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As temperatures soar to 90 degrees and above this week, BGE encourages customers to conserve energy, even in periods of extreme heat. This not only helps the impact on the electric grid, but it may also help alleviate the impact of extreme temperatures on customer energy bills. Extreme weather drives up electric usage, potentially resulting in higher bills. During the summer months, cooling systems typically account for nearly half of a home’s energy consumption.
Manage bills with these energy saving tips:
- Maintain your A/C system: Warm weather energy expenses are related to cooling your home. Regular maintenance will keep your system running at peak efficiency.
- Manage your thermostat: Keep thermostats at a constant, comfortable level when at home. Raise the thermostat setting for days of extreme heat. Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your home’s temperature settings when you’re away or sleeping.
- Close window shades and blinds: Close curtains, windows shades and blinds to block heat from sunlight, which can make your A/C work harder.
- Reduce kitchen heat: Delay the use of major, heat-generating household appliances such as ovens, stoves, dishwashers, and dryers until after 9 p.m. when the temperature begins to drop.
- Keep the air moving: Use ceiling fans with blades rotating counterclockwise or portable fans to circulate air.
- Take shorter hot showers: Heating water is the second biggest energy drain in the home.
- Turn it off: Turn off non-essential appliances, electronics, and other devices.
- Conserve with lighting: Turn off unnecessary lights and use LEDs, which use up to 90% less energy that CLF bulbs.
- Use MyAccount online tools: Track your energy usage in near-real time, measure energy-saving practices, and set high-usage alerts with MyAccount.
- Visit: BGE’s website for more energy-saving tips.
Energy Assistance:
BGE offers programs and services to help those in need, including energy assistance, help for customers with special needs, and ways for neighbors to help neighbors. Find help catching up on your bill, keeping up with your payments, and finding ways to save on energy costs using BGE’s Assistance Finder.
Service Reliability:
BGE is committed to continuously improving in service reliability, investing nearly $1.4 billion in infrastructure improvements and operations and maintenance of the company’s electric system in 2023. Since 2014, BGE has invested $18 billion in improving, operating, and maintaining both the gas and electric systems serving our customers.
BGE actively explores forward-looking technologies to help improve system reliability and avoid lengthy outages. Examples include, using drones to enable more efficient and safer equipment inspections, installing specialized equipment that can automatically restore service or isolate damage, and providing storm restoration staff with mobile apps that help them identify and get to jobs faster.