Campus Care


By Ron Burleigh

Hi to All-

Wow; it so nice to be able to work around the campus and not be soaking wet.  Hopefully, fall is here for good!

Last month I mentioned that we were doing another in-depth look at our utility bill and whether there was an opportunity to save a hundred dollars or so each month.  The answer was NO.  Our utility bill for the year (Oct ’07 to Sept ’08) was $16,402.  This was with using the ‘Time of Use’ program which gives us a big break for using electricity during off-peak hours, but penalizes us at an extremely high rate for use during peak periods.  If we would have had “Standard Use” billing for the same kilowatt usage, it would have cost us $19,666, a $3,264 increase or about 20%.  The big thing for all of us to remember is that the major cost of using electricity at the church is determined by the max draw of kilo watt hours for any 30 minute period during peak periods.  So, during the summer months (Apr thru Oct) the peak hours are from 12 noon to 9 pm and therefore if we have usage during that time it will set the penalty rate for the entire month.  If the following week we have an even higher usage (for any 30 min. period) then that becomes the penalty rate for the entire month.  Each new month the slate is wiped clean and we start over again.  We are looking to see what usage events could be controlled (keep them in the mornings or in Knox, since it is cooled during peak hours) to see if we can reduce our bills.  And of course the cost of electricity for all of us has gone up 30% in the last year and then there are taxes too!  During winter months we do better since the peak hours are from 8 to 10am and again from 6 to 10pm.  And now,

Once around the church…

Church Grounds:

Chapel:

Calvin Hall:

Fellowship Hall:

Sanctuary:

Manse:

So, until next time I’ll be seeing you around Riverside.