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A heat wave is hitting New York City this week with meteorologists reporting temperatures hitting over 90 degrees and even going up to 100 degrees later this week!
Of course you'll want to stay inside with the AC blasting, but that will make your electric bill sky rocket! Con Edison released a list of tips on how to survive the heat while also keeping that bill as low as you can! Here's what they said:
Turn off air conditioners, lights and other appliances when not at home and use a timer to turn on your air conditioner about a half-hour before arriving home;
Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the units will run at peak efficiency;
Set thermostats to the highest comfortable temperature. Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6 percent;
If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block the vents in un-used or vacant rooms;
To reduce heat and moisture in your apartment or home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, or barbecue outside, if possible;
Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home;
Try using fans instead of air conditioners, but be sure to leave your windows open for ventilation. Fans use as little as one-tenth the energy as air conditioners.
If you have an outage during this heat wave please make sure to report it! You can call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633) to report it and make sure you have your account number ready!