People can lower their electricity bills by about 3% for every degree they up their thermostats over the summer, according to officials from area power companies.

Todd Myers, spokesman for West Penn Power, said cooling devices and air conditioning account for about half of all electricity use in the summertime for West Penn Power, which often is reflected on customer bills.

Pushing the temperature just a little higher on the thermostat is just one piece of advice the company offers to customers over the summer.

“We’re trying to show you whatever you can do to mitigate that (electricity) usage,” Myers said.

Electricity providers offer customers methods of cutting down on their utility bills in the summer, because air conditioners use a relatively high amount of electricity for the average homeowner, according to Myers.

The Central Electric Cooperative sends out “peak alerts” to customers, which notify them when electricity usage is particularly high. The company said peak demand occurs between 1 and 7 p.m. on certain days from June to September.

Myers said peak demand could have larger negative effects during heat waves.

“When it gets into the 80s and doesn’t go down overnight, and people are running their air conditioning for days at a time, that's when we can see problems ... When hot equipment runs, that equipment can fail,” he said. “We can’t control the weather, but we can control the thermostat and ways to keep cool.”

Central Electric Cooperative also said reducing electricity usage during peak hours can stabilize electric costs. The price an electric cooperative consumer pays for electricity is partially based on how much electricity the cooperative requires between 1 and 7 p.m. on the five hottest, most humid days each summer, according to the cooperative’s website.

Myers said West Penn Power’s usage costs don’t change because the company is only the transporter of electricity to facilities, but the actual electricity generating companies’ rates are subject to periodic change.

“We maintain, upgrade, all the things needed to get electricity to your home. Our rates don't change ... (for) delivery of electricity,” Myers said. “What does change is the unregulated portion of the power business, which is the price for electricity itself.”

Myers said West Penn Power spends the spring fixing issues with wires or transformers that arise over the winter, to be prepared for the summer surge in electricity usage.

Shaylaine Marchwinski, billing clerk for Zelienople, said she offers advice to customers who contact the utility department asking for ways to cut down on their electric bill in the summer. In Zelienople, the borough handles providing electric and water services to its residents and businesses.

Marchwinski said the borough’s electricity rates haven’t changed in a few years.

She continued to highlight grants and payment plans available to people who need help paying their electricity bills.

“If you open that bill and it's high and scares you, the worst thing to do is put it away,” Myers said. “There's many programs out there to help get grants to help people pay balances.”