Don’t let this heat wave burn you on your next electric bill
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
With temperatures in the 90s this week, many of us will crank up the A/C to cool off. We're ready to meet the extra energy demand, but we know energy use can greatly increase for some customers. We have some helpful tips to make sure your next utility bill doesn't rise right along with the mercury.
Set air conditioners to the highest comfortable setting during the day: 78-80 degrees works for most people. Raising your air conditioner setting by one degree can save you 4-7% on the cooling portion of your energy bill.
- Turn off all unnecessary lights.
- Turn off all unnecessary appliances. If you must run your dishwashers, dryers and washing machines, do so during the evening hours (after 7 p.m.) when energy consumption is lower.
- Use ceiling fans to circulate the cool air. A fan does its job by cooling you - not the room, so turn it off when you leave the room. Window fans, ceiling fans or whole-house fans use much less power and are an alternative to air conditioners.
- Cook outdoors on your grill; use a microwave oven or crockpot or prepare cold meals.
Also, by taking steps to reduce energy use - particularly during the hottest parts of the day - it can help us better manage peak load on our electric system.
"We always request that customers think about using energy wisely, but this becomes even more important during high energy use periods," said Chris Whelan, Vice President of Communications for LG&E and KU. "Our employees work hard to safely and reliably meet customers' energy needs around the clock, and we ask customers to partner with us in managing overall energy use during the continued heat wave."
The all-time company record for system peak energy use was on Aug. 4, 2010, at 3 p.m., when customers demanded more than 7,175 megawatts of electricity. (One megawatt can power up to 720 households using an average of 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each for one month).
Visit lge-ku.com/savingenergy for additional tips and information concerning energy efficiency programs.
Labels:
