Idaho Power offers tips for keeping energy costs low for the summer
Temperatures are getting hotter and hotter outside and that means everyone is trying to keep their houses cool.
But lowering temperatures in houses can raise electric bills.
Idaho Power said the three biggest users of energy are appliances, lighting and cooling units. It said while air conditioning is great, sometimes it can be too much of a good thing. Steven Muse, regional communications manager for Idaho Power, said to make sure to use air conditioning wisely.
“You want to make sure your air conditioner is at 74 degrees, and if you could get it even higher than that, that’ll reduce your use of your air conditioning,” Muse said.
Muse said turning off air conditioning when no one is home is also an important money-saver.
Muse said some other tips are keeping the blinds shut or windows covered to keep the sun and heat out.
He also recommends grilling outside when possible, rather than cooking on the stove or oven. This helps keep out the heat that ovens and stoves can create.
Muse also said having the proper light bulbs can help reduce the amount of heat being given off too.
“If you could switch from utilizing incandescent light bulbs to a CFL light or even what is known as an LED light – light-emitting-diode – that’ll reduce the heat in your home,” Muse said.
Other tips from Idaho Power are to make sure lights aren’t left on unnecessarily or frequently. It recommends making use of natural light as much as possible.
Idaho Power said other important things to check are to make sure things like refrigerator and freezer doors are shut tightly so that the appliances are not burning more energy.
Idaho Power is offering free energy-saving kits for its customers. The kits can help manage household energy and make monitoring usage easier for families. Each kit includes nine LED light bulbs, an LED night light, a high-efficiency shower head, faucet aerators, a digital thermometer, a shower timer and a water flow-rate test bag.
Idaho Power said all of these items are useful in keeping track of energy in homes.
To read more about the kits, or to order one, go to Idaho Power’s website.
