Residents Plan to Retire and Be Energy Efficient
Aug. 15, 2006 -- Joseph Daniel, Energy Operations Coordinator, gave a presentation at a Government Employees' Retirement System workshop in August in St. Thomas. 
About two dozen people attended the sessions which were geared to help government employees prepare for retirement.
Daniel focused his talk and slides on how people can save money through energy efficiency. He encouraged his audience to become energy aware because conserving energy can be a challenge, and when it is accomplished, it can be personally satisfying.
He began his presentation quoting from a Daily News article about impending hikes in gasoline prices. He ended his talk with basic tips concerning the conservation of gasoline – properly inflated tires, regular tune ups, and driving smoothly.
The major proportion of his talk concerned energy saving techniques in the home. He pointed out the savings involved for a home that had solar water heating. He said the savings on a Virgin Islands resident's WAPA bill paid for the solar water heater in just a couple years and then it was just pure profit for the home owner.
He also pointed out that savings that one can make by replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. He said although the compact fluorescents were a little more expensive at the initial purchase, they lasted 10 times as long as incandescent. He calculated that a resident who replaces a 100 watt incandescent bulb with a comparable compact fluorescent saves $242 over the lifetime of that bulb.
Daniel, who has been working at the Energy Office since the end of last year, says he looks forward to making many more presentations to a wide variety of audiences. To contact Daniel, click here.