News for members of Twin County Electric Power Association
Drivers can do more to make 4 Mississippi roadways safer
9 Outdoors Today: Back to Africa
Periodical postage (ISSN 1052 2433)
with fresh 14 Cooking Gulf Coast seafood
MHP Capt. John Poulos
10 I Today in Mississippi I June 2018
For after-hours outages, call
866-897-7250
Save without suffering this summer By Debbie Stringer kilowatt-hours your appliances use, When summertime temperatures the higher your electric bill. (Likestart creeping into the 90s, your wise, the more you drive, the more energy use will rise as appliances you spend on gasoline. It’s that simstruggle to do their job. ple.) The problem is compounded As a member-owned electric when the nights are hot and humid cooperative, Twin County is comtoo. mitted to helping you manage your Twin County Electric Power energy use. Once you understand Association cautions members that how the monthly electric bill reflects power bills will rise along with the your daily habits in the home, you temperatures, because of the can take meaningful steps to reduce increased use of electricity. energy costs over the long term. Here’s why: Here’s how: • Your air conditioner will run more • Raise the temperature setting on hours to remove the heat and the air conditioner. For every degree humidity infiltrating your home. On you turn the thermostat up during the hottest days it may run 24 hours. air conditioning season, you’ll save • The refrigerator and freezer will up to 2 to 3 percent on your cooling work harder to maintain their temcosts. Twin County recommends a perature settings, especially units summertime setting of 78 degrees or exposed to outdoor heat, like a freez- higher. er in a garage. • If you have a central air condition• A rooftop power ventilator will run er, replace the filter monthly during hours longer than usual to remove the summer. A dirty air conditioner excess heat from the attic. filter hampers air flow and makes the • The water air conditionheater will ing system consume work harder— Once you understand how more energy and use more the electric bill reflects your when houseelectricity. hold mem• If you use daily habits, you can take bers bathe window air steps to reduce energy costs conditioners, and wash clothes more make sure to over the long term. often. seal the openAll these ings around factors comthe units’ winbined will force your home to condow mounts. Make sure it sits level sume more electricity. And the more so that it drains correctly. If possible,
mount it out of the direct sun. • Consider replacing an old window unit with a model that meets Energy Star standards for energy efficiency and quieter operation. • When a ceiling fan is running, you can move the air conditioner thermostat three to four degrees higher without noticing a difference in comfort level. A fan cannot lower a room’s temperature but it will deliver a cooling breeze to the skin, and can increase comfort while you sleep. Turn the fan off when the room is vacant to avoid wasting energy. • Turn off a TV that no one is watching.
• Set the water heater to 120 degrees or below and the refrigerator no lower than 38 degrees. • Use the bathroom’s exhaust fan to remove excess heat and humidity while bathing. • Wash clothes in cold water. Most detergents clean just as well in cold water. • Set the clothes dryer on the lowest heat setting and run it in the cooler hours of day or night. • Run only full loads in the dishwasher, and set it to air dry. • Cook with a slow cooker, microwave or outdoor grill to avoid heating up the kitchen. • Incandescent light bulbs emit
June 2018
heat—just what you don’t want in summer. Replace them with LEDs, which won’t heat up the house, are more energy efficient and last far longer. • Plug air leaks in the home, including cracks around window air conditioning units and exterior doors. Don’t let the air you’re paying to cool escape outside! • Half of all the heat that enters the home in summer comes in through the windows. Install insulated curtains or blinds on windows Incandescent light that receive direct sunbulbs emit heat—just light, and what you don’t want in keep them summer. Replace them closed. • Manufacwith cool, long-lasting tured-home dwellers LEDs. should inspect air conditioning duct work beneath the home for leaks and bad connections. • If your home needs a new roof, select materials with energy efficiency in mind. Reflective roofs can reduce the temperature of the roof by as much as 30 percent, which means less heat will enter your home. Look for Energy Star-certified roof products. • Adequate insulation in the attic will drastically reduce your home’s heating and cooling needs. In the summer, insulation helps prevent the heat build-up in the attic from entering the home. Find more energy-efficiency tips and ways to save money at www.Energy.gov.
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Twin County is ready for storms
Summer is here, school is out and families are gearing up for a few months of fun and relaxation. While summer brings much fun in the sun, it can also bring the occasional severe storm. In the event of a power outage, you can trust that Twin County Electric Power Association is ready to respond. The major cause of most power outages comes from damage to power lines due to falling trees and branches. We work year-round —through right-of-way clearing— to ensure power lines in our service territory stand little risk of being damaged by trees, branches or other types of vegetation. Despite our best efforts, during major storms damage can occur to transmission stations, substations and power lines. When this happens, our first priority is to safely restore power to as many Twin County members as possible in the shortest amount of time. We start by mobilizing our line workers and other critical staff. The big problems are handled first, like damage to
Twin County wishes you and your family a safe and happy holiday!
TWIN COUNTY ELECTRIC POWER ASSOCIATION will be closed Wednesday, July 4, for
Independence Day To report a power outage on holidays and after office hours, call 866-897-7250.
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transmission lines, which serve tens of thousands of people. These problems must be corrected before we can focus on other areas where more localized damage may have occurred. Twin County employees inspect substations to determine if the problem starts there, or if there could be an issue down the line. If the root of the problem is at the substation, power can be restored to thousands of members. Next, we check the service lines that deliver power into neighborhoods and communities. Line workers repair the damaged lines, restoring power to hundreds of people. If you continue to experience an outage, there may be damage to a tap line outside your home or business. Make sure you notify Twin County, so we can inspect these lines. We will do our best to avoid power outages, but sometimes Mother Nature has other plans. Call 1-866-897-7250 to report power outages or downed power lines after office hours or on weekends and major holidays.