The average temperature in Kinston may have gone up in the last three years, but electric usage has gone down, thanks in part to the city’s education of residents on how to conserve power.
High power bills and ways to cut costs have been an ongoing concern in Kinston for years, but recent records from Kinston Public Services are proving the city is making more of an effort to conserve.
Last year, Kinston used 418,092 megawatt hours, its lowest total in almost a decade, and more than 48,000 fewer hours than its high in 2007.
“Over the last two years, we’ve seen the amount of usage decrease,” Sears said. “Part of that can be attributed to mild winters.”
KPS also looked at its last three full years of electrical usage amongst customers, along with temperatures for the year.
In 2010, the average temperature was 61.8 degrees, with nearly 140 million kilowatt hours being used. The temperature rose to 62.3 degrees in 2011, resulting in 131.8 million kilowatt hours being used and just 119.4 million with 62.5 degree temperatures last year.
Rhonda Barwick, director of KPS, said education efforts and weather have helped residents conserve, but an improving economy has the city’s corporations using more power.
“It’s important to note that during this same three-year period, our large industrial customers have increased their consumption. Their usage is impacted more by the economy or demand for their products than simply weather conditions,” Barwick said.
Information and Resource Specialist Sheri Williams said the city has made an effort to be available in the community to educate residents.
“We do energy fairs twice a year, and also do public speaking,” Williams said. “I’m available to go anywhere, speaking at meetings, schools or other events. We always have links on our website, kinstonpublicservices.com, to education people about energy saving tips, our energy efficiency credit program and free energy audits.”
Customer Service Supervisor Justin Boyette said customers also receive information from employees when they have issues with their bills.
“We give them papers with instructions on how to conserve energy,” Boyette said. “The sheets have topics on things such as efficient heating and cooling, weatherproofing your home, effective appliance use and lighting wisely.”
There are specific guidelines for thermostat use that can cut power bills, Boyette said.
“When it comes to using less energy, the thermostat plays a huge role,” he said. “We tell people to keep them no higher than 68 in the winter and 78 in the summer. As a result, the bills aren’t as high and neither is consumption.”
Brantley Uzzell moved to Kinston in February after living in Snow Hill. He said he had heard horror stories about electric rates in the city, but he hasn’t been affected due to his planning.
“I’m actually paying only $10 or $15 more a month for utilities here than in Snow Hill, and I live in a house with 1,000 more square feet,” Uzzell said. “I got a 16-seer heating system, new appliances and a water heater. The heating system has helped the most. The guy who installed it said I’d save 20 to 30 percent on my bill, and even though I paid $800 more, it will pay for itself in a few months.”
Uzzell said he also looked at tips the city was providing.
“I usually keep the temperature around 70 in the winter,” Uzzell said. “I looked around for energy credits and ways to be efficient, because it’s a big concern here.”
Kinston resident Layton Edmondson said he has paid attention to the energy saving tactics the city is informing people with, but has also incorporated a few of his own.
“I’ve purchased 13-watt LED light bulbs, and have seen a significant decrease in my bill,” Edmondson said. “I’ve also bought devices from Lowes to cut off lights in a room after a certain amount of time, so if I’m away for 10, 20 or 30 minutes, the lights will shut off. It’s all powered with a remote control.”
Edmondson said he enjoys being able to conserve energy.
“There’s a thrill of trying to figure out what I can get my bill down to,” Edmondson said. “I have family members who have $400, $500 bills, and mine might be $80, $90 a month.”
Although temperatures have been milder in years past, the upcoming winter is projected to produce colder weather, which could increase energy usage amongst residents.
WCTI Channel 12 meteorologist Skip Waters said the unpredictability in weather makes it harder for him to make his projections.
“In the past 12 hours, the models flipped flopped so much,” Waters said. “There were projections for a big snowstorm Saturday in North Carolina and Virginia. Twelve hours later, it shifted westward toward the mountains of North Carolina and we’ll get cold rain. If there are fluctuations in a l2-hour span, imagine how difficult it is to monitor a long period of time.”
Waters said he believes there will be a cold and wet winter though.
“Based on the trend, I think the rest of December leading into January will tend to be cold with shots of rain and near misses of snow every five to six days,” Waters said. “This month looks to be colder than normal, with a couple of days at average or above normal temperatures. It’s still too early to tell until we can get a consistent pattern going for several days in a row.”
Even if the temperatures fall, Sears said there’s no way an assessment can be made on consumption rising.
“It’s a false assumption for the city to make,” Sears said. “It’s up to each independent user. It may be colder, but we can’t make an assumption on a significant increase.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.
n If you’re going away for a few days, lower the thermostat, but don’t turn the heat off. A cold snap could freeze your pipes
n To keep air circulating freely, check filters at least once a month and change them when needed
n Weatherstrip your doors, caulk cracks in the door frames, and replace worn or ill-fitting thresholds
n Keep lamps and fixtures clean. You may save as much as 20 percent on lighting costs
n Take advantage of the windows throughout your home and use natural light whenever possible
n When running your dishwasher, use the energy-saving cycle and run only when full
n When it’s time to buy new appliances, buy the most energy-efficient models