November 23, 2024 • 30 mins
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was established in 1933 to provide flood control, improve navigation, generate electricity, and promote economic development in the Tennessee Valley region. Today, it is the largest public power provider in the U.S., supplying electricity to about 10 million people. On this episode of Tennessee Matters, the TVA's Ashley England joins John Clark to talk about saving money on your heating bills this winter. #tva https://www.tva.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TVA
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Tennessee Matters on the Tennessee Radio Network. Welcome to
Tennessee Matters. I'm John Clark from the Tennessee Radio Network.
The Tennessee Vallee Authority, or the TVA, is a federally
owned electric utility corporation. They were created in nineteen thirty
three as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.
(00:23):
But today they're going to talk about energy and how
to save money with your heating bills. Here to talk
about that today from the Tennessee Vallee Authority is Ashley England. Well,
it's getting to be cold weather and it's time to decide.
Oh no, what am I gonna do? My heat is
too much? What do I do to bring it down?
We got the lady here to sell us. He's gonna
tell us all about it right now. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I'm doing well. Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
It's good to have you on the show because you
offer some You got some great information. I know it
is that everybody does ask that during the winter time.
Oh my gosh, this weather's gonna be blown me away?
What do you do?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well? I like to start first for some of the
easy actions you can take on colder days to save energy.
And these are things that don't have to cost you anything.
So the first is to take advantage of sunlight when
it is out there. So when we have sunny, bright days,
you want to go ahead, open your curtains, open your blinds,
and let that natural sunlight warm your home provide some
(01:19):
of the ambient heat. Then you want to make sure
you close them at night. That's going to provide an
extra layer of insulation. Some people like to even invest
in something called thermal curtains. Those are really thick, typically
double backed curtains that's going to provide an extra layer
of insulation, so you might consider purchasing those, especially if
you have draft your windows. Another thing you want to
(01:42):
do is double check that your heating vents are open
and they're not blocked by furniture or rugs. So when
I bought my house, I thought, oh, this one room
in the living room that's going to be where the
couch goes. It's going to look great over there, and
then I realize the vent opened up over there. So
you don't don't want to do that because if you
block it with a console table or a rug, furniture
(02:06):
or anything like that it's going to cause uneven heating
in the room, You're gonna get cold spots, and it's
also going to make your HVAC system work harder to
heat up your home, and that's going to cause wear
and tear and damage over time. I'll mention too, sometimes
I hear a myth. People say, Oh, should I close
the vents in this one room, the guest room. We
(02:26):
don't use it a lot. Should I gohea and close
the vents? And the answer is no, do not do that.
That's right. Your h FAC in your home its size
to accommodate all the rooms in your house. So the
system's going to generate the same amount of hot air
no matter how many vents are open, and so closing
those vents actually causes the system to overwork and then
(02:48):
that causes higher energy bills and damage over time.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
That's that's something I did this when I was a kid.
They did that and the living room of the house
was freezing cold.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
That's right. No, it's just recently that we've kind of
research has borne that to be true, that that's not
good for the system. I think the final thing that
I like to remind people just real easy is to
set your ceiling fans to run clockwise in the winter.
A lot of folks may not even realize there's a
little switch up on your ceiling fan. If you flip
(03:23):
it one way, it's gonna run it counterclockwise. That's great
for the summer. You want to set it to run
clockwise in the winter. That's going to take all that
warm air that's rising. It's going to push it down
so that you can actually feel it. But don't forget
to turn it off when you're not in the room.
Fans do not warm people or fans don't warm rooms.
They don't cool rooms. They only warm and cool with
(03:44):
the people in the room. So that's another thing. Don't
forget to turn it off, otherwise you're gonna be wasting energy.
I didn't know the head of reverse, to be honest,
I didn't know. It's all I had this job either.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So now you know, folks do that. That's one thing
you can do. This really big. That's really good. That's
gonna be big.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, it's really helpful. It just helps you enjoy the
heat that your your home is producing, so you don't
want to waste it. So, yeah, those are a few little.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Things you can do okay, Now, TVA is doing some
rebate right now, right this couple of them, there's a
fifty dollars rebate, and there's a fifteen hundred dollars rebacho.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, there's quite a few, so you know, I think
the easiest and really my biggest recommendation to folks to
get ready for winter is to get your HVAC system
tuned up. Your HVAC system uses about fifty percent of
your home's energy, so it can really become one of
the largest expenses on your monthly bill, so you want
(04:41):
to make sure it's running at your full potential. So
when it comes to your old HVAC, you know, just
like your your body, you want to get your annual
wellness check up. That tune up. They're going to test
your system, they're going to inspect your condenser, your evaporator
coils as well as the compressor and refrigerant charge, and
they're going to replace your dirty air filters. And right
(05:02):
now we're offering a fifty dollars rebate on that tune up.
Can really drastically reduce the cost of a tuneup for
anybody who uses a member of our quality contractor network.
So those are contractors that are licensed, ensured, and they're
vetted by TVA and trained on our quality standards, and
that's going to make sure you're getting a great contractor
(05:23):
to do your job. So if you use a quality
contractor network number, you get a fifty dollars rebate. But
we also, to your point, offer rebates on a lot
of other things. So HVAC systems. Sometimes you get that
tune up done, you go to turn the heat on
and crash, boom, there's a smell. It's not working well.
So if you need to replace your HVAC system, really
(05:46):
recommend you go to energy write dot com check out
the rebates we have available. We have up to fifteen
hundred dollars rebates available for efficient HVAC systems. We also
have rebates available for duct system repair and replacement air
ceiling insulation. That's one I really recommend too. Right now,
we're running a special where we've doubled our attic insulation rebate.
(06:09):
It's five hundred dollars right now, so again that can
really offset the cost of getting additional attic insulation, which
is kind of like a cozy, little warm blanket for
your home. It's going to make sure that warm air
isn't escaping through the top of your house. And we
also do rebates on windows, so a lot of options
for homeowners.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Can you just go to your website and find out
the rebates, that's.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Right energy right dot com. And when you get there,
you have the choice are you here for your home
or are you here for your business? So, because we
also have incentives available for businesses for.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Your business too, and now are these with any company
or do you have certain companies and things like that?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
You have to use members of our contractor network. So
we offer the contract the quality contractor network for homeowners.
We also have a contractor network that's for businesses. So
those are you know, professional trade allies to support businesses.
And if you use a member of those networks, that
that gives you access to those rebates and incentives.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And can you go on the on the this is
a list of those businesses who do you use on
the on the.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Website, that's exactly right. You can find the list and
you can filter by your zip code, so you're going
to see exactly who serves your area. And then you
can also filter by their specialties. So if you know,
for example, you need an HVAC guy. You can filter
by hvac and we also have ratings so you can
see how other participants have rated those contractors, what kind
(07:29):
of how many projects they've installed through our program. So
it's a great it's a great little offer there.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Do they do You have to pay them in full
first or they take that out, reduce that and then
then give you the bill.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You get your rebate as a check as a check
mailed to you. So after you have the project installed,
your contractor will submit the paperwork on your behalf. You'll
get an email. You'll say, yes, that's right, I got
that and click click confirm in that email and you're
going to get your check in them out.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
So everybody pay attention. You got to use certain ones.
You got to know what you're doing. Means we don't
have to know much really what you're doing. Just go
in there.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Look but that's right, and we've tried to make it
really easy. The contractor does all the paperwork. You're you're
really only just confirming that you did work with that contractor.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Now let's dig into this a little more into the
heat and save saving energy and money. First of all,
what can you do, like for example, space heater. Should
you use a space heater or not?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Good question, So we so what I'll say, space heaters, ovens, stoves.
We do hear that people use those sometimes to heat
their home, And what I'll say is they're often risky
and inefficient. So space heaters can efficiently heat small spaces,
but they're not designed for whole house heating, so you'll
(08:54):
waste energy if you try to heat up your home,
your entire home with that. And there's also a safe
risk fire carbon monoxide poisoning if your space heater is
not properly vented or if it's left unattended, and then
ovens and stoves again, you know that can lead to
not only very uneven heating, but it can increase your
(09:14):
energy bills significantly. So we recommend for effective and save
home eating, use your central heating system or your heat pump.
If you're going to use a space heater, make sure
you're using an insulated, properly vented space heater, and always
prioritize safety. Really, we'd recommend you never use cooking appliances.
It's a real hazard.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Yeah, a situation where I guess a space heater, I
mean as you buy them because you cold. But are
there situations where they're they're good to use. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Again, if you're in a really small space, or if
you're in a you know, an unheated space, so you're
out in the garage, you have to work on the car,
you leave the garage door open, that's a good time
to use a space heater. Or if you're in a
really maybe you have a really small office, maybe the
events in there, they don't get you don't get a
lot of heat in your office. It's small. It's fine
(10:06):
if you're in a small space. Again, you just want
to make sure it's insulated and attended. Don't don't leave
it running when you're not there.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yes, because you hear so many fires started by a
space heater, Yeah, all winter long. You hear that.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
It's really unfortunate. Yeah, so again, And the other thing there,
of course, is just make sure even if it keeps
you warm, sometimes it's actually going to run your bills
up a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
That's what I was saying, Yeah, because it's probably they're
probably not energy efficient. Yeah maybe maybe not.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yes, some are better than others. So yeah, just use
them cautiously.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
On a really cold day. It's getting to be Wow,
it's gonna be really cold. Do you turn your heat up?
Is that doing any good?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Great question? So on a really cold day, there's a
few things you might consider doing. One is what I
call preheating. This is especially helpful if you have a
smart ther mustach. You can control it or automatically set
it to turn you know, the heat up at certain times.
So if you know it's going to be really frigid
(11:08):
when you wake up, you might set the thermostat a
little cooler as you go to bed, and then set
it to click on maybe four am something like that,
before the six am you know everybody's getting up because
that's the time that's called peak energy usage for us.
So across the valley peep, everybody's waking up at six am.
(11:29):
The heater's coming on, they're using the blow dryer, the
cooking food for their kids, you know, and that's just
drive drives up energy costs, and that's our peak energy
using time in our area. So I would recommend if
you can preheat and then turn the thermostat back down
a little bit at six am, that's going to help
save on energy costs and it's going to help TVA
(11:50):
save So that we don't have to invest in expensive
infrastructure for just occasional peak needs. So that's the thing
you can do. I think another thing that I you know,
we talked about using the blinds and curtains when it's
sunny out. Some other things you might think about are
well your thermostat settings in general. So that can be
(12:14):
controversial sometimes even in the same household that yes, it
can be. So my recommendation is to set the thermostat
as cool as you feel comfortable. The Department of Energy
recommends you set it to sixty eight degrees, but I
do hear from people with some frequency, oh my gosh,
my house would be so cold. Well, you know, if
(12:38):
your home is really cold when it's set to sixty eight,
that might be a sign that your home is energy inefficient.
You really do need to look into maybe you need
attic insulation or air ceiling. But you know it also
you might just need to put on a sweater. But
set it as cool as you feel comfortable. And just remember,
for every degree colder you set your your thermostat in
(13:01):
the winter, you're gonna save about three percent on your
energy bills. So it adds up, and every little bit
counts now.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Even let's go over it some more. Even things that
are just small, like the bottom of the door, you
can just put something over there, put a towel over
to something. What do you do about that?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's right. They have these little you know, draft blockers.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Oh you feel a draft like that all the time.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Those are great, highly recommend those. Those are really cheap,
easy thing that you can do. Calking and ceiling around
your windows and your doorframes and even your electrical outlets. Yeah,
that's a good one. A lot of people forget, you know,
your windows. They might feel drafty and you might need
to replace your windows, but you want to check around
(13:47):
the outside of the frame of the window. Sometimes you
can even feel air, especially at the top. That's when
they gets missed because you can't see it. And that's
a good place to look into doing some caulking in.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
The older houses especially. Really, this is it's like really
like one hundred years old or something. This really it's
got to be the dress got be coming through.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
It doesn't. My house is built in nineteen forty, so
I feel this pain. And people we just they just
didn't build houses with insulation in the walls back the
So doing what you can you know with your windows
and air ceiling and again that attic insulation, that's a
that's a thing you can add in without disrupting the
(14:27):
flow of your home too much. That can make a
big difference.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Because I guess during the winter months, you know what
is right now through March, maybe you know, you really
see it go up. You see the costs go up.
You're oh, my goodness, was so so expensive?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
The greatest is going on. Yeah, the greatest impact on
your energy bill is weather. I mean that it is.
It's the weather. And you'll notice if we have a
really mild month, oh your bills aren't so bad. But yeah,
the greatest impact is weather. And so the best you
can do is to make sure your home is as
efficient as possible. One thing I do like to recommend
(15:04):
to people if they're not really sure where to start,
or maybe they get into that first cold snap and
they think, oh my gosh, my bills are high and
I can't afford this all winter. What do I need
to do? We have this really great tool, it's called
the DIY Home Energy Assessment. It's online and all you
have to do is answer some questions about your home.
(15:26):
I recommend you take it using your phone or your tablet,
because it's going to ask you questions about your house.
You may not know off the answers to off top
of your head. So walk around your home, answer the questions,
and at the end you're going to get a tailored
list of recommendations for your home. These are the ways
you can save in your home. And right now you're
going to get an energy saving kit mailed to your
(15:47):
house for free after you complete this assessment. The assessment's free,
the kit is free. You'll get it about four to
six weeks and through the end of twenty twenty four,
we're offering twenty dollars Home Improvement Store gift cards in
that kit. So that's a good little deal. Yeah, it's
a little gift for you here at the end of
(16:08):
the year, and that can help you get started. And
that kit also has things like LED light bulbs and
Fawcet air raiders, things that are going to help you save.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Okay, So I was going to ask what's in the kit?
What all was in it?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, so the LED light bulbs, Fawcet air raiders, there's
a filter whistle that's a really cool gadgets you ever
heard of Yeah, so you put it on the vent
and when your filter is dirty, it'll start to make
a whistle. It'll remind you that it's time to change
your air filter, which we recommend you change monthly.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Really that often? I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
I mean it depends. For some people they can get
away with every two months. I've got a dog, he's
really furry. I need to change mind monthly. But yeah,
the filter whistle, things like that. So it's a great
little energy saving.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Kit and you get a twenty dollars in gift cards.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Twenty dollars through the end of the year. So now's
the time to do it. Take that DIY energy assessment again.
You can find it at energy right dot com.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Does it cost you anything to do?
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Not a dot?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Do it and look get the energy whishle. I like
the energy whistle. Are that cool?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I like that?
Speaker 1 (17:10):
That's pretty neat. I didn't know that. And so you
get twenty dollars twenty dollars gift cards and free.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
LED light bulb, which is great, I mean lights. If
you have old incandescent lights, you really waste a lot
of money. And the new LEDs really have a very
nice They give give off a nice light. I know
some people switch to CFLs in the first few years
that CFL's out, and they were a little blue or gray.
(17:38):
People didn't like the light. But but the LEDs are
a lot nicer than that, and they're gonna they last
way longer, and they're gonna save you money too, a
lot of money.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Something that you said and that that's changed the filter
every month. Yes, that's interesting because I mean I changed
it maybe twice a year. But if you have more,
tell them about the same. If you have more, then
you have more stuff going through there is you need
to change it more.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
That's exactly right. Yeah, I mean dirt, dander, dust, pollen.
I mean, gosh, where we live so much pollen. That
stuff builds up, and so when your filter gets dirty,
your HVAC system is going to have to work harder
to pull the air through and push the air through.
And so not only is your air quality going to
be improved if you change that, because as soon as
(18:27):
it gets dirty, it's no longer trapping all that yucky
stuff anymore. It's just floating around. But it's also going
to cause more wear and tear on your HVAC system
because it's going to have to work harder, So change
that filter more frequently, and I think your HVAC is
going to last a lot longer.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Okay. You know when you you fire up your heater
for the first time and air too, when you're a
time of and it doesn't work, how did how to
tee it up? It's not used, but you should you
should fire up early so that you.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Know, should test it out. That's right. Well, again, that's
another time when that age fact tune up can be
really helpful to you. You know, I would definitely test
it out before it gets really really cold out because
it's just the worst when you it's a cold snap,
you finally turn the heat on, h it's not working,
and of course that's when everybody's calling the age back contract.
(19:19):
So yeah, if you go ahead and get that tune
up now when it's a little bit more mild, and
that way you know your system's working well and if
it's not, you can catch it early and make a
plan to replace it.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Okay, Now I have to ask a question. This is
the question TVA sales energy. So why are encouraging people
to do less? You want to do more, won't you?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yes, we get that question a lot, and I get it.
It makes a lot of sense. People get skeptical, why
are you giving us this advice? But I think it's
important to understand the larger grid and system and how
it all works. So, like we talked earlier, in the
early winter mornings, you know, everybody's using energy at the
(20:00):
same time and that causes energy demand spikes. So you know,
when we can help mitigate that, when we can lower
that demand for energy, that prevents us from having to
go and invest in really expensive infrastructure things like power plants,
which cost a lot to build and operate, and when
(20:21):
we're building power plants for only peak needs, again, that's
a very pricey infrastructure investment. So when we don't have
to do that because people are saving and not wasting energy,
that's going to help TVA save on operational costs. It's
going to help us maintain low rates in our region.
We have some of the lowest rates in the country
(20:41):
and we want to maintain that. And it's going to
also help us provide a more reliable and resilient grid
and lower emissions. I mean, so for us, it's just
a win win, and that's why we're investing in programs
like this rebates incentives for businesses. We hadn't even talked
about that, but we also so have energy efficiency incentives
(21:03):
for businesses up to three million dollars per business p
per year per three million dollars, Yeah a significant Yeah, yeah,
so it is. You know, we we think of our homes.
Our homes use energy, but manned businesses can really use
a lot of energy. And so we are investing over
one point five billion dollars with a B with a
(21:26):
B in our energy efficiency and demand management. We call
it programs through twenty twenty eight. And so for businesses
if they're looking to get their energy costs under control,
really recommend you go to energywright dot com and look
at the incentives we have available. We have incentives for
common things, your your h fact systems, LED lighting. Lighting
(21:49):
is a really can be a big energy cost for businesses,
as well as things like efficient refrigeration, commercial refrigeration equipment,
things like that. But one of the coolest things that
we do is we offer what we call custom incentives.
If you have a specialty project that hey, I think
we could save a lot of energy if we did this,
we likely can incentivize that and help you offset some
(22:12):
of the cost of that project. So before you go
and make upgrades to your facility, please go to energywright
dot com. See what's available. Contact us, and we have
contractors to serve that that that industry as well.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
That's what I'm going to say. It has to be
your contractor that you've already approved and front gone through them.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
That's right. You know, there are occasions when really large
businesses will have you know, think like universities, they have
their own on staff maintenance folks and energy engineers. So
sometimes we can we can actually make those people part
of our contractor network so we can enable the project.
Even So again I would say, before you do something,
(22:54):
give us a give us a call, and let's see
if we can can help you.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Let's go over again. Maybe some is a some is not.
Again the energy savings that people can get just basically people,
because they should get that now start working on that. Now,
like get to like turn your air on, your heater
on to make sure it works. That's right. Let's talk
about what they can do if it doesn't work.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
So we offer rebates for HVAC system replacements. So that's
you know, up to fifteen hundred dollars. They go down
from there based off the system efficiency. There's systems that
are more or less efficient, so the more efficient system,
the more of a rebate you can get. But we
also offer three hundred dollars for duct system repair and replacement.
(23:38):
We offer an eight hundred dollars rebate for heat pump
water heater, three hundred dollars for air ceiling, five hundred
dollars right now for attic insulation. And then we offer
a fifteen dollars per window rebate for for window replacement
for Efficient Energy Star certified windows. And then on the
business front, we offer incentives or HVAC system replacement, led lighting.
(24:03):
We also offer commercial refrigeration, electric forklips, real yeah, variable VFDs,
variable flow drives, all kinds of things that are more
typical in a large facility. Your average home is not
going to have that. So yeah, so that' oh variable
(24:25):
speed drives and thermal ice storage. Again, the average versus
is not going to know what that is. But if
you work for a big business you might know.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
I was going to say, if you if you need
one of those that.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Got one, yeah, that's right, that's right. And then customs,
so if you have a project in mind, contact us.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
You mentioned water heaters too, that's something that's very staying
of your home. Would do you get there? You get
some savings there too, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
So we'd recommend that you set your water heater if
you're in your home, to about one hundred and twenty
degrees You could change the temperature of a water heater.
We would recommend between one five max. That's going to
say you you know, when you go to turn the
water on to wash the dishes and warm soapy water,
what do you typically do? You kind of flip it
(25:08):
all the way hot just to let it heat up. Well,
if it's going to be heating the water up higher
than one hundred and one hundred and twenty five degrees A,
that's a burn hazard. But you don't need the water
that warm, right, So set your water heater temperature to
one twenty. That's going to help you save on energy.
Your water heater ends up being a pretty sizable chunk
of your energy usage every month, and that way it's
(25:29):
also safer for you and your family.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Before we let you go today, I want to also
talk about your energy efficiency and what you're trying to
achieve a TVA. What are you trying to achieve there?
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Well, you know, we talked about how much the area
is growing, and it is growing at a rapid pace,
the Tennessee Valley region in general. Recent studies show that,
you know, our area is growing three times faster than
the national average. A lot of people moving in a
lot of energy to be used. So our goal with
(26:01):
our programs is to offset some of that load growth
we call that new load by thirty percent through energy
efficiency and our demand management program. So that's what we're
trying to do. In order to get that, we have
to get a lot of people to participate, and so
that's one of the things we're excited about, and we're
even rolling out here in the new year a smart
(26:23):
thermostat program where you can get you can purchase a
smart thermostat at a discount and enroll in a program
that will you would lower your thermostat during those kind
of peak need times, so winter, early morning, you would
agree to have your thermostat load by just a few
(26:44):
degrees and in exchange, you're going to get compensation for that,
You'll get a financial credit. So that's another thing that
we're going to be rolling out here soon again to
encourage people to lower their energy use and help us
all maintain a reliable grid and low rates.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
I guess, I guess I didn't think about the fact
that you have to do more with the people come
in town. Yeah, people coming into cities and well everywhere,
all of the all over everywhere. You really haven't do
a lot more, right, we do.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
And our just this last year, the TVA board approved
investing nearly sixteen billion dollars through twenty twenty nine to
build new generation and infrastructure into enhance the reliability of
our existing assets. So again we are preparing and the
future does look like it is going to continue to
(27:37):
be more people here and we have to be ready
to serve them.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah, it's got to do a little more.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
That's right, We got to We got to save more
and do more, do more.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
And you want to tell them you want the people
to buy the new smart You have.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Small smart thermostats, yeah, yeah, yeah, the smart thermostats, that's right.
You know, if you can get a Wi Fi connected
smart at, those are just great and convenient. I mean
you can control them from your phone. So you leave
for work, you forgot, what do I do?
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
What did I leave my thermostat said at you. Oh,
they're so convenient. They're Bluetooth connected. You know even sometimes
you know, you lay in bed at night and you think, oh,
I forgot to change it. I don't want to get
out of bed. So those are great to have in general,
they can help lower your energy costs. But yeah, we'll
be offering a new option here in twenty twenty five
(28:30):
where people can choose if they want to to enroll
those that into a program where they can get rewards
for lowering their energy use.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
It's great, it's great. Now tell us again the website
should go to your website, TVA's website, the website to
get to save money. Yes, us all our websites.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
You need to know us a lot of so energy
right dot com. That's the fastest and easiest way you're
going to find tips, tricks, rebates, incentives, all the good advice,
the DIY home energy assessment, that's all of it able,
theret energy write dot com. To find out more about
what TVA is doing and how we're investing for the future,
you can go to TVA.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Dot com, TVA dot com and energy rite dot com.
That's right, that's it's easy play, easy way to go.
Thank you for coming in today talking about this.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I think it's it's not fun to talk about, but
it is fun. Well, I guess it is fun for
you to talk about. It is a job.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I'm saving money is fun.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Saving money is fun, it is. Thank you so much,
so thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
That's Ashley England from Tennessee Valley Authority talking about how
to save money on your heating bills. To find out more,
visit TVA dot com. For questions or comments about today's program.
You can always email me, John Clark at iHeartMedia dot com.
Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you next week right
here on your local radio station on Tennessee Matters
It's Tennessee Matters on the Tennessee Radio Network. Welcome to
Tennessee Matters. I'm John Clark from the Tennessee Radio Network.
The Tennessee Vallee Authority, or the TVA, is a federally
owned electric utility corporation. They were created in nineteen thirty
three as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.
(00:23):
But today they're going to talk about energy and how
to save money with your heating bills. Here to talk
about that today from the Tennessee Vallee Authority is Ashley England. Well,
it's getting to be cold weather and it's time to decide.
Oh no, what am I gonna do? My heat is
too much? What do I do to bring it down?
We got the lady here to sell us. He's gonna
tell us all about it right now. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I'm doing well. Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
It's good to have you on the show because you
offer some You got some great information. I know it
is that everybody does ask that during the winter time.
Oh my gosh, this weather's gonna be blown me away?
What do you do?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well? I like to start first for some of the
easy actions you can take on colder days to save energy.
And these are things that don't have to cost you anything.
So the first is to take advantage of sunlight when
it is out there. So when we have sunny, bright days,
you want to go ahead, open your curtains, open your blinds,
and let that natural sunlight warm your home provide some
(01:19):
of the ambient heat. Then you want to make sure
you close them at night. That's going to provide an
extra layer of insulation. Some people like to even invest
in something called thermal curtains. Those are really thick, typically
double backed curtains that's going to provide an extra layer
of insulation, so you might consider purchasing those, especially if
you have draft your windows. Another thing you want to
(01:42):
do is double check that your heating vents are open
and they're not blocked by furniture or rugs. So when
I bought my house, I thought, oh, this one room
in the living room that's going to be where the
couch goes. It's going to look great over there, and
then I realize the vent opened up over there. So
you don't don't want to do that because if you
block it with a console table or a rug, furniture
(02:06):
or anything like that it's going to cause uneven heating
in the room, You're gonna get cold spots, and it's
also going to make your HVAC system work harder to
heat up your home, and that's going to cause wear
and tear and damage over time. I'll mention too, sometimes
I hear a myth. People say, Oh, should I close
the vents in this one room, the guest room. We
(02:26):
don't use it a lot. Should I gohea and close
the vents? And the answer is no, do not do that.
That's right. Your h FAC in your home its size
to accommodate all the rooms in your house. So the
system's going to generate the same amount of hot air
no matter how many vents are open, and so closing
those vents actually causes the system to overwork and then
(02:48):
that causes higher energy bills and damage over time.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
That's that's something I did this when I was a kid.
They did that and the living room of the house
was freezing cold.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
That's right. No, it's just recently that we've kind of
research has borne that to be true, that that's not
good for the system. I think the final thing that
I like to remind people just real easy is to
set your ceiling fans to run clockwise in the winter.
A lot of folks may not even realize there's a
little switch up on your ceiling fan. If you flip
(03:23):
it one way, it's gonna run it counterclockwise. That's great
for the summer. You want to set it to run
clockwise in the winter. That's going to take all that
warm air that's rising. It's going to push it down
so that you can actually feel it. But don't forget
to turn it off when you're not in the room.
Fans do not warm people or fans don't warm rooms.
They don't cool rooms. They only warm and cool with
(03:44):
the people in the room. So that's another thing. Don't
forget to turn it off, otherwise you're gonna be wasting energy.
I didn't know the head of reverse, to be honest,
I didn't know. It's all I had this job either.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So now you know, folks do that. That's one thing
you can do. This really big. That's really good. That's
gonna be big.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, it's really helpful. It just helps you enjoy the
heat that your your home is producing, so you don't
want to waste it. So, yeah, those are a few little.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Things you can do okay, Now, TVA is doing some
rebate right now, right this couple of them, there's a
fifty dollars rebate, and there's a fifteen hundred dollars rebacho.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, there's quite a few, so you know, I think
the easiest and really my biggest recommendation to folks to
get ready for winter is to get your HVAC system
tuned up. Your HVAC system uses about fifty percent of
your home's energy, so it can really become one of
the largest expenses on your monthly bill, so you want
(04:41):
to make sure it's running at your full potential. So
when it comes to your old HVAC, you know, just
like your your body, you want to get your annual
wellness check up. That tune up. They're going to test
your system, they're going to inspect your condenser, your evaporator
coils as well as the compressor and refrigerant charge, and
they're going to replace your dirty air filters. And right
(05:02):
now we're offering a fifty dollars rebate on that tune up.
Can really drastically reduce the cost of a tuneup for
anybody who uses a member of our quality contractor network.
So those are contractors that are licensed, ensured, and they're
vetted by TVA and trained on our quality standards, and
that's going to make sure you're getting a great contractor
(05:23):
to do your job. So if you use a quality
contractor network number, you get a fifty dollars rebate. But
we also, to your point, offer rebates on a lot
of other things. So HVAC systems. Sometimes you get that
tune up done, you go to turn the heat on
and crash, boom, there's a smell. It's not working well.
So if you need to replace your HVAC system, really
(05:46):
recommend you go to energy write dot com check out
the rebates we have available. We have up to fifteen
hundred dollars rebates available for efficient HVAC systems. We also
have rebates available for duct system repair and replacement air
ceiling insulation. That's one I really recommend too. Right now,
we're running a special where we've doubled our attic insulation rebate.
(06:09):
It's five hundred dollars right now, so again that can
really offset the cost of getting additional attic insulation, which
is kind of like a cozy, little warm blanket for
your home. It's going to make sure that warm air
isn't escaping through the top of your house. And we
also do rebates on windows, so a lot of options
for homeowners.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Can you just go to your website and find out
the rebates, that's.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Right energy right dot com. And when you get there,
you have the choice are you here for your home
or are you here for your business? So, because we
also have incentives available for businesses for.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Your business too, and now are these with any company
or do you have certain companies and things like that?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
You have to use members of our contractor network. So
we offer the contract the quality contractor network for homeowners.
We also have a contractor network that's for businesses. So
those are you know, professional trade allies to support businesses.
And if you use a member of those networks, that
that gives you access to those rebates and incentives.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And can you go on the on the this is
a list of those businesses who do you use on
the on the.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Website, that's exactly right. You can find the list and
you can filter by your zip code, so you're going
to see exactly who serves your area. And then you
can also filter by their specialties. So if you know,
for example, you need an HVAC guy. You can filter
by hvac and we also have ratings so you can
see how other participants have rated those contractors, what kind
(07:29):
of how many projects they've installed through our program. So
it's a great it's a great little offer there.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Do they do You have to pay them in full
first or they take that out, reduce that and then
then give you the bill.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You get your rebate as a check as a check
mailed to you. So after you have the project installed,
your contractor will submit the paperwork on your behalf. You'll
get an email. You'll say, yes, that's right, I got
that and click click confirm in that email and you're
going to get your check in them out.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
So everybody pay attention. You got to use certain ones.
You got to know what you're doing. Means we don't
have to know much really what you're doing. Just go
in there.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Look but that's right, and we've tried to make it
really easy. The contractor does all the paperwork. You're you're
really only just confirming that you did work with that contractor.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Now let's dig into this a little more into the
heat and save saving energy and money. First of all,
what can you do, like for example, space heater. Should
you use a space heater or not?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Good question, So we so what I'll say, space heaters, ovens, stoves.
We do hear that people use those sometimes to heat
their home, And what I'll say is they're often risky
and inefficient. So space heaters can efficiently heat small spaces,
but they're not designed for whole house heating, so you'll
(08:54):
waste energy if you try to heat up your home,
your entire home with that. And there's also a safe
risk fire carbon monoxide poisoning if your space heater is
not properly vented or if it's left unattended, and then
ovens and stoves again, you know that can lead to
not only very uneven heating, but it can increase your
(09:14):
energy bills significantly. So we recommend for effective and save
home eating, use your central heating system or your heat pump.
If you're going to use a space heater, make sure
you're using an insulated, properly vented space heater, and always
prioritize safety. Really, we'd recommend you never use cooking appliances.
It's a real hazard.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Yeah, a situation where I guess a space heater, I
mean as you buy them because you cold. But are
there situations where they're they're good to use. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Again, if you're in a really small space, or if
you're in a you know, an unheated space, so you're
out in the garage, you have to work on the car,
you leave the garage door open, that's a good time
to use a space heater. Or if you're in a
really maybe you have a really small office, maybe the
events in there, they don't get you don't get a
lot of heat in your office. It's small. It's fine
(10:06):
if you're in a small space. Again, you just want
to make sure it's insulated and attended. Don't don't leave
it running when you're not there.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yes, because you hear so many fires started by a
space heater, Yeah, all winter long. You hear that.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
It's really unfortunate. Yeah, so again, And the other thing there,
of course, is just make sure even if it keeps
you warm, sometimes it's actually going to run your bills
up a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
That's what I was saying, Yeah, because it's probably they're
probably not energy efficient. Yeah maybe maybe not.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yes, some are better than others. So yeah, just use
them cautiously.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
On a really cold day. It's getting to be Wow,
it's gonna be really cold. Do you turn your heat up?
Is that doing any good?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Great question? So on a really cold day, there's a
few things you might consider doing. One is what I
call preheating. This is especially helpful if you have a
smart ther mustach. You can control it or automatically set
it to turn you know, the heat up at certain times.
So if you know it's going to be really frigid
(11:08):
when you wake up, you might set the thermostat a
little cooler as you go to bed, and then set
it to click on maybe four am something like that,
before the six am you know everybody's getting up because
that's the time that's called peak energy usage for us.
So across the valley peep, everybody's waking up at six am.
(11:29):
The heater's coming on, they're using the blow dryer, the
cooking food for their kids, you know, and that's just
drive drives up energy costs, and that's our peak energy
using time in our area. So I would recommend if
you can preheat and then turn the thermostat back down
a little bit at six am, that's going to help
save on energy costs and it's going to help TVA
(11:50):
save So that we don't have to invest in expensive
infrastructure for just occasional peak needs. So that's the thing
you can do. I think another thing that I you know,
we talked about using the blinds and curtains when it's
sunny out. Some other things you might think about are
well your thermostat settings in general. So that can be
(12:14):
controversial sometimes even in the same household that yes, it
can be. So my recommendation is to set the thermostat
as cool as you feel comfortable. The Department of Energy
recommends you set it to sixty eight degrees, but I
do hear from people with some frequency, oh my gosh,
my house would be so cold. Well, you know, if
(12:38):
your home is really cold when it's set to sixty eight,
that might be a sign that your home is energy inefficient.
You really do need to look into maybe you need
attic insulation or air ceiling. But you know it also
you might just need to put on a sweater. But
set it as cool as you feel comfortable. And just remember,
for every degree colder you set your your thermostat in
(13:01):
the winter, you're gonna save about three percent on your
energy bills. So it adds up, and every little bit
counts now.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Even let's go over it some more. Even things that
are just small, like the bottom of the door, you
can just put something over there, put a towel over
to something. What do you do about that?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's right. They have these little you know, draft blockers.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Oh you feel a draft like that all the time.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Those are great, highly recommend those. Those are really cheap,
easy thing that you can do. Calking and ceiling around
your windows and your doorframes and even your electrical outlets. Yeah,
that's a good one. A lot of people forget, you know,
your windows. They might feel drafty and you might need
to replace your windows, but you want to check around
(13:47):
the outside of the frame of the window. Sometimes you
can even feel air, especially at the top. That's when
they gets missed because you can't see it. And that's
a good place to look into doing some caulking in.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
The older houses especially. Really, this is it's like really
like one hundred years old or something. This really it's
got to be the dress got be coming through.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
It doesn't. My house is built in nineteen forty, so
I feel this pain. And people we just they just
didn't build houses with insulation in the walls back the
So doing what you can you know with your windows
and air ceiling and again that attic insulation, that's a
that's a thing you can add in without disrupting the
(14:27):
flow of your home too much. That can make a
big difference.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Because I guess during the winter months, you know what
is right now through March, maybe you know, you really
see it go up. You see the costs go up.
You're oh, my goodness, was so so expensive?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
The greatest is going on. Yeah, the greatest impact on
your energy bill is weather. I mean that it is.
It's the weather. And you'll notice if we have a
really mild month, oh your bills aren't so bad. But yeah,
the greatest impact is weather. And so the best you
can do is to make sure your home is as
efficient as possible. One thing I do like to recommend
(15:04):
to people if they're not really sure where to start,
or maybe they get into that first cold snap and
they think, oh my gosh, my bills are high and
I can't afford this all winter. What do I need
to do? We have this really great tool, it's called
the DIY Home Energy Assessment. It's online and all you
have to do is answer some questions about your home.
(15:26):
I recommend you take it using your phone or your tablet,
because it's going to ask you questions about your house.
You may not know off the answers to off top
of your head. So walk around your home, answer the questions,
and at the end you're going to get a tailored
list of recommendations for your home. These are the ways
you can save in your home. And right now you're
going to get an energy saving kit mailed to your
(15:47):
house for free after you complete this assessment. The assessment's free,
the kit is free. You'll get it about four to
six weeks and through the end of twenty twenty four,
we're offering twenty dollars Home Improvement Store gift cards in
that kit. So that's a good little deal. Yeah, it's
a little gift for you here at the end of
(16:08):
the year, and that can help you get started. And
that kit also has things like LED light bulbs and
Fawcet air raiders, things that are going to help you save.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Okay, So I was going to ask what's in the kit?
What all was in it?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, so the LED light bulbs, Fawcet air raiders, there's
a filter whistle that's a really cool gadgets you ever
heard of Yeah, so you put it on the vent
and when your filter is dirty, it'll start to make
a whistle. It'll remind you that it's time to change
your air filter, which we recommend you change monthly.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Really that often? I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
I mean it depends. For some people they can get
away with every two months. I've got a dog, he's
really furry. I need to change mind monthly. But yeah,
the filter whistle, things like that. So it's a great
little energy saving.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Kit and you get a twenty dollars in gift cards.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Twenty dollars through the end of the year. So now's
the time to do it. Take that DIY energy assessment again.
You can find it at energy right dot com.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Does it cost you anything to do?
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Not a dot?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Do it and look get the energy whishle. I like
the energy whistle. Are that cool?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I like that?
Speaker 1 (17:10):
That's pretty neat. I didn't know that. And so you
get twenty dollars twenty dollars gift cards and free.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
LED light bulb, which is great, I mean lights. If
you have old incandescent lights, you really waste a lot
of money. And the new LEDs really have a very
nice They give give off a nice light. I know
some people switch to CFLs in the first few years
that CFL's out, and they were a little blue or gray.
(17:38):
People didn't like the light. But but the LEDs are
a lot nicer than that, and they're gonna they last
way longer, and they're gonna save you money too, a
lot of money.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Something that you said and that that's changed the filter
every month. Yes, that's interesting because I mean I changed
it maybe twice a year. But if you have more,
tell them about the same. If you have more, then
you have more stuff going through there is you need
to change it more.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
That's exactly right. Yeah, I mean dirt, dander, dust, pollen.
I mean, gosh, where we live so much pollen. That
stuff builds up, and so when your filter gets dirty,
your HVAC system is going to have to work harder
to pull the air through and push the air through.
And so not only is your air quality going to
be improved if you change that, because as soon as
(18:27):
it gets dirty, it's no longer trapping all that yucky
stuff anymore. It's just floating around. But it's also going
to cause more wear and tear on your HVAC system
because it's going to have to work harder, So change
that filter more frequently, and I think your HVAC is
going to last a lot longer.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Okay. You know when you you fire up your heater
for the first time and air too, when you're a
time of and it doesn't work, how did how to
tee it up? It's not used, but you should you
should fire up early so that you.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Know, should test it out. That's right. Well, again, that's
another time when that age fact tune up can be
really helpful to you. You know, I would definitely test
it out before it gets really really cold out because
it's just the worst when you it's a cold snap,
you finally turn the heat on, h it's not working,
and of course that's when everybody's calling the age back contract.
(19:19):
So yeah, if you go ahead and get that tune
up now when it's a little bit more mild, and
that way you know your system's working well and if
it's not, you can catch it early and make a
plan to replace it.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Okay, Now I have to ask a question. This is
the question TVA sales energy. So why are encouraging people
to do less? You want to do more, won't you?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yes, we get that question a lot, and I get it.
It makes a lot of sense. People get skeptical, why
are you giving us this advice? But I think it's
important to understand the larger grid and system and how
it all works. So, like we talked earlier, in the
early winter mornings, you know, everybody's using energy at the
(20:00):
same time and that causes energy demand spikes. So you know,
when we can help mitigate that, when we can lower
that demand for energy, that prevents us from having to
go and invest in really expensive infrastructure things like power plants,
which cost a lot to build and operate, and when
(20:21):
we're building power plants for only peak needs, again, that's
a very pricey infrastructure investment. So when we don't have
to do that because people are saving and not wasting energy,
that's going to help TVA save on operational costs. It's
going to help us maintain low rates in our region.
We have some of the lowest rates in the country
(20:41):
and we want to maintain that. And it's going to
also help us provide a more reliable and resilient grid
and lower emissions. I mean, so for us, it's just
a win win, and that's why we're investing in programs
like this rebates incentives for businesses. We hadn't even talked
about that, but we also so have energy efficiency incentives
(21:03):
for businesses up to three million dollars per business p
per year per three million dollars, Yeah a significant Yeah, yeah,
so it is. You know, we we think of our homes.
Our homes use energy, but manned businesses can really use
a lot of energy. And so we are investing over
one point five billion dollars with a B with a
(21:26):
B in our energy efficiency and demand management. We call
it programs through twenty twenty eight. And so for businesses
if they're looking to get their energy costs under control,
really recommend you go to energywright dot com and look
at the incentives we have available. We have incentives for
common things, your your h fact systems, LED lighting. Lighting
(21:49):
is a really can be a big energy cost for businesses,
as well as things like efficient refrigeration, commercial refrigeration equipment,
things like that. But one of the coolest things that
we do is we offer what we call custom incentives.
If you have a specialty project that hey, I think
we could save a lot of energy if we did this,
we likely can incentivize that and help you offset some
(22:12):
of the cost of that project. So before you go
and make upgrades to your facility, please go to energywright
dot com. See what's available. Contact us, and we have
contractors to serve that that that industry as well.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
That's what I'm going to say. It has to be
your contractor that you've already approved and front gone through them.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
That's right. You know, there are occasions when really large
businesses will have you know, think like universities, they have
their own on staff maintenance folks and energy engineers. So
sometimes we can we can actually make those people part
of our contractor network so we can enable the project.
Even So again I would say, before you do something,
(22:54):
give us a give us a call, and let's see
if we can can help you.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Let's go over again. Maybe some is a some is not.
Again the energy savings that people can get just basically people,
because they should get that now start working on that. Now,
like get to like turn your air on, your heater
on to make sure it works. That's right. Let's talk
about what they can do if it doesn't work.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
So we offer rebates for HVAC system replacements. So that's
you know, up to fifteen hundred dollars. They go down
from there based off the system efficiency. There's systems that
are more or less efficient, so the more efficient system,
the more of a rebate you can get. But we
also offer three hundred dollars for duct system repair and replacement.
(23:38):
We offer an eight hundred dollars rebate for heat pump
water heater, three hundred dollars for air ceiling, five hundred
dollars right now for attic insulation. And then we offer
a fifteen dollars per window rebate for for window replacement
for Efficient Energy Star certified windows. And then on the
business front, we offer incentives or HVAC system replacement, led lighting.
(24:03):
We also offer commercial refrigeration, electric forklips, real yeah, variable VFDs,
variable flow drives, all kinds of things that are more
typical in a large facility. Your average home is not
going to have that. So yeah, so that' oh variable
(24:25):
speed drives and thermal ice storage. Again, the average versus
is not going to know what that is. But if
you work for a big business you might know.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
I was going to say, if you if you need
one of those that.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Got one, yeah, that's right, that's right. And then customs,
so if you have a project in mind, contact us.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
You mentioned water heaters too, that's something that's very staying
of your home. Would do you get there? You get
some savings there too, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
So we'd recommend that you set your water heater if
you're in your home, to about one hundred and twenty
degrees You could change the temperature of a water heater.
We would recommend between one five max. That's going to
say you you know, when you go to turn the
water on to wash the dishes and warm soapy water,
what do you typically do? You kind of flip it
(25:08):
all the way hot just to let it heat up. Well,
if it's going to be heating the water up higher
than one hundred and one hundred and twenty five degrees A,
that's a burn hazard. But you don't need the water
that warm, right, So set your water heater temperature to
one twenty. That's going to help you save on energy.
Your water heater ends up being a pretty sizable chunk
of your energy usage every month, and that way it's
(25:29):
also safer for you and your family.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Before we let you go today, I want to also
talk about your energy efficiency and what you're trying to
achieve a TVA. What are you trying to achieve there?
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Well, you know, we talked about how much the area
is growing, and it is growing at a rapid pace,
the Tennessee Valley region in general. Recent studies show that,
you know, our area is growing three times faster than
the national average. A lot of people moving in a
lot of energy to be used. So our goal with
(26:01):
our programs is to offset some of that load growth
we call that new load by thirty percent through energy
efficiency and our demand management program. So that's what we're
trying to do. In order to get that, we have
to get a lot of people to participate, and so
that's one of the things we're excited about, and we're
even rolling out here in the new year a smart
(26:23):
thermostat program where you can get you can purchase a
smart thermostat at a discount and enroll in a program
that will you would lower your thermostat during those kind
of peak need times, so winter, early morning, you would
agree to have your thermostat load by just a few
(26:44):
degrees and in exchange, you're going to get compensation for that,
You'll get a financial credit. So that's another thing that
we're going to be rolling out here soon again to
encourage people to lower their energy use and help us
all maintain a reliable grid and low rates.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
I guess, I guess I didn't think about the fact
that you have to do more with the people come
in town. Yeah, people coming into cities and well everywhere,
all of the all over everywhere. You really haven't do
a lot more, right, we do.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
And our just this last year, the TVA board approved
investing nearly sixteen billion dollars through twenty twenty nine to
build new generation and infrastructure into enhance the reliability of
our existing assets. So again we are preparing and the
future does look like it is going to continue to
(27:37):
be more people here and we have to be ready
to serve them.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah, it's got to do a little more.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
That's right, We got to We got to save more
and do more, do more.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
And you want to tell them you want the people
to buy the new smart You have.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Small smart thermostats, yeah, yeah, yeah, the smart thermostats, that's right.
You know, if you can get a Wi Fi connected
smart at, those are just great and convenient. I mean
you can control them from your phone. So you leave
for work, you forgot, what do I do?
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
What did I leave my thermostat said at you. Oh,
they're so convenient. They're Bluetooth connected. You know even sometimes
you know, you lay in bed at night and you think, oh,
I forgot to change it. I don't want to get
out of bed. So those are great to have in general,
they can help lower your energy costs. But yeah, we'll
be offering a new option here in twenty twenty five
(28:30):
where people can choose if they want to to enroll
those that into a program where they can get rewards
for lowering their energy use.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
It's great, it's great. Now tell us again the website
should go to your website, TVA's website, the website to
get to save money. Yes, us all our websites.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
You need to know us a lot of so energy
right dot com. That's the fastest and easiest way you're
going to find tips, tricks, rebates, incentives, all the good advice,
the DIY home energy assessment, that's all of it able,
theret energy write dot com. To find out more about
what TVA is doing and how we're investing for the future,
you can go to TVA.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Dot com, TVA dot com and energy rite dot com.
That's right, that's it's easy play, easy way to go.
Thank you for coming in today talking about this.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I think it's it's not fun to talk about, but
it is fun. Well, I guess it is fun for
you to talk about. It is a job.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I'm saving money is fun.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Saving money is fun, it is. Thank you so much,
so thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
That's Ashley England from Tennessee Valley Authority talking about how
to save money on your heating bills. To find out more,
visit TVA dot com. For questions or comments about today's program.
You can always email me, John Clark at iHeartMedia dot com.
Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you next week right
here on your local radio station on Tennessee Matters
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