What’s Rosie’s No. 1 tip for saving energy at home?

You can keep your house as cool as you like this summer and save at least 30 percent on your electric bill. In fact, you can keep it downright cold if that’s how you like it. 

The trick is to tap your electric utility’s “off-peak” rates—the rates it charges during times of the day when demand for household electricity is low, like when everyone is sleeping at night or at work during the middle of the day. 
Of course, it would take a computer to regularly figure out which rate applies to which time of day, because most utilities have more than 30 rates for different customers and different day parts. Those rates can range from 3.5 cents to 21 cents per kilowatt-hour. 
Advanced Home Systems has the computer for you. 
It’s called an energy management computer. It costs around $3,500 and is installed in your home, where it keeps tabs on your thermostat and automatically raises it—just slightly, and never higher than you want—when the high “peak” rates kick in every day. Likewise, it lowers it again when the “off-peak” rates take effect. 
You don’t have to do anything but have the computer installed and “tell” it the minimum and maximum temperatures that make you feel comfortable. It keeps your home within your comfort zone while juggling the cheapest rates throughout the day. 
The cooler you keep your home, the more you’ll save. It seems contrary to conventional wisdom, which says the less energy you use, the less you’ll pay. 
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For more information and for answers to all YOUR Landscape, Garden and Home Improvement questions, visit our website, rosieonthehouse.com

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