NVE has ‘cool’ tips to save energy, money

With hot weather on the horizon, NV Energy Tuesday offered residents of Carson City and environs several tips on staying cool yet conserving energy.

The power utility suggested one easy way is to set thermostats at 85 degrees when no one is home and 78 when someone is at the residence. But that was just one of various tips passed on as Northern Nevada headed into summer days with the National Weather Service predicting triple digit temperatures late this week, over the weekend and perhaps into early next week.

Today is expected to send the mercury to 96 degrees Fahrenheit, with Thursday expected to reach 100. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the mercury could top 100 and be in that range or even higher come Monday.

“Air conditioning typically accounts for the majority of your summer electric bill,” said Pat Egan, NVE senior vice president of customer operations. “So the easiest and most impactful thing we can all do to save energy in warmer months is to adjust our thermostat to a higher setting.”

The power utility also offered these additional suggestions:

Purchase a programmable thermostat that automatically can set your air conditioner to the best temperature for family members when the home is occupied or unoccupied; maintain the air conditioner by changing air filters and cleaning condenser coils regularly; use dishwashers and laundry washer/dryer machines late in the evening because they heat up the home and make air conditioning work harder.

Also you can use the outdoor barbecue rather than the kitchen stove for the same reason, use portable electric fans and ceiling fans to keep cooler, and close drapes or blinds during the day but open windows after it’s dark and cools down. Customers can avoid spikes in summer cooling bills by signing up for the NVE equal payment program, which divides up power usage costs of the past year into equal monthly payments, the utility reported.