Middle Village Learns Ways To Conserve Energy, Reduce Bills

Paul Kerzner of Con Edison’s Renaissance program offered energy conservation tips during the Middle Village Property Owners/ Residents Association meeting last Monday, Feb. 8, at St. Margaret’s Parish Hall. Little changes such as replacing a light bulb or buying an energy-efficient appliance can go a long way toward reducing electric bills, a representative of Con Edison informed members of the Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association (MVPORA) during the civic group’s Feb. 8 meeting.

Paul Kerzner of Con Edison’s Renaissance program provided attendees at last Monday’s session at St. Margaret’s Parish Hall with a number of ways homeowners can lower their utility bills while also decreasing their carbon footprint.

Kerzner began by discussing refrigerators, which are generally the largest energy consumers in any household. Any refrigerator 13 years of age or older should be replaced, he advised, noting that the appliances are no longer energy efficient by current standards.

When shopping for a new refrigerator, Kerzner advised residents to purchase a two-door model with an Energy Star rating. Though the dea vices are generally more expensive than others, he noted, the refrigerator will eventually pay for itself through lower utility bills.

The Con Edison representative also suggested that homeowners discard air conditioners which are 13 years old or older, since they have also outlived their efficiency. Residents should take into account the size of the room the air conditioner will cool as well as the device’s Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), which indicates the appliance’s performance in comparison to its electrical consumption.

“Don’t look at one with less than 10 EER,” Kerzner said, advising that homeowners purchase air conditioners with an EER of 15 or 16, which is considered nearly perfect. “You will pay dearly for that initially, but you will save a significant amount of money” through lower electric bills in the years ahead.

Ceiling fans can also help keep homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter cheaply, Kerzner advised. Dubbing the devices as “the Cinderella of all appliances,” he noted that running a ceiling fan while keeping the top and bottom sections of a window open can help cool a room down within 15 minutes.

Running a ceiling fan and an air conditioner at the same time can also help keep rooms cool cheaply during the summer, Kerzner noted, indicating that the simultaneous operation amounts to about 10 cents per kilowatt hour; running an air conditioner alone costs about 20 cents per kilowatt hour.

During the winter, running a ceiling fan on reverse can also help circulate warm air quickly from the floor and reduce the usage of a heating system, he added.

Swapping incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent light fixtures (CFLs) around the house can also help reduce electric consumption while providing the same amount of light needed. One CFL bulb generating the equivalent light of a 150 watt incandescent bulb, Kerzner noted, only uses 32 watts of energy.

The fluorescent bulbs also last 10,000 hours, four times longer than incandescent bulbs, and generate less heat, Kerzner stated.

Sealing cracks near windows, installing new insulation near the roof and operating efficient oil or gas burners can also help lower heating costs, the Con Edison representative said. He also said that homeowners replace their dial thermometers with digital devices to help fine tune both comfort levels and reduce the usage of a home’s heating system.

Additional energy conservation tips can be found at Con Edison’s website, www.coned.com.

Other news

The civic group’s president, Salvatore Candela, answered questions from several attendees regarding the Metropolitan Avenue shopping strip.

First, Candela indicated that a national chain dollar store is slated to open at the former Rite Aid pharmacy located on Metropolitan Avenue near 74th Street. Renovations were recently completed at the site, which had been closed since the summer of 2008 following a minor ceiling collapse.

Work continues at several other vacant storefronts along the strip, but Candela indicated that there was no word on what businesses would occupy those sites. Residents also speculated as to the future of the Middle Village Credit Union building, which was listed as being sold recently.

A representative for State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Jeff Gottlieb, noted that the senator is working with Assemblyman Mike Miller on legislation regarding the regulation of freight rail traffic through the community. He indicated that a meeting with railroad officials would take place over the next several weeks.

City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley’s representative, Dominick Dale, noted that the legislator—as chairperson of the Council’s Fire and Criminal Justice Committee—would fight any attempt by the city to shut down as many as 20 FDNY units. He noted that Crowley “will look at other ways to cut the budget and save money.”

The next Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, Mar. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Parish Hall, located on 79th Place off Juniper Valley Road.