National Grid Encourages Customers To Be Energy Efficient

• Have the central air conditioner serviced. Customers should have their central air conditioning systems proactively serviced and cleaned. Professionals will examine the air conditioning unit to ensure the system is working at peak efficiency.
• Replace your air filter. Dirty air filters on air conditioning systems can reduce airflow to a home's ventilation system. Changing the filter as directed by the manufacturer permits air to flow freely and helps the air conditioning run more efficiently.
• Vacuum air intake vents and keep them clear. Dust can build up on the air vent, and a couple of minutes with a vacuum can keep the airflow moving. Move toys, furniture, and other objects away from the intake vent to keep air moving.
• Consider rearranging furniture near your thermostat or room air conditioner. Lamps and televisions radiate heat, and if they are too close to the thermostat, they cause air conditioning to run more and longer than necessary to cool a room.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs are inefficient and emit more heat than LED bulbs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LED bulbs use at least 75 percent less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent lighting.
• Turn off lights when they are not in use. Turning off unused lighting can help save money by reducing electricity usage and extending the life of light bulbs.
• Consider installing a programmable or smart thermostat. Programmable thermostats allow air conditioning to run on a schedule. Smart thermostats can control a home's temperature from a mobile device or computer. Preset a schedule, adjust temperatures remotely, and take full control of cooling. Smart thermostats could lower energy bills by up to $180 a year. Customers with smart thermostats can also sign up for the  ConnectedSolutions Program and earn incentives for adjusting usage during peak weather events.
• Prep for any planned time away from home. If there's a road trip or beach vacation on the calendar, take extra steps, such as turning up the thermostat to keep your air conditioning from running while no one is home. Unplug electronics with remote control or "instant on" features and save $4 monthly.

• Turn up the temperature on the thermostat. The lower the air conditioning temperature, the more costly it is. Setting the air conditioning to a 75-degree setting costs about 18 percent more than a 78-degree setting.
• Run fans with air conditioning. Oscillating or box fans near air conditioning vents create an airflow like winter windchills, circulating cold air throughout the room.
• Close window coverings. Ambient sunlight can heat a room. Draw curtains and blinds to reduce the heat and keep the air conditioning from running more than needed.
• Think twice before starting the oven. Conventional and convection ovens can add unnecessary heat to the home and force the air conditioner to run unnecessarily. Keep the heat outside by using a grill, or if that's not an option, consider using a microwave or slow cooker to do the job.
• Know the signs of heat-related illness. Heavy sweating, muscle cramps, and a fast pulse aren't just signs of being warm. They are symptoms of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Know the signs and pay extra attention to children, seniors, and other vulnerable groups when the temperature and humidity rise.

Child-Care Providers Want Mental Health Support, Better Wages

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:15AM / Saturday, August 03, 2024

Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw host a listening session on early child care at BCC on Wednesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local child-care providers called for mental health support and equitable pay at a listening session with state officials this week. 

"We don't provide resources for our educators so that they have a strength in the classroom. They're putting out fires constantly. How are they educating? How are they teaching?" said Elise Weller, senior director of child care services at 18 Degrees.

"The social-emotional development of these children is so important."

Katherine Von Haefen, director of community impact at Berkshire United Way, said a single parent with school-aged children needs to make between $70,000 and $80,000 annually just to meet basic needs and a great many local parents are not making that mark — including teachers.

"Just over half of our population now in Berkshire County is considered to be economically challenged, working yet still struggling to make ends meet. Too many of our local educators are part of this economically challenged population," she said.

"Frequently we hear directors sharing stories of staff refusing raises or bonuses so that they do not lose out on key benefits. This is not OK. Early childhood compensation is truly a very complicated issue and one that frankly, has not yet been fully successfully addressed across the country. It's one that's complicated yet, we still need to look at a variety of possible solutions. Multiple solutions that can be piloted and road tested before engaging in large-scale efforts."

Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw hosted the childcare listening session Wednesday at Berkshire Community College. The panel also included state Outdoor Recreation Director Paul Jahnige, Alvina Brevard of the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and Undersecretary of Education Mark Reilly.

"We know that there are some really difficult barriers facing this particular field: accessibility, affordability for families, opportunity, and so we will be discussing, I'm sure, all of that," BCC President Ellen Kennedy said.

"I am particularly committed to this. I am the parent of a son who is now in his thirties with a son who was at a child-care center but my son went in at eight weeks old and I have shared on one or two occasions that it was the professionals in the child-care center that made me a better parent, that actually taught me how to parent, and I am forever in their debt for the ways in which they helped me help my son."