Four years ago, I began writing a monthly educational column about energy efficiency for this magazine, which has been produced for Arkansas’ electric cooperative members since 1946. I set out to write about proven building science and specifically how it affects your usage of electricity and the comfort of your homes. I have especially enjoyed learning about and sharing information about the laws of nature and how heat from the sun impacts our electric bills and comfort. Technology, such as infrared thermography, has made this job even easier as the thermal images well illustrate how heat behaves and how it always moves to cooler air.
The primary message of my columns has been that sacrificing comfort and convenience is not necessary when we build and retrofit our homes with energy-efficient components and measures. It has been especially rewarding to see that many of you have incorporated Smart Energy Tips energy efficiency solutions into your homes.
I recently accepted a new position for the statewide association of Arkansas’ electric co-ops, which means I will no longer be writing this column or working directly on energy efficiency projects. It’s truly been a privilege to help many of you manage and even lower your electric bills without sacrificing comfort and convenience. I sincerely thank all of you who personally called, wrote or sent email inquiries about energy efficiency. I especially enjoyed doing on-site energy audits at co-op members’ homes, where I was always made to feel at home. As I have traveled the state doing the audits and seminars, it was always a pleasure to stop and visit with co-op members about energy efficiency improvements they had made or planned to make to their homes.
While I am moving on, Arkansas’ electric co-ops will continue to promote energy efficiency, as they have for decades. Your local electric co-op has energy efficiency information and experts and www.smartenergytips.org has numerous tips and how-to videos on energy efficiency.
Arkansas Living will also continue to provide energy efficiency columns and articles, such as the accompanying energy-saving tips for winter graphic. And next month, the 2018 co-op wall calendar featuring energy efficiency tips, as well as reader photos of Arkansas, will be included with the magazine. So, be sure to continue to check these pages for ways to save energy.
Bret Curry is the former residential energy marketing manager for Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC), which supplies wholesale electricity to the state’s 17 electric distribution co-ops.