Winter Weather is Right Around the Corner

01/17/2019

Entergy offers tips to help manage bills during winter months

While you may be wearing a T-shirt on Saturday, you’ll need cold-weather gear by Sunday morning. Parts of Louisiana could see temperatures drop to the 20s overnight, and to the low 30s on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

While most of us typically associate the heat of summer with a rise in energy bills here in south Louisiana, Entergy encourages you to remember that very cold temperatures also can cause higher bills, which is why energy efficiency is important year-round.

“It takes more energy to keep a home comfortable at 68 degrees when its 25 degrees outside than when temperatures are more moderate,” said Melonie Stewart, vice president of distribution operations for Louisiana. “The bigger the difference between inside and outside temperatures, the more energy is used, which affects your bill.”

Steps you can take to help save money on winter energy bills include:

Seal air leaks. Install weatherstripping around your doors, windows and any location where there may be a path between the inside and outside of your home or business.
Adjust the thermostat. Grab a sweater or blanket to stay warm, and set the thermostat to 68 degrees. Every degree higher can add 3 percent to your bill.
Conserve hot water. Wrap your electric water heater with a water heater blanket that can be found at local home improvement stores and set the thermostat to 120 degrees or medium.
Keep all doors and windows closed. Constant traffic will let out the warm air, forcing your heater to work harder to keep the room at the set temperature.
Ensure fans are turning the right way. Fans should be run at a low speed clockwise during the winter. This helps keep the cold air from blowing down on you.
Keep the air circulating. Don’t block heat registers or air returns with curtains or furniture.
Leverage the sun. During the day, open your curtains and blinds to let in the warm sunlight. Close them at night to reduce heat loss.
Check out energy-efficiency programs. If you live in Orleans Parish, visit the Energy Smart website for energy assessments and rebates on a variety of energy-efficient appliances and upgrades. If you live outside of Orleans Parish, visit Entergy Solutions for energy-saving solutions and energy-efficient products.

“For customers struggling to pay their winter energy bills, we have programs to help,” said Stewart. “For example, Entergy’s The Power to Care program, funded by employees, customers and shareholders, is designed to help elderly and disabled low-income customers with their bills. In addition, local agencies may be able to assist. We encourage you to learn more at the Help for Paying Your Electric Bills section of our website.”

With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to nearly 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area.

Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 200,000 customers and natural gas to more than 106,000 customers. Both companies are subsidiaries 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 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.