ASHLAND, KY -- With daytime temperatures forecasted to rise into the 90-plus degree range this week, and transmission operator PJM calling for consumers to conserve electricity Tuesday, Aug. 1, Kentucky Power reminds customers there are steps they can take to save energy -- and dollars -- as air conditioners work "overtime" to cool homes and businesses.
 
"Higher electricity bills will always follow higher electricity consumption," said Everett Phillips, director of customer operations, for Kentucky Power. "But, there are steps customers can take to reduce their electricity consumption and help lower their summer cooling bills.
 
"Often simple steps or changes in behavior can lead to significant savings – not just in the summer – but all year long," Phillips said. "By notching up your thermostat a few degrees, say from 75 to 78 degrees, most customers will stay comfortable, yet save noticeably on their power bills. Other simple things -- like turning off lights, radios, computers and televisions when not in use -- save money, reduce demand and cut consumer costs."
 
Of course, it’s not only important to use energy wisely to save money, but also to help protect the environment and reduce overall energy demand. "Energy conservation should be a year-round practice," Phillips says. "Any time we cut energy consumption we help preserve non-renewable resources and minimize the impact of energy production on the environment. Conservation also helps ensure that production keeps pace with demand – particularly in times of extreme heat or cold."
 
Kentucky Power offers the following tips to help control summer heating costs.

· Set your thermostat at 78 degrees and use ceiling fans to help circulate the cool air.

· Turn lights, computers, televisions, radio and other appliances off when not in use.

· Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes.

· Use a microwave oven instead of a conventional oven when possible.

· Avoid running heat producing appliances (ovens, clothes dryers, etc.) during the hottest times of the day.

· Keep sunny windows covered with blinds or draperies.

· Hang laundry outside to dry.

· Lower thermostat on your water heater to 120 degree.

· Replace conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Monday evening, PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator for more than 51 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia (including Kentucky Power’s service territory), requested the public to conserve electricity Tuesday, Aug. 1, particularly between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Although PJM expects to have enough electricity to meet customer demand, conserving electricity provides a cushion to ensure adequate power supplies.
 
For additional energy saving information, go to Kentucky Power’s web site at www.kentuckypower.com or the U.S. Department of Energy’s web site at www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/.
 
Kentucky Power is an operating unit of American Electric Power and serves approximately 175,000 customers in all or parts of 20 Eastern Kentucky counties.
 
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2006.
 
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