Xcel Energy is offering some tips to save money and keep cool during the coming heat wave.
Spokesperson Theo Keith says, for starters, it's a good idea to have a programmable thermostat to keep your house warmer during the day when no one is home. And then it automatically turns down in the evening.
“Another thing they can do is run ceiling fans counterclockwise,” says Keith. “That’ll circulate the cool air from the bottom of the room to the top. It can make the room feel up to eight degrees cooler without using air conditioning, which will obviously save money.”
Other tips, include changing your air conditioning filter and having the coils cleaned to improve efficiency. Keith says doing so can lower your bill by up to 15%.
WCCO’s Chief Meteorologist Paul Douglas says the hottest upcoming days look like Saturday and Tuesday.
“Saturday low to mid 90s, we could be mid to upper 90s on Tuesday, 100 not out of the question especially south and west of the metro,” says Douglas. “By Tuesday it could feel like 105 to 110.”
Douglas says there will be a heat dome that stalls over the Upper Midwest over the next week.
“90s from Saturday through Wednesday, very little rain, little bit of relief back into the 80s in time for the Minnesota State Fair next Thursday,” says Douglas.
