Chelan County PUD’s Lightly e-newsletter has joined the Facebook crowd. Find it at www.Facebook.com/LightlyNewsAndTips.

A summary of stories from the Lightly blog is sent to subscribers in an e-mail newsletter every other month. Now readers can get updates and give comments more frequently via Facebook.

Got a burning question about fuel costs? Need a little light shed on compact fluorescent light bulbs? Want money back on buying new windows? Ask, learn and take action with help from Lightly.

Calculate the cost of making your morning coffee on Chelan PUD's Website.

A new feature on Chelan County PUD’s Website  allows customers to calculate the energy cost of everything from coffeemakers to hot tub heaters.

You can choose from a list of pre-defined appliances and wattages, or you can type specific information in. To be completely accurate, you’ll need to know the wattage of each applliance and how many minutes or hours it’s used each day. The calculator tells you how many kilowatt hours are consumed and the total cost.

Heating, cooling and hot water use the most energy in your home, so those are two good places to start when you’re looking to save energy. Lower your heating thermostat at night (or in the summer, set your AC thermostat a little higher). Every degree can take 2 percent off your power bill. Set your water heater at 120 degrees F.

The appliance calculator is available here.

The average cost of running your coffeemaker, by the way, is 14 cents a month. The average cost of operating your hot tub heater is $14 a month.

It’s time for a lot of local retirees to fly south for the winter. Energy-conscious snowbirds are calling Chelan County PUD’s Conservation Department  for advice on shutting up their homes for the season.

Their main question: At what temperature should I set my thermostat when I’m away?

The answer: about 55 degrees F. In older homes that are not well insulated, customers may want to leave the thermostat at 60 degrees. If there’s no fear of pipes freezing, you might be able to get away with 50 degrees.  Tip: Leave cupboard doors under sinks open so warm air can get to your pipes.

Here are some additional tips:

• To save energy, turn off the circuit breaker to your hot water heater. Just remember to turn it back on when you get home before you jump in the shower.
• Unplug electrical appliances and computers (but not the refrigerator/freezer). Power outages and/or power surges may cause undue stress on any electric equipment.
• Make sure your smoke alarms work and have new batteries.
• Turn off those faucets throughout the home. Check drains to make sure they are open and ready to drain if necessary. Turn off the supply valve of water to the toilet and water supply lines to your washing machine.
• Ask a friend, neighbor or family member to check your home every week or two while you are away, especially during extended periods of cold weather.

Related links
Closing your home for the winter

A Tesla Roadster is scheduled to be on display during the Power Up Summit May 27-28.

The fifth annual Power Up Summit returns to the Wenatchee Center May 27 and 28.

Speakers will discuss recent developments in electric vehicles, community planning for electric charging stations, prospects for market growth, possible economic stimulus funding and related topics.

The show-and-tell of original and converted vehicles will include a Tesla Roadster,  Toyota Rav4, Ford Ranger, Toyota Echo,  Toyota Prius, International school bus, Electric A2B bicycle, Bad Boy Buggy ATV, Gorilla ATV, Allis Chalmers tractor and a Chevy S10 Blazer.  The vehicles will be parked behind the convention center for public viewing.

Speakers include Ed Kjaer, director of the Electric Transportation Division of Southern California Edison; Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars, and Dr. Andrew Frank, professor at the University of California-Davis who is largely regarded as the father of the plug-in hybrid car.

Cost is $225. Local residents who want to take in just part of the show can pay $25 to attend Wednesday’s luncheon at 11:30 a.m. with Ed Kjaer. Reservations should be made through the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce at (509) 662-2116. 

The Power Up summit is an extension of the Port of Chelan County’s efforts to establish the county as a center for solar, biofuel and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology.

More info: plugincenter.com

Replacing your old refrigerator with a new, energy-efficient model can save money on electric bills. But what to do with the old fridge?

Most appliance stores will take away your old refrigerator for free when they deliver a new one purchased from their store. Some also will “decommission” old refrigerators for customers, but for a fee. John Schons, appliance technician at Sav-Mart in Wenatchee, said the refrigerant and compressor oil are removed by technicians and recycled, and the refrigerator is hauled away to a scrap metal dealer.

For $20, Vic’s Fix-it Shop in East Wenatchee will pick up your old refrigerator, refurbish it, and re-sell it. Shop co-owner Jessie Blair says they won’t take refrigerators that are yellow, green or have rounded corners – the telltale signs of advanced age. Those are destined for the scrap heap or the dump, er, transfer station (see below).

Chelan County’s Dryden Transfer Station accepts refrigerators and other appliances. For an appliance that contains or once contained Freon the charge is $17. The transfer station is located one mile east of the Big Y (Highway 2 and 97) intersection. The turnoff can only be accessed by traffic heading east.

The Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign sponsors a contest for the best cool works of art made from old refrigerators. Click here to see photos from the art exhibition held in August in Washington, D.C.

By the way: Modern refrigerators usually use a refrigerant called HFC-134a which, unlike Freon, has no ozone-layer depleting properties.

Tip: You can calculate how much you’d save in energy costs if you replaced your refrigerator here. When the calculator asks what you pay for electricity, type in 0.029 (a bargain-basement 2.9 cents per kilowatt hour).