“It’s sooooo hot” …
“How hot is it?”
It’s so hot, you probably don’t want to look at your power bill, especially if you are an Orlando Utilities Commission customer in St. Cloud.
Last week, a new singleday peak in demand was set in St. Cloud on July 13. Demand hit 234 megawatts, which broke its previous record of 230 WV — set just three weeks prior (June 24).
With no break on the horizon of high temperatures in the mid-90s according to meteorologists, OUC wants to help customers manage their bills, and there are ways the utility has set up to help.
First off, they’ll come out to the house and take a look at how the house is using electricity. OUC has made about 1,200 of those house (and business) calls over 10 years, said Supervisor of Sustainability Dave Mayer.
“And we’re doing more, we’ve had a number of those scheduled this summer so there’s a bit of a wait,” he said. “Consumption is higher than normal, but then again it’s 10 to 15 percent warmer than normal.”
He said that an in-home audit takes about an hour, and takes a look at things like insulation, ducts, windows and the thermostat — all which can be cleaned or replaced for energy efficiency.
And while those repairs or replacements might cost money, OUC also has, depending on the customer’s household income, a rebate program called Efficiency Delivered that will pay a portion of the cost through rebates, with the rest added to subsequent monthly power bills.
“But what we find, often, is that the energy savings due to the upgrades offsets the extra monthly cost of the upgrades,” Mayer said.
Then there’s ways for customers to track what they’re already using, through the MyOUC user dashboard. A useful tool, Mayer says, is one where users can set daily and weekly power benchmarks, then get an email the day following going over those marks.
So what are some easy, real-time ways consumers can use less power during the dog days of summer, and save on their power bills?
Mayer noted a couple of appliances, starting with the air conditioner — cooling and heating make up about 52 percent of a power bill.
“Every one degree you can increase your thermostat setting represents a 6 to 8 percent decrease in cooling costs,” he said.
The water heater makes up about 17 percent of the average home’s energy use. Setting it at 120-125 degrees instead of 140- 150 will save on costs — and also inspire shorter showers, which cut down on water usage.
And, speaking of water, households with pools can save money by running their pumps on 6-8 hour cycles rather than all day. Those pumps are in the “other” category that make up 7 percent of the average home’s usage.
