ComEd energy doctor offers 4 tips on how to stay cool while avoiding high electric bills

Extreme heat this week has Chicago-area households facing a brutal double-whammy—staying safely cool without triggering a heart-stopping electric bill.

Chicago went into an Extreme Heat Warning on Monday, with a stretch of hot days lasting through Friday. The hottest days this week are expected to be Tuesday and Wednesday, with feels-like temperatures between 105 and 110 degrees during peak heating hours.

ComEd energy doctor Kara Schwer shares four tips for how people can optimize their homes during the heat.

The first tip she shared is something not many think they're doing wrong—using fans correctly.

"When you have the fan on, make sure that it's spinning counterclockwise. That allows that cool air to surface down towards the ground and keep you cool," she said. The second part of that tip is when you're leaving the room ... fans cool people, not rooms. So make sure you turn the fan off when you're leaving because we don't want to waste energy."

The other three tips include closing blinds on sunny days to prevent AC units from working overtime, making sure vents are not being blocked by items such as toys or runs to help air circulate effectively, and lastly, turning up the thermostat as high as possible while maintaining a level of comfort to help save energy.

"Usually they recommend between seven and 10 degrees if you're going to be gone for the day," Schwer said.

She also mentioned that customers can enroll in hourly pricing.

"The way that it works is energy prices are different throughout the day based on the demand. So the higher the demand, the supply is going to be higher. And so if you enroll in this, then you can monitor when you're using your electricity to tailor it for hours that are cheaper," she said.

Additional information and resources can be found using the Smart Assistance Manager on the ComEd website.