As Summer Temps Start to Cook, O&R Has Cool Tips to Beat the Heat

This weekend kicks off a mid-summer’s first heat wave with steamy humidity and sizzling temperatures on Saturday continuing into next week. O&R is offering some cool tips to help you chill, using energy wisely and saving money:

• Setting your air conditioner to the highest temperature your comfort and health allow will help you save cooling money.
• Closing all doors and windows in your home while the air conditioning is running can make things cooler at a lower price.
• Turning down or turning off air conditioning in your home while you are away or at work helps lower your energy bill.
• Cooking, baking or other household activities that produce heat and humidity are best left for the cooler times of the day and night.
• Pulling your curtains and shades closed can help block out the sun and the heat of the day.

And, if you have already received a new smart meter, you can take advantage of viewing your energy usage and customized energy savings tips located in your online account at oru.com.

View this video for more cool tips.

To prepare for this summer’s peak demands for electricity, O&R has made investments totaling over $140 million this year to fortify and improve the reliability of their electric system. That investment builds on the nearly $1 billion they have invested over the past 10 years on electric system maintenance and reliability projects.

If you have a power outage, you can report it and check to see when your lights will be back on through:

• At www.oru.com/outage from any computer or web-based mobile device.
• O&R mobile app from your iPhone, iPad or Android device --- download via Apple Store or Google Play.
• Text messaging by texting “OUT” to 69678 (myORU) or
• Call 1-877-434-4100.

If you experience a power outage, don’t assume that O&R automatically knows about it or that someone else will report it. To be sure the outage is reported, please report it yourself. The more information you can provide, the more O&R can help you. O&R line technicians and their associates, who are ready to respond outages, will follow Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health guidance, including masking and maintaining a social distance.  

Difficulty Paying Your Bill?

Customers can manage their accounts via www.oru.com/myaccount.

O&R is offering continued support for customers during the COVID-19 emergency through a variety of programs designed to help you pay your bill and balance your energy costs. If you’re having difficulty paying your bill, please see our payment assistance options.

For energy efficiency tips, incentives and rebates, please visit www.oru.com/save. 

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. O&R is a regulated utility that provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company), and natural gas service to approximately 130,000 customers in New York.