Manage Your Electric Use With PEC's Helpful Tips
Summer isn’t the only time you can see high electric use. Heating your home can use up to three times as much energy as cooling it, and extremely cold weather can put undue stress on your HVAC. To keep electricity costs low this winter, try following these tips from PEC.
Be Smart with the Thermostat
To save electricity, set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower during the heating season and lower it another 3 degrees or more when you’re away from home. Doing this could save you up to 10% per year on your bill. Avoid auxiliary (AUX) and emergency (EM) heat unless necessary to prevent high usage.
Want other ways to add more heat and keep cool air out? Open drapes and shades on sunny days and close them on cold, windy days. Make sure the fireplace damper is closed when your fireplace is not in use. Add sealant to weatherize around windows and doors as needed.
Check Your HVAC
It’s easy to forget about your HVAC filter, but remembering to change these regularly will help your unit work efficiently. Have a certified technician complete yearly maintenance on your system — a faulty HVAC of any type can cause excessive energy use, and can typically activate heat strips.
Schedule an Over-the-Phone Energy Assessment
Want to learn more about energy efficiency and ways to save in your home? PEC’s energy advisors can help you maximize savings with an over-the-phone energy assessment. Call us at 888-554-4732 to schedule an appointment.
Analyze Your Energy Use
Know how much electricity you’re using each day with the robust analysis tool on your online account. This dashboard on the Usage Explorer gives you an in-depth look at monthly, daily, and hourly use.
Understand Your Bill
Each month’s bill reflects your usage during the previous month. Even if it seems like the current month’s weather has been mild, last month’s weather and events will be reflected on this month’s bill.
Explore Our Alternative Rates
We understand no two members are alike, and neither is their energy use. If you can shift when you use energy, you may be able to save with our Time-of-Use Rate. Visit myPEC.com/time-of-use to learn more.
Get more tips at myPEC.com/savings.
