- Clothes dryer: 1,800 to 5,000 watts
- Dishwasher: 1,200 to 2,400 watts (heat drying feature increases energy use)
- Hair dryer: 1,200 to 1,875 watts
- Microwave oven: 750 to 1,100 watts
- Refrigerator (frost-free, 16 cubic feet): 725 watts
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Once you calculate how much money you spend to run aging home appliances, compare this to what it would cost to use more efficient models.
Buying new appliance has other benefits, too. For example, not only have clothes washers become 64 percent more energy efficient since 2000, but the tub size has increased by 9 percent. With a new model you can wash more clothes for less money.
Visit www.chelco.com
for information about other ways to save money on your power bill.
Before any energy efficiency upgrade, remember to check
http://energy.gov/savings and
http://www.dsireusa.org/ to find rebates or incentives available in Florida.
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Archived
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