CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- If saving money
made your New Year's resolution list, start by cutting your energy
use, to save money year-round. With some simple lifestyle tweaks,
you can trim your energy usage and help keep your 2020 budget in
check.
Here are ways to monitor and cut your energy use this winter and
also avoid billing surprises:
7 ways to cut your energy costs
- Reduce your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting. If
you have a heat pump, maintain a moderate setting or use a
programmable thermostat specifically designed for use with heat
pumps.
- Leave drapes or blinds open during sunny winter days to allow
the sun to warm the house. Close them at night to help insulate
your home.
- Have the heating and air conditioning system checked regularly
to maintain performance. Duke Energy offers qualified customers
rebates to help offset the cost of replacing older HVAC
units with more energy-efficient ones.
- Replace standard incandescent bulbs with light-emitting diodes
(LED). LEDs are more efficient while giving off the same amount of
light.
- Operate ceiling fans in a clockwise direction, which pushes
warm air back down into the room.
- Change air filters regularly. A dirty air filter makes a
heating system work harder, which uses more energy.
- Set your water heater's thermostat to 120 degrees to help you
reduce your monthly water heating bills.
5 tips to help manage and understand your bills
- Check the number of days in your billing cycle. Most bills are
for 30 days, but there are times when the billing cycle is shorter
or longer. If there are more days in the bill, your bill total
could be higher.
- Look at "average kilowatt-hour" (kWh) use per day. At first
glance your bill may look higher, but if your average use is
similar to the same time last year or in a month with similar
extreme temperatures, it's a normal bill.
- If you have a smart meter, check online to see if a daily usage
analysis tool is available. Smart meters collect usage information
by the hour, so checking spikes throughout the month – by day and
even hour – can show what appliances and behaviors are increasing
your bill.
- Customers without a smart meter can receive high bill alerts
when hotter or colder weather may be causing your bill to trend
higher than last month. We send these alerts before you receive
your bill – so you can take steps to lower your usage before
your bill comes.
- Customers can also use the Duke Energy app to access and manage
your account, making it easier to stay on top of your energy usage
and bills. You can also take advantage of our energy- and
money-saving products and services.
For more information on simple ways to avoid energy bill
surprises this winter, click here.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of the
largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000
people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts
through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its
nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience,
modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and
expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy
future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric
Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve
approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6
million customers in five states – North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit
operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as
well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2019 "World's Most Admired
Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact
sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's
illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
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SOURCE Duke Energy