Austin Energy offers tips to save on high energy bills this summer
It's not unusual for summertime temps in Austin to climb into the triple digits.
“What happens when it gets hot, people tend to use more water and they use more energy,” said Deborah Kimberly, VP of customer energy solutions at Austin Energy.
But that does not mean your utility bills have to be triple digits. “God bless my husband we've been married 38 years. He did it again this morning, he cranked the thermostat down to 68 degrees. What did I do when I got in the office? I adjusted the thermostat up to 78 degrees,” said Kimberly.
Setting the thermostat higher when you leave home, conserves energy.
The a/c would only kick on when the indoor temps get too hot.
In addition to setting your thermostat higher, you can log on to the Austin Energy app web site, which tracks usage and lets you know if you begin to enter a higher tier.
You also can ask about rebates given by the city.
Trouble paying your bill?
The city says they cannot cut services off so easily, and they can work with you.
“There's a state standard, for not cutting people off, based on how hot it is. For us, that standard is even lower. We include more days where we just aren't going to cut people off. Heat is a health and safety issue. It's nothing to be played with,” said Robert Cullick, spokesperson for Austin Energy
Meteorologists predicts very little rainfall this summer, so saving water is also a must.
Austin is in conservation stage, but if drought conditions become more serious, that could turn into stage one restrictions. “Over the last decade citizens of Austin really stepped up and answered our calls for conservation. Per capita water use has gone down by 35 percent,” said Daryl Slusher, assistant director at Austin Water.
The heat is here and will be lingering for a while. But with keeping these tips in mind, you can save energy, water and money. Log onto austinenergyapp.com to track usage.