By Katie Allen

Summer may be over for students heading back to class, but the hot weather will be sticking around for several more weeks. With the house or apartment, a little emptier, now may be a great time to cut back on energy use.

Ways to save at home as students head back to the classroom

Adjust thermostat

Ensure the thermostat is set at 78 degrees or higher. Customers can save 4-8% on cooling costs for each degree the thermostat is raised.

Use the refrigerator wisely

With kids away at school, the refrigerator door may not be open and closed as often. While preparing school lunches, take out all ingredients and supplies at once and set them on the counter to ensure the door is not open for prolonged periods of time.

Unplug devices

With electronics unused most of the day at home, make sure they are unplugged and powered off. This will prevent unused electronics from using energy when they are not in use.

PG&E encourages customers to put these tips into action as kids head back to school in hopes of forming life-long habits the entire family can keep year-round. To find out how much energy goes to cooling, hot water, appliances, and other uses take PG&E's five-minute Home Energy Checkup.

PG&E also supports the Energy is Everything Program which offers K-12 educators with curriculum resources to help teach students about energy and the environment with a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus. The educational program is available at no cost to students throughout California.

For more ways to save at home, visit pge.com/summer.

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