Energy and the Elderly

Yesterday my daughter and I visited my aunt at the Rydall Park retirement community. She gave us a tour of the plush facility-- indoor pool, exercise room, large restaurant, excellent services. What struck me during my visit was the great number of indandescent light bulbs all along the hallways and in the apartments.

It was 90 degrees outside, but almost chilly inside the vast building. The air conditioning was quite adequate to cool the building from the heat outside as well as the heat generated by the incandescent bulbs all over the place.

This facility and hundreds like it could save thousands of dollars a month with a few energy saving devices, like fluorescent screw-in bulbs, but residents are not responsible for thier own electric use, and if you apartment is nice and cool, why worry. My aunt has three 60 watt bulbs over the mirror of her bathroom.

She said that monthly costs have been rising-- rising so fast that many residents are concerned about their future ability to pay the monthly fees. The administration has never mentioned electricity bills as one of the cost inflators, but energy will surely be one of the biggest threats to the continued operation of places like this in the very near future.

My aunt Katherine, by the way, is a beautiful person, very active in residents rights issues, and one of the real activists there.