Staying indoors is a good way to beat the heat, but if you're blasting the air conditioning around the clock, you'll end up sweating over this month's electric bill.

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Flickr User RLHyde
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A few simple steps can save you some cash and keep you cooler without the AC at full force.

"It's a matter of how comfortable you want to be," said Mark Durbin, a spokesman for Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L). "If you need to have your thermostat set at 70 degrees…you're going to be very chilly, but you're going to pay a price for that when the bill comes out."

If you can handle 75-77 degrees, do it. The move adds up over time, and this heat wave will last through the workweek.

"You may not want to be baking a lot of cookies today," Durbin added. "All you're doing is heating up your house, and then you're having to run that air conditioner to cool it back down again."

TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR RELIANCE ON AIR CONDITIONING:

  • Close all blinds and shades that are facing the sun.
  • Close off vents in rooms that aren't be used.
  • Turn off and unplug everything that isn't been used.
  • Delay heat-producing tasks, like laundry, until later in the day.

JCP&L and Public Service Electric and Gas, New Jersey's largest utility, said they have enough juice to handle the increased power demand during the hot stretch. Both utilities have extra staff on hand in case power is interrupted.

 

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