Each year as the Summer temps increase, the electric usage follows. We've compiled a few tips below on keeping your bill - and your home - cool this summer.
Program your savings
Use a smart or programable thermostat to set a schedule for your home's HVAC system. This will help your cooling system to run less while you are away from the house, saving you energy. You'll never have to worry again about leaving your home too cool while you're away, or returning to an overly warm house. As an added benefit, most smart thermostats allow you to make adjustments on the go with an app - even when you are away from your home!
When setting your thermostat's schedule, it is recommended to keep your home at or above 78 in the summer. If you do need to make adjustments to the schedule, remember to not lower the temperature more than 2 degrees at a time!
Watch your energy
Curious how much energy you’re using? Want to see how your usage changes when the kids are gone for a weekend or after you installed that smart thermostat? SmartHub tracks your electric use so you can monitor how many killowatt-hours you are using and make changes in your home to reduce your electric bill (if you want!). You can even set up energy use alerts so you get a text or email when your usage exceeds a certain threshold you set. The energy-saving opportunities are endless!
Schedule your suds
The time of day you choose to do laundry can have an effect on your home's temperature and your monthly electric bill. As always, using cooler water will have a positive effect on your energy usage, but equally important is the time you choose to run your clothes dryer.
Waiting to dry clothes until later in the evening, when outside temperatures have cooled off, will allow your home to remain cooler. When a clothes dryer runs, it vents conditioned air from your home outside. As this cooler air is moved outdoors, air must be pulled from outside the home. If this is done in the middle of the day, your home's air will be replaced with the muggy air from outside. Waiting until evening allows for cool air to be brought in as your dryer vents.