Electric Company's 'Cool Tips' For A Sweltering Summer Saturday

PEARL RIVER, NY — As the heat wave continues into Saturday, Orange & Rockland Utilities offer some common sense advice to help residents stay more comfortable while saving on their energy costs:

• Turn down or turn off air conditioning in your home while you are away.
• Set your air conditioner to the highest temperature your comfort and health will allow.
• Close all doors and windows in your home while the air conditioning is running.
• Cook, bake, or perform other household activities that produce heat and humidity during the cooler times of the day and night.
• Pull your curtains and shades closed to help block out the sun and the heat of the day.
• View your energy usage and customized energy savings tips located in your online account at www.oru.com/myaccount.

If you experience a power outage, don’t assume that O&R automatically knows about it. You can report it and check to see when your lights will be back on:

• through the website.
• through the O&R mobile app from your iPhone, iPad or Android device.
• by texting “OUT” to 69678 (myORU) or
• by calling 1-877-434-4100.

O&R says that the heat, humidity and increased demand for electricity to power air conditioners can pose challenges to the electric delivery system and, in some instances, can overheat electrical equipment and result in scattered power outages. The utility company says that its crews will be ready to respond to any, and all, issues that arise to make repairs and restore service. To prepare for this summer’s peak demands for electricity, O&R says it has made investments totaling over $144 million this year to fortify and improve the reliability of its electric system. That is in addition to the nearly $1 billion O&R has invested over the past 10 years on electric system maintenance and reliability projects. For energy efficiency tips, incentives and rebates, please visit their website.

O&R Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. and is a regulated utility. O&R provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company) and natural gas service to approximately 130,000 customers in New York.