Stay Cool and Save Money This Summer

Energy-Saving Tips from First Choice Power

(FORT WORTH, TEXAS) – Just in time for the summer cooling season, First Choice Power is offering tips to help people save energy and money while staying cool.

“When temperatures go up, energy usage can go up, too,” said Jeff Weiser, co-president of First Choice Power. “We want to share information with customers they can use to stay comfortable and save money at the same time.”

10 Simple Tips for Saving Energy

• Thermostat setting: 78 is the number to remember. For each degree below the recommended setting in the summer, energy consumption increases by about 6 percent to 8 percent. Consider a programmable thermostat that raises or lowers the temperature by about 5 degrees when your home is unoccupied.
• During the day, close drapes and blinds, particularly on south-facing windows.
• Use floor and ceiling fans. Fans are more efficient than air conditioners; the average ceiling fan can make a room feel 4 degrees cooler but uses no more energy than a 100-watt light bulb.
• Weather strip and caulk leaks around windows and doors. Small leaks let cool air escape.
• Set the dishwasher to the air-dry mode to dry dishes, rather than using heat and energy to do it.
• Adding extra attic insulation will keep a home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
• Air conditioners require regular maintenance at the start of the cooling season and periodic check-ups throughout the season.
• Clean the lint traps on dryers. Better yet, dry clothes outside on a clothesline.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy and last longer.
• And, as always, turn lights and televisions off when leaving a room.

Additional energy-savings tips are available on FirstChoicePower.com. There customers can also find important information about the Federal Energy Policy Act tax credits for energy efficient products and services.

Providing energy-saving tips and low-price energy plans is one more way First Choice Power is Simply Better, Weiser said.

Some customers may not realize that saving water saves energy, too, because it takes energy to heat water. To save energy and money while saving water, First Choice Power recommends:

• Turning the faucet off while shaving or brushing teeth
• Taking showers instead of baths, and keeping showers short
• Running dishwashers and washing machines only when full

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, First Choice Power is one of Texas’ largest retail electric providers. First Choice Power is one of four subsidiaries of PNM Resources, an investor-owned energy holding company with more than $6,1 billion in total assets. First Choice Power is committed to Simply Better prices, programs and customer care. For more information, visit FirstChoicePower.com.

 

First Choice Power Special Purpose, L.P. | PUCT REP Certification No. 10008

First Choice Power Media Contact
Catherine K. Carlton (469) 484-8686
Media Relations
First Choice Power

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