Southern California Edison Offers Tips for Keeping Summer Bills Low

ROSEMEAD, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--In the wake of the recent heat wave, Southern California Edison (SCE) encourages customers to be more energy efficient now, so they can lower their summer bills. The utility, recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies for its groundbreaking work in energy efficiency, offers multiple solutions for residential and business customers that can help save energy, money and the environment.

“There are so many free and low-cost ways to stay cool and comfortable this summer – while keeping electricity costs in check”

“There are so many free and low-cost ways to stay cool and comfortable this summer – while keeping electricity costs in check,” said Gene Rodrigues, SCE’s director of Customer Energy Efficiency and Solar. “Now more than ever, people are interested in saving money and the environment. We’re focused on being able to help our customers do that.”

Here are three steps customers can take to get started:

1. Take an energy efficiency survey for home or business. The survey provides customized results that outline opportunities for energy savings that even the most energy-conscious customer will find valuable. Visit www.sce.com/survey for homes and www.sce.com/bizsurvey for businesses.

2. Look for SCE’s rebates and incentives for homes and businesses. Go to www.sce.com/save for residences and www.sce.com/business for businesses. Examples of savings in the home include:

• ENERGY STAR-qualified room air conditioners ($50)
• Whole house fans ($50)
• Energy efficient evaporative cooling systems (from $300-$600)
• Refrigerator and freezer recycling program ($50)
• ENERGY STAR-qualified refrigerator purchase ($50)

Rebates for businesses include:

• Reflective window film ($1.35/per square foot)
• Energy-efficient evaporative coolers ($123 per ton)
• Package terminal air conditioners mounted on walls ($100)

3. Make the switch to CFLs. A recent survey revealed that many customers who have bought CFLs, or compact fluorescent lights, are waiting until their current inefficient incandescent bulbs burn out before installing these energy and money-saving bulbs. This delays the tremendous savings the CFLs provide. Not only are CFLs up to 75 percent more efficient, but they emit much less heat, reducing the need for air conditioning. SCE works with manufacturers and retailers to lower the cost of ENERGY STAR-qualified CFLs in SCE territory, so that price is not a hindrance to its customers.

Other ways to keep power usage down this summer include drawing drapes to keep sunlight out; keeping the air conditioning at 78 degrees or above; shutting off vents and doors to unoccupied areas to direct cool air only to the rooms you're using; using a microwave or barbecue for cooking instead of the stove; and running a fan, which makes a room feel 5 degrees cooler.

In addition, customers can find more energy-saving solutions at www.sce.com/tips or by calling SCE at 1(800) 655-4555.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.