With a 100-plus degree forecast throughout the week in Northern Nevada, cranking up the air conditioner is going to be a must.
The A/C accounts for about 50 percent of summer electricity bills so NV Energy is out to help you and your home stay cool for cheap.
"It is a free thermostat. We have a commercial application and a residential application. What it is a smart thermostat we'll install it for free," said Chad Piekarz, Program Manager for NV Energy.
Customers can receive up to 4 free smart thermostats that are programmable for when a person is home or away and can be accessed online or with a mobile app. NV Energy says these thermostats can lower air conditioning costs for an average single family home by as much as $100 per year.
"It promotes environmental stewardship, which we obviously find important, but it does help people's costs which is also very important to us."
If that isn't high tech enough, consumers are also keeping energy costs low with sophisticated programs that control when window shades open or close and when to dim lights through an app. Keith Burrowes is the owner of Sierra Integrated Systems. They offer these types of programs for your home and says the combined effect of these systems offer year around efficiency and have become more affordable.
"As it gets more adoption the prices have come down significantly and is more available to many more people in the public domain," said Burrowes.
When setting your thermostat, NV Energy recommends setting it to 78 degrees when home and 80 degrees when away. Also, maintain the A/C by regularly changing air filters and cleaning condenser coils, making sure they are free from debris.
For more on NV Energy's free thermostat program click here and for Sierra Integrated Systems, click here.
