November 2007 - How to Stay Safe and Warm This Winter
By Cathy Green
Do you toss out those inserts that come with your gas or electric bill without reading them? Who doesn’t?
Smart people, that’s who. Our utility companies really want to help us conserve energy and offer a lot of helpful advice. Remember, energy saved is money saved, and winter is when energy usage is put to the test as we try to keep warm without going broke.
The U.S. Department of Energy figures that heating is responsible for about 50 percent of a home’s energy usage, and a water heater uses another 20 percent. This would seem to make them the likely targets for a first step toward saving energy while getting the maximum results.
Get most out of your heater
First, the heater:
• If you haven’t already done so, you should have it checked and its filter cleaned.
• Make sure there’s weatherstripping around doors and windows where drafts may be getting in.
• Keep the thermostat at a reasonable temperature, and turn it down at night. It’s good for your health as well as your budget. Too much heat, combined with winter’s dry air, can leave you feeling uncomfortably dried out.
As for hot water, the Department of Energy recommends setting the temperature no higher than 120 degrees, noting that factory settings on new heaters may be higher. Taking shorter showers and doing some laundry in cold water will also conserve energy.
The department has much more information on its website, www.
energy.gov.
Helpful information
The Philadelphia-based Energy Coordinating Agency offers an illustrated step-by-step guide to weatherizing a home, from weatherstripping to changing the filter on the heater. It can be downloaded from www.ecasaves
energy.org (click on “energy education”) or ordered by calling 215-291-4920.
PECO offers an “EasySave Energy Kit” for $19.99. It contains a refrigerator thermometer which can also be used in the freezer; an air filter whistle that sounds an alert when the filter is full; a plug-in fluorescent night light that PECO says uses 31 cents worth of electricity in a year; draft stoppers for switches and outlets; an “energy wheel” with conservation advice and three energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs equal to 60-, 75- and 100-watt incandescent bulbs.
The kit can be ordered through PECO’s website (www.exeloncorp.com).
If you’re planning to replace appliances, you’re advised to check for the Energy Star label. This means a product meets conservation standards agreed on by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. If you’re doing any remodeling, double-pane windows will repay you by reducing heat loss.
Maybe it will be a mild winter, but don’t count on it. Mother Nature has a way of showing who’s boss. Be prepared.
Winter presents many challenges to older Philadelphians.
Here’s a list of resources that may help you meet those challenges.
For financial help:
• Crisis Program: Federally funded
and administered by the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections to help low-income households in heating crisis situations. 215-686-2590.
• Heater Hotline: Minor heater
repairs for low-income homeowners. 215-568-7190.
• Energy Coordinating Agency: A non- profit corporation that coordinates and provides energy services, including conservation, heater repair, energy education and bill payment assistance for low- and moderate-income Philadelphians. 215-988-0929.
• Homeowners Emergency Loan Program: Interest-free loans payable over five years to customers who received plumbing or damage violation notices from the Water Department. 215-685-4901.
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Federal program that helps low-income homeowners and renters pay for primary or secondary heating costs. 215-560-1583 (Busy office, best time to call is after 2 p.m.)
• PECO Customer Assistance Program: Households with incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines ($10,210 a year for an individual, $13,630 for two), having difficulty making payments, may get a discount on the first 500 kilowatt hours of electric usage. 1-800-774-7040.
• PGW Conservation and Customer Responsibility Program: Low-income customers are helped to afford and maintain gas service. 215-235-1000. Requests for applications must be made in person.
• Stay Warm in PA Initiative: A comprehensive program that has links
to resources dealing with weather-related matters, presented by Gov. Rendell’s office. www.stay warmpa.com or 1-866-550-4355.
• Utility Emergency Services Fund: Privately funded assistance for those who have exhausted all public sources of funding for gas, electric and water bills.
For general assistance:
• Community Legal Services: Helps people over 60 with matters relating to energy assistance. 215-227-2400.
• PCA Helpline: Information on energy assistance programs and other community resources. 215-765-9040.
• PECO Low-Income Usage Reduction Program: Free program helps reduce energy consumption by installing weatherizing measures and offering energy advice. 1-800-675-0222.
• Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. (PHDC) Weatherizing Program: Free weatherizing and
energy-efficiency improvements
for homeowners and renters.
215-448-2137. For free PHDC Weatherization Manual: 215-686-9723 or www.phila.gov/ohcd/
homerepairprograms.htm.
• SeniorLAW Center: Free assistance with legal-related utility and housing issues, including wrongful shutoffs, home repair fraud, evictions and tenants’ rights. Intake, 215-988-1242 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.); Helpline, 1-877-727-7529 (Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
• Temple Elder Law Project: Free general assistance and referral services for those 60 and older, including matters related to energy. 215-204-6887.
By Cathy Green
Holiday decorations, beginning to appear everywhere, signal the approach of warm family gatherings, but that’s not all they predict. Winter is at hand, with its biting winds, icy streets and freezing temperatures.
Winter presents special dangers for older people, indoors and out. A National Institutes of Health newsletter says, “Staying warm in winter can be a matter of life and death for the elderly.”
Space heaters are a popular solution for those who are always chilly, or whose living quarters just won’t get warm. But they can be hazardous. Consumer Reports quotes the U.S. Fire Administration as saying that 30 percent of injuries are heating-related.
Fasten down the cord
Every winter, fires are caused by space heaters placed too close to curtains or other flammable materials. Carefully position yours so that won’t happen. And if the cord stretches across the floor, there’s the danger of tripping and falling. If you must run the cord across a trafficked area, fasten it down with duct tape. If you need an extension cord, be sure it’s a heavy-duty one.
Kerosene or propane heaters present their own dangers. They emit fumes that can cause respiratory discomfort, and in places not properly ventilated, there is the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning. Handling fuel can also be tricky, leading to spills; the University of Washington Extension Service says kerosene or barbecue briquettes should never be a source of heat in the home.
Beware hypothermia
Hypothermia, a condition in which the body loses heat faster than it can be replaced, doesn’t occur only to those lost in the Arctic. It can even happen to older people indoors if the temperature drops below 60 and they aren’t properly dressed or are not in good health. It can occur outdoors if you are not dressed for the cold, are wearing wet clothing or are tired.
Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, confusion, trembling hands and slurred speech. If someone with these signs has a temperature below 95, it should be considered a medical emergency, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In that case, the person should be taken to a warm place, have wet clothing removed and be given a warm drink — never alcohol.
Advanced age brings extra vulnerability. Slower metabolism, diabetes, hypothyroidism and hardening of the arteries all make one more susceptible to hypothermia. The Mayo Clinic’s Tools for Healthy Living cautions that older people may be more vulnerable because they have other physical ailments, or may be taking medications that affect ability to cope with extreme cold.
There’s no need to hibernate in cold weather, as long as you are dressed for it and don’t stay out too long. One exception might be when it’s icy underfoot. Falls can lead to broken bones.
Snow can also make walking difficult. If you decide to shovel snow, be sure you’re in good condition — you’re used to physical activity, you haven’t a heart problem and the ground isn’t slippery.
Have a happy, safe holiday season!
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