By MARA HARTMANN
JACKSON – Signs of summer are already here: longer days, fresh garden vegetables, road trips and blazing temperatures. The hot and humid weather can drive up your energy use, but you – and your electric bill – can avoid the burn without sacrificing comfort.
When there is a big difference between inside and outside temperatures, it takes more energy to maintain a pleasant climate in your home. Since heating and cooling costs make up about 55% of the typical customer’s electric bill, taking steps to save energy can help keep bills low when temperatures are hot. Keep your cool and save money with these easy tips:
• Make sure the air coming into your home is clean and healthy. Air filters on some air conditioning units require monthly cleaning or replacing. You can also get your A/C inspected to make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible. Entergy Mississippi customers can get incentives of up to $150 with a tune-up through the Entergy Solutions program.
• Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree lower than 78 can raise your bill as much as 3%. If you crank down the A/C to a cooler 72 degrees, you’ve increased your bill by 18%.
• Buy a programmable thermostat. As energy use rises, costs also rise. A programmable thermostat can help you manage those costs when you are away, whether for the day or on an extended vacation. (Get up to a $100 incentive on select advanced smart thermostats.)
• Use fans to cool off, but remember – fans cool people, not rooms. Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity to circulate the air, which helps you feel several degrees cooler. Make sure ceiling fans rotate in the right direction – counter-clockwise during summer – to push cooler air down into the room. To save more energy, turn all fans off when you leave the room.
• Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.
• Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and ductwork. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air in and the hot air out.
• Use the myAdvisor tool on myentergy.com to learn when you use the most energy. The usage and cost tool can compare your usage history by month, day and hour.
• Visit entergy.com/savemoney to access a variety of energy-saving tips and calculators that will help you determine the best cost-cutting scenarios to suit your needs.
Entergy helps low-income, disabled and elderly customers through its customer-assistance fund, The Power to Care, which is funded by Entergy employees, customers and shareholders, and administered by The Salvation Army.
Bill-payment help is also available through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
