NEWARK, N.J., May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With the hottest temperatures of the season forecasted to begin today, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), New Jersey's largest utility, reminds customers that higher temperatures can also lead to more usage and higher electric bills. Customers can save energy and money this summer by following a few simple tips.

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    --  Keep your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lower the
        thermostat setting to 78° F only when you are at home and need cooling.
    --  Install a programmable thermostat.
    --  Use fans to circulate cool air.
    --  Set refrigerators and freezers to the most efficient temperatures.
        Recommended temperatures are 35°-38° F for the fresh food compartment,
        and 0° F for freezers.
    --  Run such appliances as clothes washers and dishwashers in the morning or
        late evening to avoid the peak demand hours of 2 to 8 p.m.
    --  Seal holes and cracks around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks
        around window air conditioners with foam insulation or
        weather-stripping.
    --  Close blinds and draperies facing the sun to keep out the sun's heat.
    --  Turn off power sources. TVs, computers and other electronic devices draw
        power when they are in standby mode or turned off but still plugged in.
        Plug electronics into power strips and turn off the power switch when
        the items are not in use.
    --  Use timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.
    --  Replace old appliances with new energy efficient Energy Star®
        appliances.
    --  Install whole-house fans to bring in cooler night-time air that can
        pre-cool a house and reduce energy use in the daytime.

Prepared for Additional Power Demand
 PSE&G expects to have no problem delivering the additional power required during the hot-weather months, but utility crews will be ready to respond to service interruptions should they occur. PSE&G's rigorous, year-round preparedness program for summer includes conducting employee training; developing emergency summer operating plans; performing summer peak reliability analysis; helicopter and climbing inspections of transmission circuits; infrared inspections for "hot-spots" on transmission lines; and system reinforcements and transmission line work.

How to Report an Outage and Stay Informed
 If you should experience an outage, PSE&G offers its customers a number of ways to stay in touch and informed. These tools can be found at www.pseg.com in the "Outage Center," under "How you can stay connected."


    --  Sign up for My Account and bookmark the mobile-friendly homepage on your
        smart phone so it's easy to report outages and check restoration
        progress.
    --  To report power outages via text message, and receive outage updates by
        text and email, sign up for MyAlerts.
    --  Updated every 15 minutes, PSE&G's newly enhance and mobile friendly
        "Outage Map" displays the location and status of power outages in
        PSE&G's service territory.
    --  The utility's Twitter and Facebook pages also keep the public informed
        about restoration progress. Sign up as a follower to monitor restoration
        process.

PSE&G
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company.

Want to know what's new at PSEG? Go to www.pseg.com/getnews and sign up to have our press releases sent right to your inbox.

Visit PSEG at:
www.pseg.com
PSEG on Facebook
PSEG on Twitter
PSEG on LinkedIn

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SOURCE Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G)