Dear Sun Spots: I’d like to know which is the best way to save the most fuel. Is it better to put your thermostat on 68 or 70 degrees and leave it there all the time or at nighttime? Or is it better when you go out for few hours to leave it on 60 or 65 degrees? This means the furnace has to work harder when you put it back up to 68 or 70.

Thank you very much.

I like your column. – No Name, No Town.

Answer: According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Web site, www.energy.gov., considering the following tips during the heating season should help your household save.

• Keep the draperies and shades on your south facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

• Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable when home. By resetting your programmable thermostat from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day (for instance, while no one is home or while everyone is tucked in bed) you can cut your heating bill by up to 10 percent.

• Weatherize your home – caulk and weatherstrip any doors and windows that leak air.

• Properly maintain and clean heating equipment.

• Replace furnace filters regularly.

• Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your area.

In addition, you might also check out this Web site for tips on cutting costs with your hot water bills, lighting and weatherizing your home for maximum efficiency.

Dear Sun Spots: I’m looking for a book titled Tell You Hoo. It’s like a telephone book with names and telephone numbers of people. I would like to know if there is a place in Lewiston or Auburn where it might be sold. – B.J.B., Lewiston.

Answer: Unfortunately, Sun Spots has not located this item. However, you might consider contact Artios Books to see if they might be able to locate it for you. You may reach them in Auburn at 786-4007.

Dear Sun Spots: I hope Sun Spots can help me.

For years I have been able to purchase Sugar Twin brown sugar substitute. I can no longer find any. I do not have an address or phone number that I can call. Nor do I have e-mail. I sure hope you can help me. – No Name, No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots located the manufacturer of this product, Alberto-Culver, and has been able to ascertain that you can special order this product online. Sun Spots is also providing mail and telephone contact to enable you to order them via post or phone. Contact TeeBop.com, 20 Troy Road, Whippany, NJ 07981, 800-667-4860 and The Low Carb Connoisseur, 1208 North Main Street, Anderson, SC 29621, Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST, 1-864-224-0296, 1-888-339-2477 or via e-mail at [email protected] or their Web site at www.low-carb.com.

In the meantime, Sun Spots did locate the following recipe that you might consider making and which will tide you over until you have the product you seek in hand.

Brown Sugar Substitute from www.about.com Ingredients: 1 cup artificial sweetener (use the type of sweetener that measures 1 cup to 1 cup of granulated sugar), ¼ cup sugar-free maple syrup. Method: Mix ingredients well. Replaces 1 cup of regular brown sugar to be used when baking.

Dear Sun Spots: Readers interested in selling used paperbacks might also consider contacting Ray Gagnon on Ann Street in Lewiston, 783-3292, as well as Bert at the Undercover Antique Mall, 960 Main St., Oxford, ME 04270, 539-4149. He is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. – Anne Williams, Lewiston.



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