North Carolina is experiencing extreme heat this week which will take a toll on HVAC systems and the power grid across the Triangle.
Duke Energy is urging customers to reduce electricity use, especially during the afternoon hours, to help ease the strain.
The utility company is asking residents to take simple steps to conserve energy by raising their thermostats.
“When energy usage goes higher, that’s an opportunity to save even more on your bill. For example, even just [changing] your thermostat a couple of degrees will translate to a couple of savings on your bill,” said Carolina Fountain, a spokesperson for Duke Energy.
These steps include raising thermostats to the highest comfortable setting, postponing laundry and dishwashing, avoiding prolonged use of ovens and stoves and turning off unnecessary lights and appliances.
“If you’re using less energy, you’ll be saving more on your bill, which is a win-win,” Fountain said.
Try to run appliance at night or early in the morning, before the day gets hotter, and keep thermostats turned up, especially if you’re out of the house.
“Use those heat-producing appliances in the cool morning hours and turn your thermostat up,” Fountain said. “Let’s say you’re out for the day, working or doing errands, that’s a great opportunity to turn it up a few degrees.”
Duke Energy emphasized that even small changes in energy use can help maintain normal operations and protect the grid during extreme weather conditions.
Fountain also suggests using ceiling fans, closing blinds or curtains, using warm water for laundry and taking advantage of a free home energy assessment program. Your ceiling fan should spin counterclockwise during the summer.
“Looking toward the future, we have a free home energy assessment where an energy advisor comes out to your home and looks at opportunities where you can save. That’s a great program that we have, again, free of charge for our customers who are homeowners,” she added.