DELMARVA - The heat wave continues. It's tempting to crank up that air conditioning with the unbearable heat, but overdoing the cooling might make things worse.
The scorching hot weather keeps air conditioning companies extremely busy. "We've had a ton of calls - all different ranges - people's equipment going out, nuisance calls, things due to this power shortage just coming back into the systems too," said Pat Halley, Manager, Marathon Services Co.
With record breaking temperatures, Delmarva Power is urging their customers to conserve energy. "The system is in good shape. It's just that in times like this, where we're at 7, 8, 9 days in a row of excessively hot weather. The equipment can get stressed because it doesn't have a chance to cool off in the evening hours. It's running to keep up with people's energy demand. The equipment is more prone to sporadic power outages at times we have an overload on our system," said Matt Likovich, Spokesperson, Delmarva Power.
It's recommended that you keep your thermostat at 78 degrees. "For every degree that you can raise your thermostat, in the summertime, you save about 3 to 4 percent on your energy bill. Air conditioning counts for about 30% of their monthly bill," Likovich said.
Other tips include changing the air filter on your A-C unit at least once a month, running your dishwasher on the cool dry setting, and using compact fluorescent light bulbs. For more energy saving tips head to www.delmarva.com. If you experience a power outage, do not call 911. Call your power company directly.
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