Mt. Pleasant Utilities wants its customers to save money, energy

Mt. Pleasant Utilities wants its customers to be energy efficient - and help them save money.

As the cold weather sets in, the local utility company wants its customers to make small, energy-saving investments that pay off big. For bigger energy-saving changes, they offer rebates to encourage customers to buy more efficient appliances.

'Our program on a smaller scale is trying to incentivize people to do the right thing by the environment and use less energy, and I think it ties into nationwide (effort) to be more energy conscious,” said Jack Hedgecock, Mt. Pleasant Utilities general manager.

Starting small

While Hedgecock knows most of his customers can't afford large energy-saving changes like upgrading their heating system or replacing every appliance with Energy Star, he believes everyone can afford the small changes.

LED light bulbs are a simple one, and one that Mt. Pleasant Utilities gives rebates for. If a customer has four lamps or fixtures with LED light bulbs, they can take their receipt to Mt. Pleasant Utilities, who will cover 50 percent of the cost of the materials.

'Lighting is something any customer can do on a budget, and it pays back huge dividends quickly,” Hedgecock said.

Another energy-efficient change is making the house tighter. Mt. Pleasant Utilities provides an energy audit for a fee of $50 because 'it gives folks a little skin in the game,” Hedgecock said. During that energy audit, they do a blower door test and find out where the leaks in the house are.

While a house shouldn't be so tight it becomes a health hazard, it's easy to limit the amount of cold air coming in or heat loss going out. Not everyone can afford to put new windows in their home, but there are window covering kits that cover the windows inside and act as an extra layer against the elements.

The cellophane material sticks to the window and is secured with heat from a hairdryer.

'You can see right through them. You would never know it was there,” said Jeff Moeller, meter reader and energy services representative with Mt. Pleasant Utilities.

Water heater blankets, low-flow shower heads and making sure there are no water leaks are other simple ways to cut down on energy waste.

Low-flow shower heads, which can be purchased for less than $10 to $30, cut down water volume and can cut the hot water bill in half, Hedgecock said.

Finally, setting the thermostat to power down during the day when everyone is at school or work can save money as well. 'There's no sense in having it run 24/7 in most cases,” Hedgecock said.

Threshold of efficiency

For customers who see large amounts of energy waste or have some extra cash they could invest in energy efficiency, Mt. Pleasant Utilities' comprehensive energy audit can give them a starting place.

An energy audit done on the Union Block building at 111 W. Monroe Street found energy-saving fixes, some easy and others that require a little extra cash.

While the utility company doesn't typically do energy audits on larger commercial buildings, Hedgecock said they agreed to audit the Union Block because of its connection to the community and historic value.

The audit comes with a list of 'findings,” a checklist of things customers can do to help themselves save money in the long run.

At the Union Block building, one suggestion was to add insulation. Pictures in the report show how little insulation there was.

There were also little things like a bathroom fan that ran 24/7 that was pulling heat out of the building, and a heater running in a hallway no one used. The commercial refrigerator was another thing that had to go.

'It's a beautiful facility,” Hedgecock said. 'We've got to do what we can to control cost because those things don't survive if the overhead is too high.”

Mt. Pleasant Utilities' rebate program is another way customers can save big later. Energy Star still is the standard of excellence, Hedgecock said. If a customer purchases an Energy Star refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine or other appliance, they can get a rebate from the Mt. Pleasant Utilities.

For a refrigerator, Mt. Pleasant Utilities offers a $50 rebate. If there is proof that the old refrigerator has been eliminated, a customer can get a $100 rebate.

'The whole intent of the program is to try to encourage you to be more energy conscious and use less energy,” Hedgecock explained. 'If you take that old refrigerator and put it in your garage for beer, you're not going to save money. It's going to work harder and it's terrible for efficiency anyway.”

There is a $50 washing machine rebate for water or electric customers and a $100 rebate if the customer is both a water and electric customer. And the list goes on.

All rebate forms can be found on the Mt. Pleasant Utilities website.

For any homeowner looking to cut down their utility bills, Hedgecock said to get with their utility provider - whether it's Mt. Pleasant Utility, Alliant or Access Energy, 'You need to be able to partner with the utility to figure it out,” Hedgecock said.