Here comes Summer's sticker shock. The real pain of the hottest days of the year always shows up on your electric bill. NV Energy’s efficiency program manager Chad Piekarz tells us Summer is #1 for electric usage: “This is when we're running our AC units and trying to cool down these hot summer days."
At John Trevino's house, the air conditioner is running and the ceiling fans are spinning. As he told us, "Mine started early at my house. I work in the heat so I don't like the heat." John runs Reno Heating & Air Conditioning. He has 1 big way to save money: heat pumps have never been…hotter. “In the past 7 to 8 months, we've sold more systems than we had in 10 years."
Heat pumps come in 2-parts: an outdoor base and an indoor unit. The indoor units just hang on the wall, and you can have as many of those as you have rooms. They have long been in other countries. Homeowners here discovered them on the internet. He says they've also improved: "The systems that we have today can heat down to 17 below zero. 5 years ago, maybe 45 degrees."
They move heat, instead of generating heat for more energy efficiency. He says they're much cheaper to run. “People who switch from propane gas or oil to a system like this are saving from 40 to 70% over that system every summer and winter because this is heating and cooling."
Back at NV Energy, Chad Piekarz gives them a little credit : "Heat pumps can be effective in certain climates." His favorite way to save, is with the new generation of smart thermostats. An example of that is the new Nest “Learning Thermostat.” It uses artificial intelligence. He says "Eventually what these things do is they say 'Well I don't have to run this long. I know exactly how long to run today to cool this house down, so I'm going to trim some run time,' which will essentially lower your bill."
How else can you save? He'll show you, with a free audit: "We'll have a skilled technician come out to your house. They'll run through the entire building. They'll look at your insulation and windows and air leakage appliances." So yes, you can save big on summer dog days. You just have to be a little proactive.
If you'd like to get that free energy audit for your home, click the link below:
https://www.nvenergy.com/save-with-powershift/energy-assessment/energy-assessment
