IDT Energy World

Where would New Yorkers be without air conditioners to make summer a bit more bearable? IDT Energy in New York wants to take a look at our good friend the air conditioner, its history, how it works, and what we can expect from these marvels in the future.

The first air conditioners began way back in the middle of the 18th century when Benjamin Franklin and a chemistry professor of chemistry at Cambridge University did some experiments examining how evaporation can be used in order to rapidly cool an object.  They discovered that liquids that evaporate quickly such as ether and alcohol could be used to reduce the temperature of something lower than the freezing point of water.

The earliest uses of air conditioning were industrial and not for the personal comfort of individuals.  In 1902 Willis Carrier invented the first electric air conditioner in Syracuse, New York. It was made for a printing plant to control the temperature and humidity which could adversely affect paper dimensions and alignment of ink.  Soon the technology was used to improve working conditioners in the plant, and this developed into the Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America. As time passed air conditioning was used more often to increase the comfort level of homes, cars and workplaces. By the 1950s air conditioning quickly gained popularity, and now today it is hard to imagine living in a place like New York City without it.

As the weather begins to get warmer, there are a number of key ways that you can reduce your electricity costs while still keeping the house comfortable and cool. Use these tips to save money this summer – while still enjoying your time indoors.

One great idea is to have an exhaust fan in the kitchen that will blow hot air out of the space while you are cooking. This will add a lot of savings to your cooling costs. Try to take lukewarm showers and baths as well to avoid creating humid air, which holds in more heat.

Look into purchasing a dehumidifier for the home. This can decrease your electricity bill significantly whether you’re with IDT Energy or another company. Make sure, however, that the humidifier that you buy is the right size for your home.

Avoid creating more heat in the kitchen in a number of ways. Use your microwave or countertop appliances for cooking instead of the oven; enjoy grilling outdoors to keep the hot air away from the house as well.

Whenever we consider make purchases, let’s say for a new refrigerator, music center, or washing machine, we carefully compare products, prices, service, how well the product meets our needs, and other aspects. Today we are lucky that because of deregulation in New York consumers can make the same evaluation before choosing their energy provider of natural gas and electricity.

At IDT Energy there exist several options available for its customers to choose from so that the service that they choose is perfectly suited to their individual needs. Included in this decision can be whether or not you want your electricity to come from resources which are renewable and sustainable, which we call “buying green” at IDT Energy.

It is important to understand that your utility bill is composed of two separate parts, one for delivery and the other part for supply. In the case of electricity the two components are about equal, or 50% each of the entire bill. For natural gas more of the cost comes from supply, about 75%, with the remaining 25% going towards the delivery fee.

Until deregulation the state government regulated the price of natural gas and electricity, and the utility company was responsible for both components, supply and delivery. Today the two parts are separate and consumers have been empowered to seek out the best deals they can find on supply.

The local utility will continue to deliver your power and gas, read the meter, and provide service for problems that sometimes arise. The utility is where you turn to deal with emergencies, too.  Your bill will also continue to come from the utility, with the price of both the supply and delivery itemized for your convenience.

Just like you would research the best deals, best service and best quality for anything you might purchase, now you can apply your same high standards to purchase your power for your home, and IDT Energy urges you to consider its 20 years of experience supplying thousands of satisfied customers with electricity and natural gas.

One creative way to save on your energy bill each month is by upgrading your wall insulation.  This is a little known idea, but one that creates a huge list of benefits for energy savings and more.  IDT Energy will explore and explain the many benefits with you here.

Certainly, wall insulation helps your home to stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.  This means that you’ll be able to use less heat and air while maintaining a comfortable temperature in the home; and this leads to energy bill savings at the end of the year.

In addition to these benefits, there are many other benefits to upgrading your wall insulation.  Well-insulated walls can minimize drafts and make your home quieter by blocking out noises.  Properly installed insulation helps to seal the home from air leakage while also improving the fire safety of the home.  Should you experience a power outage, well insulated walls actually help your home to remain comfortable and habitable for longer.  If you have water pipes running inside the walls of the house, the extra insulation can reduce the risk of freeze problems.

Certainly, paying for extra wall insulation costs money.  In general, however, the benefits are well worth the cost, and you should be able to re-cooperate your cost with your

Certainly, as IDT Energy and any other energy service company will explain, there are many clever ways that you can save on your electric bill.  If you are careful, you can reduce electricity use in the home and reduce your energy bills.  While the savings may not be drastic – every little bit counts and helps with the overall budget.

Here are a number of quick tips for reducing your energy usage in the home.  Certainly, within each of these categories, there are more specific details and recommendations that can help you even more.

* Appliances and Electronics – Purchase products with an energy-efficient rating and make sure to turn products off when not in use.

* Lighting – Try to add more natural lighting options to the home including windows, skylights and more.  Purchase energy-efficient light fixtures with the Energy Star label and use energy-efficient light bulbs.

* Heating and Cooling – Add ceiling fans in as many rooms as possible. These help to circulate air and to keep rooms cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  Make sure you have proper insulation and air seals in the home.  Select an energy-efficient heating system that doesn’t use electricity.

* Water Heating – Purchase an energy-efficient electric water heater and make sure to operate it as efficiently as possible.  Or, you might want to select an energy-efficient water heater that doesn’t require electricity to operate.

IDT Energy has found that in the United States the average household used about 920 kWh each month in the year 2006. In 2003 the entire U.S. used 3,883 billion kWh, which translates as 13,868 kWh per person based on the total population of the United States being 280 million people that year.

On one day in California there was peak use of 50,743 megawatt-hours of electricity. That translates to a number that might be hard to say out loud: 50,743,000,000 watt-hours, on just one day!

A watt is the rate of electricity an appliance uses at any particular moment.  A watt-hour is the total amount of energy that has been used over an amount of time, such as an hour. Let’s say you have a laptop computer which uses 50 watts. At the end of one hour the laptop will have used 50 Watt-hours. Which is the same as 0.050 kilowatt-hours (kWh.)
It is similar to saying that a car, at this moment, is going 50 mph. If it continues to travel at that speed for one hour, then it will have gone 50 miles by the end of the hour. In this example we are using distance to compare to amount of energy used.

Let’s get down to basics. What is meant by a kilowatt hour, anyway? This is the way electricity is measured; the amount we use is called a kilowatt-hour, or kWh. When you use a 1,000 watt appliance for one hour, you have used 1 kWh.

Here are some real examples:

1.    A medium window-unit air conditioner which uses 1,000 watts and is used for one hour has used 1 kWh.

2.    A large window -unit air conditioner which uses 1,500 watts and is used for one hour has used 1.5 kWh.

3.    A small window-unit air conditioner which uses 500 watts and is used for one hour has used 0.5 kWh.

4.    A ceiling fan on low speed which uses 24 watts and is used for one hour has used 0.024 kWh. If it is used for ten hours then it used 0.24 kWh.

5.    A 100 watt light bulb used for one hour uses 0.1 kWh. If it is used all month and is on 730 hours, then it uses 73 kWh.

6.    A 25 watt CFL light bulb used for the same 730 hours (all month) will use only 18 kWh.

IDT Energy believes that by following a few simple rules, a potential hazard for fire and shock can be made perfectly safe.

•    Replacement of damaged outlets should be done promptly by a qualified electrician. Any outlet that feels hot, is emitting sparks, has loose fitting plugs, or in which the plugged in lamp or other appliance turns off and on or fails to light can be considered damaged and should be replaced.

•    Never pull out an electrical cord at an angle. This could cause the plastic face of the outlet to crack, break away, and leave live parts of the outlet dangerously exposed.

•    Plastic, child-proof safety caps should be inserted into unused outlets so children cannot insert anything into the receptacle.

•    Plugs should always be completely inserted into the outlet. Never let any part of the metal prongs be exposed.

IDT Energy wishes you a safe year of electricity use.

IDT Energy hopes consumers begin the new school year with increased awareness of electric safety precautions that are simple to follow and could really prevent dangerous accidents.

Damaged or problematic electrical receptacles should be replaced by a qualified person. It is also a good idea to upgrade home electrical systems to the most modern safety standards.

Preventing electrocution is a simple matter of installing ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs.) This is the most effective way to prevent electric shock. A second method is to install three pronged outlets. Before switching to this type of outlet you need to check that there is a grounding conductor in the outlet box.

Outlets can become overheated, even with nothing in them, if they have poor internal contacts or loose wire terminals. In such a case the outlet can even emit sparks. One way to preserve your outlets is to be sure the appliance is turned off before you unplug it from the outlet.