James Stadnyck appreciates the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) his co-op sent him, but he isn't using them yet.
He'd already installed dozens at home long before the Do the Light Switch canisters came in the mail last spring and again in April.
CFLs are just one way Stadnyck and his wife, Charlene, cut their power bills by 42 percent from 2006 to 2008. "Not only are they great, but they actually put out more light than the [incandescent] light bulbs," he says.
The York Electric Cooperative members live in Fort Mill, where he works as an X-ray technologist. They also have a business, Point of View Photography. Stadnyck combined his camera skills and energy-saving savvy to produce a short film he posted on You Tube earlier this year.
CFLs — or "squirrelly light bulbs," as he calls them — are just one focus of "Saving Energy," which now can also be viewed here. Stadnyck also touts Energy Star-qualified appliances, programmable thermostats and low-cost tips like using natural lighting and clotheslines. But CFLs are the, um, brightest star in Stadnyck's film.
"Star Wars" fans will appreciate how he scrolls "squirrelly" info to infinity, like the intro to the sci-fi classic. (Remember? "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…")
Unlike George Lucas , Stadnyck sticks to science fact. "The squirrelly light bulbs produce so much light, we don't need to have them all operating," the scroll sagely states. CFLs save 75 percent over incandescents, Stadnyck figures; using half as many saves another 50 percent.
Other tips include unplugging "energy vampires" and stand-alone freezers, then shopping efficiently. "We were spending more money than it was worth to have the freezer," he notes.
Stadnyck's film and his frugality earned him the title of the Biggest Cheapskate in the Charlotte Area from the Charlotte Observer. He'd prefer Smartest Consumer.
For instance, the Stadnycks took advantage of a grand-opening offer at a new supermarket to save $20 on a $50 purchase and, in the process, stocking their refrigerator freezer in style. "We bought filet mignon when it was on sale at $8.99. So we bought filet mignon for $5 a pound, we bought Alaskan king crab for $4.19 a pound. It's smart shopping," he says.
Take that, sucker!
If "energy vampires" are the Draculas of power, James Stadnyck is their Van Helsing. He's slain two "vampire loads" inside his home. Stadnyck pulled the plug on an alarm radio. "I only listened to the radio for two minutes before I went to work," he realized. Then he put the proverbial stake through the heart of an energy-sucking doorbell. "It all adds up," he says. "The doorbell is 40 kilowatt-hours a year." Hmm. Sounds like a sure-fire sequel to "Saving Energy."
James Stadnyck appreciates the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) his co-op sent him, but he isn't using them yet.