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National Grid Offers Efficiency Tips to Stay Cool, Save Money
National Grid Offers Efficiency Tips to Stay Cool, Save Money

July 29, 2009

National Grid takes energy efficiency seriously as a way for customers to save money, reduce their carbon footprint and help to sustain the environment.

Improving the energy efficiency of a home or business can be easier than you might think and the benefits of energy savings, lower costs and a cleaner environment, will pay dividends for many years to come.

Tips for the summer months:

  • Cool things down by reducing the amount of heat generated in your home. Turn off lights when they are not needed, and avoid cooking, bathing or washing clothes during the hottest hours of the day.
  • Draw blinds, shades, or drapes to block the sunlight during the hottest part of the day, especially on south-and west-facing windows.
  • Electric fans use very little electricity, costing approximately $9 to $11 per month for continuous use and providing relief from the heat. In the morning and evening, window fans are especially useful to move cooler air from outdoors into a home.
  • Use the fan setting on your room air conditioner at night when the air outside is cooler. Or, open a window and leave the air conditioner off. Keep windows closed whenever the air conditioner is on.

    • Keep your air conditioning off during the day, or use a programmable thermostat to turn it on just before you come home. Be aware, the lower you set your temperature on your air conditioner, the more it will cost. For example, a 75 degree setting will cost about 18 percent more than a 78 degree setting. Set the thermostat on your air conditioner as high as comfort will permit.

  • If your air conditioner has an outside air option, use it sparingly. It is far more economical to re-circulate and cool the indoor air than to cool down the hot outside air to comfortable room temperatures.
  • Central air conditioning units should be inspected, cleaned, and tuned by a professional annually to extend the life of the unit and reduce electricity consumption. Check with a service technician about the proper maintenance schedule.
  • On humid days, use the refrigerator "power saver" switch, if you have one. When this switch is on, small heaters keep the outside of your refrigerator from "sweating." On other days, turn the switch off.
  • Consider investing in new efficient laundry appliances. While it might seem costly, in the long run it will pay off. Most full-sized ENERGY STAR® washers use 18 to 25 gallons of water per load, compared to the 40 gallons used by a standard machine.

    • For those considering an air conditioning system, National Grid’s Residential High Efficiency Central Air Conditioning program provides residential customers with financial incentive rebates to offset the cost of more efficient central air conditioning equipment.

    Under the program, residential customers can mail in rebate forms to receive between $200 to $600 for energy efficient central air conditioning systems and related equipment depending on the size and energy efficiency ratio of the equipment installed. Customers will also be eligible to receive a rebate for purchasing and installing an ENERGY STAR® thermostat.

    For more information on energy efficiency, including rebate details and forms for installing additional energy efficiency measures, customers can visit National Grid’s website at www.thinksmartthinkgreen.com.

    National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.