Ouch!
If you haven’t received your electricity bill from Caribbean Utility Company this month, brace yourself.
The fuel factor is at an all-time high, despite predictions from CUC’s head honcho in February that oil prices weren’t expected to increase.
We’re paying for high fuel prices in July on our September bills. They’ll be just as high in October because of petrol prices in August.
The bills come on the heels of a report from Chief Meteorologist Fred Sambula that global warming might be making hurricanes stronger.
And we all know that stronger hurricanes can drive up oil prices.
As soon as a tropical depression forms in the Atlantic the gas gurus sit up and take notice. Once the storms get into the Caribbean and become a threat to the Gulf of Mexico oil producers get nervous and shut down drilling rigs.
So what’s an energy consumer to do?
Use less of the stuff.
Those who believe in global warming tell us emissions from our vehicles create carbon dioxide and that combined with other air pollution is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun’s heat and causing the planet to warm up.
Warmer temperatures on Earth mean warmer ocean temps, which translate into stronger storms.
The answer to all of this is to use less energy.
It’s easy, really.
Begin by turning off the lights when no one is in a room and use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Likewise, turn off the television when no one is watching it. The same goes for computers, radios and stereos.
Have you checked the setting on your thermostat lately? It should be set at 78 degrees. When no one is at home, set the thermostat at 85 degrees. If you have ceiling or other fans, turn them on, but only when you’re home. The blowing air can make you fee five degrees cooler. Too, fans use a lot less electricity than air conditioners.
Wasting water also wastes energy, so take shorter showers, use a broom to clean the porch instead of the water hose and wash your dishes by hand and let them air dry.
There is a lot we can do individually to help keep energy costs down and possibly help weaken future hurricanes.
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