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GUC Supports Hometown Green
Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle To Be Showcased

Greenville Utilities is supporting a state-wide initiative to raise awareness about energy efficiency and renewable energy. NC Public Power has launched “Hometown Green” to promote smart energy choices. 

“The Hometown Green initiative fits in with the national focus on renewable energy,” said Andy Yakim, GUC’s Energy Services Supervisor. “For more than 30 years, Greenville Utilities has demonstrated its commitment to energy efficiency and helping customers learn how to reduce their costs. We strongly endorse the Hometown Green program and encourage our customers to make smart energy choices.”

Included in the Hometown Green initiative are on-line tools, such as the Energy Depot online energy audit tool, energy kits and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. NC Public Power converted a conventional hybrid vehicle, a Toyota Prius, to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Beginning in late 2008, the PHEV has been showcased in NC Public Power communities and at energy fairs and festivals, to demonstrate the environmental and financial benefits of this new technology. The PHEV will be in Greenville for one week beginning June 17. The vehicle will be used by GUC staff during that time to evaluate its performance. As an added bonus, energy kits will be distributed to a number of randomly-selected individuals at various locations throughout the community.  

 “You may not be able to go out an purchase a hybrid vehicle,” said Yakim, “but there are many ways you can “go green” and make an impact on your energy bill.

• Start with the biggest energy user in your home – heating and air conditioning. Lowering your thermostat setting by one degree in winter or raising the setting one degree in summer easily saves over $5.00 per month.  Some people are confused whether it’s cheaper to continually adjust their thermostat or to just set it and leave it. With a heat pump, in the winter only, and on a day-to-day basis, it’s important to set the thermostat as low as you can be comfortable (DOE recommends 68 or lower), and then leave it alone. “Set it and forget it” saves the most. With all other heating systems, and all cooling systems, you save the most by making thermostat adjustments. When the home is unoccupied, turn it off and then restart when you come back home.”
  
• If you are someone who does not change your furnace filters regularly, changing your filter monthly can yield an additional 10% to 20 % saving in heating and cooling costs. At this point you have more than compensated for a $5.00/month increase and even have a few extra dollars to spare.
  
• Lower the thermostat setting on your water heater to 115 or 120. If it was set at 130 to 140 you can save $10.00 to $15.00 each month.
  
• Saving on hot water use (showering, bathing, clothes washing, etc.) can yield a triple savings on your utility bill. When you reduce your hot water use you save on the water bill itself, and you also save on the dollars it costs to heat that water and on top of all that, you save on the sewer costs.
  
• Take short 5 to 7 minute showers, wash clothes in cold water and check your home for water leaks. Take shorter showers. If you take 15-20 minute showers, try taking 8-10 minute showers. With a 3 person family this can save over $10.00 each month.

Other tips include buying energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s). Even though they are very efficient, it’s still a good idea to turn off all lights (and everything else for that matter) when they are not being used. Overall, lighting is a small part of your monthly energy bill, but this is especially true when you use CFL’s. In the summer, remember to turn off the pilot light your gas logs. Burning the pilot light can cost over $8.00 per month, and it adds heat to the home; meaning that your air conditioner will work harder.

For additional ways to keep utility bills as low as possible, call GUC’s Energy Services Office at 551-1525. For more information about Hometown Green, visit http://www.ncpublicpower.com/Energy_Efficiency.aspx

About the PHEV:

A conventional hybrid vehicle contains a traditional gasoline engine supplemented by an electric motor and battery pack, increasing mileage while decreasing harmful environmental emissions. With larger batteries, PHEVs recharge by being plugged into a standard electric outlet, boosting mileage without the need for gasoline.

PHEV drivers may recharge the vehicle's battery by plugging it into an electrical outlet at home. This charge will enable the vehicle to travel from 20 to 30 miles without using any gasoline.

Charging a typical plug-in battery at home costs as little as $1.00. According to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), half the cars on America's roads are driven 25 miles a day or less. A plug-in with a 25-mile range battery could eliminate the need for gas for millions of commuters. And PHEVs only need to have their tanks filled a few times per year, versus the current average of 24-36 times per year.

Unlike gasoline-only vehicles, PHEVs do not idle when sitting still, thereby reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. Daimler AG has publicly tested PHEV prototypes, and General Motors has announced its intention to mass-produce two kinds of PHEVs. But it will be several more years until this technology will be seen on the road, so don't miss the opportunity to see the NC Public Power PHEV.