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Time to finish those remodeling projects We've all started remodeling projects that didn't get done as quickly as we planned. If you have unfinished projects, the good news is you have opportunities for energy savings, if you just know where to start. Look for ways to slow air leakage whenever you open building cavities such as walls and ceilings. Be sure to seal around all pipes, wires and ducts that are exposed as you work. Seal around any complicated framing details like soffits and dropped ceilings where there isn't a continuous air and insulation barrier. Pay close attention to any openings that lead to your attic, crawl space or basement. Don't use fiberglass insulation to plug gaps and holes because it isn't an air barrier. Instead, use caulk or liquid foam to fill small gaps, and use rigid foam board to plug large openings. Air will also leak around the edges of interior finish like drywall and trim work, especially at exterior walls. Seal around the edges of doors and windows, and caulk new drywall where it meets the floor. Caulk around new electrical boxes, or better yet, use the new airtight electrical boxes that are designed to reduce airflow through walls. Consider how you can install extra insulation whenever you work on exterior walls. You can have your wall cavities packed with loose fill insulation or spray foam insulation by a professional insulator. You can also add foam sheeting to either the interior or exterior of your outside walls. If you are pinching pennies on your remodeling project, remember that energy upgrades are always worth the money spent. Source: www.residential-energy.com Renewable energy, efficiency grants available from USDA $23 million in competitive grant funds are available to agriculture producers and rural small businesses this year for renewable energy and efficiency improvements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business-Cooperative Service recently announced the availability of $23 million for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency upgrades. However, the deadline for applications is June 6, and all applications must be postmarked by that date. In order to be eligible for funding, producers or businesses must demonstrate financial need. Their request must not exceed 25 percent of the project's total costs. The funds are eligible for projects such as energy audits, purchase or installation of renewable energy equipment, permit and professional service fees, business plans and feasibility studies. All applications should be submitted to Cathy McNeal, USDA Rural Development, 2118 W. Park Court, Suite A, Champaign, IL 61821. For information, contact McNeal at (217) 403-6209. How to get rid of old newspapers
Nu-Wool Company, Inc., a cellulose insulation manufacturer has been producing the ultimate "green" product since 1949. The company has quadrupled in size over the last 10 years, and in that time, has recycled 515 million pounds of paper to produce its cellulose insulation. More than 50 years ago, Nu-Wool began using recycled newspaper to manufacture an environmentally safe and effective insulation product. Nu-Wool now processes at least 150 tons of recycled paper each business day - the equivalent of 2,550 trees. Putting all this paper to use in the walls of houses and buildings helps keep it out of landfills. Extending its environmentally conscious practices further, Nu-Wool processes the paper using electricity, which ultimately uses less energy than the gas-fired furnaces used to process fiberglass insulation. It's not only the production of cellulose insulation that's good for the environment. Independent university and lab studies show that buildings insulated with cellulose insulation are heated and cooled more efficiently, using up to 40 percent less energy than conventionally insulated buildings, and contributing to energy conservation. Nu-Wool Cellulose Insulation is also an Energy Star product. Energy Star is a voluntary partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, product manufacturers and retailers. In order to keep the Energy Star label, the products must use less energy, save money on utility bills, and help protect the environment. Source: www.nuwool.com. 6 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING www.icl.coop Co-ops are serious about safety The Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC), Springfield, won the "Enterprise" Community Service Award from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association earlier this year. An electrical safety campaign, initiated by AIEC in an alliance with the other Illinois electric utilities, is helping prevent electrical accidents. With a view that consumer safety is a non-competitive issue, the alliance created an industry-wide effort to highlight electrical safety at home and in the workplace. Nationally, more than 2,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year by accidental electrocution, often involving power lines knocked down in motor vehicle crashes. Electrical accidents are the cause of more than 60 farm deaths annually. Another 40,000 electrical-related fires, about 7,000 in homes, often result in death and injury. In planning the "Safe Electricity" campaign, the group has worked with national safety material vendors. Along with using general broadcasting and advertising outlets for public service announcements, "Safe Electricity" also has an interactive component. "Safe Electricity" maintains and updates a comprehensive Web site, www.SafeElectricity.org.
Lightning is a real killer Lightning can strike even if it's not raining. So the moment you hear thunder, see lightning, or learn that a severe thunderstorm warning is in effect, move to the nearest sturdy building. Telephone lines, electrical wiring and metal pipes can conduct electricity; so stay away from them. If you're not close to a building, get into a hard top automobile. If you're caught outside, find a low spot away from tall trees, fences, poles and other metal objects. Squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet, with hands on knees. This creates the smallest possible target and minimizes contact with the ground.
Homeland Security Department taking shape The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will deal with critical infrastructure protection, border security, emergency responses, weapons of mass destruction, and analyzing intelligence information— among other things. With the DHS, 22 federal agencies will be merging into one with 169,000 employees and an annual budget of $37 billion. It will be the federal government's third largest department, right behind Defense and Veterans' Affairs. "The electric utility industry has been doing a lot on its own rather than waiting for the DHS or others to tell us what to do. We have to think about our risks and vulnerabilities and take any necessary and prudent actions needed to address new threats to the industry," said Barry Lawson, Manager of Power Delivery for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). "Attacks on our country's power plants and critical parts of the transmission grid could cause widespread problems and deeply effect our economy and ability to communicate with one another," said Lawson. Lawson explained that NRECA has been working with the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), the Department of Energy, other industry trade associations, and the Office of Homeland Security to develop security guidelines for the electric utility industry. All Americans should begin a process of learning about potential threats so we are better prepared to react during an attack. Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as assembling a supply kit and developing a family communications plan, are the same for both a natural or man-made emergency. For more information, go to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Web site www.ready.gov. JUNE 2003 www.aiec.coop 7 Contribute your town's Lincoln story Information is being gathered from local historians and citizens in preparation for Lincoln's 200th birthday in 2009. State Comptroller Dan Hynes is head of the state commission planning events for the Lincoln bicentennial. He says this is an opportunity for communities across the state with Lincoln history to be part of the celebration. To add your town's Lincoln history just go to the Web site www.illinoiscomptroller.com/Lincoln. Along with reader submissions the site will have Lincoln resources and links to other news about the Lincoln bicentennial. On the road again -Americans increase drive time If you feel like you are spending more time in your car these days, you probably are. And you have a lot in common with other Americans, according to a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The 2001 National Household Travel Survey showed that a long-term trend continues: households are getting smaller, but they have more cars, more drivers and travel more miles than ever. While the number of trips per day has remained the same since the last survey in 1995, the average distance of daily trips has increased. The preliminary data shows that in 1990 the average length of a vehicle trip was 8.8 miles; in 1995, it was 9.1, and in the latest survey, it was 9.8 miles. The longest vehicle trips were made to visit family and friends at 16 average miles per trip followed by trips to work at an average of 12 miles per trip. Seventy-six percent of trips to work are made driving alone. Preliminary data also shows that Americans are driving nearly 14,000 miles a year, an increase of 60 percent since 1969, Source: DOT http://nhts.oml.gov. Drowning is fourth leading cause of childhood death Each year, more than 300 children under 5-years-old drown in residential swimming pools, often in their own backyard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In fact, drowning is the fourth-leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 and the leading cause of death for children under the age of 2. More than 3,000 children go to the hospital due to submersion injuries, often resulting in lengthy hospital stays to treat brain damage and other disabilities. Alan McMillan, President of the National Safety Council (NSC), recommends constant supervision as the primary element in preventing pool and beach tragedies. If a child is missing, and a pool is in the area, always check the pool first. Don't allow young children to swim unsupervised just because they've had swimming lessons. Remove all toys. Floats, balls and other toys may attract children to the pool when it is unattended. Make sure you know infant and child CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). If you own a pool, your children should already be taking swimming lessons. Use various layers of protection between children and pools, including a fence with a gate, pool cover and even pool alarms. Remove any chairs or ladders from the area to prevent children from climbing over any fence surrounding the pool. Always drain wading pools after your children are done playing. Congress must look out for consumers in energy bill Electric cooperatives and their consumers are once again battling for just and reasonable electricity rates in an energy bill discussion draft presented by House Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee Chair Joe Barton (R-Texas) in late February. Spokesman for electric cooperatives and Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Glenn English testified before Representative Barton and his subcommittee. "To regain the faith of consumers, investors and financial markets, Congress must get it right. As a nation we cannot afford to get it wrong," he cautioned. One part of the bill that is very troubling, according to English, is the bill's attempt to fix the nation's ailing power grid by proposing large rates of return for power generators to provide transmission service or build new transmission lines to serve consumers. The bill proposes high rates of return for transmission owners, much of which will be absorbed by consumers, and could also decrease competition among power generators. Electric cooperatives, which are located in remote areas and are for the most part transmission dependent, could be disproportionately affected by these transmission policies. English also objected to the bill's repeal of the Public Utilities Holding Company Act-a 1930s law designed to protect consumers from the market power created by mergers of large utilities-without replacing it with specific consumer protections. "These provisions threaten to increase instability on both Wall Street and Main Street-by undermining consumer protections and failing to allow a healthy wholesale market to develop and inspire investor confidence," said English. Source: NRECA 8 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING www.icl.coop Keep COOL this summer with Geothermal
You will save energy, money and the environment. Best of all you'll be more comfortable. "The comfort in our new home is a great improvement over what we had in the past. We don't know if it's zero or 100° F outside. We just set our thermostat and never move it," say George and Barbara Hiltibidal of Centralia. Although people began trying to use the earth's steady temperature in the 1940s, it wasn't until a few years ago that a heat pump was developed to effectively use the earth's temperature to heat and cool homes. Geothermal heat pumps are designed to heat and cool your home, as well as provide hot water, using loops of buried pipe and an in-house compressor unit. Here's how it works: Pipe is buried in loops in the ground surrounding your home. The type of pipe-loop system you need depends on the size of your home, and the versatility of its surroundings. The loops are filled with an environmentally safe fluid and connected to the indoor geothermal heat pump. In the summer, as outside air conditioners are churning away, trying to cool the hot, humid air, the geothermal system is transferring the home's warm air to the earth's cooler temperature. An added bonus in the summer months is that heat removed from the home is also used to heat water, saving additional water-heating costs. In the winter, the process is reversed and heat is transferred from the ground to the home. The humidity levels of the home stay the same because the dry, cold, outside air is not being heated. Some of the earth's heat can be used to provide home water-heating needs as well. Every home is different, but often half or more of domestic hot water needs are met. Because it utilizes the earth's temperatures, a geothermal unit requires about 60 percent less energy to heat and cool a home. Electricity is used only to power the unit's compressor, blower and the pumps used to circulate the fluid in the closed-loop of pipe buried in the ground. And because all of the systems components are located either underground or inside the home, maintenance is minimal. Filter changes are usually the only maintenance required. And the underground loop is engineered to last for generations to come. Because of the extra cost for the ground loop, a geothermal heat pump system will cost more up front, but in the long run, the savings will quickly make up for the additional costs. The additional costs can often be recovered in a year or two of operation. And there are other benefits to the geothermal system as well. Currently, more than 650,000 geothermal systems are operating in the U.S. These units are saving the environment the equivalent of 14 million barrels of crude oil. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has stated that geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective method of heating and cooling currently available. The next time your air conditioner kicks on, remember, the secret to a more energy efficient, comfortable home is beneath your feet.
JUNE 2003 www.aiec.coop 9 Illinois' treasure of natural wonders By Shawn Wilcockson Illinois is a treasure chest full of natural wonders. There's no end to what you'll discover — prehistoric rock paintings, weathered pioneer homesteads, limestone cliffs formed by glaziers and rivers — in Illinois State parks. Explore the brilliant countryside of Illinois and experience exhilarating outdoor adventures by visiting one of the 262 state parks in Illinois. To explore this exquisite beauty and scenery, the Department of Natural Resources has an online resource to familiarize you with the state parks; each annotated with information on history, natural features, recreational opportunities and facilities. Where available, campground maps are online, as well as a form to use for making campground reservations. A variety of photos are scattered throughout the descriptions, giving an excellent perspective of many of the areas surrounding the parks. Contact the DNR through their Web site at www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/ or by calling (217) 782-6752. Starved Rock Starved Rock State Park is a great place to view the terrain along the Illinois River. Starved Rock is located by the city of Utica in northern Illinois. The park is defined by geological wonders. Sandstone rock formations, carved by the actions of water, are characteristic of the park, and these rock formations date back about 400 million years to the time when this area of Illinois was part of a shallow inland sea. Canyons, bluffs, overhangs and other natural features abound in the park. There are 18 canyons cut into the rock in a 6-mile section of the park with various canyons featuring waterfalls. The forests are mostly oaks and hickory, but a natural stand of Eastern White Pine trees, the only pine tree native to Illinois, exists in the park.
Starved Rock State Park offers natural scenic beauty, wildlife watching, hiking, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, boating, fine dining, lodging, and both natural and cultural history as well. Request information by calling (815) 667-4906 or writing to Program Coordinator, Starved Rock State Park, PO Box 509, Utica, IL 61373.
Siloam Springs There is a great "secluded park find" in west central Illinois. The park received its name from a Christian minister who declared the area "Siloam Springs" after Jesus' miracle of healing in the Pool of Siloam. Located just east of Quincy, this beautifully wooded area boasts seven natural springs. Visitors can view one of these pools at picnic area two near the Hoot Owl Trailhead. The park features nine miles of great trails. Opulent forested gullies and scenic crests surround the park along with wild roses, black-eyed Susan's, white false indigo, and snapdragons. Enjoy the parks outdoor recreation by calling (217) 894-6290. Giant City Just outside of Carbondale in southern Illinois nestled within the northern section of the Shawnee Hills, Giant City State Park offers 4,000 acres of splendor. In 1818 the park received its name when local visitors discovered an area where sandstone slabs had broken away from a bluff resembling the avenues of giants. The park provides an excellent destination for rock climbers. One of the more popular climbing spots is the 120 foot sandstone bluff at Shelter No. 1, near the north entrance of the park. There are several levels of climbs here as well as prime bouldering opportunities. Giant City also provides excellent hiking trails, wildlife viewing, picking and camping destinations. Discover the rustic beauty Of Giant City State Park by calling (618) 457-4921. Illinois' State Parks represent diverse countryside; everything from rolling grasslands and woodlands to jagged ravines and graceful waterways, providing habitat to wildlife and playgrounds for outdoor enthusiasts. The Land of Lincoln provides 55,646 square miles (35.7 million acres) of majestic scenery for those willing to venture out into its rustic landscapes. JUNE 2003 www.aiec.coop 21 |
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