Summer Energy-Saving Tips
Warm breezes, beach days, early sunrises, and late sunsets are a few reasons to love the summer months. Summer can have its challenges, though, with more mosquitoes, sunburns, humidity, and higher electric bills.
Luckily, there are a lot of easy no-cost , and low-cost ways you can help manage your summer electric bills.
No-cost energy-saving tips:
Turn off the lights. If you’re not using them, flip the switch to save energy.
Close the refrigerator. Every time the fridge is opened, cool air escapes, so decide what you need before opening the door.
Unplug electronics, especially energy-hogging game consoles, when you’re not using them. Make it easy on yourself by using power strips.
Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher during the summer. Anything lower and your energy bill can increase up to 5% per degree.
When the sun shines into your windows, it’s heating up your home. Although that’s a good thing in the winter, it can cause high energy bills in the summer. Close your blinds during the day to keep the air inside cooler.
Fans are great at cooling people. Keep fans on when you’re in the room, but be sure to turn them off when you leave. And in the summer, they should be moving in a counterclockwise direction.
Use your grill or microwave for meals instead of your oven or stovetop.
Run your dishwasher and clothes washer and dryer only when you have full loads and let your dishes air dry. Be sure to use these heat-producing appliances during the coolest parts of the day.
Low-cost energy-saving tips:
If you have gaps around your doors or windows, it’s costing you money on your energy bill. You can easily fix those gaps with weather stripping, caulk, and door sweeps.
Switch to LEDs. Incandescent light bulbs and even CFLs use more energy than LEDs.
Help your HVAC run more efficiently by replacing filters every month.
Many of these tips can be put into practice in your home or business. If you’d like more energy-saving tips for your home, click here . For additional energy-saving tips specific to businesses, click here .
For more than 90 years, Santee Cooper has been serving the people of South Carolina. The utility is South Carolina’s largest power provider and the ultimate source of electricity for 2 million people across the state. Through its affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity and water services, and through innovative partnerships and initiatives that attract and retain industry and jobs, Santee Cooper helps power South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.santeecooper.com and follow #PoweringSC on social media.