Change of Subject

This week I was going to write about the trials and tribulations of the second round of rats in the wood pile.  Then, the daily mail had a letter from Xcel Energy that was so ridiculous, I couldn’t resist making it the subject of this blog.

The letter begins:  “Here is your personalized analysis of your home’s energy use.”  Hmmm…  I wonder who asked for this “personalized analysis.”  Not I.  The letter continues:  “Due to COVID-19, we understand you might be at home more than usual … might be at home more, and the savings tips shown will help you save during this time.”  More about those savings tips, later.

The letter went on to say that my monthly electrical use is “38% more than Similar Nearby Homes.”  Whose homes?  How nearby?  The only similar nearby homes are these.  In homes that are of  similar square footage with similar occupants are two neighbors, both widows who live alone, as I do.  Every other home has two or more people living there.  Our houses were built by the same builder more than fifty years ago.  These homes have air conditioners – mine does not.  These homes have dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers.  The same as mine.  Their garage doors lift by an electric opener.  These women probably use their kitchen stoves for cooking – I do not.  I’ve told you before – I don’t cook.  I make meals, usually in my new and efficient microwave, not on or in my kitchen stove.  I do occasionally use my smaller electric oven.  Keith has installed energy-efficient lighting¸ using energy-efficient bulbs.

Oh, and I do watch television.  My CPAP machine uses electricity when operating at night.  My power lawn mower, snow blower, leaf blower, and string trimmer all operate on batteries that must be charged after use. as do my cell phones.  Our street is not well lighted; so, I leave my front porch light on all night.  When Lady goes out into the dog run at night, I turn on the new, efficient yard light.  Then, I turn it off.  And, of course, my laptop and desk top computers use electricity, as do my printers and the copier.  The printers and copier always slip into power save when not in use.  My house has the usual desk, ceiling, and floor lamps; these lamps burn when needed – otherwise, they are off.  And, because I do not have AC or a swamp cooler, I do have fans to bring in whatever cool air is available.

Then, there are the three top tips to save energy.  1.  Only run your dishwasher with full loads.  2.  Only run your clothes washer with full loads.  3.  Only run your clothes dryer with full loads.  Here’s what I think about those “top tips to save energy.”

1.  I live alone. It would take me a week to fill a dishwasher with dirty dishes.  I won’t do that.  When I was a child and when I lived on campus at my college in what we fondly called “cockroach haven,” we lived with cockroaches.  Even though friends and relatives have assured me that cockroaches cannot get into a dishwasher, I remain skeptical.  In addition, I do not have enough dishes, flatware, glasses, etc., to wait until the dishwasher is full to wash the dishes.  I know (because my handyman told me) that the dishwasher will probably wear out sooner than later, washing dishes every day.  I’ll have to deal with that when it happens, but I won’t leave a week’s worth of dishes in the dishwasher!

2.  I am reminded of a friend who did not have enough clothes to wait until she had a full load of washing to put into the clothes washer.  She had to wash her clothing almost daily so that she had clothes to wear to work the next day.  Even if she could have waited until she had a larger amount to put into the washer, she couldn’t have separated the clothing into whites, darks, etc.  And, this was long before we had the product called “Color Catcher,” that allows for combining colors in the same load without fear of colors bleeding from one garment to another.

3.  The same goes for the recommendation of drying only full loads of wash. I am already using wool balls in the clothes dryer, rather than dryer sheets.  They save money and are just as effective at removing wrinkles.  I must say, though, that those wool balls sometimes get into sleeves or the corners of fitted bed sheets, and “get lost” for a while, until I figure out where they have gone.  And, too many items in a “full load,” may cause more wrinkles than not.

How do these tips save anything for the workers cited in the letter who are working from home, these days?  Who, by the way, may have been working at home long before the pandemic hit.  I’m wondering if Xcel wants us to go back to washing dishes by hand, washing clothes using my utility sink and washboard and hanging them up to dry, beating the rugs with a broom and not vacuuming them, keeping food in an ice box, and sitting in a darkened room with one light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

Another part of the letter talks about my “Rewards balance,” which at the moment is 0 points.  It goes on to say that the earned points can be redeemed for gift cards.  I’d really rather that, if I ever have rewards points (unlikely, at best), they be applied to the charges on my Xcel bill.

All in all, I am probably most upset about this ridiculously unnecessary letter that took someone’s time to prepare (after someone else programmed the computer to calculate it), time and money to print and fold it, time and money to stuff it in an envelope, and the USPS cost of sending it.  I’d be really interested in knowing the real, total cost of sending this letter to the thousands of customers to whom it was sent.  I think the money would be better spent, put to some constructive use.  If Xcel doesn’t want  to use the money to save me money, Xcel could give it to charity.  There are plenty of needy causes that could use a healthy chunk of change added to their budgets.

By the way, my Xcel bill for the last thirty days arrived, today.  Total bill is $126.09; the electricity services part is $105.21, which according to the letter is “38% more than Similar Nearby Homes” where ever they are.

Be safe and well.

The Cranky Crone

If you have thoughtful feedback or questions, please let me know with a comment below.