Members are encouraged to prepare for below freezing weather.

Be weather aware and energy conscious.

Temperatures across Georgia are forecasted to be in the teens Saturday and Sunday, and over the Christmas holiday weekend, we can expect up to 72 hours of below-freezing temperatures. As we are watching and preparing for these frigid temps, experts are predicting consumers will use a record high of electricity on Christmas Eve, a load level we haven’t seen since the Polar Vortex on January 7, 2014.

Heating accounts for over half of the average energy bill, and unfortunately temperatures are about to plummet an average of 25 degrees in central Georgia with wind chills as low as 2 below zero from midnight tonight through noon Saturday. As tempting as it may be to crank up the thermostat, keep in mind that extreme temperatures require heating and cooling units to work harder whether or not you touch the thermostat.

You can ease the strain on your wallet, and the grid, by setting your thermostat to 68 or lower and using sweaters and blankets to stay cozy during this arctic front. Energy.gov suggests that 68 degrees is a comfortable room temperature while you're awake at home but recommends lowering it while you're asleep or away. Lowering the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees while you sleep at night can also help save approximately 10 percent on your heating bills.

You can't control the weather, but you can control your thermostat.

Keep your power bill in check with these tips.  

Open curtains to allow for the sun to heat your house naturally. Close your curtains and blinds when the sun goes down to prevent cold chills from cooling your home. Consider purchasing insulated curtains to maximize the energy efficiency of your windows.

Eliminate air leaks and drafts with caulk and weatherstripping. Use caulk for cracks and openings between stationary objects like door and window frames. You can use weatherstripping around anything that moves, like the door itself or window sashes.

Stay warm with clothes and blankets. You can save energy and money by keeping the thermostat low and wearing a sweater and warm socks around the house. Stay toasty at night under a thick blanket, comforter, or duvet. 

Circulate the air with a ceiling fan. Normally, ceiling fans rotate counterclockwise, pushing air down and producing a slight wind chill effect, allowing you to feel cooler. However, most ceiling fans have a reverse switch that will enable them to turn clockwise, producing an updraft and moving the warm air that collects near your ceiling down into the rest of the room. 

Mobile App: Watch your energy use!

Have you explored the SRE mobile app? You can view your bill, make payments and sign up for alerts and reminders. The app also allows you to watch your daily energy use.

This is an example of a chart available on the app, breaking down energy use by kilowatts and comparing the low temperature for each day.

Get the mobile app today:  www.southernriversenergy.com/mobile-app

We are prepared.

Please remember, Southern Rivers Energy will be closed on Monday so we can enjoy the holidays with our families; however, we have crews standing by in the case of emergencies or outages.