As we start getting more summer-like weather, many people and businesses will be looking to crank up the air conditioning.
Xcel Energy says home cooling can account for about half of a summertime electric bill.
“We know that air conditioning units can soak a lot of energy. If there’s other things you can do to help mitigate the use of that 24/7 that’s going to show up on your bill the next month,” said Chris Ouellette, an Xcel Spokesperson.
Xcel recommends installing a programmable thermostat so you can set the temperature higher when you’re away from the house.
Using fans, closing curtains or blinds during the day, and keeping interior doors open can all help keep your home cool at a lower energy cost.
“Use your ceiling fan. Ceiling fans don’t use a lot of electricity. They can help circulate that cool air throughout your home and will really do so efficiently if you keep all your interior doors open in your home. That way you can keep circulating the air inside,” said Ouellette.
Ouellette also encourages people to mindful of the time of day they’re running things that require more energy like washing machines and dish washers.
“Especially if we end up kind of in a long spell of this hot weather is where we can start to see even greater impacts. During the week, we’ll see a higher energy demand because you’ve got all these businesses and companies that are open and needing to cool down their businesses,” said Ouellette. “We still have many people working from home, they want to cool down their homes during the day. It’s also a really good idea for customers to keep that in mind and think about using larger appliances later on in the evening just to make sure we can meet that demand for all of our customers 24 hours a day.”
Xcel Energy and Focus on Energy also offer incentives and rebates that customers can use to make homes and businesses more efficient.
