As customers celebrate the unofficial end of summer over Labor Day weekend, hot days may still be ahead, and Southern California Edison wants to remind customers of a variety of ways to keep cool and bills lower.

"Southern California Edison has tools and resources available to help our customers manage their bills year-round, but it is especially important they take advantage of these tools during the hot summer months," said Seth Kiner, SCE's vice president of customer programs.

Tools and resources can be found on customers' login pages at sce.com/login to help monitor electricity use and manage bills. Residential and business customers who have a network-enabled Edison SmartConnect meter now can track their recent hourly or monthly energy usage. Those customers have access to a new tool called Budget Assistant, which can help customers avoid end-of-the-month billing surprises by setting monthly spending goals and monitoring their progress through automated alerts. Customers also can view their current bill and projected next month's bill.

Among the options available for SCE customers are payment arrangements and financial assistance programs. More details are available at sce.com/highbillhelper for residential customers and sce.com/businesshelper for business customers.

SCE recommends these easy ways to save at home or business:

  • Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees.
  • Use electric fans instead of air conditioning when practical.
  • Turn off unused appliances and equipment.
  • Shut off lights when leaving a room.
  • Close drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot periods.
  • Avoid using humidifiers at the same time an air conditioner is running.
  • Operate swimming pool equipment and energy-intensive appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, during early morning and evening hours.
  • Limit the opening and reopening of refrigerators, which are major users of electricity in most homes.
  • When possible, businesses should shift power-intensive work processes to morning or evening hours.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

Southern California Edison
Media Contact: Mashi Nyssen, (626) 302-2255