I just got a great reminder from my power provider, to reduce Peak Consumption of Power.  As much as I would like to be off the grid I know the majority of us are still on it, but lets not make it larger.  NOVEC reminded all of its customers to reduce their power consumption at work and home as much as practical between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. this week. This reduction will help the NOVEC Co-op (and your power provider) avoid excessive peak-use charges and ultimately save you, their customers money. The peak-use hours in summer usually occur in the afternoon when air conditioners work the hardest to cool, and in the early evening when families turn on lights, prepare dinner, wash dishes, and take showers and baths, watch the evening news and check up on personal emails (and blogs). This is a great reminder to all of us to power down, no matter what power company you use. We all know the Power Tower Battles and we would like to reduce use as much as possible, it is also a treat to open a lower bill. Here are some easy tips to help reduce your energy use during these Peak Times.

Turn the thermostat up to 82 degrees, or turn it off, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and at all times when no one is home. By installing a programmable thermostat it will make adjustments automatically. You can also run fans; the air movement will make them feel cooler.
Close window shades, blinds, and drapes to block the sun’s heat.
Delay running the dishwasher, clothes washer, and dryer until late at night or early in the morning.
Turn off all unnecessary lights, electronic devices, and appliances, make sure you unplug unused cell phone chargers, and other electronics, watch for vampires!
Cook with a microwave oven instead of the stove and oven, or better yet grill outdoors.
Spend time in a finished basement where temperatures are cooler.

For more long term changes in your power use make sure you :
Replace or clean the air conditioner filter.  Replace Incandescent light bulbs, which produce 10 percent light and 90 percent heat, with compact fluorescent bulbs, which create little heat and last much longer, and always turn off lights when leaving a room
For more peak-use reduction tips, visit www.novec.com/peak15. or check with your local power provider.