JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As utility companies across Northeast Florida ask customers to conserve energy, local hardware stores say people are cleaning out shelves to prepare for the cold.
JEA and Clay Electric are both urging customers to be mindful of how much power they’re using as temperatures dip below freezing again. Both JEA and Clay Electric say the goal is to ease the strain on the energy grid while keeping homes safe and bills from climbing even higher.
JEA spokesperson Myers Vasquez says customers got the message.
“They conserved as much as possible,” Vasquez said.
According to JEA, heating and cooling make up about 50 to 60 percent of the average monthly energy bill. Vasquez says even small changes like lowering your thermostat by a single degree can make a big difference.
“Every degree helps,” he said. “It not only saves money, but it helps ensure the reliability of the system.”
Vasquez explained that during cold snaps, the gap between outdoor temperatures and indoor thermostat settings forces HVAC systems to work overtime.
“When it’s in the 20s, and you’re setting your temperature at 72, that’s a large gap,” Vasquez said. “Depending on how large that gap is, that’s how much your HVAC system has to work.”
JEA recommends keeping thermostats at or below 68 degrees when possible, lowering them further at night or when you’re not home, sealing gaps under doors and windows, turning off unnecessary lights, conserving water, and avoiding long, hot showers.
At Ace Hardware, those tips are translating into sales and empty shelves.
The store has seen high demand for window sealants, door and window caulking, pipe insulation, A/C filters, frost blankets, heating lamps, and hose bib covers.
General Manager Rich Mallon says small purchases now can prevent expensive problems later.
“If you use some of this stuff, you don’t have to have it running all the time because the air is not escaping from your house,” Mallon said. “You don’t have air coming in.”
For customers struggling to pay their energy bills, help is available for JEA and Clay Electric customers.
JEA also offers MyBudget, which averages energy use throughout the year to help customers avoid sudden bill spikes and plan more predictable monthly payments.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
