For the roughly five million Floridians who get their utilities through Florida Power & Light, the current record-breaking summer heat wave can be felt not just in the air, but in their wallets as well.
With heat indices breaking 110 degrees across South Florida, more residents are taking the cue to beat the heat and stay inside.
Bianca Soriano, spokesperson for Florida Power & Light, says that this increased demand for cool air leads to harder-working air conditioning units – and ultimately, higher prices.
“When it's really hot outside, your AC feels it too. Your AC is turning on a lot more now when it’s hotter than ever outside than it was perhaps in January, February, March, when it’s a lot cooler. And that's important because your AC is typically about 60% of your bill.”
Soriano has a few tips on how to save money before the next power bill rolls around.
• Keep your AC set in the “energy efficiency range” - 74 to 78 degrees.
Additionally, every degree that a system is set above that range saves about 5% on cooling costs.
• Set your water heater at 120 degrees – you can still take a warm shower, and dishwashing won’t be affected.
• Run your washing machine on the cold setting. There’s no need to use hot water.
One thing Soriano doesn’t recommend is turning the house’s AC system off while away for a longer period of time. It’ll take more energy to cool the house back down than keep it at a steady 82 degrees, the temperature Soriano recommends.
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