We are under heat warnings all week here in Texas. In San Antonio, we are still hitting the 100-degree mark every day. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky though, since it got to 109 yesterday in Dallas.

The state is asking everyone to conserve energy to avoid rolling brownouts or blackouts. I imagine this will continue throughout August, since it does not appear any relief is on the way from Mother Nature.

Here are a few things to consider doing to help conserve energy while you are at work.

Most importantly, get into a habit of turning up your thermostat up when you leave. You can look into getting a programmable thermostat if you have a hard time remembering to do so. There’s really no reason to run your air conditioning system at full speed when you’re not home.

Close your curtains and drapes, especially on windows facing the south and west during the day.

Turn off your lights and ceiling fans when you are not at home or not in that room. Ceiling fans are meant to cool you down, not the room. So only use a ceiling fan when you are in a particular room.

Change your air filter. Right now, it is recommended you change your air filter every month. That way your air conditioner does not have to work as hard to cool your house. Once the peak summer months are over, you can change your filter every three months.

Turn off power strips or unplug electronics when you are not using them. Your TV, DVD player, etc. use energy even when they are not turned on.

Those are just a few, simple things we can all do to help avoid power outages. Stay cool out in this extreme heat.