Money-Saving and Energy-Saving Tips from AC Electric
Tips to help customers save money and energy during hot summer days include:
• Set thermostats at a comfortable 78 degrees during hot summer days.
• Turn off or unplug all unnecessary lighting, devices, and appliances.
• When the AC is on, keep all outside doors and windows closed. Closing shades, blinds and curtains can also help keep unwanted heat from entering your home.
• Run appliances that produce heat (like clothes dryers, ovens, and dishwashers) at night when it is cooler.
• Turn on ceiling fans to evenly distribute cool air throughout your home.
• Ensure that ducts and fans are not blocked by furniture. This will enable cool air to circulate freely, making your home more comfortable.
Tips from Vineland Municipal Electric Utility
Vineland Municipal Electric Utility is the only municipally-owned electric generating utility in the State of New Jersey. VMEU has been providing electric service to the residents of the City of Vineland since 1899.
The Electric Utility’s generating capacity is 132,900 kW Summer/143,400 kW Winter. Additionally, the Electric Utility maintains an interconnection with Atlantic City Electric, and membership in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) Interconnection that includes the major investor owned electric utilities throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Regions. VMEU also receives a monthly allocation of 4,300 kW of PASNY Hydro Power. Thus, the Electric Utility is able to meet the demands of its users even in times of emergency.
Some of the tips below are free and can be used on a daily basis to increase your savings; others are simple and inexpensive actions you can take to ensure maximum savings through the spring and summer. For more ways to stay cool while saving energy, check out our Energy Saver 101 infographic, covering everything you need to know about home cooling.
If you haven’t already, conduct an energy audit to find out where you can save the most.
USE YOUR WINDOWS TO GAIN COOL AIR AND KEEP OUT HEAT
• On cooler nights, turn off your cooling system and open your windows while sleeping. When you wake in the morning, shut the windows and blinds to capture the cool air.
• Install window coverings to prevent heat gain through your windows.
OPERATE YOUR THERMOSTAT EFFICIENTLY
• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Keep your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lower the thermostat setting to 78°F (26°C) only when you are at home and need cooling. A programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature.
• Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense.
USE FANS AND VENTILATION STRATEGIES TO COOL YOUR HOME
• If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.
• Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms, by creating a wind chill effect.
• When you shower or take a bath, use the bathroom fan to remove the heat and humidity from your home. Your laundry room might also benefit from spot ventilation. Make sure bathroom and kitchen fans are vented to the outside (not just to the attic).
KEEP YOUR COOLING SYSTEM RUNNING EFFICIENTLY
• Schedule regular maintenance for your cooling equipment.
• Learn about operating and maintaining your air conditioner, evaporative cooler, or heat pump.
• Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your room air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• Vacuum registers regularly to remove any dust buildup. Ensure that furniture and other objects are not blocking the airflow through your registers.
DON’T HEAT YOUR HOME WITH APPLIANCES AND LIGHTING
• On hot days, avoid using the oven; cook on the stove, use a microwave oven, or grill outside.
• Install efficient lighting that runs cooler. Only about 10% to 15% of the electricity that incandescent lights consume results in light—the rest is turned into heat.
• Take advantage of daylight instead of artificial lighting, but avoid direct sunlight.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. Consider air drying both dishes and clothing.
• Take short showers instead of baths.
• Minimize activities that generate a lot of heat, such as running a computer, burning open flames, running a dishwasher, and using hot devices such as curling irons or hair dryers. Even stereos and televisions will add some heat to your home.
KEEP HOT AIR FROM LEAKING INTO YOUR HOME
• Seal cracks and openings to prevent warm air from leaking into your home.
• Add caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.
LOWER YOUR WATER HEATING COSTS
• Water heating accounts for about 18% of the energy consumed in your home. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). You’ll not only save energy, you’ll avoid scalding your hands.
In the face of extreme temperatures, Atlantic City Electric’s energy grid is performing well and customers continue to experience reliable power across the service area. The region’s last heat wave increased energy demand by 18 percent compared to the average daily energy use typically seen this time of year. Atlantic City Electric engineers and crews continue to work diligently to ensure the company’s systems run efficiently and deliver safe and reliable energy for customers.
“Our staff and crews are at the ready, preparing daily for potential system impacts and using best practices to increase reliability across our energy system,” said Tyler Anthony, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric. “As temperatures climb, energy use typically climbs too. Just as we do our part, we ask customers to do their part to conserve energy and follow practical energy savings tips to help us ensure the clean, safe, reliable energy service that our customers expect.”
Atlantic City Electric’s preparation for this summer’s heat waves includes:
• Closely monitoring this extreme weather pattern and sharing best practices with emergency management partners in the area as well as sister companies across the Exelon family.
• Increased staffing in operations centers and placed additional crews on call to respond to any outages or issues that may occur on the local energy grid.
• Increased deployment of capacitors on the distribution system, which is a piece of equipment that helps the local energy grid operate more efficiently and reliably.
• During extreme weather that reaches 95 degrees or higher, Atlantic City Electric suspends work on non-emergency projects that would place portions of the local energy grid out of service and potentially impact the company’s ability to respond to an outage.
• Each day, and ahead of increased summer load demands, work is performed as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to further enhance reliability for customers. This work includes inspecting and upgrading equipment; trimming trees, which cause about 30 percent of power outages for customers each year; and undertaking dozens of targeted projects to modernize critical energy infrastructure and build a more resilient grid.
Atlantic City Electric and its parent company Exelon encourage customers to get more detailed information about their energy usage, so they can make more informed choices about how they use energy by signing up for My Account. Additional tips, as well as information about programs to help reduce costs and energy usage, can be found at atlanticcityelectric.com/savings.
To immediately report a downed wire or service issue, customers should call 800-833-7476, or use the company’s mobile app. The app has many resources to keep customers informed during an outage, including an interactive outage map and estimates of how quickly power is expected to be restored. The mobile app is available at atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp.
Readers are encouraged to visit The Source, Atlantic City Electric’s online news room. For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit atlanticcityelectric.com or follow on Facebook or Twitter.
