Energy consumption tips for summer

A local utility company is reminding people the importance of keeping energy usage down during the summer months.

Last week, 20,000 Rocky Mountain Power customers in the upper valley lost power. The company says the outage wasn’t triggered by heat, but the high temperatures and increased usage made it difficult to restore service.

“When it’s summer it’s extremely hot and we have a high demand for our product,” said Glenn Pond, Community Manager for Rocky Mountain Power.

He said washing machines and dishwashers should be used outside of the peak usage hours. Those occur between 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Both rely on water heaters.

“Water heaters are probably one of the biggest users of electricity in a home or an apartment,” said Pond.

He said water heaters should be set at 120 degrees. He also said thermostats in homes should be kept at 78-85 degrees during the daytime.

“Cool it off at night by opening the windows at night and letting the cool air in,” said Pond. “Close the blinds during the day.”

If you can resist the temptation of turning on the air conditioner, ceiling and portable fans can keep you 5 degrees cooler and preserve more energy.

You can find more cost-saving tips at http://www.rockymountainpower.net/env/ws/infographic-id.html