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PAGE M - PL AINDE ALER - FRIDAY. DECEMBER 7. It» The Move To Many may not realize H but it is possible to make a real contribution to easing the international energy problem in the privacy of each own home. The crisis concerns petroleum, and the experts talk about it in quads and gigawatts, billions of this and trillions of that. However they describe it sod whatever its causes, one of its effects is painfully clear-it is taking a bigger and bigger bite out of in­ come. There's a way to bite back, but before getting into that let's put every bathtub, house, and utility bills into the international picture. Twenty industrial nations, including the United States- all members of the In­ ternational Energy Agency (IEA) - promoted energy saving dining October by sponsoring International Energy Conservation month. Activities ranged from high-. level scientific conferences to taping posters on schoolroom walls. Since opportunities for eenrgy - . r » . . . . conservation are so great, citizenfin all twenty nations Review the energy use in the home, for example. Although it may not use oil directly, whatever farm of energy it does use-natural gas, electricity, solar-can be expressed as an amount of oil, half of which' we must import. The average American home uses the energy equivalent of about 940 gallons of oil each year. This energy is used mainly for heating and ^cooling rooms, heating^ water, lighting, cooking, and running refrigerators and other appliances. Half the oil Americans use is imported, and this imported oil now costs consuming nations about $22 per 42-gallon barrel. A year ago a barrel of oil sold for about $12. Today, the average household's energy cost is more than $2,000. About half of that is for gasoline for the car; the rest is mainly for heating hid and electricity. Those Figures will only go up Christmas Holiday Special for Men and Women *15% Off Perms *20% Off Redken Perms *15% Off Hair Coloring We use and sell RedKen&KK Products as energy becomes more expensive to produce or as the foreign oil producers raise the price further. One way of cutting utility bills is to make sure to get the full use of the energy paid for. This is called energy conservation, and it is the easiest and fastest way to not only cut personal bills but also reduce the nation's dangerous dependence on oil that somebody else controls. One of the easiest ways of gauging the potential of energy conservation is monitoring energy use in each home. The biggest piece of the utility costs, about 70 percent of the total, goes for heating and cooling rooms. Heating water takes about another 15 percent, and lighting, cooking, and small appliances account for the rest. But in some homes, water heating costs more than home heating. With winter coming on, one can save up to 30 percent of heating costs (that's about one dollar of every five you spend for utilities) by adequately insulating the home. It can be relatively expensive to install, but the federal government now offers homeowners a 15 percent tax credit for in­ stalling insulation, storm windows, or caulking up to Misters Coiffures (NEXT TO THE A 6 P) 385-7550 I WONDER LAKE HARDWARE V- Effective Now until Dec. 15 7602 Hancock Dr. | Wonder Lake, II. |Dial Wonder Lakel 653-4471 ir i f <r <r tr <r ir <>j jsr m IN Dress Up Christmas with a CHRISTMAS TREE FROM COUNTRYSIDE Flowershop b Nursefy We Hove a Large Selection of FRESH-CUT • DALSAM• SCOTCH PINE^DOUGLAS FIR® AND MORE! THE GIFT THAT'S ALWAYS IN GOOD TASTE Holiday Fruit Baskets Beautifully decorated Holiday Daskets filled with luscious fresh fruit and other goodies.^ FROM POINSETTIAS And other Holiday Rowers Wired anywhere in the U.S.A. •Wreaths*Balsam Roping*Grave Blankets •Centerpieces* Holiday Arrangements •Gift Items FREE LOCAL DELIVERY-GIFT CARD ENCLOSED COUNTRYSIDE Flower Shop & Hursery Route 176 0/2 mi. E. of Moin St.) Crystal Lake 615-459-6130 6>30 am to 6 pm DAILY. fttOO am to 6 pm SAT, 9 om to 5 pm SUN. $2,000, lor a total credit of $300. The nearest Internal Revenue Service office has the details-a toll-free number is listed in the phone book. Cracks around loose doors and windows are like energy burglars stealing a home's heat. One can caulk and weatherstrip the entire house for about $25 worth of materials and a few hours erf work; this alone may cut the annual heating costs by 10 percent or more. Someone with an oil-fired furnace, cast a suspicious eye on it. On very add days it should run almost con­ tinuously. If instead it keeps going on and off it is probably wasting money. By one estimate, 97 percent of all such furnaces are overfired-that is, they squirt more oil than needed because the oil nozzle is too big. A smaller nozzle will use up to 14 percent less oil, and a service technician can quickly tell if one is needed* For a forced-air heating system, check the ducts for leaks, because they can waste up to 9 percent of the heating dollars. Patching with a roll of insulation tape will usually do the trick Check the filter because if it is dirty the home owner isn't getting the heat he paid for.) Setting the thermostat down by only five degrees for eight hours each night can save up to 15 percent of fuel costs. , By the way, keep the radiators dusted, and if in painting them use flat paint, no enamel. Hot water heaters throw away money at ah alarming rate. For example, as much as 14 percent of their heat * escapes through the walls of the tank. Many hardware stores now carry do-it- yourself insulation kits; these cost about $20 but can pay for themselves in about a year as energy prices rise. Reducing the hot water setting from 140 degrees F to 120 degrees F will use about 18 percent less energy. Like to take baths? That costs more these days, too. A shower will save about . 2,000 gallons of water a year-and the fuel required to heat it. And putting a $1 flow con- stricter in the shower head can save a family of four up to $40 a year. The easiest way of saving on hot water is by not using it to begin with. So don't leave a faucet running; use cold water for laundering, and wait until the dishwasher or . washing machine are full before switching them on. If a hot water faucet leaks, automatic garage door opener ayatem by ALLIANCE MODEL GS 459 •01 •plus modest installation optional See and compare all the Genie* Systems! Opsn Iks 1mm.. .tarn m tfcs Igbt.. .dust tka fear.. tarn sff Uw Bgfct. •SERVICE •SALES •INSTALLATION OImok Caiti«octorv ^ 5412 N. Ridgeway ?'V - * Ringwood, 11.60072 Phone 815-653-6936 "10 Years of Quality Experience" money is going down the drain. One drop of water per second amounts to 650 gallons a year. With that, one could run 9 loads of dirty clothes through the machine. And all it takes to stop that drip is a five-cent washer. In the kitchen, if the stove is electric, turn off the element a couple of minutes before a dish is done; residual heat will finish the job for nothing. And for those cooking with gas, check those pilot lights; if the flames are not blue, they are costing penny by penny. Boiling water in uncovered pots is a real energy loser, but then so is using a little pot on a big burner. And use cold water for the waste disposer, too; it couldn't care less. Then there's lighting. In terms of today's energy prices, incandescent bulbs are downright primitive because about 90 percent of the energy they use goes into heat, not light. Fluorescent fixtures and reflector bulbs are much cheaper to operate for a given amount of light, but if one is stuck with in- can descents, don't wait for bulbs to burn out, but replace them as soon as they begin to get dim. Stay away from tinted bulbs and avoid "long-life" bulbs because they are the most inefficient of all. And where bright light is needed, one bulb may be better than two; for in­ stance, one 100-wattt bulb produces more light than two 60-watt bulbs. Each one of these tips may not only save money, but will also help bail the entire nation out of its energy jam, which may sound odd until a look is taken at a couple of figures r If all American households cut the use of dishwashers by one load a week, the aggregate saving would total 3.25 million barrels of oil a year. And if all home hot water heaters were properly in­ sulated, this could save 60,000 barrels of oil a day. That's almost 22 million barrels of oil a year, or a cut in the nation's trade deficit of $440 million. All in all, energy con­ servation demonstrates the ant-and-elephant principle; How did the ant carry the elephant across the bridge? One bite at a time! mmsm - - " Wildlife Report f.V>; * tyl(mdenj(ake STATE BANK The first bank in McHenry County to pay high market interest rates to the small saver. 11.767% Per Year $ 5,000 For 26 Weeks You Don't Need $10,000 At the Wonder Lake State Bank you don't need $10,000 to get high Money Market rates! Deposit $5,000 and we'll lend you $5,000 to .bring your deposit up to $10,000. (See schedule at the right.) We lend it to you at a sensationally low I •/. annual net loan charge! This means that after 26 weeks--after we hove taken out the 1 % net loan charge on an annual basis- You will collect this* ultra-high annual rate of interest on your $5,000 deposit. . . . guaranteed! And your deposit is in­ sured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Compare this to the highest day-to-day savings occount bank rate .... you'll see that the new Wonder Lake State Bank account more than doubles the in­ terest on your money. RATES AVAILABLE THROUGH DECEMBER 11,1979 AT WONDER LAKE STATE BANK WHEN YOU WE LEND YOU EARN DEPOSIT YOU ANNUALLY (ftfcrti In (ton) *5,000 *5,000 10.767 *6,000 *4,000 11.100 *7,000 *3100 11.331 *8,000 *2,000 11.517 *9000 *1100 11.656 *10,000 EARNS 11.767 or more mm Federal regulations prohibit compounding of interest on 26-week certificates No withdrawal of principal or interest from this account will be allowed by the Bank before the maturity date except if the depositor dies or is declared incompetent. We reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time without notice. Keogh and IRA occounts are not eligible to participate. csai STATE BANK WONDER LAKE, ILL. 60097 (•15) 72S-0433 Lobby Hours: Mon. Toes. Thurs. 9-3, Fri. 9-8, Sot. 9-12 Noon Solar energy systems are not as complicated as many Americans believe. In fact, solar technology is "sur­ prisingly simple," and is already cutting energy costs for thousands of U.S. homeowners according to a free publication from the National Wildlife federation entitled, "Solar Energy and the Homeowner." The new 16-page pamphlet is an introduction to com­ monly-used solar energy systems. "Hot water and pod beating are the most common applications for solar systems, with space heating becoming less ex­ pensive as the market rapidly expands," explains the publication. Solar electricity via power lines, however, will probably not arrive until 1990, barring some major technological breakthrough. In California alone, there are already 10,000 domestic water heaters and 3,000 space heating and cooling systems. Basic solar systems- active, passive, direct, in­ direct, air, and liquid-are explained in the pamphlet h- . j f V < 4 with diagrams illustrating how the systems work. In addition, there's a section on how to assess your "solar potential." For example, before considering in­ stallation of a solar system, homeowners "must make certain the house is well insulated to minimize heat loss," the booklet advises. Climate, available sunshine, exposure, and the structure of the home must alsj be considered. r Because there . are currently no industry-wide standards for solar equip- '• ment, the, publication warn* consumers to deal only with licensed contractors, obtain and check carefully references from the con­ tractor's past customers, and investigate a con­ tractor's credentials with local solar organizations and the Better Business Bureau. "Solar Energy and the Homeowner" is available free for the first copy by writing National Wildlife Federation, Dept. SE, 1412 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. WhytW Fowter Agronomic Education Director Have your heating system checked before cold weather sets in. To get the maximum amount of heat from your heat­ ing system put in new filters. Plateless Planter Use on the Increase A survey of over 1,500 farmers indicates that about 78 percent of the nation's 1979 corn acreage was planted with plateless planters. The survey further states that in most states 70 percent or more of the acreage was planted with these relatively _ new machines, but the figure for Ohio was only 50 percent and for Nebraska 67 percent. Results of this and other surveys are not represen­ tative of complete accuracy. They are useful indicators of what is happening and are helpful in planning. It is interesting to note, however, that a survey conducted by the state of Illinois indicates the corn acreage planted with plateless planters in that state increased from 47 percent in 1976 to 70 percent in 1979. The exact percentage is immaterial; the point is that since they first became available in 1969, plateless planters have been readily and rapidly accepted to the point that they now are used to plant approximately three-fourths of the U.S. corn acreage. Like anything else, plateless planters have limitations. They are generally not well adpated to planting seed treated by the farmer with "planter box" seed treatment. Like all planters, they must be properly adjusted and operated. Field speed limits, which are specified in operator manuals, are greater than for most plate- types, but must be observed. Advantages of plateless planters are several and for most farmers they outweight the limitations. They meter seed more gently and more accurately at greater field speed. It requires less (or no) time to adapt them to various seed sizes since no plate changes are involved. Plateless planters can successfully handle all common sizes of corn seed. This means that farmers who use them are free to select hybrids on the basis of field performance, not kernel size. Also, they can use the most economical priced seed sizes of each hybrid chosen. It is expected future surveys will show continued gain in the use of plateless planters, though the rate of increase may be less. As this occurs, seed companies should be able to relax precision of sizing on a major portion of their seed, since it will be going to plateless planter owners. However, complete elim­ ination of corn seed sizing is not to be expected, even for exclusive use in plateless planters. Seed conditioning e q u i p m e n t < r e q u i r e s relatively uniform kernel size and weight to facilitate adequate cleaning and removal of inert material. The cost of seed sizing alone is very nominal, anyway. Farmers with plateless planters are urged to take full advantage of their equipment. Do not let availability of an old preferred seed size dictate what hybrids you will use. Your planter allows you flexability in hybrid choice - use those that offer top performance and maximum return under your con­ ditions. Take advantage of seed size price differences once you've determined the hybrids you want. Research and experience show there is no consistent difference in performance due to seed size. % Rhododendrons contain a resinoid called andromedo- toxin that is poisonous. von i •jMc'̂ HeniV Inn a $50COWLE (Reservations Only) *9 pm-Midnlght Open Bar •free Champagne at Midnight •Choice of Four Dinners Prima Rib N.Y. Strip Steak Butt Steak Steak A Crab UVE ENTERTAINMENT Dance to the w„»icoi "SLAPBACK" * Door Prizes •Favors * Appetisers Call344-0900 to make your reservations .. (50%deposit required at timo of reservation) (^lcHenlV ̂ nn 'Family House 4SI2W.M..120 * McHonry, Illinois 2 Blocks West of McHenry Market Place Shopping Center