Summer brings heat, along with ideas to cut your energy bills

Did you know more than 16,000 businesses are getting easy and invisible utility savings each summer courtesy of Saver’s Switch?

This is Xcel Energy’s peak load management program designed to help businesses save money on electricity bills and earn annual discounts of up to $300 per year.

How does it work?

Saver’s Switch cycles your central air conditioning units for 15- to 20-minute timeframes during peak demand times, typically in June, July and August. These peak demand activation times happen roughly five to 15 days a year and customers generally don’t notice that the Saver’s Switch is cycling.

There’s more to the program than the money savings, however. It’s a move that makes sense on several levels.

Here are five reasons to participate in Saver’s Switch:

• It helps your community. By reducing the amount of electricity needed during peak demand times, your community shares in a safer and more balanced approach to energy distribution.
• It has reduced the number of power plants built. Efficiency and demand response programs like Saver’s Switch mitigate the need for constructing new power plants.
• It boosts morale. Employees like to know your business is doing something about energy issues. More studies show that employees want to work for environmentally responsible companies and organizations.
• It’s good news. Using Saver’s Switch can help position you as an energy-intelligent business in the eyes of your customers, community and neighbors.
• For Xcel Energy electricity customers, the Saver’s Switch installation is available and free and the savings continue as long as you’re a Saver’s Switch participant.

Contact: Bob Zaragoza is a senior product portfolio manager at Xcel Energy: 612.330.7821; bo**********@********gy.com; www.xcelenergy.com.