Want to save some money on your electric bill?

Residents with central air conditioning have a chance to recoup some of the cash they pay Met-Ed to keep their homes cool.

[heh]

what a freakin crack head idea.

How about improving efficiency of the units people use?

[Pablo]

How about not turning the AC on the moment it hits 80. Fans, open windows, and a cold glass of lemonade work just as good.

You could also sit under a large oak tree and read a book. I know that is a lot to suggest since it would require getting off the couch and turning off the TV

[JTW]

Or turn the computer off and quit throwing around ridiculous ideas about how others should live their lives.

80 degrees and 30 percent humidity will be fine. 80 degrees and 70 percent humidity is uncomfortable.

Perhaps Pablo, you think we need gov't oversight on when an AC can be turned on ?

[nick gerz]

more gov't control...trust no one! The New World Order is coming...be prepared!

[What Next]

What about those of us that have already made improvements to our houses to make them more efficient? Some people find other ways to save more money, such as all CFL and LED bulbs, new windows, insulation, programmable thermostats that turn the a/c and heat up or down as needed during the day, water heater timers etc. Keep your gift card, I'm already doing my part.

[Oldtimer]

Air conditioners should be banned. They use so much electricity and waste precious natural resources. Many people have the AC on even when it's in the 70's outside. Get rid of the AC and open your windows.

[Solarman]

What Next wrote:

What about those of us that have already made improvements to our houses to make them more efficient? Some people find other ways to save more money, such as all CFL and LED bulbs, new windows, insulation, programmable thermostats that turn the a/c and heat up or down as needed during the day, water heater timers etc. Keep your gift card, I'm already doing my part.

You are at a point to where geothermal heating/cooling could be used to decrease your electricity needs. Although the average sunny days are around 90, the solar sun hours a day average from 3 to 5 hours depending on the season. With a 3 sun hour average and a 1KWh peak solar PV system on your roof, you could generate around 600KWh a year per KW of peak system generation. There are now solar PV panel and micro-inverter systems available that one can upgrade one panel and one micro-inverter at a time. GE Andalay has a panel micro-inverter system that their distributors sell and there are other panel, micro-inverter combinations available. Check out the dsire web site for tax incentives and rebates in your State of the union. www.dsireusa.org

[hrrduncan4]

Load balancing is great but the consumer still needs to make use of the many energy saving ideas such as insulation and window tint to help themselves save money. We installed window tint on our windows to help decrease the heat and glare. We purchased them online from SnapTint and installed them ourselves in one afternoon. The films cut the heat and glare that comes through the windows by 50% and our AC system does cycle nearly as much as it used to. We saw an immediate change on our electric bill. Check out SnapTint's website at snaptint.com for more information.