Time-of-Use Residential Tips
Tips to Maximize Your Savings with Time-of-Use Rates
Heating and Cooling: account for a large portion of your electric use.
During peak hours:
- Turn your thermostat up in warm weather, down when it’s cold – air conditioning at 78 degrees and heat at 68 degrees still “feels great.” A programmable thermostat will make this easy.
- Close blinds or drapes to keep the sun or the cold air out.
- Have your heating/cooling systems serviced annually so they operate efficiently.
- Don’t open doors unnecessarily or hold them open.
- Use fans to make the temperature feel about 4 degrees cooler.
- Minimize the use of appliances, such as your oven/stovetop, that add heat to the house.
Water Heaters: are the next highest energy users.
During peak hours:
- Avoid using large amounts of hot water (for washing clothes, bathing, etc).
- If you have to do laundry, use cold water settings.
- Turning your water heater off during peak hours; a simple water heater timer will do it for you.
In General:
- Wash and dry laundry and run your dishwasher during off-peak hours.
- Consider purchasing “smart” appliances, now offered by some manufacturers, and connecting them to home energy management system; this can make a big difference, making it easy to save more with Time-of-Use Rates.
- Take showers/baths during off-peak hours.
- Unplug electronics that are not in use.
- Be extra vigilant about conserving power in any way you can during peak hours.