Summer peak hours run from 1pm-7pm. Try to either reduce your use of electricity during that time, or shift your use to different times of day. We’re taking care of your thermostat (if you have central A/C or heat pump), but the suggestions below will help you figure out how to find other ways to save!

Lighting

Replace your home's five most frequently used bulbs

If you replace your five most frequently used bulbs with LED bulbs, you could save as much as $75 a year! Ultra-efficient, ultra-long-lasting LEDs cost a bit more up front, but you will most likely earn back that cost in energy savings in less than a year. Make the switch today!

Working from home?

Task lighting is lighting that illuminates a work area to make your workspace easier to see. When possible, use task lighting instead of overhead or general lighting. If your work area is well lit, you don't have to light the rest of the room as much. Having fewer lights on saves energy.

Kitchen

Cook & dine al fresco

This summer, stay cooler by turning off the stove and turning up the savings. By cooking a few meals each week on your grill, your house will be cooler and you'll reduce your energy use. So enjoy some outdoor family time and save some energy!

Cook in batches and embrace leftovers

Cook a large batch of food so you have enough for dinner for two days and maybe a few lunches. When warming up your food on day two or three, use a microwave instead of your stove or oven, or enjoy it cold! Cooking in bulk saves time and energy and often costs less, too.

Microwave it

When reheating food or cooking small dishes, use your microwave. Microwaving can reduce your cooking energy use by 50% compared to a conventional electric oven and is faster, too!

Scrape, don't rinse your dirty dishes

When loading your dishwasher, try to avoid using water to rinse off leftover food. You may feel the need to pre-rinse your dishes, but it is mostly unnecessary because modern dishwashers are very good at their job. Use a utensil to scrape off the large pieces of food and let the dishwasher do the rest!

Leisure

Save while streaming

Almost three-quarters of U.S. households have a subscription to at least one streaming service. Save while you stream by streaming content on a tablet instead of a TV. Gaming devices can use 15 times more energy to stream the same material, so only use them if you don’t have another option.

Unplug your kids, and yourself

If you have kids, challenge them to a few hours of “unplugged time” each day. Turn off all screens and electronics and find a fun offline activity. You could play a board game, go for a walk, play tag, or set up a scavenger hunt. You can use up your kid’s energy while saving on your power bill.

How can I create or adjust my thermostat settings?