For Release:

Conserve Energy to Manage Electric Bills

Summer is in full swing, and hot and humid weather prompts higher energy use as residents and businesses rely on air conditioning to keep cool. “It’s important to remember that using electricity efficiently, however, and especially during the hottest months, helps the statewide electric system provide reliable energy when demands are at their highest,” said Carl E. Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer.

“Because more electricity is used in the summer, and market prices for electricity are set according to the laws of supply and demand, electric prices on the wholesale market tend to rise this time of year. That creates a double impact of increased usage and higher prices,” said Meyer. “Using appliances efficiently, especially in the summer, can reduce energy bills.”

Meyer also pointed out that although statewide supply costs rise in the summer, Central Hudson customers continue to benefit from paying among the lowest electricity prices in New York state. For example, in July 2007 a typical monthly bill of 500 kilowatt-hours for Central Hudson customers is 20 percent less than the state average, and 40 percent less than prices paid in the downstate metropolitan region. 

Central Hudson customers pay among the lowest delivery rates in New York, and electric supply prices for full-service customers are less volatile than average market prices. “In purchasing energy on the wholesale market, our hedging practices have consistently reduced volatility in the electric supply prices paid by our customers, and in addition have largely held these costs below market during the last year, averaging 12 percent less,” said Meyer. “While low price volatility and energy costs are important to our customers, their own action to use energy more efficiently is the most effective way to better manage bills.”

Ways in which customers can save energy include:

• Turning off lights and appliances when not in use, and unplugging electronic devices, such as televisions, entertainment systems and computers, that continue to draw power even when off. Some devices use up to 25 watts of “standby power” when idle, and approximately 10 percent of the total energy used by homes powers devices that are not in use. Plugging these devices into a power strip and then switching off the strip when the devices are not used is a convenient and effective way to reduce standby power.
• Setting thermostats on air conditioners to 78 degrees, and higher during times when the home is not occupied; consider using fans to keep cool. Also, changing dirty filters on air conditioners will help the unit run more efficiently.
• Using large appliances such as dishwashers and dryers during the evening hours, when overall energy use is less.
• Closing doors, windows, curtains, shades and blinds during the day to seal out the heat and block sunlight when temperatures are at their highest.
• Keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed as long as possible, and limiting the time they are opened.

Central Hudson's Web site has information on energy efficiency, including a link to Home Energy Saver, a self-administered on-line home energy audit provided by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Also available on-line is a booklet on home energy efficiency, Energy Savers, published by the U.S. Department of Energy. To find these and more on how to save energy, log onto www.CentralHudson.com, and click on “Energy Conservation" in the Residential section.

#          #            #