Orange and Rockland Utilities' Cool Tips Help Beat the Heat

To help beat the heat during this week’s sizzling weather, Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) is offering some cool tips to help its neighbors try to stay comfortable and save money on energy.

• Turn down or turn off air conditioning in your home while you are away or at work to help lower your energy bill.
  
  
• Set your air conditioner to the highest temperature your comfort and health will allow to help you save cooling money.
• Close all doors and windows in your home while the air conditioning is running to make things cooler at a lower price.
• 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.
  
  
• Take advantage of your smart meter by viewing your energy usage and customized energy savings tips located in your online account at www.oru.com/myaccount
  
  
• Use a smart thermostat to control the temperature in your home from anywhere. Get one for as little as $5, while supplies last, on the MY ORU Store, your one-stop online shop for energy saving products www.myorustore.com.

The heat, humidity, and increased demand for electricity to power air conditioners can pose challenges to the electric delivery system, in some instances, overheating electrical equipment and resulting in scattered power outages. O&R crews will be ready to respond to any, and all, issues that arise to make repairs and restore service.

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:

• oru.com/reportoutage from any computer or web-based mobile device.
• O&R mobile app from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device --- download via Apple Store or Google Play
• Text messaging by texting “OUT” to 69678 (myORU) or
• Call 1-877-434-4100.
  
  

Scattered thunderstorms are also possible late tomorrow afternoon and into the evening, and those could result in downed wires and electric service interruptions. The company urges members of the public to stay away from any wires that are downed during storms. Call your local police department at 911 or O&R at 1-877-434-4100 to report downed wires.

To prepare for summer’s peak electricity demands, O&R has invested nearly $180 million this year to fortify and improve the reliability of its electric system and further support the development of new energy efficiency and clean energy projects. That investment builds on the nearly $1 billion O&R invested over the past 10 years on electric system maintenance and reliability projects.

For energy efficiency tips, incentives, and rebates, please visit: oru.com/save

About Orange & Rockland

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, 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.