Cool & Green

It's no mystery why older Marietta homes have big front porches.

Step back a generation or two when central air conditioning systems did not exist or were too pricey for most families. To beat the heat of summer, homeowners relied on ceiling fans, iced tea and a cool front porch.

"I miss those days," said Gretchen Otto of Marietta. "My absolute favorite front porch was my grandparents' porch. We would each have a cardboard fan on a stick and after dinner and vespers, we all sat out on the front porch until bedtime."

Temperatures are beginning to climb and soon people will be reaching for the switch from heat to air. The air conditioner can provide a cool indoor atmosphere, but it often means inflating one's electric bill.

Cutting electricity usage to decrease demand and the emission of greenhouse gases benefits the environment, as well as consumers' bank accounts.

"Green" is looking good this summer.

"Consumers should simply be mindful and consciously aware of their overall energy use," said Jennifer Bennett, spokeswoman with the Washington Electric Cooperative Inc.

Electricity costs most when it is most needed, she said.

"Typically the busiest times are in the mornings and evenings and on the hottest summer days and coldest winter days," Bennett said. "Simple things like raising your thermostat a few degrees in the summer can translate into not only energy conservation, which is good for everyone, but also offers savings on your electric bill."

Bennett did not have specifics on how much can be saved by an individual household on electric during summer months, but said there are things that can be done during "peak demand" periods that are guaranteed to save.

In the cooperative's voluntary load management program, rebates are offered to homeowners for high-efficiency water heaters, heat pumps, and newly installed geothermal systems, she said.

The systems get a radio-controlled switch that helps control output during peak times. There is a "cycled" shutdown of those appliances at critical energy-use times to save power. Many times, the customer won't notice a difference, Bennett said.

Norma Starkey, 87, of Norwood, doesn't use her air conditioner.

"I have ceiling fans," she said. "If I leave my air on, I get chilled, so I just leave it off. It saves me money. I sit out on my porch and you'd be surprised the number of people who come by. We've got good neighbors."

When Otto was growing up in the 1950s, air conditioning and excess energy usage in peak summer months was not an issue.

"We sat out on the front porch until the mosquitoes or the (mosquito) fogging machine drove us inside," she said. "We played on the porch and watched parades. We sat out until dark."

In some homes there were "sleeping porches" on the second floor where children slept out in the hottest summer months.

"I grew up at 424 Fourth St., and we had a huge wrap-around porch," Otto said. "There were big trees in the yard ,and we most always had a breeze."

For today's seekers of shade and cool breezes, there are giant outdoor canopies and shade cloth that keep an outdoor area 15 to 20 degrees cooler in summer months, according to Warren Cardiff, operations manger at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse of Marietta.

"The biggest thing a homeowner can do to save on energy cost in summer months is a new thermostat," Cardiff said. "These are set on timers which control the temperature and prevent big fluctuations."

Set the thermostat high when you leave the house and program it to click on cooling an hour before you will return, he said.

"We have new room air conditioners that don't need vented to the outside," he said. "Cooling a single room really helps (utility bills)."

In addition, Cardiff suggests checking out weather stripping and insulation to cut down on air loss around windows and doors.

Lowe's has new "blown in" insulation that a homeowner can do on their own.

"We rent a machine that you can do-it-yourself," he said. "There are so many things that you can do to go green and save money, too."

Washington/Morgan Community Action has received federal stimulus monies to expand its weatherization program in coming years, according to Darla Johnson, director of housing and transportation for the agency.

"I think that the program gets more attention in winter months, but (it) can be just as helpful in the summer," Johnson said. "Our annual units (people helped) will be doubled or tripled in the next two years."

Weatherization can cut a homeowner's energy bills in half, she said.

"People don't have a clue how much air they are losing through 'leaks' in their homes," Johnson said. "What we've found is that the air loss is equivalent to a 12-inch diameter hole in your house. Our program does a lot of good."

In 2008, there were 80 households helped through the weatherization program. Numbers in 2009 are expected to be higher, she said.

"We are taking applications now, but people generally do not realize what we can do," she said.