SWPPD Blog
School may be out for the summer, but here’s a test: On a hot day, will setting the thermostat at a very low temperature cool your house faster? If you answered yes, you’re in need of summer school. Lowering the thermostat beyond the temperature you desire only makes your air conditioner run longer, not faster. You could end up paying more money for an uncomfortably chilly house. Here are a few more lessons to add to your air conditioning know-how: Want to pay to be cool only when you’re at home? Install a programmable thermostat, which lets you set the thermostat higher for hours when the house is empty, but lower during your at-home hours. It takes less energy to re-cool your home when you return than it does to keep it cool while you’re gone. Set the thermostat at 78 degrees. You’ll save about 15 percent on your cooling bill over a 72-degree setting, while remaining comfortable. Keep lamps and other heat-emitting devices—like TVs and large electronics—away from the thermostat. Such appliances can trick the thermostat into “thinking” the air is warmer than it really is so it should keep running when the house is already cool. The morning sun might help you wake up, but don’t forget to close your curtains and window shades before you leave the house for the day to keep the sun’s heat out. If you use room air conditioners, make sure they fit snugly into window frames, and close all heating ducts.
Hot summer days put people at risk for heat-related illnesses and can exacerbate existing medical conditions. Doctors recommend you spend the hottest part of the day indoors enjoying the air conditioning. But for those whose homes don’t have air conditioning or who can’t afford to turn it on, the risk is acute. That’s especially true for the elderly or ill, who could be at risk for heat stroke or even death. If you know someone whose house might get too hot to handle this summer, call them or stop by to check on them every day. Use a neighborhood association directory or your own personal contacts to arrange phone calls during the summer months to elderly neighbors or those who live alone. Encourage neighbors or family members to use air conditioners during the hottest part of the day or spend it in an air conditioned public place, like a mall or library. If you find someone in medical distress because of the heat, call 911. Some states and counties encourage residents to help keep their neighbors safe through organized campaigns. Your local Salvation Army or hospital can tell you about programs already in your area. Or you can start one in your own neighborhood. Enlist the support of your local politicians or non-profit organizations to arrange a countywide system. One phone call could save a life.
Summer brings longer days and more natural light, but that doesn’t mean your lighting habits can’t affect your energy use. Efficient lighting choices and smarter habits can help you take full advantage of daylight while minimizing electricity costs. Make the most of your summer lighting. Here’s how: • Use daylight whenever possible. Open curtains or blinds during the morning and early evening. • If you’re still using old incandescent light bulbs, replace them with LEDs, which use up to 80% less energy and last longer. • Install dimmer switches or motion sensors to reduce wasted light in unused spaces. • Encourage kids to turn off lights when leaving a room. • Use outdoor solar lights or energy-efficient landscape lighting for evening illumination. • Keep light fixtures and bulbs clean to ensure maximum brightness and efficiency. Small changes in lighting can lead to noticeable reductions in energy use, especially when lights stay on longer during family-filled summer days. Smart lighting doesn’t just save energy—it creates a more comfortable, better-lit home environment.
Keeping your home cool in July doesn’t just depend on your air conditioner—it also depends on how well your home keeps that cool air inside. Leaky doors, windows and attics can let the summer heat seep in, forcing your air conditioning system to work harder and raising your energy bills. Here’s how to seal up and stay cool: • Check for air leaks around windows and doors. Replace worn weather-stripping or use caulk to seal gaps. • Close fireplace dampers when not in use to prevent hot air from coming in—or cool air from escaping. • Use door sweeps to seal gaps under exterior doors. • Add insulation to your attic or basement. Proper insulation helps maintain a consistent indoor temperature. • Use thermal curtains or shades on sunny windows to block out radiant heat. • Close doors to unused rooms to reduce the space your cooling system has to manage. By keeping the cool air in and the hot air out, your home will stay more comfortable and your air conditioning will run less often. It’s a simple way to reduce summer energy use and stay chill—even on the hottest days.
A do-it-yourself home energy audit is a great way to identify where your home is losing power—and discover simple fixes that can save you money. Here's how to get started: • Check for air leaks: Inspect windows, doors and attic hatches for drafts. If you find any gaps, seal them with weather-stripping or caulk to prevent cool air from escaping. • Inspect attic insulation. Proper insulation helps keep your home cool in summer and warm in winter. If the insulation is sparse or uneven, it may be time to add more to keep your home comfortable and energy efficient. • Review your lighting. Replace any leftover incandescent bulbs in your home fixtures with energy-efficient LEDs. These use up to 80% less energy and last longer, saving you money in the long run. • Evaluate your appliances. Older appliances consume more energy. If your fridge, washer or air conditioner is outdated, it might be time to upgrade to a more energy-efficient model. • Track your energy use. Ask your electric provider about smart meters or online tools that let you monitor your energy consumption. This can help you identify patterns and areas to improve. By completing a simple energy audit this summer, you can reduce energy waste and set yourself up for year-round savings. For a more in-depth evaluation, consider scheduling a professional energy audit.
Summer vacations away from home presents an opportunity to reduce the energy your house uses. By making some adjustments before you leave, you can avoid wasting electricity on empty rooms and come home to a lower utility bill. Before you leave: • Set your thermostat several degrees higher or use vacation mode if your system offers it. • Unplug nonessential appliances like TVs, computers, coffee makers, and chargers. • Turn off lights or use timers for security purposes. • Close blinds or shades to keep out sunlight and reduce indoor heat. • Turn down the water heater temperature or switch it to vacation mode. • Make sure all windows and doors are fully closed and locked. Even though you won’t be home to use energy, your appliances and systems might—unless you plan ahead. These simple steps take just a few minutes but can result in meaningful energy
One of the easiest ways to manage your energy bill in the summer is to be smart about your thermostat. Raising your thermostat by just a few degrees can lead to noticeable savings, and combining it with good cooling habits makes your home more comfortable and efficient. Try these strategies: • Set your thermostat at 78 degrees when you're home and higher when you're away. • Use a programmable thermostat or smart thermostat to automatically adjust settings when you’re sleeping or out of the house. • Don’t set the thermostat lower than usual to try to cool your home faster—it won’t work and it wastes energy. • Pair your thermostat with ceiling fans to circulate cool air and make higher temperatures feel more comfortable. • Keep internal heat sources like ovens and lamps away from the thermostat. • Make gradual temperature adjustments rather than big swings. If your air conditioner seems to run constantly, consider having it serviced. A well-maintained system cools more efficiently. Smart thermostat use, combined with seasonal maintenance and good airflow, can make a significant difference in your energy bill this July.
The comfortable spring weather is more likely to nudge you to open your windows than to turn on the air conditioner—and that makes this the perfect time to make sure your a/c is in shape for the summer heat that’s just a few months away. The best time to service your home’s air conditioning system is when you don’t need it. If you put it off until it’s 90 degrees outdoors, you could be dealing with some down time that can leave your home pretty uncomfortable. Annual service is important because your technician will lubricate and clean moving parts and check for—and repair—potential problems. That will make it more likely that your system will run smoothly all summer. Choose an a/c tech who is licensed by the state. Chances are the same tech can come back in the fall to tune up your heating system.
If you’re lucky enough to have an unused room to convert to a home office, a home gym or a home theater, add one more item to your “to do” list: Call an electrician. Setting up any of those rooms involves moving in a lot of big electronic equipment live a treadmill, a giant-screen TV, computers and printers, and stereo components. It’s quite possible that the electrical receptacles in the room won’t be able to handle the equipment that uses as much electricity as those pieces do. You also might not have enough outlets for all of the things you’ll need to plug in. Sure, you can buy a power strip that allows you to plug multiple pieces of equipment into a single outlet. But that power strip won’t add any juice to the circuit that powers that single outlet—which means you can overload it and set yourself up to trip your circuits or even cause overheating or a fire. So before you start using your home gym to get in shape, get the room in shape first. Ask a licensed electrician to inspect the room’s outlets and power supply and determine if you need to upgrade.
Southwest Public Power District will never send anyone to your house to ask you if you need work done. And when someone does come for a legitimate reason, you’ll see a uniform, a truck with our logo on it and valid identification. Springtime is scam season. Don’t be surprised if you get telephone calls, uninvited visitors looking for work and loads of door hangers offering landscaping, roofing, painting and home-repair services. Your best bet: Say no to all of them. If you need work done around your house, visit the website of the state agency responsible for licensing contractors or join a contractor referral network that recommends only contractors who are licensed, insured, bonded and experienced. A few other tips: •Be wary of contractors with out-of-state license plates or detachable, magnetic company signs on their trucks. These could be “travelers,” who follow the warm weather from state to state and hire themselves out as home-improvement contractors. They’re almost always unlicensed in your state, and if you discover a problem with their work later, they’ll be long gone. •Do not pay in cash, and do not pay up front. Instead, work out a payment schedule that allows you to pay in increments as the work is completed. •Get bids from three reputable companies before you start. If you get one offer that’s way lower than the other two, something is probably amiss. •Don’t fall for these two lines: “I just finished a job at your neighbor’s house and I’ll give you a good price if you hire me today because I’m already in the neighborhood” or “I have leftover materials from a job I just did and I’ll sell/install them here for a deep discount because I don’t need them.” Hiring contractors can be expensive. Don’t waste your money on one who’s not licensed and legitimate.
