For the Miami Valley Today

MIAMI VALLEY – With temperatures on the rise, AES Ohio stated in a press release that it is prepared to meet the hot weather electricity demands of its customers. AES Ohio continually monitors power generation, weather conditions and customer usage throughout its 24-county service territory. Temperatures are forecasted to climb into the 90s this week in West Central Ohio, and customers are encouraged to utilize tips to beat the heat, use less energy and save money.

AES Ohio provided these tips to help reduce energy usage:

• Adjust your thermostat. Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The recommended setting is 78 degrees or higher when you are home and higher when you are asleep or away.

• Set air conditioning to “auto” instead of “on” and reduce your energy costs.

• Change or clean filters once a month. Dust and dirt make your unit work harder.

• Vacuum registers and vents regularly.

• Block the sun. Close blinds and shades during the warmest times of the day to keep the heat out and the cool air in.

• Turn off unnecessary lights, and switch to energy-efficient lighting that gives off less heat in your home.

• Turn off ceiling fans in unoccupied rooms. Fans offer an inexpensive alternative to setting the thermostat to a lower temperature because fans cool people, not rooms.

• Wait until later in the evening to use heat-producing appliances, like the oven, clothes dryer and dishwasher. Many dryers and dishwashers have timers you can set so they turn on hours later.

For more information about how your home uses energy, or how you can save energy and spend less on your energy bill, visit www.aes-ohio.com/energy-savings-tips.