January 11, 2024
Our area is expecting a significant cold front early next week, and Sam Houston Electric Cooperative is preparing for the weather. We encourage members to do the same. Here are a few tips to help you save energy.
- Track your energy use by the day, or even by the hour using your mySamHouston account or mobile app. The app or newly improved web portal can help you monitor your energy consumption and find ways to balance comfort with energy efficiency.
- Set your thermostat to 68 or lower when you’re home and awake and turn your thermostat down several degrees when asleep or the home is empty for more than 4 hours.
- Don’t do this if you have a heat pump. Instead, set your thermostat as low as comfortable and maintain the setting.
- Open curtains and blinds on south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to heat your home and close them at night to reduce the chill.
- Keep your fireplace flue closed unless a fire is burning.
- Turn down your water heater temperature setting to warm (120 degrees F).
- Use space heaters carefully- they can overheat or overload a circuit. They also can use a great deal of energy in a short amount of time.
- Using incandescent light bulbs (or heat lamps) as a heat source for plants or animals is inefficient and potentially expensive.
More tips are available at SamHouston.net. Additional cold weather safety information can be found on Ready.gov.
