Cooler autumn temperatures have finally arrived in northern Nevada and it’s time to prepare for the upcoming home heating season.  NV Energy offers some tips to hold down heating costs while staying warm and comfortable in the coming months.

NV Energy’s customers have already experienced two decreases in both natural gas and electric rates in 2015.  Since the beginning of the year, NV Energy’s overall natural gas prices are down 17 percent, electric prices are down 11 percent.  Natural gas is the primary heating fuel for most northern Nevadans. 

There are a few simple steps homeowners can take to reduce their heating bills even more, according to Chad Piekarz, energy efficiency project manager with NV Energy.

He said the easiest way to reduce heating costs is to set your thermostat at 68 degrees when you are home, which typically is an efficient setting for our climate.  Lowering it to 58 degrees overnight or when you’re away from home will further reduce costs and not overtax heating systems.

“A single degree above 68 degrees can increase your energy bill by as much as 2 percent,” Piekarz said.

The type of thermostat you have makes a difference as well. If you have an older manually-operated thermostat, replace it with a digital, programmable thermostat that can be programmed to automatically adjust the settings so you won’t need to remember to do it or experience unnecessary run times, added Piekarz. 

NV Energy recommends changing furnace filters monthly during the peak heating season and getting furnaces professionally tuned up every one or two years to keep it running efficiently.  “Changing filters monthly and regular maintenance is key to the most efficient and least cost operation of your furnace, which also reduces the cost of heating your home,” Piekarz said. . 

He also cautions customers about the use of electric space heaters. “The use of space heaters constitutes more than 80 percent of high bill issues from customers during the winter.”

NV Energy offers a number of energy efficiency programs to help customers take control of their energy usage and cost.  Visit nvenergy.com/savemyway for more information.

Sign Up for MyAccount

NV Energy’s MyAccount can also help save even more energy and money by letting customers keep better track of exactly how much energy they are using and when they’re using it.

With tools on nvenergy.com customers can track actual daily and average energy usage; compare usage to other homes and compare month-to-month energy consumption.

In addition, customers can sign up for voice, email or text alerts with cost-to-date for service, payment notices and bill reminders, and ask to be notified when their power usage or costs exceed an amount they set.

Even Out Your Bills with Equal Payments

Customers can take charge of their finances with NV Energy’s Equal Payment Plan. With this payment option, the average power usage from the last 12 months bills are divided into equal monthly payments. Customers pay the same amount every month.  There are no more high bills during months of cold or hot weather. .  Easy planning with no monthly surprises.  Each month the bill compares the cost of the actual usage to the monthly Equal Payment amount.

Sign up online by going to nvenergy.com/home/paymentbilling/equalpayment.cfm.  Or, log into MyAccount and look for the Equal Payment Menu item on your left.  It's that simple.  Remember, the plan is voluntary.

NV Energy, Inc. provides a wide range of energy services to 1.3 million customers throughout Nevada and nearly 40 million tourists annually.  NV Energy is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power Company, are doing business as NV Energy.  The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Information about NV Energy is available on the company’s website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, which can be accessed via nvenergy.com.

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