Xcel Energy offering tips for Colorado customers to save money on summertime electric bills
As temperatures heat up in Colorado and stay in the 90s over the next couple of days, many residents will be escaping the hot weather outside and staying cool inside. Xcel Energy is offering tips for customers to save money on their summertime electric bills.
There are several ways to do so, and the best way to keep your energy bill low is to be conservative when using your air conditioning and other appliances. Also, practice energy efficiency habits to stay cool.
Andrew Holder, the Director of Community Relations and Local Government Affairs for Xcel Energy, said that includes running fans to circulate cool air throughout your home and running ceiling fans counterclockwise to circulate air from the bottom of the room to the top.
"During the year, you can also improve some of your insulation so that you don't have any of that cool air escaping from your house. And then also, you can turn off unnecessary lighting and replace incandescent light bulbs with LEDs, which can use 75 to 80% less energy than traditional bulbs, and they generally last about 15 times longer," said Holder.
Opening all doors inside your home can improve air circulation, and closing all drapes and blinds during the day will help keep your home cooler. A programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature could also help you save a few extra dollars. Additionally, set your thermostat a couple of degrees higher to use your home's cooling system most efficiently.
"If you have a programmable thermostat, we recommend that you can raise the temperature in the house to about 78 degrees if you're away from the home. But we do want to stress that we want to make sure our customers stay safe and comfortable through the season, but if they do want to save a couple dollars, you could set that thermostat up to 78," said Holder.
Changing your air conditioning filters can also reduce your energy consumption by 5% to 15%. Turning off lights and electronics when they're not in use and running appliances like washing machines, dryers and dishwashers during the nighttime also reduces strain on the electric grid.
"We look at the energy usage as a bell curve, and we build our energy system to the highest usage point, which is generally the hottest day in July when everybody gets home from work and they're running their air conditioning. So, we're not anticipating any brownouts. But there are also several tricks that our customers can do to lower the energy usage here in the state, as we're seeing some hot weather months," said Holder.
Xcel Energy also offers energy efficiency programs with money saving options, including rebates, home energy audits and deals on smart products.
Customers can find that information through their My Account app or by visiting Xcel Energy's website.