News Release > The Heat is On! Stay One Step Ahead by Implementing Simple Solutions

The Heat is On! Stay One Step Ahead by Implementing Simple Solutions

06/28/2016

CONTACT:

Charlotte J. Cavell
504-576-4132
ccavell@entergy.com

Michael Burns
504-576-4132
mburns@entergy.com

Energy-efficient measures and billing options can help customers manage monthly costs

NEW ORLEANS – The heat is on! While summer temperatures are reaching sweltering levels outside, you can stay one step ahead of their effect on your energy bill by implementing some simple and efficient solutions inside your home or business.

“Temperatures in the New Orleans area soared above 100 degrees over the weekend and while the first reaction is to crank down the A/C, remember that heating and cooling costs make up more than half of your monthly energy bill,” said Melonie Stewart, director of customer service. “By taking energy-efficient measures now, your air conditioner will run less and that, in turn, will help keep your bill down as the summer heat continues.”

Top ways to save energy and keep your costs lower without sacrificing comfort are:

• Get your A/C inspected. Inspectors can make sure your system is leak-free and operating as efficiently as possible. Don’t forget about air filters; some units require monthly cleaning or replacing.
• Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree lower than 78 can raise your bill as much as 3 percent. So if you crank down the A/C to a cooler 72 degrees, you’ve already increased your bill by 18 percent.
• Buy a programmable thermostat. As energy usage rises, costs also rise. If you spend most of your day outside of the house, set your thermostat to automatically shut off or raise the A/C setting when you’re away.
• Use fans to cool off, but remember – fans cool people, not rooms. Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity and circulate the air, which helps you feel several degrees cooler. Just remember to turn them off when you leave the room.
• Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.
• Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and duct work. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air inside the house and the hot air outdoors.

“We also encourage you to visit entergy.com/savemoney to access a slew of energy-saving tips and calculators that will help you determine the best cost-cutting scenarios to suit your lifestyle,” said Stewart. “And to avoid the billing spikes that extreme temperatures can bring, we suggest you sign up for Level Billing if you haven’t already done so. That way, you can better control your monthly budget.”

What’s more, if you’re an Entergy New Orleans customer living in Orleans Parish, you also can take advantage of a variety of energy-efficiency programs and services through our Energy Smart program. If you’re an Entergy Louisiana customer living in the metro New Orleans area, but outside of Orleans Parish, you can benefit from Entergy Solutions – A Louisiana Program. Both offer ways to help you lower your energy bill and find new ways to save energy – and money – at your home or business.

For customers struggling to pay their summer energy bills, Entergy helps low-income, disabled and elderly customers through its customer-assistance fund, The Power to Care, which is funded by Entergy employees, customers and shareholders. In New Orleans, the fund is administered by the New Orleans Council on Aging and in the rest of the state, it is administered by The Salvation Army.

Entergy New Orleans reps present donations from Entergy’s The Power to Care fund to the New Orleans Council on Aging’s Howard Rodgers. The funds are used help elderly and disabled customers in need.

In addition to The Power to Care, bill-payment assistance also is available through the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. In 2015, more than $3.1 million in assistance was provided to almost 10,000 Entergy New Orleans customers and $15.7 million in assistance was provided to more than 51,000 Entergy Louisiana customers statewide through these programs. For more information, Orleans Parish customers can visit entergyneworleans.com and customers in other parishes can visit entergylouisiana.com.

Entergy New Orleans, Inc. is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 198,000 customers and natural gas to more than 106,000 customers. Entergy New Orleans is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy Louisiana provides electric service to more than one million customers and natural gas service to nearly 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the company is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11.5 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

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