Know the simple steps you can take to lower bills this summer

 

JACKSON, Mississippi–June 20 may be the official start of summer, but the twins—Heat & Humidity—crashed the party early.

 

The often-unwelcome guests can not only make it miserable to be outdoors, they also drive up energy use inside the home as thermostats are turned down to offset scorching temperatures.

 

As the dog days of summer come rolling in, don’t let your bills get hit with the summertime blues. Take these easy steps, and tell your family, friends and neighbors to do the same, to help keep bills low through the hot-weather months:

 

·        Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree lower than 78 can raise your bill as much as 3 percent. If you crank down the A/C to a cooler 72 degrees, you’ve already increased your bill by 18 percent.

·        Buy a programmable thermostat. As energy use rises, costs also rise. Program these thermostats to run at a more energy-efficient temperature when inhabitants are away.

·        Use fans to cool off, but remember – fans cool people, not rooms. Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity to circulate the air, which helps you feel several degrees cooler. To save more energy, turn them off when you leave the room.

·        Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and cool air in. Close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.

·        Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and ductwork. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep cold air in and hot air out.

·        Make sure air coming into your home is clean and healthy. Air filters on some air conditioning units need monthly cleaning or replacement. Get your A/C inspected to make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible.

·        Check out Entergy Solutions programs that can help make your home energy efficient at little or no-cost.

·        Access entergy.com/savemoney for energy-saving tips and calculators that can help you determine the best cost-cutting scenarios to suit your needs.  

 

Using these tips can help you save energy and money. That’s especially important for customers struggling to pay their energy bills due to COVID-19. Entergy has developed several resources to help customers experiencing financial hardship.