Rural Missouri - February 2011 - (Page 4)

C O M M E N T S “Devoted to the rural way of life” February 2011 Volume 63 / Number 2 Jim McCarty, editor jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop Jason Jenkins, managing editor jjenkins@ruralmissouri.coop Heather Berry, associate editor hberry@ruralmissouri.coop Kyle Spradley, field editor kspradley@ruralmissouri.coop Megan Schibi, editorial assistant mschibi@ruralmissouri.coop Mary Davis, production manager mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop Angie Jones-Gerber Dusty Weter Co-op page designers Inexpensive efficiency Becoming energy efficient doesn’t have to be expensive I t’s easy to get overwhelmed in the winter while you’re out of by energy efficiency. What the house. You also can program it should I do? How should I do to dip lower at night while sleepit? Do I have to replace my ing. The thermostat can be set to entire heating and cooling system automatically revert to a comfortto see savings? The easy answer is able setting shortly before you no, you can do a lot with a little. arrive home or wake up. On your next trip to the hardWhile programmable thermoware store, take this shopping stats are helpful, they’re not for guide with you. It shows how a everyone. These gadgets are best few simple steps can produce savfor people who are away from ings right away. home for extended periods. Lighting Sealing ductwork Since lighting accounts for More than 40 percent of your as much as 12 percent of home home’s energy use goes for heating energy use, switch your traditional and cooling, so it’s important to incandescent light bulbs with keep that air in the home. Leaky compact fluorescent light bulbs ductwork remains one of the main (CFLs). An Energy Star-qualified culprits of hot and cold air loss. CFL uses about 75 percent less If your home’s ducts are energy than a traditional bulb, exposed, inspect them for leaks lasts up to 10 times longer and and seal them. Look for holes and can save about $40 in energy costs joints that have separated, and over its lifetime. A four-pack of then seal them with foil-backed CFLs runs about $6. tape, about $6 a roll, or mastic, Filling the cracks a type of sealant that costs about Sometimes the simplest steps, such as caulking air A tube of caulk and a roll of $12 a tub. leaks, can make the biggest difference. weatherstripping can go a long You can apply the mastic with way toward saving money on your electricity bill. It’s easy a regular paintbrush. Make sure the tape is marked with to find where cold air leaks in around doors and windows the “UL” symbol, which means it has been independently — simply hold your hand out and feel. Caulk around wintested for safety by the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. dows, dryer vents and fans for about $2 a tube, and weathProperly sealing ductwork can save about $170 a year, erstrip around doors for about $4 a roll. according to TogetherWeSave.com. There also are some not-so-obvious places for air to Water heater insulation flow in and out of your home, notably outlets and behind Blankets aren’t just for keeping people warm. A water switch plates. To see if you have air flowing through these heater blanket can save you 4 percent to 9 percent in waterplaces, light a stick of incense, hold it in front and watch heating costs, a big savings since 12 percent of your home’s for the smoke to be disrupted. You can find special sealing energy use goes toward water heating. How do you know kits for outlets and switch plates for about $2. if your water heater needs more insulation? Touch it. If it’s And don’t forget to weatherstrip around your attic hatch warm, wrap it. Choose a blanket with an insulating value of or pull-down stairs. You also may want to install an insuat least R-8, which costs about $20. lated box to place over the opening. A kit costs around $40. TogetherWeSave.com also reports that you can save more Sealing these cracks can save you around $200 a year, than $70 per year by keeping your water heater’s thermoaccording to Touchstone Energy, the branding program of stat set no higher than 120 degrees. the nation’s electric cooperatives. Larger projects Programmable thermostat If you want to make larger investments in your home, Beginning at $40, a programmable thermostat becomes a adding insulation or upgrading appliances are great starters. larger investment, but you could save $180 a year with the For more information on insulation, visit www.EnergySavproper settings. For the biggest impact, program your therers.gov. To learn about the most energy-efficient appliances, mostat to raise the temperature during summer and lower visit www.energystar.gov. USPS 473-000 ISSN 0164-8578 Copyright 2011, Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights. Rural Missouri is published monthly by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Barry Hart, executive vice president. Individual subscription rate: $9 per year or $21 for three years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for members of participating RECs $3.99, taxes and postage included. Delivery as specified by subscriber. If not specified, delivery will be by periodical class mail at subscriber’s expense. Periodical Class postage paid at Jefferson City, MO, and additional mailing offices. www.ruralmissouri.coop Find us on www.facebook.com/ruralmissouri Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri, P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Subscribers: Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Rural Missouri. Advertising standards: Advertising published in Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and sold to customers at the advertised price. Rural Missouri and Missouri’s electric cooperatives do not endorse any products or services advertised herein. Advertising that does not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading is never knowingly accepted by this publication. Advertising information: mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop 573-659-3400 National Advertising Representative: National Country Market; 611 S. Congress St., Suite 504; Austin, TX 78704 573-659-3400 Member, Missouri Association of Publications and Missouri Press Association P.O. Box 1645 Jefferson City, MO 65102 573-659-3423 info@ruralmissouri.coop Rural Missouri Take us with you! R 4 ural Missouri’s digital edition is now online at www.ruralmissouri.coop. Readers now have the option of reading the publication in its entirety online, on mobile devices such as smart phones and digital tablets, or by downloading each issue to your computer. The digital version also includes monthly “Online Extras.” Look for this icon in selected stories for multimedia presentations, additional content and more. The digital version lets you interact with advertisers, navigate pages easily and do keyword searches across archived issues. Log on to www.ruralmissouri.coop/digitalrm to view this month’s digital edition. While you are there, check out the redesigned website and our Rural Missouri store. And don’t forget to tell us what you think. For a tutorial on using the digital edition, visit Rural Missouri’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/RuralMOmag. WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP http://www.TogetherWeSave.com http://www.ruralmissouri.coop http://www.TogetherWeSave.com http://www.facebook.com/ruralmissouri http://www.EnergySavers.gov http://www.EnergySavers.gov http://www.energystar.gov http://www.ruralmissouri.coop http://www.ruralmissouri.coop/digitalrm http://www.youtube.com/RuralMOmag http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - February 2011

Rural Missouri - February 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Life Behind Bars
A Powerful Idea
Mail Bag
Angels Among Us
Out Of The Way Eats
The Store Time Forgot
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
For the Birds
Out With the Old...
World Wide Wood
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just 4 Kids

Rural Missouri - February 2011