Saving money while electric bill rates reach 10-year high

Temperatures are set to soar again this week, and Americans are about to pay much more to cool their homes. In fact, the average U.S. electric bill is projected to go up by 8% this summer, reaching a 10-year high.

Luckily, there are simple, no-cost ways to cut your energy bills.

Debbie Yasek is trying to save money and stay cool. It’s a huge challenge in an older home during a heat wave, where temperatures in rooms without window air conditioners recently reached 85 or 90 degrees.

Yasek is enrolled in a weatherization program for people on a fixed income that provides free home energy check-ups. Inspector Joshua Locke used a blower to pressurize the house, enabling him to run his hands along outlets and walls to find places where cold air was seeping out, and hot air was coming in.

“We’re looking for all the little cracks we can seal up as much as possible,” said Locke.

Kenneth Provlic manages the Washington and Greene County weatherization program for the non-profit group ACTION-Housing. In addition to home checkups, Provlic coaches homeowners on low and no-cost ways to lower energy bills.

Provlic’s number one tip for everyone: close curtains and blinds as the sun starts to come through your window. The sun hitting the glass radiates heat.

“My air conditioner will run all the time unless I close the blinds,” said Provlic.

Number two: set your thermostat, and don’t change it. Try 74 degrees in the summer.

“For every degree you go below 74 you’re costing yourself three percent more on your cooling cost and every degree that you can be comfortable above 74 degrees you can actually save three percent on your cooling costs,” said Provlic.

Provlic says you should also take advantage of the colder air on the lowest level of your home. His number three tip: open your interior basement door and let the cold air travel up. You can also use fans to direct the air flow from the lowest level to higher levels of your home. Provlic says that can help the air conditioner from coming on until midday.

Tip four: make sure you turn lights off. Don’t leave your television on since lights and television generate extra heat.

Finally, locate empty phone chargers that are plugged into wall and pull them out.

“Everything I talk about is pennies, but the pennies add up to dollars,” said Provlic.

Yasek knows first-hand. The ACTION-Housing team weatherized her house in the fall, and she’s seen the difference in her electric bill.

“It’s gone down. I think they told me I saved 56 percent,”said Yasek.

Now she’s hoping a couple of simple steps will help her save this summer.

Here are a few extra tips from Kenneth Provlic: Don’t wash your laundry in hot water. Laundry detergent is manufactured to get clothes clean in most temperatures. In fact, Provlic says every load you do in hot water costs you an extra $1.02.

Provlic also suggests doing away with scented plug-ins and using baskets of potpourri instead. The plug-ins cost about $.75 per outlet each month, so if you have several plugged in throughout the house, that can add up.

ACTION-Housing eligibility is based on a number of factors, with age, income and disabilities being the most common. Income eligibility is based on the area median income (AMI), as determined by HUD.

For homeowners who don’t qualify for free weatherization, a list of certified professionals can be found on the Building Performance Institute’s website.

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