Sales tax holiday weekend: Save money, water
By Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator
If you’ve had additional time around the house in the last two months, you may have considered sprucing up your landscape with water-efficient plants or replacing your leaky faucets. You just needed a good deal to save a little money.
Thanks to the state comptroller, that deal is here. During this weekend’s sales tax holiday, you can purchase certain water– and energy-efficient products through Memorial Day. The sales tax holiday was created by the legislature in 2015 to incentivize Texans to make the most efficient use of our limited water resources.
With the COVID-19 outbreak, the controller tweaked the rules a bit. You don’t have to make your tax-free purchases in-store since many people now order online and have the products shipped. A complete explanation of how it all works is on the comptroller’s website.
Tax-exempt items are things you can use to help conserve or retain groundwater (where College Station’s water comes from), recharge water tables, or decrease ambient air temperature to reduce evaporation. Highlights include:
- WaterSense labeled products can be bought for business or personal purposes. Business and rental property owners take note!
- Soaker or drip-irrigation hoses.
- Moisture controls for sprinklers or irrigation systems such as a rain shutoff switch or soil moisture sensor.
- Rain barrels. If a barrel isn’t on your project list now, don’t worry — rainwater harvesting equipment is always exempt from state sales tax.
- Plants, trees, and grasses.
- Soil and compost.
WaterSense products go through an independent third-party certification process and meet EPA’s specifications for water efficiency and performance. Having water-saving products in your home or business not only trims your water bill but also delivers exceptional performance for years.
Stay cool this weekend, and enjoy your savings!
About the Blogger
Jennifer Nations has been the City of College Station’s water resource coordinator since 1999 after two years as BVSWMA’s environmental compliance officer. She’s also chair of the Water Conservation and Reuse Division for the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association. A native of Fremont, Calif., Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental & resource science from UC-Davis in 1995 and a master’s degree in water management & hydrologic science from Texas A&M in 2016.
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10 ways to trim your household energy costs
By Patrick McIntyre, CSU Energy Coordinator
With College Station residents sheltering in place during the COVID-19 outbreak, households are using substantially more electricity.
Here are 10 ways you can trim your electric costs:
- The most essential step is raising your thermostat setting. Just two degrees above your usual setting can cut your cooling costs by five percent.
- Use ceiling fans rather than air conditioning as much as possible. Fans use about as much energy as a light bulb.
- Turn off lights, fans, and electronics when a room is unoccupied.
- Replace incandescent and CFL lighting with low-wattage LEDs, which use 50-90 percent less energy.
- Do your laundry in the evening or at night when temperatures are cooler.
- Use cold water to wash your clothes.
- Run your dishwasher only when you have a full load.
- Check your air conditioning filter and replace it frequently. Dirty filters can increase costs by about 20 percent.
- Consider a Wi-Fi programmable thermostat, which allows precise control of your cooling system.
- 10. Take advantage of our Energy Back II, Residential LED Lighting, and Connected Thermostat rebates.
Report power outages, water line breaks, wastewater spills, and backups, and other electric, water, or wastewater problems to 855.528.4278 — and have your CSU account number ready. Our dispatch operates 24 hours a day.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our community, College Station Utilities remains committed to providing you with reliable electric power while taking the proper precautions to protect the health and safety of our staff.
For more information on how to reduce your electricity costs, contact me at pmcintyre@cstx.gov or 979-764-6343. For billing questions, contact Utility Customer Service at 979-764-3535.
About the Blogger
Patrick McIntyre is the energy coordinator for College Station Utilities and is responsible for energy conservation and key accounts programs. Pat joined CSU as a key accounts representative in 2009. He previously worked for 17 years in the manufacturing sector and eight years as a consultant with the Texas Engineering Extension Service. Pat graduated from Texas A&M in 1982 with B.S. in Industrial Distribution and has lived in the area since 1984.
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