Summer Heat Sending Energy Bills Higher

A hot June finished, energy bills will likely be arriving with typical summertime costs.

How do you save money during the rest of the summer? Tammy Key is Assistant General Manager at Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation. She said simple things can reduce your energy costs, beginning with raising your thermostat a few degrees.

“Your unit is going to run continuously to try to keep your house at that 72 degree temperature,” Key said. “Its just hard on your unit to try to you know maintain that low temperature in your house when its so hot outside.”

Key said set the temperature to the highest comfortable setting. She said you should also turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms and keep curtains or blinds closed to keep out the summer sun. Ceiling fans also help remove heat from a room, and assist with circulation.

Something many people forget, Key said, is changing your air filters. Dirty filters make your system work harder.

Key said poorly insulated houses can cause energy bills to go up.

“If your house is not well insulated, everything that your heating and cooling is going right out the roof or out the walls,” Key said. “There are people who have air leaks, we recommend that you caulk and weather strip around windows and doors.”

Key said that appliances that are off but still plugged in can still affect your bill. Unplug those appliances to keep your costs down.

You can find more energy savings at the UCEMC website.