The average West Virginia residence consumes about 1,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month -- far more than the mid-Atlantic average of 727 kwh.
The average West Virginia residence consumes about 1,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month -- far more than the mid-Atlantic average of 727 kwh.
Byron Harris, consumer advocate of the Public Service Commission, says federal figures rank West Virginia home power usage as 12th-highest in America.
The reason, apparently, is that more Mountain State homes are aging, with poor insulation and drafty windows -- letting costly heat escape in winter and failing to block muggy warmth in summer. Many lack cost-cutting heat pumps. Older appliances and incandescent lightbulbs also waste power.
In California, where energy-efficiency efforts are intense, the average home uses a mere 562 kwh per month, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Two Kanawha Valley activists, Mike Harman and Cathy Kunkel, told a Charleston church group this week that preventing energy waste could save West Virginians millions in utility bills and reduce the need to build more power plants.
The Legislature is exploring this problem. At a Tuesday hearing in the House of Delegates chamber, as outlined by reporter Megan Workman, various experts hailed the benefits of power-saving.
Director Michelle Connor said Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity builds low-income homes to meet federal Energy Star efficiency standards. Meeting the high-efficiency level adds $8.33 per month to a home's cost, she said -- but it saves $40 per month in utility bills.
Dale Oxley, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Charleston, said West Virginia has America's worst rate of heat-wasting "leaky houses." He joked that this state is "contributing to global warming ourselves."
Connor added that poorer families spend one-fourth of their income on utility costs. She added: "We should be ashamed how we're allowing families to live in homes like that."
Only eight of the state's 55 counties enforce energy codes. Participants in Tuesday's hearing urged that enforcement should spread to all counties.
A crusading group named Energy Efficient West Virginia has created a website to push the war on waste. It can be found at www.eewv.org.
A couple of years ago, the federal stimulus program gave West Virginia $37 million to weatherize low-income homes. In the coming 60-day session, the Legislature should expand the struggle by passing stronger energy codes and prodding utilities to increase efforts against loss.
Wasting money is senseless. Saving is wise. Energy is too valuable to be squandered needlessly.
The average West Virginia residence consumes about 1,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month -- far more than the mid-Atlantic average of 727 kwh.
Byron Harris, consumer advocate of the Public Service Commission, says federal figures rank West Virginia home power usage as 12th-highest in America.
The reason, apparently, is that more Mountain State homes are aging, with poor insulation and drafty windows -- letting costly heat escape in winter and failing to block muggy warmth in summer. Many lack cost-cutting heat pumps. Older appliances and incandescent lightbulbs also waste power.
In California, where energy-efficiency efforts are intense, the average home uses a mere 562 kwh per month, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Two Kanawha Valley activists, Mike Harman and Cathy Kunkel, told a Charleston church group this week that preventing energy waste could save West Virginians millions in utility bills and reduce the need to build more power plants.
The Legislature is exploring this problem. At a Tuesday hearing in the House of Delegates chamber, as outlined by reporter Megan Workman, various experts hailed the benefits of power-saving.
Director Michelle Connor said Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity builds low-income homes to meet federal Energy Star efficiency standards. Meeting the high-efficiency level adds $8.33 per month to a home's cost, she said -- but it saves $40 per month in utility bills.
Dale Oxley, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Charleston, said West Virginia has America's worst rate of heat-wasting "leaky houses." He joked that this state is "contributing to global warming ourselves."
Connor added that poorer families spend one-fourth of their income on utility costs. She added: "We should be ashamed how we're allowing families to live in homes like that."
Only eight of the state's 55 counties enforce energy codes. Participants in Tuesday's hearing urged that enforcement should spread to all counties.
A crusading group named Energy Efficient West Virginia has created a website to push the war on waste. It can be found at www.eewv.org.
A couple of years ago, the federal stimulus program gave West Virginia $37 million to weatherize low-income homes. In the coming 60-day session, the Legislature should expand the struggle by passing stronger energy codes and prodding utilities to increase efforts against loss.
Wasting money is senseless. Saving is wise. Energy is too valuable to be squandered needlessly.
