Keep your thermostat up high to save money this week
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With the temperatures expected to rise into some of the highest of the year, it can cost you to run that air conditioning to keep yourself cool.
There are ways to lessen the blow when the bill comes next month, and for the rest of the summer.
For many of these tips, it's nothing extreme you have to do. It may require a little sacrifice of temperature, but by combining some of these ideas, you can save yourself some money.
"The largest user of electricity is heating and cooling," West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said.
According to West Penn Power, for every degree you raise your thermostat, you can save yourself an additional 3 percent on your bill. Fans use less energy than the AC, so it's recommended to use them in tandem. You should also try to avoid using the stove.
"That just warms up the kitchen and any adjacent space, and then the thermostat is saying it's hot in here because it is hot in here," Meyers told KDKA in a Zoom interview.
Another simple way to save yourself some money is to make sure you have your air filters clean, turn off the vents in any rooms you don't use, and seal off any cracks to the outside.
"If you take all those tiny leaks everywhere and added them together, it would be like having a little window open all the time," Meyers told KDKA.
So, what should your thermostat be set to? Duquesne Light recommends 78 degrees.
"Now I understand that, that might feel a little warm in the house. I always say if you walk outside into 95-degree heat, it will feel pretty good walking back in," Duquesne Light Director of Communications Hollie Geitner said.
If you're feeling the pinch in your wallet, organizations like the Dollar Energy Fund will help. It has partnerships with utilities like West Penn Power and Duquesne Light to help people who are struggling.
"We see an uptick in our calls especially in this time when temperatures are rising, and they feel the heat and they need help," Dollar Energy Fund Communication Specialist Ashley Neapolitan said.
There are other assistance programs with Duquesne Light and West Penn Power.
If you have no way to cool yourself off, there are cooling centers around the city.
"You don't want to take a chance on this heat," Frank Guzzi said at the Greenfield cooling center. "It's really bad for everybody."
Click here for the full list of cooling centers across the city.
