The dog days of summer are here, and the temperatures are sizzling. ☀️ No sweat … we’re here with tips to help you beat the heat.
You can save energy and money, even in extreme heat, with our energy efficiency tips:
Make sure your drapes and shades are pulled down during the day to block the hot sun.
Wear light clothing and set your thermostat between 72 and 78 degrees. You’ll save energy for every degree higher you can set your thermostat.
Try not to use large appliances like dishwashers, stoves, washers and dryers during the warmest hours of the day. Incandescent light bulbs also produce heat, so switching to cooler and more efficient LED bulbs is a smart choice.
Ceiling fans cost far less to use than air conditioners, but only turn them on in rooms that are occupied.
The National Weather Service reports about 175 Americans die from extreme heat in a normal year. Older adults, children and sick individuals are at greater risk from extreme heat.
Here are some tips to stay safe during the hottest days:
Find a cool place with air conditioning and check on your at-risk family members or neighbors.
Drink plenty of cool, non-alcoholic beverages.
Never leave people or pets in a closed car.
Avoid strenuous activity.
If you are outside, find shade and wear a hat big enough to protect your face.
We want everyone to have a cool and efficient summer. But some days, when the air is thick and the temperature reaches 90 or above, it can be a challenge to stay comfortable without air conditioning.
Check out our video above. Give the tips a try. And stay cool!
It’s a simple equation: The less you spend on energy during the heat of summer, the more you have to spend on lemonade, pool passes, ice cream, and road trips to the beach.
So how do you make that happen?
We’re glad to share the following tips for a cool but cost-effective summer. (Many of these will work for businesses too.)
If you have air conditioning, don’t set it lower than normal when you first turn it on. That won’t cool your home or business any faster, and it could cost you more.
Make sure nothing is blocking your ventilation ducts, so you get all the cool air you’re paying for. And use a programmable thermostat that’s set to cool things down when people are at your home or business – not when they aren’t.
Make sure ceiling fans are set to turn counterclockwise (as you are looking up at them), which will push a cool flow of air downward. Also, make sure to turn off fans – ceiling or floor – when you leave a room, because fans cool people, not rooms.
In the kitchen, use your microwave to cook. Make cool seasonal dishes like salads that require little or no cooking. Or, get out of the house entirely and fire up the grill. All these options will save energy and keep your kitchen cool, compared to using the oven.
Plug devices like printers, DVD players and computers into smart power strips. These devices continue to use electricity even when they’re not actively operating. A smart power strip shuts down the power at those times, saving you money.
Switch to long-lasting, efficient LED bulbs that use 90 percent less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs. (PPL offers discounts on LED bulbs at participating retailers – no coupon is needed. Visit pplelectric.com/savings for a list of retailers.)
Also, don’t forget you can shop for your energy supply, and may be able to get a lower rate than PPL’s price to compare. (That’s the rate we charge to supply energy to customers who don’t buy it from a competitive supplier.) Visit pplelectric.com/shopping for useful tips to get you started.
Those tips all cost relatively little to put in place. There are also bigger steps you can take toward efficiency that carry a cost in the short term, but should make it up over the long term.
If it’s been a while since your HVAC system was tuned up, schedule a professional maintenance visit. That will make sure your system is running as efficiently as possible.
Got a pool with an older pool pump? Today’s models can be significantly more efficient. Consider investing in a replacement, so you can save money while staying cool.
PPL Electric Utilities has many energy efficiency programs to reward customers for buying more efficient equipment through rebates on ENERGY STAR® central AC units, lighting, central heat pumps, ductless heat pumps, pool pumps, smart thermostats, refrigerators, and other equipment. Visit www.pplelectric.com/savings for more info on available rebates.
PPL also offers a variety of business-focused rebates on lighting, HVAC and other systems; check out www.pplelectric.com/businessrebates for more.
Whether your efficiency steps are large, small, or in between, we wish you a cool, enjoyable, energy-smart summer.
Another winter. Another polar vortex. Another round of high electric bills?
Not necessarily. There’s plenty of opportunity to manage your home energy use and keep your bill under control. In fact, you could say the coldest snaps offer the biggest chances to save.
Here are some tips on how to save energy and money during this cold week, and during cold weeks to come:
– Heating is the average home’s single biggest energy expense, so improvements here can make a real difference. Try to set your thermostat at 68 degrees, and use a programmable thermostat to turn down the heat when everyone is asleep or out and about.
– Make sure the hot-air vents in your home are open and free from obstruction, so you get all the heat your furnace is churning out. (Kids, especially, have a knack for dropping stuff on top of the vents and leaving it there.)
– It’s best to get your heating system inspected and tuned up for maximum efficiency before cold weather arrives. But, if you haven’t done it yet, you can still get it done, to save energy the next time Canada decides to send us a bulk shipment of arctic air.
If it’s too late to get a full tuneup, you can start by replacing your furnace filter so your furnace doesn’t have to work as hard.
– Simple, quick steps that can keep hot air inside your house include installing special insulators inside electrical outlets and weather-stripping doorjambs.
– If you only want to warm up a small area, a portable heater might be a more efficient choice than cranking up the thermostat. Be sure to use these heaters safely, keeping them away from curtains and furniture and turning them off when you no longer need them.
– Since the cost of generation supply makes up the largest portion of most bills, you can save by buying your electric supply from a competitive supplier. Check out PAPowerSwitch.com to see other offers available to you. Remember to check out the terms of each offer, such as whether the rate is fixed or variable, and whether there are cancellation fees.
We invest in our delivery system year-round to keep it reliable at times like this – replacing old equipment, installing smart grid technology and trimming trees. We had no major system issues from last year’s cold weather and we’re aiming for the same performance this year. If you do have an outage at any time, please report it by calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL (342-5775) or online at pplelectric.com/outage.
Finally, if you or someone you know is concerned about paying their electric bills, you can find out more about our payment assistance programs online, or call 1-800-DIAL-PPL and talk with a customer service representative between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Your holidays should be memorable for all the right reasons – visits with family and friends and the continuing of beloved traditions – but not for the size of your energy bill.
We all know the year-end holidays can be a time of heavy electricity use, especially if you’re entertaining or decorating. These seven tips from PPL Electric Utilities can help you keep your usage and your costs under control.
1. Get the LED out. Whether you’re using them in living room lamps or holiday decorations, LED bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than conventional bulbs and last up to 20 times longer. Make this the season to switch to LEDs, if you haven’t already. (If your holiday decorations are wearing out and showing their age, a new set of LEDs may also be safer.)
2. Stay warm – and smart. Heating accounts for more than 30 percent of a typical home’s energy bill – the largest single cost. Set your thermostat at 68 degrees for energy savings, and use a programmable thermostat to lower it overnight or when no one is home. And remember: Cranking up the thermostat won’t make your house warm up faster, since your heating system runs at the same rate, regardless of the temperature setting.
3. STAR power. If you’re buying electronics as a holiday gift, or updating your own appliances, look for devices with the ENERGY STAR® label. These are the most energy-efficient models available. To learn more about ENERGY STAR-rated products, visit www.energystar.gov.
4. Don’t peek. The pie’s doing fine. Your oven temperature could drop by 25 to 50 degrees when you open the door, forcing the oven to work harder and produce more heat. So keep those glimpses few and far between.
5. Scrub now, save later. Keep oven surfaces and drip pans as clean as possible. A clean stove and oven will heat efficiently; a dirty stove and oven will use more energy than necessary to reach the desired temperature. Speaking of which …
6. A keen time to clean. …got a self-cleaning oven? Start it right after you’re done baking. Self-cleaning ovens reach temperatures of 850 degrees, and the heat already in the oven can give them a head start. (Just make sure to take the cookies out first.)
7. Slow and low. Slow cookers and microwaves are energy-efficient alternatives to firing up the oven. During the holidays, look for recipes that take advantage of these appliances. Use them for quick, easy weeknight meals.
More energy-saving tips for homes and businesses are available in the Save Energy & Money section of our website.
