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Keep Your Cool This Summer with Entergy Mississippi's Hot Weather Tips

06/08/2015

Don't sweat your electric bill when temps begin to rise
           

JACKSON, Miss. -- The mercury is beginning its climb up the thermometer, and you can bet it will be a good long while before it begins to retreat. Don’t let your electric bills climb with it. By taking steps to be more energy-efficient, your air conditioner will run less and that, in turn, will help keep your electricity bill down.

"It does take more energy to keep your home cool in the summer, but there are many ways to manage your energy use without sacrificing your comfort," said Robbin Jeter, Entergy Mississippi vice president of customer service. "Several of these are very simple to do and cost little to nothing."

Five top ways to improve your energy-efficiency and keep your costs lower are:

• Get your A/C inspected. Inspectors can make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible. Don’t forget to clean air filters; some units require monthly cleaning or replacing. You can also sign up for Entergy’s Residential HVAC Equipment and Tune-up Program, which provides customer incentives for eligible high-efficiency technologies. The program also offers tune-ups of existing A/C and heat pumps at a discount with little or no cost for low-income customers.
• Set your thermostat no lower than 78 degrees. Every degree lower can raise your bill as much as 3 percent. If you spend most of your day outside of the house, set your thermostat to automatically shut off the AC when you’re away. Heating and cooling systems are the biggest electricity users in a house.
• Use fans to cool off, but remember--fans cool people, not rooms! Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity and circulate the air, which helps you feel several degrees cooler. Just remember to turn them off when you leave the room.
• Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.
• Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and duct work. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air inside the house and the hot air outdoors.

Want to do even more? Sign up for Entergy Solutions' Residential Audit and Direct Install Program (READI).  This free program shows customers how to make their homes more energy efficient. It includes a home inspection, installation of energy-efficient products and information about available Entergy programs that can create even greater energy efficiencies. Customers will also get a detailed report about their home’s energy use with recommendations on how to further reduce usage.

For more information, visit EntergySolutionsMS.com. Residential customers can also call 844-523-9980, while commercial customers can call 844-523-9979.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 442,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 13,000 employees.

 

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