With this extended heatwave we’ve been battling recently, with an ongoing Heat Advisory and the possibility of an Extreme Heat Warning, folks in this part of the region have been looking for ways to stay cool—while hopefully keeping that energy bill down.
In fact, pretty much the entire state is under an Extreme Heat Watch heading into the work week, and the risk of heat related illnesses will increase significantly, especially since we’ve had the Heat Advisory for over a week at this point. Officials are urging folks to drink more water than you think you might need, and they’ve been telling people to stay inside, in the air-conditioning, as much as possible.
That does mean that people’s air-conditioning units have been working hard during the heatwave—in fact, the Tennessee Valley Authority is expecting power demand to peak at around 33,000 megawatts from Monday-Wednesday with a systemwide temperature exceeding 95 degrees.
EnergyRight Specialist Ashley England with the TVA says those prolonged temperatures are hard on anyone’s systems, and it does get costly, so she offered some tips. Don’t underestimate those ceiling fans, as they can cool your home by several degrees if their settings are correct.
And make sure those filters are clean on your unit, she says, as dirty filters can greatly increase the stress on your unit.
She says no one likes to consider it, but if you’re looking to keep that bill as low as you can, go ahead and set that thermostat a couple of degrees higher.
Go to EnergyRight.com for more tips and for information on rebates and incentives TVA has to help residents make their home more energy efficient. That includes $50 rebates on HVAC tune-ups and rebates for if you need to replace a unit.