Q: I've been reading your column in my paper for a few years and nobody's asked this basic question. The column says you're from Efficiency Vermont. What exactly is that?

A: Thanks for asking! Efficiency Vermont helps Vermont homes and businesses reduce their electricity costs. We provide technical information and financial incentives to help people to build or renovate energy-efficient buildings and to increase the efficiency of existing buildings, with energy-saving lighting, appliances, heating, cooling, ventilation, electronics and more.

We've been around since 2000, when the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Public Service Board established Efficiency Vermont. This was done to reduce electricity use, strengthen local economies, lower pollution from power plants, ease the load on Vermont's electric infrastructure (power plants and power lines), and to lessen the need for costly new infrastructure. Efficiency Vermont is funded through the Energy Efficiency Charge on your electric bill. If you're in Burlington, that charge instead funds energy-efficiency services provided by Burlington Electric Department.

Since 2000, Efficiency Vermont has worked with more than 50% of Vermont electric ratepayers to save over 318 million kilowatt hours of electricity. That translates to more than $324 million in combined savings over the lifetime of energy-efficient products that Vermonters have installed in their homes and businesses. These efforts have also reduced pollution. In 2006 alone, the amount of carbon-emission reductions from energy-efficient actions was equivalent to taking 6,257 cars off Vermont's roads. If you'd like to learn more, please visit www.efficiencyvermont.com. 

Q: You ran a question once about testing breakers to figure out what's causing high electric bills. Would you mind describing that test again?

A: I'd be glad to. Sometimes you can find a mysterious high-use culprit by isolating the electrical circuit it's on. This is best done with two people: one standing by the electric meter, the other standing inside at the electrical breaker box. If you're not in shouting distance to each other, use cell phones to communicate.

Start by watching the spinning disk on the electric meter and noting how long it takes for it to spin around one time. There is usually a black mark on the disk to help you. The person at the breaker box can then turn off and on breakers, one by one, as the other person watches the spinning disk. You may notice that turning off one particular breaker will cause the meter to spin more slowly. Make a note of the breakers that have the greatest effect on the speed of the spinning disk and determine what appliances are on those circuits. You can then borrow a meter from Efficiency Vermont to find the appliance that uses the most electricity. Plug an appliance into the meter and the meter into the wall and you should be able to find your high-use culprit.

Q: I'm living off campus for the first time this year, so I'll be paying electric bills for the first time too. One of my housemates brought TiVo ? wonder why we let him move in, huh -- and even though TiVo is no less necessary than breathing, I heard that it uses a lot of energy. Do you know how much? Not that we're getting rid of it. We've got a take-out-Chinese-food-for-a-week bet going on how much we're really paying each month.

A: A TiVo unit will typically consume between 20-30 watts constantly. That's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether you're recording or not.  The new HD TiVo units use more.  For the sake of this estimate, let's assume that your TiVo is using a middle-of-the-road 25 watts.

Here's the math: You pay for electricity based on kilowatt hours (kWh). One kWh represents 1,000 watts used for one hour. (Or 100 watts used for 10 hours. You get the idea.). So, at 25 watts, a TiVo unit will consume 1 kWh in 40 hours. There are 8,760 hours in a year, which means that your TiVo will consume about 219 kWh per year. At the statewide average of $0.133 per kWh, your ability to watch TV on your terms will cost you about $29 in a year, or about $2.40 per month. 

Keep in mind that this estimate doesn't take into consideration the power consumed by the television or other electronic devices you may have hooked up to it, like a game console, dvd player etc. Seeing as you're interested in the power consumption of your equipment I suggest that you arrange to borrow a meter, which measures the power use of nearly any electric device, from Efficiency Vermont. With the meter, you might find enough things to measure to cover take-out bets for a semester.

Q: My daughter has taken a big interest in tropical fish. I think it's a great hobby and she's becoming very well-informed about it, but as the number and size of tanks increase, I can't help but wonder how much electricity this is using. Are there energy-efficient approaches to this hobby? If not, do you have an estimate of how much this adds to an electric bill?

A: You bet. There are simple ways to minimize a fish tank's electric use. Keep it away from windows in the winter, set the thermostat as low as is healthy for the fish in the tank, and use fluorescent lights on a timer.

As for how much of your daughter's hobby costs are in your electric bills, I'll give you an estimate for a 10-gallon tank with a filter, light and heater. That will typically cost about four dollars per month at today's electric rates. Costs go up as tank sizes increase.

If you want to know more specifically how much power the fish tanks in your house are using, you can borrow a meter from Efficiency Vermont. Plug an electric device into the meter, plug the meter into the wall and you'll get your answer.

Q: You often mention ENERGY STAR when you talk about things like appliances and lighting.  What is this exactly?  Is this a brand or manufacturer?

A: I'm glad you asked. The ENERGY STAR label indicates that a product exceeds minimum federal energy efficiency standards. Products of any brand or manufacturer can qualify to receive the ENERGY STAR label. You can find this label on lighting, appliances, home electronics, heating systems, office equipment and much more. You can even buy an ENERGY STAR home or hire a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor who has been specially trained to assess homes and make them more energy-efficient.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, designed to reduce energy use as well as the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with power generation. According to energystar.gov, Americans using ENERGY STAR products and services in 2006 saved $14 billion on their utility bills and prevented as much pollution as is produced by 25 million cars.

Here in Vermont, you can get rebates for certain ENERGY STAR products through Efficiency Vermont. Stores throughout the state sell these products and can help you get rebates. For more information, visit www.efficiencyvermont.com/pages/Residential/

Q: My husband and I are considering getting an electric snow blower, but we're concerned that it could run up our electric bill. We'd rather not get a gas blower, because we've always enjoyed clearing snow together in the fresh air ? not in exhaust fumes. (Yes, we like shoveling!) But we've moved to a place with too much space to clear by hand and too little to plow. Just how much electricity do electric snow blowers use?

A: The biggest electric snow blowers use around 1,440 watts of power. If you run one of these blowers for 10 hours over the course of a season, its impact will hardly be noticeable on your electric bill. Naturally, your usage may rise if we get an unusually high number of storms or if individual snowfalls are consistently big (electric blowers typically are designed to handle up to six inches of snow). But if you think an electric snow blower can handle your new, longer paths (power cords longer than 100 feet may result in a drop of power) then here's to clean air while clearing snow!

Q. I suddenly seem to be using a lot of electricity. A friend suggested I try a "breaker test." Do you know what this is?

A: Sure do. Sometimes you can find a mysterious high-use culprit by isolating the electrical circuit it is on - otherwise known as a "breaker test." This is best done with two people: one standing by the electric meter, the other standing inside at the electrical breaker box.

Start by watching the spinning disk on the electric meter and noting how long it takes for it to spin around one time. There is usually a black mark on the disk to help you. The person at the breaker box then turns off breakers one by one as you watch the spinning disk. You may notice that turning off one particular breaker will cause the meter to spin more slowly. Make a note of the breakers that have the greatest effect on the speed of the spinning disk and find out what appliances are on those circuits. You can then find the "culprit" with a meter you can borrow from Efficiency Vermont.

Q. What would cause a sudden big spike in my electric bill? Could our utility meter be broken?

A: It's rare for meters to break, but when they do, they typically move slower. And that results in a lower electric bill. So, your meter seems fine. The three most common causes of a sudden increase in electricity use are:

1. You brought more appliances into the house, or you replaced old ones with bigger or less efficient models.
2. Equipment (like a well pump or refrigerator) is malfunctioning.
3. You have an additional person in the house, or someone who stayed home more than usual and used lights and electric equipment more. If you have an electric hot water heater, showers and laundry for an extra person can add up.

If you're still stumped, give me a call and I can help you figure it out.

Q. Is it worth it, money-wise, to replace my windows with more energy-efficient ones?

A: Energy-efficient windows are a good investment when you absolutely must replace a window or when you're building a new home or addition. But if you're considering new windows because you want to save energy or to reduce drafts, there are other effective solutions that will pay for themselves much faster. These can include improved insulation, caulking around windows, or adding interior or exterior storm windows. If you're not sure where to start, hire an energy auditor to find out where your dollars can best be invested to save energy and make your home more comfortable.

Q. What is phantom, or leaking, power? Are there are ways to eliminate or reduce it?

A. Phantom power may sound like the name of the latest thriller, but it actually applies to the small, but constant, power use of most modern household electronic equipment that's required to keep these appliances ready for action. Your TV, for example, has a phantom load of between five and 15 watts as it sits idle - but not sleeping - waiting for a command from the remote control. All the gadgets in your home that use little black box plug-in power supplies may appear to be off, but the black box is always using power. The same goes for anything with a clock (like a microwave oven) or little red "standby" light. You can reduce phantom load by unplugging these appliances when you're not using them. To make it easy, use a power strip with a switch on it and turn off the switch when not in use.

How much will you save? Picture a home entertainment center with TV, VCR, DVD, stereo, cable or satellite tuner box and games all plugged into a power strip. If the equipment is actually being used only four hours a day, and you turn everything off with a single switched power strip the rest of the time, you can eliminate a phantom load of 50 watts or more for 20 hours a day. That adds up to a savings of about $45 per year! Not a bad return on the $10 investment of a power strip.