TexasIsHot's 2010 Energy Pledge - Use Less, Save More!
"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." While this is just a pithy quote, resolutions do typically tend to wane as the months go on. But if every Texan pledges to make just a few changes in their daily energy use, it can add up to big savings for families and businesses across the state.The average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills — nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Take the 2010 TexasIsHot Energy Pledge and start saving today! In 2010, resolve to:

• Replace your five most frequently used light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs. This can save at least $70 per year.
• Install a programmable thermostat. Save about $180 a year by properly setting your programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.
• Learn about smart meter technology. Providers across the state are working to give us more control over our energy use.
• Keep up with your filters. This includes changing your air filter, at a minimum, every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy. Also change the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
• Unplug your appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off.
• Replace at least one appliance with an ENERGY STAR rated model. Appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20% of your energy bills. Change to appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR, and you can save $75 a year in energy costs. See April appliance rebate program for more savings.
• Keep your "ducts" in a row. Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent — and sometimes much more.
• Take advantage of energy audits and rebates. A home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. You can perform a simple energy audit yourself, or have a professional energy auditor carry out a more thorough audit. Contact your electric provider to find out what energy efficiency discounts and rebates are available to you. From appliance rebates and tax credits, make sure you take advantage of the available incentives.

BRRR! Texas has definitely not been hot lately, resulting in record breaking winter energy demand.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, grid operator for most of the state, set a new winter record of 55,856 megawatts (MW) during 7-8 a.m. on Friday, January 8, exceeding the old record by almost 5,500 MW. One megawatt typically powers about 500 average homes during average conditions. ERCOT’s all-time summer peak demand is 63,400 MW, which occurred on July 13, 2009. This only underscores our pledge above - we all need to do our part to decrease demand!

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