Options Suggested to Save Energy and Money This Summer
Rosemead, CA: With summer approaching, Southern California Edison (SCE) recommends practical ways for customers to save energy, money and the environment through a variety of energy-efficiency programs and services, says a Press Release. It adds:
“We are encouraging our customers to take advantage of these programs and start saving money and energy right away,” advises Lynda Ziegler, SCE’s senior vice president of customer service. “We have more incentives than ever, including our air conditioner tune-up program and our Summer Discount Plan.”
Tuning up an air conditioner can save up to 30 percent on cooling costs and extend a unit’s life as much as eight years. SCE’s A/C Tune-Up Program offers up to $150 back to customers for each unit serviced, depending on the level of tune-up they purchase from a licensed contractor. The tune-up must occur between April 1 and July 31 for customers to be eligible for a rebate. A tune-up includes condenser and evaporator coil cleaning, duct testing and sealing and refrigerant charge adjustments. Customers can expect to pay between $75 and $150 for a basic tune-up; an advanced tune-up costs $400 to $600.
The company’s Summer Discount Plan allows SCE to remotely turn off willing customers’ central air conditioner compressors during a summer power emergency. In exchange, the customers get a credit of up to $200; customers can choose one of two options, depending on how many times they allow SCE to cycle off their air conditioners. Participating customers lower their energy costs and help to ensure a reliable electricity supply.
Other SCE energy-efficiency programs include:
- Refrigerator and freezer recycling: SCE will pay customers $50 to discard their old, inefficient refrigerators, which can cost up to $290 per year to operate. The utility will pick up old models and recycle them in an environmentally responsible manner. Customers also are eligible for $50 rebates for buying new, ENERGY STAR-labeled refrigerators.
- Energy-efficiency rebates: SCE provides rebates for efficient, ENERGY STAR-labeled fans, coolers and air conditioners. Customers can earn the following rebates:
- Up to $50 for room or wall air conditioners.
- Up to $100 for a whole-house fan.
- Up to $600 for evaporative cooling systems.
- Incentives of 10 to 20 cents per square foot for using reflective roof materials when replacing an old roof. This can reduce roof temperatures by 60 percent.
- Thirty dollars to $200 when replacing an old pool pump with a new, efficient one; variable-speed pumps are especially effective in reducing costs.
To learn about these and other programs, visit www.sce.com/save or call (800) 369-3652.
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