NEW YORK – With temperatures pushing 90 degrees the next three days, Con Edison reminds customers to use energy wisely and save money.
Con Edison offers a variety of energy-efficiency programs for savings. The company is offering $25 to residential customers who buy an ENERGY STAR® room air conditioner between May 20 and Aug. 30. ENERGY STAR® air conditioners use at least 10 percent less electricity than other models.
Rebates are limited to two per account holder. Find the application here: http://www.coned.com/energyefficiency/energystar.asp. To learn about other energy efficiency incentives, visit Con Edison’s Green Team at www.coned.com/greenteam, or call 1-877-870-6118.
To prepare for the hot summer, Con Edison has also invested $1.2 billion this year to upgrade its electric delivery system and enhance reliability.
The summer peak demand forecast in Con Edison’s service area is 13,200 megawatts (MW): 11,485 MW for New York City and 1,715 MW for Westchester County. The record of 13,189 MW was set July 22, 2011 at 4 p.m. In-city power supplies are more than sufficient to meet the 86 percent in-city generation requirement.
System-wide improvements include the installation of 31 network transformers, six new feeders, 207 overhead transformers, and reinforcement of 46 feeders, 100 underground sections and 250 overhead spans. Upgrades to two unit substations have been completed.
Con Edison offers the following money-saving conservation tips:
- Turn off air conditioners, lights and other appliances when not at home and use a timer to turn on your air conditioner about a half-hour before arriving home;
- Keep air conditioner filters clean for peak efficiency;
- Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6 percent;
- If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms;
- To reduce heat and moisture in your apartment or home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, or barbecue outside, if possible;
- Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home;
- Try using fans instead of air conditioners, but leave your windows open for ventilation. Fans use as little as one-tenth the energy as air conditioners.
Customers can report downed power lines, outages, and check service restoration status at http://www.coned.com/sm/ or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.
Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available. Customers can also follow @ConEdison or like us on Facebook at Con Edison for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.