Warm Weather-Cool Tips

These tips are designed to help you choose effective ways to keep your electric bills down while the outside temperatures are soaring upward.

Be a speedy chef 
  • Nothing is more energy efficient for cooking than your microwave. It uses two-thirds less energy than your stove and doesn’t heat your kitchen. Less heat in the kitchen means less stress on your air cooling system.
Push a button to wash your dishes 
  • Surprise! Your dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. Turning off the dry cycle to allow dishes to air dry will provide additional savings.
  • Only use the dishwasher when it is fully loaded!
Fill up the refrigerator 
  • Keeping your refrigerator full reduces the volume of air that it must keep cool, thus reducing your usage also.  Adding a case of water will help keep the fridge full, and keep you hydrated on hot days as well.
  • Check the seals on your refrigerator door; make sure that the seals are intact and the door closes snugly to eliminate cool air escaping.

Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to reduce energy consumption while saving money. Here are some additional suggestions you can do at home, at absolutely no cost to you.

Turn up your thermostat

Set your thermostat to 78 degrees when you are home and 85 degrees or off when you are away. Using ceiling or room fans allows you to set the thermostat higher because the air movement will cool the room. Always take into account health considerations and be sure to drink plenty of fluids in warm weather. (Save: 1 - 3 percent per degree, for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees)

Do your laundry wisely
  • Do your laundry efficiently by using the cold water setting for washing and rinsing your clothes. (Save: 4 percent)
  • Line dry clothes whenever you can. (Save up to 5 percent)
  • When you need to use the dryer, run full loads, use the moisture-sensing setting, and clean the clothes dryer lint trap after each use. (save: 0.5 percent)
Operating swimming pool filters and cleaning sweeps efficiently 
  • Reduce the operating time of your pool filter and automatic cleaning sweep to four to five hours. (Save: 1-2 percent per hour of reduction)
Eliminate wasted energy 
  • Turn off appliances, lights and equipment when not in use. (Save: 2 percent)
  • Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren't in use-most new electronics use electricity even when switched "off”, including television, computers and printers. Plug electronics into a power strip that can be switched off or a smart strip.
  • Unplug or recycle that spare refrigerator in the garage if you don't really need it. This will save you up to $150 per year! (Save: 10-20 percent)
** The savings numbers are based on your total summer electric bill. Equipment mentioned must be electric powered for estimates to be accurate.