Dear Bill: I seem to be a causality of the high unemployment problem in California. I’m having some difficulty in paying the electric and gas bill from my local utility company. How can I get some assistance in paying my bill while I’m unemployed?
Ferris R. – San Jose, CA
Dear Ferris: Pacific Gas and Electric, your local electrical company, along with Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electrical, Southern California Gas and other local utility companies have a program called CARE. It’s a program that provides a 20% discount on monthly gas & electric bills for qualifying households. Qualifications are based on the number of people living in your home and your total household income including wages, government checks and benefits, and other financial support you or members of your household receive.
The income guidelines are established annually by the California Public Utilities Commission. Just call your local utility company and ask them to connect you to the CARE program. If the CARE program is not right for your family, you may qualify for the Family Electric Rate Assistance program (FERA). This plan offers a discounted rate on a monthly bill for families of 3 or more who fall within the income guidelines and exceed their baseline usage by 30% or more.
Dear Bill: I am about to purchase a new refrigerator since the one I have runs all the time and I know it’s eating up a lot of energy and driving up my electric bill. But there all kinds of different types, Side-By-Side door, Freezer on top, Freezer on bottom and I’m confused to which one to buy that is the most energy efficient. Can you recommend the best style of energy saving refrigerator?
Suzette T. – State College, PA
Dear Suzette: First thing you should remember is buy only a refrigerator that displays the Energy Star logo which guarantees you the best energy saving refrigerator. The least expensive and most energy efficient models are the Top and Bottom Freezer models over the Side-By-Side. So you can freely choose the Top or Bottom model that fits your life style best.
For very energy efficient models I suggest you look at Sunfrost and Avanti brand refrigerators if they are available near you. I’ve read that they are the best if you’re looking for remarkable energy savings.
Dear Bill: I am a small business owner and I would like to make a contribution to the environment and be energy efficient. Plus, I would like to save money at the same time for my business but most of the programs I hear and read about are designed for large companies. What can I do to become energy efficient in my business? Brian C. – Fort Worth, TX
Dear Brian: Whether you a large or a small business owner there are things that you can do to help reduce your carbon footprint and save money for your business. Plus, most utility companies have programs that are designed for small business owners. You simply need to call your utility company and ask to speak to someone about small business energy saving programs and rebates that maybe available for your business.
Most small business owners spend more time at their business than they do at home so being energy efficient is very important since it will help you reduce your Fixed Operating costs to run your business and a lot of these energy saving measures can be used at home as well. It also helps you increase your competitiveness and creates a good work place attitude with your employees since they can feel they are contributing to their environment as well.
Simple things like changing your incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL’s) and using occupancy sensors so lights turn on and off when you leave a room automatically, reduce your paper consumption, use Smart Strips for turning off computers and printers when not in use or at the end of the day. Make sure you use Programmable Thermostats in your office for air conditioning. These and other energy measures may be rebateable by your local utility company to help offset your costs to install.
I suggest you purchase an easy energy savings guide for small businesses. A paperback book that I find useful is called “Greening your Office” by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert. I found my copy on Amazon.com for very little money. It’s an easy A to Z guide you’ll find useful.
Send your energy-related questions to:
The Green Energy Coach at WCTauber@BillOnEnergy.com.
Tauber is a radio talk show host and a nationally recognized expert on energy reduction and solar power. He has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, Fox Business, Kiplinger, Investors, ABC and Forbes websites and several environmental newsletters and Web sites.