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YOUR HOME'S ENERGY COSTS

I understand that compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. What is the proper way to dispose of them?                   – J.F., Lansing

It’s true that these energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs (CFBs) contain a small amount of mercury; 5 milligrams, about the size of the tip of a ball point pen. By comparison, a manually operated thermostat that controls a furnace contains as much as 3,000 milligrams of mercury. CFBs and other household items containing mercury can be taken to the Ingham County Health Department every Thursday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m., from April through September. The health department is located at 5303 S. Cedar St., Lansing. You can dispose of a variety of household hazardous wastes such as inkjet cartridges, computer monitors and batteries. Call (517) 887-4312 for more information.

Do you have a question about some aspect of Lansing Board of Water & Light operations? Include your name, city of residence and phone number, and send it to Q CORNER:

  E-MAIL: mailto:mdn@lbwl.com

    FAX:  (517) 702-6855

   MAIL:  Lansing Board of Water & Light

          Communications Department

          1232 Haco Dr., P.O. Box 13007

          Lansing MI 48901.
 

You’ve probably heard or read about the various ways to save on energy costs in your home. But have you ever figured out how much you spend on major appliances, air-conditioning and so on?

The pie chart breaks down the electrical costs of a typical home. As you can see, heating and cooling come close to making up nearly half of a customer’s energy bill.

EnergyWise information, located on this Web site, can also help you save money on your monthly bills.

Installing a programmable thermostat for the furnace is a great way to save money. Buying an energy-saving “jacket” to put around the water heater can pay for itself in a year. And if you haven’t replaced old-fashioned incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFBs), please consider it. CFBs are four times more efficient, cost less to operate and last about 10 times longer.

There is a web link available to you where you simply plug in the information requested (the size of your home, number of occupants, etc.) and then click on "calculate".  The result will show your estimated monthly and yearly energy costs.

Click here to calculate the monthly and yearly energy costs.

A ‘Shocking’ Advertisement

You see them all of the time: Signs on utility poles that announce garage sales, child-care services or what have you.

Utilities like the BWL urge people not to use utility poles as an easy advertising mechanism, and with good reason.

Consider what happened recently in Grand Rapids. A man was nailing a sign to a utility pole, but the nail pierced the protective casing around an electrical cable.

Boom! The nail made contact with 7,200 volts. According to WOOD-TV, the pole ignited – and so did the man. A quick-thinking gas station attendant doused the blaze with a fire extinguisher, and the injured man was taken to the hospital.

The incident also knocked out power to 6,500 customers.

In summary, tacking a sign to a utility pole is not as harmless as one would think.

Last summer, the BWL reported to the media that preliminary tests showed some homes had lead levels in excess of the “action level” set by the federal government.

However, state officials have now concluded that lead in BWL drinking water does not exceed the action level. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) reviewed the tests and issued its findings in November.

Exceeding the action level would have required the BWL to increase lead testing. Nonetheless, the BWL made a pledge to customers: “We are aggressively replacing all lead service lines. Our lead service replacement program is one of the most proactive in the nation, and we are doing more than regulations require.”

Of the BWL’s 56,000 water customers, fewer than 10,000 are currently served by lead service lines. In the last two years alone the BWL has replaced more than 3,500 lead service lines.

Other things to note:

• The risk to BWL customers is considered minimal. Nationwide, experts agree that the greatest threat of lead poisoning comes from lead paint and lead dust, not water-borne lead.

• Flushing water lines is the simplest, most effective action a BWL customer can take to minimize lead exposure from drinking water. If a customer with a lead service line doesn’t have a filter on a faucet and wants to use the water for drinking or cooking, run the water at the tap for seven (7) minutes if the water has been stagnant for six or more hours. Flushing ensures that the customer will get fresh water from the water main.

• The BWL continues to offer a free analysis of drinking water to all customers with full lead service lines and is currently taking names of customers with lead service lines who would like to have their water tested during next summer’s testing. Others can have their water tested for $20 through the Ingham County Health Department.

• The BWL continues to provide free water filters and replacement cartridges to customers with service lines that are partially or entirely made of lead. The water filters remove at least 99.9% of the lead found in drinking water.