Let’s face it, it’s hot, like fry an egg on the sidewalk hot and it doesn’t look like it is going to cool down anytime soon. With the 100+ temperatures comes the urge to turn down the AC, use more water to keep our yards alive & keep ourselves cool and stay indoors more, all of which leads to higher utility bills.
A few months ago Austin Energy put out an insert in the Sunday edition of the Statesman. It had some great information on what can be done to not only reduce your bills, but also reduce your carbon footprint.
Here are a few of their useful tips:
- Watch the thermostat: You can save on average $90 per degree per year. Not only that, every degree higher than 78 cuts your cooling bill by 3%. One great way to control the temperature of your home is to purchase a programmable thermostat. Once the temps are programmed, the thermostat then takes control so you don’t have to worry about it.
- Increase air flow in your home: By moving furniture away from vents and pulling drapes back, you are allowing better airflow improving comfort levels thereby reducing the need to have the AC running longer than need be.
- Use fans to keep cool: Turning a fan on can make you feel five degrees cooler creating less of a need to run the AC at a cooler temperature
- Control you water heater: Make sure the temperature is set for no higher than 120 degrees. You could save yourself 3% – 5% a year on your energy bill.
- Microwave v. Oven: Using a microwave to cook food uses 70% less energy, cooks 75% faster and produces less heat than an electric or gas oven.
The city of Austin is still offering energy efficient incentives. Go to www.austinenergy.com for more details