With the seasons changing, energy costs can fluctuate, but there are ways to keep energy use economical and efficient. All three electric companies agree that the top impact to a household’s electricity bill is the thermostat, which makes up half of a home’s annual energy use.

Customers experience the highest energy use during times of extreme temperatures. In the winter, energy leaders say the sweet spot for the thermostat is 68 degrees. Electric companies recommend lowering the heat even further when you are not home.

Libby Roerig, the director of marketing and communications for Berkeley Electric Cooperative, says that each degree warmer than 68 degrees costs the average home $10 more a month. She also says to make sure that the heat is set on automatic to help save energy.

Representatives from Berkeley Electric, Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper recommend purchasing a smart thermostat, which allows the customer to optimize their heating and cooling even when they are away from home.

Smart thermostats can be automated and allow users to control the temperature in their home from a smart device. Dominion Energy has smart thermostats available for purchase on its EnergyWise Online Savings Store. Berkeley Electric offers a smart thermostat program with rebates, and Santee Cooper does as well which is linked here.

Another major recommendation the companies have is that consumers must make sure their HVAC unit operates efficiently and get it serviced if needed. Representatives from the energy companies say it is important to check all air filters frequently and to check to make sure air is not leaking from one’s home.

Paul Fischer, the spokesperson for Dominion Energy, recommends heating and air filters be checked monthly, as a dirty filter can both increase energy use and damage an HVAC system.

It is also recommended that homes be weather stripped, with all cracks and openings sealed. Customers can also try to adjust their drapes and blinds according to the time of day. Using the sun’s natural warmth by leaving blinds open during the day and closing them at night to reduce chill from cold windows can make a difference. Insulated or heavy curtains are also an option to keep out cold air.

Tracy Vreeland, public relations specialist for Santee Cooper, says households should be mindful of their use of water heaters and clothes dryers as well.

By following all these steps, officials say their customers can lower their energy bill significantly.

Fischer says there are steps customers can take if they want to save money but are not comfortable at setting their thermostat to 68 degrees.

“We want to make sure that our customers understand there are things that they can do in the home, easy adjustments to make, starting with things like that thermostat setting sixty eight degrees in the winter. We hear from our customers sometimes that that’s not a comfortable setting. We prefer to be a little bit warmer. So, what we recommend is, start moving it down one degree at a time day to day and give you and your family an opportunity to adjust to that 68 degrees,” he says.

Fischer emphasized that the thermostat makes a huge difference.

“When it comes to energy conservation in the Lowcountry, particularly during periods of extreme temperatures, the thermostat is where it’s at. So, heating and cooling, on average, can equal approximately 50% of your annual energy usage. So, it’s important to monitor that thermostat, particularly during periods of extreme temperature,” he says.

All three energy companies offer several programs and options to help customers save on their bill.

Dominion Energy offers budget billing for customers who want to avoid seasonal bill increases because of weather.

Dominion Energy will take a customer’s 12 previous electric bills, find the average and the projected cost of energy for the next 12 months. They will then divide that amount into 12 equal payments for that customer so they will never be surprised with an elevated bill caused by weather-related fluctuations.

Dominion Energy also offers programs to eligible residential electric and natural gas customers to help decrease energy use. These include:

Berkeley Electric also offers options to help customers save on their energy bill. The company offers a smart thermostat program with rebates. The company also receives alerts from their billing department when spikes in energy use are detected in a member’s home.

“We reach out to the member to help figure out what the problem is. Oftentimes, it’s the heat strips running undetected or a malfunctioning water heater. This proactive review program saves our members thousands of dollars each year because we’re able to tell the member they’re having a problem before they realize anything is wrong,” Roerig says.

Berkeley Electric also offers low-interest loans to help qualifying members invest in their homes’ energy efficiency. Roerig says that members can contact them at any time for assistance with their energy concerns and learn more about the programs they offer.

Santee Cooper also offers several programs to help get custoRmers the best experience when it comes to energy use.

Santee Cooper offers several smart energy home rebate programs to help you use less electricity. This includes heat pumps, smart thermostats, duct replacements and Energy Star appliances.

Santee Cooper also offers rewards programs and low-interest loans to their members More information about Santee Cooper’s “empowerhome” program can be found here.

According to live5news.com