Bryce Newberry

Fourteen-year-old Bryce Newberry of Wenatchee has entered a national young reporters contest with a news clip about saving energy.

Newberry submitted the video for a chance to become a featured reporter for Teen Kids News, a national half-hour weekly program that focuses on events and issues affecting teens. The program airs Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. on KING-TV, Seattle. According to its website, Teen Kids News “highlights positive stories about kids doing amazing things and helping to make the world a better place.”

Newberry’s clip includes an interview with staff at Chelan County PUD, and reminds viewers to check insulation in their homes, switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, use the dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes, and keep the thermostat at reasonable settings.

This is the second time Newberry has entered a Teen Kids News contest. Last year his clip on the future of newspapers made it to the contest’s top 10. Newberry also has been a special guest on KOMO News in Seattle after broadcasters there saw a videotape Newberry made of himself imitating the KOMO Morning News crew.

Newberry said he’s wanted to be a newscaster for several years. His career goal is to work for a major network.

Winners in the Teen Kids News contest are chosen by popular vote. Voting begins Sept. 12 on the Teen Kids News website. Viewers can vote once a day.

Watch Newberry’s video here.

Heat pump water heaters are expensive and not well suited to our winter climate. (Image courtesy energysavers.gov)

Heat pump water heaters can save you 50 percent on your water heating costs – or can they?

Heat pump water heaters work by removing heat from the air and transferring that heat to water. This makes the conditioned air cooler. That’s fine in the summer, when the air conditioner is running, but in the winter, the only air warm enough to supply a sufficient amount of heat is in the conditioned space of the home. This is air you’ve already warmed with your home’s heating system. By removing heat from your home to warm your water, you‘ll lose much of your water heating savings by having to run your heating system more.

Other requirements of a heat pump water heater that need to be addressed before you purchase are:

• Adequate physical space: Heat pump water heaters are generally larger (height, width, and/or depth) compared to standard water heaters. Limited space in your home may prevent the water heater from being installed in a desired location.
• Adequate air volume and circulation: Heat pump water heaters often require large enough areas and volume for adequate air circulation. Without this, a heat pump water heater’s performance is reduced, particularly if installed in a confined sealed space, such as a closet or a small room.
• Condensate removal: Access to a drain or to the outdoors is required for removing the heat pump water heater’s condensate, generated during operation. Often, existing water heaters will have a drain pan, but additional piping may be required for handling this.
• Noise: Heat pump water heaters hum or whir when the system operates. Depending on the model and location, the noise may be unacceptable.
• Exhaust air: Heat pump water heaters exhaust cool, dehumidified air into their surroundings, which may not be desirable in winter. This means the units will need to turn off heat pump operation to stop exhaust air. That most likely means using a back-up water heater, probably an electric resistance heater, further reducing any energy savings.  

For more information on heat pump water heaters:

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance has developed specifications for heat pump water heaters that will help manufacturers meet the energy efficiency requirements for customers living in northern climates.

Washington State University Energy Efficiency programs has an easy-to-read fact sheet on HPWH.

Chelan County PUD conservation staff will be out in full force on Earth Day April 23, showing customers how to reduce their energy use and, if weather permits, operating the popular solar splash fountain. 

In Wenatchee, Conservation staff will be at Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PUD energy experts will talk to customers about where to look for energy-saving opportunities in their homes and how to save on utility bills by choosing the best products, including Energy Star-rated products. The PUD is participating in a regional program called Simple Steps Smart Savings that reduces the cost to consumers of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow showerheads. 

In a salute to Earth Day, Lowe’s will give away 1 million trees across its 1,700 stores. No purchase is necessary. Each store will have at least 500 trees that are regionally appropriate. Customers will be able to register their trees at www.lowes.com/earthday, and each tree will be virtually planted on a U.S. map. Lowe’s is located at 1200 Walla Walla Ave. 

In Leavenworth, the Earth Day Fair runs from noon to 4 p.m. at Lions Club Park. Following up on the just-completed Reduce Your Use Contest, PUD staff will talk about how all customers can improve energy efficiency by doing simple things such as caulking around windows, sealing leaky ductwork and adding insulation in their homes. The popular solar splash fountain will be running for kids to enjoy. Chelan PUD is a co-sponsor of this year’s fair along with the Port of Chelan County, Stevens Pass Ski Area and Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. The theme is “Think Local First” with a focus on buying from local, independently owned businesses to promote environmental, economic and social sustainability. Information about other activities at the fair is available on the Barn Beach Reserve website. 

Chelan’s venerable Earth Day Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Riverwalk Park. The fair features an alternative-fueled vehicle exhibit including the Chelan School District’s plug-in/hybrid/bio-diesel school bus, which is the only one in Washington state. Local farmers will be represented with information on locally grown food. Children’s activities and entertainment are in the mix as well.  Details about Chelan’s celebration are available by contacting Bee Murphy, (509) 682-5756.

Contest winners Shirley and Richard Ehrenberg of Wenatchee

Richard and Shirley Ehrenberg of Wenatchee are the winners of Chelan County PUD’s Reduce Your Use Contest, dropping their wintertime energy consumption by 35 percent compared to previous years.

Second place goes to Tony and Laura Thompson of Wenatchee, who cut their electrical use by 24 percent. Taking third place are Nick and Jenn Brunner of Cashmere, who reduced their use by 23 percent.

Nine contestants competed in the contest to see who could reduce home energy use by the greatest percentage during the winter heating season of Jan. 1- March 31, 2011. All contestants saved energy. Overall savings averaged 19 percent. Total savings over the three months came to just under 20,000 kilowatt hours – just about enough to power a typical Chelan County home for one year.

A chart showing results for all contestants  is available on the PUD website here.

Mark Wiser, conservation program manager, said the contest showed that simple things such as sealing air leaks, caulking around windows and adding insulation can go a long way toward improving energy efficiency and increasing comfort in Chelan County homes.

The Ehrenbergs received a $500 gift certificate donated by Walmart. The Thompsons received a $250 gift certificate from Community Glass. The Brunners won a $100 gift certificate donated by Stan’s Merry Mart.

Winners were determined by looking at who saved the greatest percentage of energy from Jan. 1 – March 31 compared to the winter heating seasons of 2008-09 and 2009-10. Data analysis accounted for variations in temperatures and in the number of days between meter reads. Staff engineer Jim White used a linear correlation of prior energy use and average monthly temperatures for past winter heating seasons to determine the energy saved by the contestants during the past three months.

Before the three-month contest period, each contestant received a detailed home energy analysis. Each homeowner received a report with energy-saving recommendations. It was up to individual homeowners to decide how much they would spend on energy-efficiency measures, whether to do the work themselves, or to take any recommended actions at all.

Complete contest results — including videos featuring Wiser and the first- and second-place winners — are available on the PUD website. Check out the contestants’ savings, then hunt down yours!

Save on your purchase of CFLs now and save on your electric bills in the future.

PUD,  local stores part of regional program

Chelan County PUD is participating in a new regional program to bring savings on energy-efficiency products to consumers.

Customers will find prices already marked down on compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and indoor hard-wired fixtures at a dozen local retailers. Markdowns range from about 50 cents below suggested retail for general purpose CFLs to up to $7 on energy-saving showerheads. (Showerhead discounts are available only at Costco and Fred Meyer.)

Items available include:
• Twist CFLs – Regular Twists, Daylight Twists and A-Lamps
• Specialty CFLs – Reflectors, Globes, Candelabras, Torpedo Bulbs and Outdoor Lighting
• Fixtures – Indoor Hard-Wired Fixtures
• Showerheads – Those using 2.0 gallons per minute or less

On average, CFLs use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. Used CFLs can be recycled at Chelan County PUD offices, Home Depot and Lowes.

Calculate your potential energy savings  from switching to CFLs. Get help choosing the best lighting with Energy Star. And save on hot-water heating with low-flow showerheads.

Participating retailers are:
• Albertsons, 1128 N Miller, Wenatchee
• Bed Bath and Beyond, 511 Valley Mall Parkway, East Wenatchee
• BiMart, 780 Grant Road, East Wenatchee
• Costco, 375 Highline Drive S., East Wenatchee
• Fred Meyer, 11 Grant Road, East Wenatchee
• Home Depot, 1405 Maiden Lane, Wenatchee
• Lowes, 1200 Walla Walla Ave.
• Platt Electric, 1151 S. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee
• Top Foods, 10 Grant Road, East Wenatchee
• True Value, 585 Wapato Way, Manson
• Walmart, 108 Apple Blossom Dr., Chelan
• Walmart, 2000 N. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee