Deadline Approaches for DC Trip

APPLY NOW FOR THE Government-inAction Youth Tour, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Bandera Electric Cooperative.

Youth Tour, held June 11–19 this year, is an action-packed trip with more than 150 of your peers and chaperones from across Texas. You’ll visit Washington National Cathedral, Arlington National Cemetery, Smithsonian Institution museums and more. Activities also include seeing a performance at the Kennedy Center and meeting elected officials.

Eligible entrants must: e Complete grades 10, 11 or 12 by June 2023. e Be a dependent of a BEC member with permanent resident status in the co-op’s service area. e Submit an application, including an essay of 500 words or fewer answering the following prompt: Which of the rights guaranteed by the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution do you consider the most important?

Applications must be submitted online at banderaelectric.com/youthtour by February 15. Winners will be chosen by the New Braunfels Community Foundation. The NBCF will field the applications, filter applicants based on criteria set by BEC, and administer and monitor all Youth Tour applications through an anonymous process.

For more information, visit youthtour.org and texasyouthtour.com or contact NBCF at (830) 606-9597 or betty@nbacf.org.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY EXPERTS always say, “Seal and insulate, seal and insulate,” but occasionally you hear stories about newer houses being too tightly insulated, with restricted flow of fresh air leading to poor indoor air quality, mold growth and other problems. So how do you know how much is too much?

Although it’s possible to seal a house too tightly, this is uncommon in most older homes. A certain amount of fresh air is needed for good indoor air quality, and there are standards that set the minimum amount of fresh air needed for a house. But most homes built before 2000 have many spots through which air enters or exits the house—usually too many. A quick way to determine whether you have enough insulation is to check your attic. If the insulation material is level with or below the joists, you probably need to add more. If you can’t see the joists because the insulation is above them, then you probably have enough, and adding more likely will not be cost-effective.

The recommended insulation level for most attics is an R-value of 30 to 60. R-value is a measure of insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better the thermal performance. For more information, including recommendations for how much insulation you should have, visit energystar.gov or energy.gov.

Even if you have plenty of insulation, your home’s energy efficiency might not be optimal due to cold air leaking through other areas. Make sure to look for signs of air leaks and seal them up as you find them. Some air leaks are easy to find because they’re easy to feel, such as those around windows and doors and through electrical outlets. Hidden air leaks in attics and basements and around chimneys are often more significant sources of energy loss. Consider addressing these big leaks first because they’ll have a greater effect on improving your comfort and reducing your utility bills.

If you’re concerned about how well your home is insulated, or to identify air leaks in your home, call our Energy Services division at (830) 331-4500 to schedule a certified energy audit. D