PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With record-setting high temperatures expected throughout Oregon this weekend, it’s important to do everything you can to keep your house cool — and keep your energy bills as low as possible.
The Energy Trust of Oregon has tips — easy tips — to help maintain the cool and your cash.
First, turn off your electronics when they’re not in use. Close your windows and pull down the shades during the day, then open them at night when it’s cooler outside than inside. Put a fan in the window. Weather strip around doors and windows and switch out incandescent lights for LED lights.
Annemarie Bell with Pyramid Heating told KOIN 6 News they’ve been very busy.
“We’re flooded with calls with people wanting to install AC as soon as possible. We’re helping as many people as we can,” Bell said. “Definitely a greater sense of urgency when it’s hot outside and you’re hot. They’re like, yes, I need cool air now.”
The biggest mistake people make when trying to keep their house cool, she said, is “shutting off vents, thinking if they shut their vents to certain rooms the air flow will concentrate in one area.”
That doesn’t work.
Both Pyramid Heating and the Energy Trust of Oregon recommend not using your oven during the day. A microwave or an outdoor barbecue is a good alternative.
Stay hydrated and remember — a cold bath always feels good.