2018 Winter Energy Efficiency Guide

INSIDE: • Questions Customers Ask • Hot Tips for Hot Tubs • Programmable Pressure Cookers: Fantastic or Fad? • The Case for Cold Water • Lighten Your Laundry Load • The Scoop on Portable Heaters • Tech Corner: Smart Thermostat and EV Charger Update • Be An Energy-smart Family ENERGY Winter EFFICIENCY idahopower.com/save Guide Questions Customers Ask Theresa Drake, Senior Manager of Customer Relations and Energy Efficiency

Over the year, many of you contact Idaho Power Hot Tips Q: How do I calculate a with questions about your bills, our services hot tub’s monthly energy cost? and how you can reduce electricity use in your for home. Recently, we’ve received several ques- A: This is a bit tricky as there are many vari- Hot Tubs tions about hot tub use. ables, i.e., water volume, water temperature, ambient air temperatures, efficiency of the tub Here are some helpful tips to keep Since we agree that enjoying a nice, relaxing (insulation, cover, motor), amount of use per your hot tub running efficiently: soak is a great way to unwind after a long day — day, etc. Always consult the manufacturer for 1. Inspect your hot tub cover. Hot air rises, especially in the winter, here are some answers specific information. In our experience, costs so make sure your lid is gap-free and has to our most commonly asked hot tub questions. in Idaho Power’s service area typically range good insulation. Aging tub lids can crack between $1 and $3 per day. Q: What features can make and reduce the effectiveness of the insu- a permanent hot tub more We all enjoy Idaho Power’s low electrical rates. lation. The more heat you lose, the more However, from an energy perspective, it’s money you spend on reheating the water. energy- and cost-efficient? important to understand that hot tub owner- 2. Block the wind. Wind can significantly A: Having a separate pump for the jet system ship comes with a noticeable increase in your decrease the water temperature while allows for less electricity use because a lower power bill — particularly in the colder months. the hot tub is being used. wattage pump can be used when the jets are For those that find the benefits outweigh the off. Many eco-friendly hot tubs come with a added expense, choosing an efficient model 3. Adjust the thermostat to 102° F when setting that adjusts the heat down a bit when can help keep costs down. in use. Then, reduce energy costs by the hot tub is not in use. Hot tubs built out of setting the hot tub to a lower temperature a high-density polyurethane foam are better at other times. If your hot tub gets a lot insulated against the outside temperature. A typical covered hot of use, it may be more convenient to Last, a good cover — without gaps — is critical. Did You tub will lose about a keep it closer to the desired temperature Know? half a degree per hour (i.e., 98˚–100˚F). In the hot summers when with the heater off and the tub isn’t being used regularly, set the gain about 4 degrees per temperature to the lowest setting or turn off the heater. hour with the heater on. 4. Check the filters and plumbing. Clogged or worn out filters reduce the circulation of your water, placing more strain on the pump and reducing the efficiency of the heater element. 5. Understand your energy use. Track it by logging into My Account at idahopower.com/myaccount. 6. If your hot tub is old and you’re unhappy with your energy use, it might be time for a new, more efficient model. From the Electric Kitchen Programmable Pressure Cookers: Hot Tips Fantastic or Fad? Pressure cookers have always been a fast, energy-efficient way to cook — Hot Tubs your grandmother knew it, and now you can, too. Once a popular way to cook in the U.S., pressure cooking fell out of favor in some circles due to stories of exploding pots and hot food catapult- “Baked”Apples ing to the ceiling. INGREDIENTS As the trend toward busier lifestyles and health- ier eating gained momentum, the pressure • 6 fresh apples, cored cooker turned tech and reinvented itself. • ¼ cup raisins A quick internet search will confirm the new • 1 cup red wine multi-function, safe, convenient phenomenon • ½ cup raw demerara or light brown sugar has cooks of all ages excited. • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon What’s everyone talking about? INSTRUCTIONS • Enhanced safety — insulated casing is Add the apples to the base of the pressure only warm to the touch even during cooker. Pour in wine, sprinkle raisins, sugar and high-pressure cooking. cinnamon powder. Close and lock the lid of the • Food cooks up to 70 percent faster. pressure cooker. • Pots are multi-functional — often For electric pressure cookers: Cook for replacing the need to store rice cookers, 10 minutes at high pressure. slow cookers, steamers, etc. For stove-top pressure cookers: Turn the heat • Pressure functions self-regulate — up to high and when the cooker indicates it no need to stand over, or even stay has reached high pressure, lower to the heat in the kitchen, while food cooks. Did You to maintain it and begin counting 10 minutes • Programmable features allow dinner Know? Today’s electric pressure cooking time. to cook and stay warm until you are multi-cookers When time is up, either remove from the stove ready. combine pressure- top or unplug the unit. Be sure to let the • Food retains more vitamins and cooking, slow-cooking, pressure release naturally or you’ll end up minerals with less liquid and shorter sautéing, and other with runny applesauce. cook times. common cooking functions Scoop the apples out of the pressure cooker and in a single appliance. serve in a small bowl with lots of cooking liquid. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream Shorter cook-times with minimal heat loss They are made with a group of for a special treat. translate directly to energy savings. If you are sensors that keep the cooker from an adventurous cook, open to new ideas and overheating or exploding under methods, you may want to give this reinvented pressure. Recipe courtesty of Laura Pazzaglia, gadget a try. Hip Pressure Cooking • hipcooking.com The Case for Cold Water It’s a question all laundry-sorting Americans struggle with: do I wash in hot or cold water? It’s a good question since heat, mechanical energy (in the form of agitation) and chemicals are the three main ingredients in cleaning clothes. The trick is, if you remove the heat, you need to YourLighten Laundry Load improve the other ingredients. Cold-water- specific detergents, developed and improved in Laundry can account for 5 to 10 percent of an average home’s overall the last 10 to 20 years, do just that. According energy use and makes up a large part of appliance energy use. to Consumer Reports, new cleaning agents, Idaho Power’s online portal to your account chemically formulated for cold water, perform Annual Energy Use of Typical gives you access to many resources, includ- Standard Household Appliances the same as or better than traditional detergents. ing your home’s energy use by day, month Washing clothes in cold water with cold-water and hour. Once you learn how much you’re Dishwasher 206 kWh detergents not only saves energy and money — using, you can follow some easy tips so Clothes Washer 590 kWh it preserves fabric color, prevents shrinkage you can use less — and that can save you money. Clothes Dryer (particularly along the seams) and helps clothes 769 kWh last longer. Additionally, since heat has a Visit our website to log into My Account, Refrigerator 596 kWh tendency to set protein-based stains like sweat find incentives and learn more tips to help you take control of your energy use. and blood, cold water can aid in stain removal. Source: U.S. EPA Bottom line — unless you’re dealing with oily stains, the age-old advice that hot water washes best is no longer the rule. Ways to Save • Use cooler water to wash. Switching • Fill, but do not overload your dryer. Clothes temperature settings from hot to warm should dry in no more than 40 minutes to an can cut a load’s energy use in half. hour. • Use an extra spin cycle on your washing • Dry multiple loads back-to-back to make machine. Next to line drying, this is the the most of the dryer’s heat. You can also single best method to reduce drying costs. set damp clothes on top of the warm dryer • Sort clothes. Lightweight synthetics dry to finish. faster than bath towels or denim. Similar • Use the “perma press” (cool-down) cycle materials dry at similar rates, so dry them to allow clothes to finish drying with the together. heat remaining in the dryer. • Take clothes out of the dryer while • Clean the lint screen after every load to The average family they are still slightly damp. Over-drying improve air circulation and prevent fire does about 300 causes shrinkage and static, and shortens hazards. loads of laundry fabric life. Removing clothes early also Did You each year. Washing reduces the need for ironing. Know? in cold water can • Use your dryer’s moisture sensor ENERGY STAR clothes save about 90 percent if it has one. washers clean clothes using 35 percent less water and of the energy needed 20 percent less energy to run the washer. idahopower.com/save than standard washers. Beware of high efficiency claims associated Did You with this label. Know?

This designation is intended to match certain washer types (e.g., front load) with specially designed Laundry Lowdown laundry detergent. There are no standards for energy efficiency Laundry has gotten a lot more fun and Another recent manufacturer trend is to create behind it. Only products that have easy with new, game-changing fea- two-in-one systems that add a smaller washer earned the ENERGY STAR® rating tures on washers and dryers. or dryer to a larger standard model, enabling are independently certified to users to clean small loads or to dry delicates at save energy. In the past few years, laundry manufacturers the same time as regular clothes on a different have come out with cool new options including cycle setting. the following: You can be sure ENERGY STAR® is keeping How Can My Appliances • Internet connectivity (so users can start/ up with the innovations and watching out for stop laundry from their phones, see when your interest. Dryers with the ENERGY STAR and Electronics Use the laundry will be done, connect with label use about 20 percent less energy without Less Energy? voice platforms like Amazon’s Alexa or sacrificing features or performance. download new cycles). According to the U.S. ENERGY STAR® If you’re in the market for a new washer or dryer, • Washers that feature built-in sinks to make program, appliances and electronics account now is a great time to figure out what features fit laundry easier. for 17 percent or more of the average home’s your budget and lifestyle. There is no shortage of energy use. Do you know how your home • Dryers with steam cleaning to sanitize and options! de-wrinkle clothes. compares? Home electronics frequently draw power even when you aren’t using them. • Detachable drying racks that fit inside Simple changes and quick fixes can combat the dryer’s drum. these invisible energy wasters. And, when • Automated maintenance notifications it’s time to purchase a replacement, shop and diagnoses if something doesn’t work smart and purchase ENERGY STAR qualified correctly. products. • The ability to have a dryer automatically order Look for the new dryer sheets when a user runs low. ENERGY STAR logo To find the most efficient appliances on the market, look A full-size for the ENERGY STAR logo. Did You electric ENERGY While all appliances sold in the U.S. must Know? STAR® certified meet minimum standards for efficiency, dryer can save the ENERGY STAR logo appears only on $200 in energy bills appliances and home electronics that meet over the life of the strictest energy efficiency criteria estab- the product. lished by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. TOn he Portable Scoop Heaters Portable heaters (often referred to as space heaters) are not an efficient way to heat a home. They can, however, be a good way to provide additional heat to small problem areas.

Space heaters can save energy and How much will it cost? Are they safe? money — but only when heating a To determine the cost, you’ll need to know two The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission single room allows you to significantly things: 1) how many watts your space heater estimates that more than 25,000 residential fires reduce the overall temperature in the uses and 2) how many hours it will run. every year are associated with the use of space rest of the house. This is the formula to determine how many heaters, resulting in more than 300 deaths. In kilowatt-hours (kWh) it will use: addition, an estimated 6,000 people receive How much space can I heat? hospital emergency room care for burn injuries As a general rule, you’ll need roughly watts x hours associated with contacting the hot surfaces of 10 watts of heating power for every square = kWh room heaters, mostly in non-fire situations. foot of floor space. So, a 1,500-watt heater 1,000 Follow these guidelines to stay safe: (most common) would heat about 150 square feet (a 10'x15' room). Most heaters come • If you choose to use a portable heater, pur- with sizing guidelines. Here’s an example: chase a newer model that has a tip-over safe- A 1,500-watt electric space heater runs eight ty switch and the Underwriter’s Laboratory hours each day. Using the formula, multiply (UL) label. 1,500 watts by 8 hours to learn the space heater • Place the heater on a level surface and keep would use 12,000 watt-hours. Now, divide children and pets away. 12,000 by 1,000 to convert watt-hours to kWh. • Plug the heater directly into the wall outlet — In this example, the space heater would use avoid extension cords. 12 kWh each day. At about 10 cents per kWh, • Never leave a portable heater unattended. this would cost $1.20 per day or $36 per month. Space heaters can be an effective way to create a warm and comfortable environment and heat up a small space; but remember, they won’t If you use a space heater without reducing efficiently replace a central heating system and your thermostat temperature, it’s important can pose a serious safety hazard if not used to remember these charges are in addition to correctly. your normal bill. TECH CORNER KILL A WATT TM ENERGY STAR® Smart Electric Vehicle Save Energy Thermostats Chargers Have you ever wondered how much energy Smart thermostats feature internet connectiv- Electric vehicles, including it takes to run your TV, computer or kitchen ity and make it easier and more convenient to plug-in hybrids, receive energy from the grid appliance? Now you can find out. control heating and cooling systems effectively through EV chargers. These chargers are Idaho Power has teamed up with libraries and efficiently. They have become increasing- efficient when in use, but in standby mode throughout Idaho to bring you an easy-to-use ly popular over the past few years. However, (about 85 percent of the time), they can waste tool that can help. Now, you can check out an it can be difficult to decide which products a lot of energy. Energy Efficiency Kit from your local library. The work best. Until recently, there hasn’t been a ENERGY STAR certifies both Level 1 chargers kit features a Kill A Watt meter, a device that third-party evaluation to ensure a given prod- (120 volt [V], providing 2 to 5 miles of range per can measure the energy consumption of appli- uct delivers on its energy-saving promises. hour of charging time) and Level 2 chargers ances in your home, instructions for using the That has changed! Now that smart thermo- (240 V, providing 10 to 60 miles of range per Kill A Watt meter and tips for saving energy. stats can automatically adjust the temperature hour of charging time). Most of the energy (through a variety of strategies) and report waste in a charging system occurs when it’s Simply plug the Kill A Watt meter into a in-depth data, ENERGY STAR can gauge the in standby mode. Choosing a charger with the standard, three-prong electrical outlet, then energy savings a given thermostat can provide ENERGY STAR label cuts standby losses by plug your appliance into the meter. The meter and assess how well it actually performs. 40 percent. will measure the amount of power being used, Some ENERGY STAR certified EV chargers helping you identify potential savings by either ENERGY STAR certified smart have Wi-Fi technology to allow for remote unplugging items when not in use or replacing thermostats meet these standards: monitoring and control of the charging of the the item with a more energy-efficient model. • Use uniform data privacy standards connected vehicles. For instance, if you frequently leave your TV to protect customers on all day for background noise, but no one • Ensure customers can view data on their is watching it, you can measure how much heating and cooling system runtime and Sales of EVs in the power it uses in a set period. From there, you U.S. are estimated energy consumption Did You can multiply the power used by the current to reach over • Include features to enhance future Know? 1 million by 2020. electricity rate (about 10 cents per kWh) to see management of the electrical grid how much money you can save by turning it off when it’s not being watched. So far, a handful of smart thermostats have To learn more about the qualified for the ENERGY STAR label, including Energy Efficiency Kits or to those made by Nest, ecobee, EcoFactor and find a library near you, Bryant. Over the coming years, we visit lili.org/energy. expect to see the number of ENERGY STAR certified thermostats in- crease. For an up-to-date list of certified products, go to energystar.gov.

You may be eligible to receive a $75 smart thermostat incentive. Learn more 68˚ online: idahopower.com/ heatingcooling Average Lifespan of Appliances Knowing the average lifespan of various appli- ances can help homeowners plan and prepare for unexpected failures. When you take time to Be an People can do many things to reduce energy use and save compare features, upfront costs and operating money on their monthly bills. However, some actions are expenses such as energy use before an appli- Energy- more impactful than others. In the chart below, we’ve ance fails, you will be prepared to make the identified some behaviors and attitudes with the highest best decision possible when the time comes. potential payoff. smart Remember that ENERGY STAR® certified prod- As you read the behaviors, color in the “smileys” to indicate ucts always provide the top energy savings in how well you are doing. You may want to consider setting their class. And, of course, an appliance may last some goals for your family. Behaviors are listed in priority a longer or shorter period than shown depend- order based on expected savings over time. ing on the manufacturing quality, maintenance Family and how heavily it’s used. A Fun Activity Actions of an Heating and Cooling Systems for the Whole Energy-smart Family – Furnace (gas and electric)...... 21 years Family Heat pump...... 19 years In the Winter Central A/C...... 19 years Water heater...... 12 years Keeps furnace filter clean (checks and cleans or replaces every two months) Kitchen Dishwasher...... 15 years Concentrates on occupant comfort vs. house Garbage disposal...... 9 years temperature (weather-appropriate at-home Refrigerator...... 15 years clothing, electric blankets, etc.) Microwave...... 11 years Opens drapes to let daylight sun warm house Oven/Range (electric)...... 16 years and closes at night to keep cold out Oven/Range (gas)...... 13 years Laundry Turns lights off when not in use Washer...... 14 years Washes full loads of laundry in cool water Dryer...... 12 years

Plugs electronics into power strips and switches off when not in use

Prepares meals using most efficient cooking method for task

Hangs clothing to dry when possible

Uses fans appropriately when room is occupied

Enables power-save features on computers, gaming and entertainment systems