The forecast calls for near-zero temperatures and below-zero wind chills this week.

As the arctic blast reaches the area, Duke Energy wants to help customers manage their winter energy costs with these tips.

Winter energy-saving tips

• The colder it becomes outside, the harder your heating system will have to work to warm your home, which uses more energy and drives up energy bills. Keep your thermostat at the lowest comfortable setting and save.
• If you have a heat pump, maintain a moderate setting or use a programmable thermostat specifically designed for use with heat pumps.
• Leave drapes or blinds open during sunny winter days to allow the sun to warm the house. Close them at night to help insulate your home.
• Operate ceiling fans in a clockwise direction, which pushes warm air back down into the room.
• Change air filters regularly. A dirty air filter makes a heating system work harder, which uses more energy.
• Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees to help you reduce your monthly water heating bills.

Care for others

• It is always a good idea to be prepared for a power outage. Make plans now to move family members, especially those with special needs, to safe alternative locations in the event of an extended power outage. To receive outage alerts via text, phone call or email when power goes out, sign up online at duke-energy.com/outages/alerts.
• Check on elderly neighbors to ensure they are safe and have adequate heat in their homes. The National Institute on Aging offers information to keep older adults safe during cold weather at nia.nih.gov/health/cold-weather-safety-older-adults.
• Keep pets inside during extreme cold temperatures. Like humans, animals can suffer from hypothermia, frostbite and other cold-weather injuries, including death. The Humane Society offers tips to keep your animals safe this winter at humanesociety.org/resources/five-ways-protect-pets-winter.

Understand impacts to your bill

• While many customers think they use the same amount of energy each month, energy use often varies widely from month to month or year to year. And with many people spending more time at home during the pandemic, this can add to monthly energy bills. Extra energy use from increased cooking, laundry and electronic use can have an impact on your bill.
• When comparing energy use from one time period to another, understand the number of days in a billing cycle. A longer billing cycle can result in more kilowatt hours used and a larger bill. It’s also important to compare bills during time frames that had similar outdoor temperatures to ensure an accurate comparison.
• It’s easy to view your energy usage by the week, day and hour with our online tool My Account. Here, you can see bills from the previous 24 months and look for trends that help you understand your energy use. Register your account online at duke-energy.com/my-account/sign-in or view usage information on the Duke Energy App, which can be downloaded at duke-energy.com/home/products/duke-energy-app.