What is the winter forecast inside your home?, Dec. 13

Meteorologists call for a mild winter with some cold snaps, but by using smart technology and Pacific Power’s energy tips you can forecast savings for your home this season. It’s a law of physics. The colder it gets outside, the more energy it takes to keep your house warm. New home technology can help offset that equation with insights that give you more control over your usage and energy bill. This year, Pacific Power began upgrading more than 630,000 customers in Oregon and California to smart meters, bringing a new opportunity for winter savings. The nearly 350,000 customers who now have an activated new meter can tap into tools to help them better manage their energy use. Having a smart meter enables customers to view their daily and hourly electricity usage via their online account, and empowers them to make informed choices to help control their bills. Customers with a smart meter can also set up a bill threshold and sign up to receive alerts when their bills are projected to exceed their chosen threshold. With this feature, customers get a text or email notifying them so they can make adjustments to their usage or budget, as needed. “Technology can be a great way for customers to get in front of what can be a time of seasonally higher energy bills,” said Barb Coughlin, Pacific Power’s vice president for customer service. “Lower-tech options are also helpful, like sealing all windows or doors before the cold really sets in. This can be done inexpensively now and the difference will show up once temperatures start dipping below freezing.” Another way to help manage winter bills is to switch to Equal Pay. Under Equal Pay, energy costs are averaged out over the year, so bills are more predictable and manageable. Customers can enroll in Equal Pay online at pacificpower.net/equalpay, via the Pacific Power mobile app, or by phone at 1-888-221-7070. “The sooner you call, the better for Equal Pay,” said Coughlin. “If you wait until the higher bills have already come, your average will have gone up, too. This program also helps if you have high cooling costs in the summer.” Here are low-cost tips you can use today to battle cold weather: Set your thermostat as low as comfortable, aim for 68 degrees. When you are asleep or out of the house, lower the temperature by another 10 degrees and this will reduce your energy usage by about 10 percent. Use space heaters sparingly and safely. Running a 1,500 watt portable heater 8 hours a day for 30 days can add an extra $30 to a monthly power bill in winter. Avoid the temptation to bump up the thermostat when it gets colder. That won’t get you to your desired temperature faster, you will just make your furnace run longer and use more energy. Improve your home’s heating and cooling systems by cleaning or replacing furnace filters and scheduling routine system maintenance to help air flow through the system more efficiently. Move furniture that is blocking intakes or heat registers. You can save even more energy by taking a longer-range view of your energy use. In Oregon, Pacific Power teams up with Energy Trust of Oregon to offer energy efficiency consultation and cash incentives to upgrade your home and save energy and money. Visit bewattsmart.com or call the Energy Trust toll free at 1-866-368-7878 to learn more about qualifications and services.