The American Automobile Association (AAA) and local power companies across Tennessee have shared tips on how to stay safe and conserve energy usage to avoid high electric bills during periods of extreme heat.
Temperatures in Nashville are forecasted to be in the high 90s for the next two weeks, according to The Weather Channel.
Nashville Electric Services (NES), noting how the months of June, July, and August often bring the highest electric bills of the year for customers, said conserving energy usage – such as setting thermostats close to 78 degrees – during heat waves will help save on power bills.
Summer is quickly approaching and we want you to be prepared for the Nashville heat! Visit https://t.co/H7fyNPFs3r to ensure you scratch these to-do’s off your summer prep checklist! pic.twitter.com/J282vDRjwN
— Nashville Electric Service (@NESpower) June 13, 2024
NES also shared tips on keeping homes cool during extreme heat, such as using ceiling fans, maintaining strong seals on windows, doors, and attics, and keeping blinds and curtains closed.
In Knoxville, the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) also shared tips for its customers during heat waves.
KUB also recommended that customers consider raising their thermostats as “high as safely and comfortably possible” as “each degree change on your thermostat can save approximately 3 percent on your bill.”
As the weather heats up, we want to share ways to save energy and money, since cooling your home accounts for most of your energy usage in the summer. Try raising your thermostat as high as safely and comfortably possible. Each degree change on your thermostat can save… pic.twitter.com/Gle1TyQDwa
— Knoxville Utilities Board (@KnoxKUB) June 14, 2024
Regarding vehicle safety during extreme heat periods, AAA urges motorists to follow basic precautions to help keep children and pets safe from hot car deaths, including locking vehicles, never leaving children or pets alone in vehicles, and teaching children that vehicles are not play areas.
“The interior of a vehicle can heat up to deadly temperatures much more quickly than we realize, especially during times of extreme heat like we are expecting over the weekend,” said Megan Cooper, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “We are urging parents and caregivers to not underestimate the risks that excessive heat can pose and to understand that hot car deaths are preventable.”
An average of 37 children die from heatstroke inside hot vehicles each year nationwide, according to data compiled by noheatstroke.org. A total of 971 children have died in hot cars due to heatstroke since 1998.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
