With temperatures in Mississippi expected to dip near freezing later this week, Mississippi Power has given their advice to help you keep your bill low this winter. Since heating and cooling costs make up about 50 percent of a residential customer’s monthly bill, taking steps to keep the cold air out and warm air in will help save customers money. Jeff Shepard, spokesman for Mississippi Power, says that you have more control over your bill than you may think.
“People have more control over their energy bill than they realize and it really starts with keeping an eye on the temp and it all starts with the thermostat. We recommend that you keep your them at 68 or as close to 68 as you can keep it while still being comfortable. The higher you go from 68, you’re going to use more energy which equals a higher bill,” Shepard said.
Shepard also provided the following tips and tricks for keeping your power bill from climbing:
- Set the thermostat to 68 degrees. Each degree higher increases power use by approximately 4 percent.
• Make sure doors and windows are sealed properly. Adding insulation and weather stripping and sealing air leaks around vents and pipes will keep the cold air out.
• Keep the fireplace flue closed when the fireplace is not in use.
• Change the filter in your heating system once a month to improve the efficiency.
• Use electric space heaters with caution. Don’t leave space heaters unattended and keep them away from clothing, bedding and curtains.
With Christmas decorations already up, Shepard says that one simple change could save you a lot of money during the holiday season.
“Using LED lights; they use 70% less energy than regular incandescent lights and they are even sturdier so that’s a great way to save energy and use a light timer. Have them come on a dusk and maybe have them go off around 11 p.m. when you’re getting ready to go to bed.”
More winter weather tips can be found here.
