Energy

Days of triple digit temperatures are driving high energy use, and that means homeowners could be facing high electric bills. Westar Energy is bringing representatives to several of its service areas to help customers who may have trouble dealing with a large bill. Company officials say they are talking with customers about options like setting up an average payment plan, where customers pay a fixed average all year long, or a payment plan to deal with high or overdue bills.

Westar Energy is sending crews to help restore power to areas that were hit by strong thunderstorms in West Virginia. Millions were left without power in the eastern United States. Contract crews will be sending 41 Westar lineman, supervisors, safety and support personnel to assist with restoration efforts. Employees from Westar's Topeka, Marysville, Hutchinson, Atchison, Pittsburg, Independence, Newton, Arkansas City, and Wichita offices will assist.

Westar Energy has asked the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to increase its base prices about 5.85 percent. They say the increase for a typical residential customer would be about $6.50 per month. KWCH Eyewitness News reporter Jim Grawe will have more on this story tonight on the evening news and KWCH.com

by Nathan Navrat (WICHITA, Kan.) The American Wind Energy Association ranks Kansas 10th among states with Wind Energy installations in a report released Monday. The report says Kansas added the fourth most amount of capactiy in 2008. Only Texas, Iowa, and Minnesota added more. Texas leads the nation in production. The report says, if Texas was a country, it would rank sixth in the world.

Westar Energy will be at the Salvation Army office on August first to talk with customers who may have trouble paying their big energy bill in this summer's heat wave. The company will have people there to talk with customers about options, including setting up payment plans. Westar is planning similar events in other cities, including El Dorado, Abilene and Newton. You can see the full schedule of Westar meetings at the related link.

If you want to learn how to winterize your home or the benefits of having a rain barrel, those answers will be under one roof Saturday. The City of Wichita is hosting its annual Energy & Sustainability Fair.  It's from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m at Century II. The purpose is to give homeowner's tools to save energy and money.  There are several seminars, from home weatherization and how to idle less to sustainable gardening and lawn care. ...

Small upgrades to your home can save you money on your next electric bill. But in this economy, officials at Westar Energy say people are skipping those projects. Federal stimulus money is trying to change that by creating a new loan program for home upgrades. All over your home are ways to save money on energy. They're often hard to see, unless you look through Shawn Patterson's eyes. "That's what I help people identify," he said. "What they can do cost effectively and what they need to hire someone to do or forego all together.

The Sedgwick County Commission approves an energy conservation plan for the county, which an energy firm says will ultimately save money. Some of improvements focus on the Sedgwick County Jail. Among the changes will be more efficient, lower wattage lights and a new jail laundry system. The new laundry system at the jail would use water injected with ozone instead of detergent. Officials with energy firm Consolidated Edison say it will use cold water instead of hot water and be gentler on the jail's linens.

Energy bills are rising as people around the state are trying to beat the heat by cranking up the air conditioner. In an effort to save money during the summer, the Department of Energy recommends setting the thermostat at 78 degrees and setting it even warmer when you leave. Resist the urge to set the dial to a chilly temperature to cool down a hot room as it won't make a room colder any faster. Put appliances like TV's and lamps away from thermostats because they can absorb the heat and make your air conditioner work more than necessary.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A state officials says federal approval of a cost-sharing plan to build electric transmission lines in eight states is likely to help develop wind energy in Kansas. Officials said Thursday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the new plan for the Southwest Power Pool region, which includes Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the plan will assign the costs of high-voltage transmission lines to utilities on region-wide basis.