California Heat Wave Takes 14 Lives

[JI7]

Source: bayinsider.com

Southern California's scorching heat wave is being blamed for at least 14 deaths.

Authorities have reported finding bodies in vehicles and apartments throughout the region.

With the death toll climbing, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Tuesday urged residents to check on elderly relatives or neighbors to make sure they're OK.

The apartment manager where 82-year-old Menahen Lugassi and his wife were found dead said their unit had an air conditioner, but she believed the couple kept it off because of the expense.

Read more: http://www.ktvu.com/weather/14046394/detail.html

[Lorien]

1. My cousin, who lives in Glendale, says it got up to 112 degrees last week

I worry about one of my closest friends, too. She's an ex-supermodel who lost most of her savings when she became disabled. Now she lives in a large 1920's Spanish Tudor in the Glendale hills that costs her $900.00 a month in utility bills when she DOESN'T turn on the heat or air. We've been trying to figure out for years why her electric bill is so high, but so far, no answers. I wish she would sell the house and get out of there, but it's all she's ever known. :-(

[diane in sf]

2. The local energy company may come out and do an audit. PG&E will do that.

She could also apply for lifeline rates if her income is low. I don't know if the LA utility has these two services but $900 is insane!

[Lorien]

8. She had one of those. All they could come up with was that maybe

the refrigerator was drawing huge amounts of energy. It's a newer model and she cleans the coils, so I highly doubt that!

[sce56]

3. Need to investigate get a Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor

http://www.supermediastore.com/kilwateldet1.html



This device will allow you to check all your plug in 120V devices and see what they pull power wise. But if your friend has a 900.00 utility bill you need to see what is doing it check the meter and see how fast the dial is turning then turn everything off and see what it does. Key items that pull big watts are refrigerator, AC, electric water heaters & ranges. I lived in the upper desert last summer and my max bill was $32.00 and I ran the cooler all the time, swamp type cooler that is I also used nothing but CF bulbs. A swap to all compact fluorescents saves a lot. Just be careful you don't break them they have mercury in them great savings but environmental disposal problem. PM me if you need help I'm not to far from Glendale.


Want to make your home more energy-efficient but are not sure where the biggest savings could be made? Want to go off-grid but you don't know how much energy each of your appliances and gizmos use? Is replacing that aging fridge worth it? Here's a gadget that might be useful to help settle these questions: Kill-a-Watt. You just plug it in the power outlet, plug into it whatever it is that you want to test et voilà! The first step toward conservation is having feedback on how much you consume.

Kill-a-Watt is not quite perfect: Having an easy to read power-meter that tells you how much everything (individually and together) inside the house consumes in real-time, as with the so-called intelligent houses, would be better, but K-a-W has the advantage of being inexpensive and better than the nothing that most people have. "LCD display, cumulative killowatt-hour monitor, displays volts, amps, watts, Hz, VA, forecast your costs, 0.2% accuracy," says the manufacturer. You should be able to find it online between $15 and $25. You can see photos of the insides here. ::P3 International: Kill a WATT ::Via WorldChanging

[Lorien]

10. Cool! Thanks so much for finding this. I'll send her the info today!

:hi:

[cliss]

15. Thank you sce for the awesome post.

I've been battling it out up here in Portland, with my electricity bill. Have gone through all kinds of hassles to try and figure out where the electricity is going.

I'm getting a KILL A WATT!

[sce56]

18. The easiest thing to do is watch the meter spin then shut everything down

and once it is stopped turn things on one at a time to find the ones that make the meter spin the fastest. Those items will pull the most juice. Kill a Watt will only work on 120V single phase items not 220V appliances like AC, Electric Range, Stove or Hot Water Heater the biggest users.
One thing I do is put all my tv's and even the microwave on a switched strip and turn it off when not in use, the TV's and other electronics have a transformer running the moment you plug it in cable boxes use about the same amount of power turned on as off due to the transformer. Also Remember the Compact Fluorescent Bulbs! The light of a 60W bulb for just 13-15Watts you could run 4 CF lights on the cost of one old style incandescent bulb just do not use with dimmers read the following! Oh yes some utilities will even give out free ones or rebates for buying them!
Good luck!
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

How to Choose the Right Light:
Matching the right CFL to the right kind of fixture helps ensure that it will perform properly and last a long time.

For example:

CFLs perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, such as table and floor lamps, wall sconces, pendants, and outdoor fixtures.
For recessed fixtures, it is better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral CFL since the design of the reflector evenly distributes the light down to your task area.
If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer or three-way switch, you'll need to use a special ENERGY STAR qualified CFL designed to work in these applications. Make sure to look for CFLs that specify use with dimmers or three-way fixtures.
Choose a qualified CFL that offers a shade of white light that works best for you. For example, while most CFLs provide warm or soft white light for your home, you could choose a cooler color for task lighting.
To choose the ENERGY STAR qualified CFL with the right amount of light, find a qualified CFL that is labeled as equivalent to the incandescent bulb you are replacing. Light bulb manufacturers include this information right on the product packaging to make it easy for consumers to choose the equivalent bulb. Common terms include "Soft White 60" or "60 Watt Replacement."
You should also check the lumen rating to find the right CFL. The higher the lumen rating, the greater the light output. Consult the following chart to determine what CFL wattage is best to replace your incandescent light bulb:

[zalinda]

4. It is probably an electrical leak

Below are some links that could help. I do know that there are only 2 answers, either electrical leakage or someone is stealing her electricity. She needs to complain to the electric company, so they can check things on their side. Has her bill always been this high, or did it happen suddenly. Was a meter put in wrong, or a connection that some one made is wrong. If it is the electric company's fault she may be able to sue them. But when looking at these 2 links it quite possible that her electricity is going into the ground. She needs to get a QUALITY electrician out there, this is not a time to go cheap. If the electricity is going to ground, it could kill her, if she gets in it's way.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electrical-Wiring-Home-1734/electricity-leak.htm
http://qna.live.com/ShowQuestion.aspx?qid=9F5275E4A9D848DFB9A88C0FE1D4189E

zalinda

[Lorien]

11. Thanks so much for those links!

Yeah, she's been wondering if one of her neighbors could be siphoning energy from her somehow. I never knew that electricity could "leak". That's a bit scary!

DU is great; post a problem and you'll get at least a couple of great solutions! :hi:

[aquart]

5. Wow. I got a $3400 refund from Con Ed once.

It really pays to complain. Has she complained to her local officials? It IS a local election year. They WANT to help her right now.

[Lorien]

12. I'll suggest that she do so. Did you contact a local official to end up

with that substantial refund check? I know that she has called the electric company numerous times and had an audit, but unfortunately she's one of those people who always apologizes for having a problem and often takes the blame for things that she shouldn't. I think she needs one of her hard ass, fast talking film producer friends to make the calls for her if she's not going to stand up for herself. I'd do it for her if she'd let me, but she feels so guilty if anyone does her the slightest favor. :shrug:

[aquart]

16. In my case they were billing for the wrong apartment.

But it never occurred to me until my neighbor handed me my mail and noticed the name was right but the apartment was wrong. I called Con Ed and asked them to check and one day, way later, I got a check.

Of course, the check arrived on September 13, 2001, so I didn't get much joy of it.

[Screwfly]

6. I wouldn't draw attention to someone with a $900.00 utility bill

There's a type of indoor, home agriculture that requires a large amount of electricity for lighting.

[Lorien]

9. No, they aren't growing weed in the living room

and there is no basement.

[recoveringrepublican]

17. we had a similar problem for 5 years

We live in Florida. Our bills weren't that high, but around $400. We installed a new a/c, bills didn't drop. We would set the temp at 80, and during the day our temp wouldn't go below 84.

Finally we have the money to start fixing up our house. We thought we should get a bigger a/c unit. Had a new company come in. They said that if we had had an inspection our home would not be up to code. One of the tubes (ok, I don't know really if it was a tube or what) was so degraded in our attic that every time we turned on our a/c our attic was being cooled. We also had our house re-wired and a new fuse box put in.

Got that fixed, our bills went down to $100, leaving the temp at 80. Next is new double pane windows (with that gas in the middle, lol, sorry I never pay attention, am deaf and usually to tired too listen to people I don't know).

[24HRrnr]

19. Don't bother with

the windows for energy conservation purposes. Even the Energy Star windows have an R-factor of about 3 - the average wall is 17-19.

Check on air sealing your home to prevent energy loss from air infiltration.

A good energy rater will be able to help you prioritize a repair schedule that will actually be cost effective.

And, unless you have a really poor electrical connection, a re-wiring job will not save significant quantities of energy. It might save your life from an electrical fault, though.

[recoveringrepublican]

21. lol, now you tell me about the windows

already paid for them. But we will get a insurance cut (well we are suppose to) here in Florida.

[JTFrog]

7. LA has a pretty big homeless

population. This has to be killing them. I spent a couple weeks in the LA Forrest in the 80's and it was pretty rough when the summer days heated up even back then. I can only imagine what some of these poor people are going through now. The extreme weather across the country is killing lots of invisible people.

[shanti]

13. heat waves like this

are a fairly common occurrence here in sacramento and other parts of nor cal. doesn't make it any easier to handle tho, so i really feel for y'all in so cal. :( i'm seriously considering a move to the pacific northwest when i retire in a few because of the heat!

[dbt]

14. Somehow this same heatwave was not "news"

When it moved through the South a couple of weeks ago. Go figure...

[Raine]

20. I live in Los Angeles and was news here

we heard all about the heat wave in the south on the local and national news. I guess it depends what the station you have on is covering. :shrug: