Energy conservation

Tips to keep your house cool and costs down in the summer

All households rely on utilities such as electric, natural gas and water service to meet basic, everyday needs. By practicing energy conservation, you can develop habits to reduce your energy usage and save money on your utility bills. Whether you own or rent, there are a number of things you can do to save on the energy you use every day, throughout your day.

• Block the heat from the sun by closing windows, doors and curtains.

• To save money on cooling costs turn the thermostat to 80 degrees or higher when you are sleeping or away from home. Raising the temperature by 5 degrees for eight hours can reduce your cooling costs by 3 percent to 5 percent.

• Look for an air conditioning unit that is ENERGY STAR approved.

• Avoid creating unnecessary heat and humidity in the house during summer days. Plan to do heat- and moisture-creating activities such as washing dishes, doing laundry, bathing and cooking before noon or past 8 p.m.

• Limit the amount of time you run kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Only run them for as long as it takes to get rid of any odors to minimize losing cool air.

• If you use a window air conditioning unit, make sure it fits correctly into the window to reduce the amount of cool air lost.

• Consider using a window fan, which requires as little as one-tenth the amount of energy needed to run an air conditioner.

FOR MORE TIPS AND INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.PUCO.OHIO.GOV/BE-INFORMED/CONSUMER-TOPICS/ENERGYAND-WATER-CONSERVATION-TIPS.