Officials offer tips to save energy and money

Hot weather outisde is bound to make it hotter in the places you might be trying to keep cool.

Experts said turning the air conditioner on a full icy blast is a costly solution,

Turning the temperature in the house that low is actually costing more than people realize.

Officials at Columbia Water and Light recommend people close their blinds during the day to keep rooms shady and cool.

When someone is going to be cooking in the oven or using the washing machine to do laundry, officials said to use those appliances earlier or later in the day to avoid heating up your house.

Officials said to try and keep the thermostat at a constant 78 degrees. They said while turning off the air during the day to save a few dollars might seem like a good idea, it could actually increase humidity and cost more money in the long run.

“You don’t want to turn it off completely,” said Connie Kacprowicz at Columbia Water and Light. “You want to still have some air conditioning going on to keep that humidity down otherwise when you come home from work your air conditioner’s going to have to work a lot harder to get rid of that humidity as well as cool down your house.”

She also recommends keeping your fireplace chimney dampers closed, because they can suck cool air out of the room if they are open.

Kacprowicz said Columbia has programs available to anyone who needs help becoming more energy efficient this summer.