(Editor’s note: This story has been edited to include updated information and links that were obtained post-publication.)
Summer is here and the weather is heating up in Truckee/Tahoe. The National Weather Service predicts this summer will be warmer than average, and with higher temps come higher energy costs. As our community grows more concerned with energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, what are the best ways to stay cool while limiting one’s impact to both the environment and wallet?
Most Truckee residents do not have air conditioning, but there are still simple things you can do to keep your home as cool as possible during the day. There’s nothing better than throwing open the windows in the morning and taking in the scenery — except sunlight is a big contributor to heating up your home. Some of the easiest things to do to keep temperatures down inside are keeping lights off and blinds closed during the day. You should also leave windows open at night to bring cold air in, and shut them in the morning to trap that cold air inside.
Surprisingly, ceiling fans do not provide the heat relief most people think they do. If your windows are closed, running a ceiling fan will actually heat up your house by taking the warm air that has stratified and risen and mixing it with the cool air you’ve stashed from leaving the windows open overnight. You also might be tempted to stand in front of the refrigerator and let some of the cool air out, but then it will have to work harder to bring the temperature back down, expelling more heat into your home.
If you do have a cooling system, then pre-cooling is the next best tactic to implement. Run your AC when it is cooler outside — in the early morning and evening — and it won’t have to work as hard to bring the temperature down, using less energy. With pre-cooling, you aim to cool your home to a few degrees lower than your preferred temperature, and then turn your AC off and coast through the day.
Truckee Donner Public Utility District will soon be launching a new time-of-use rate, which incentivizes customers to use energy during off-peak hours by providing a cheaper rate when energy is greener and less expensive to procure. Pre-cooling is the best way to cut down on AC energy costs under a time-of-use rate, to avoid needing to run it during the peak time when rates are higher (4 to 9 p.m.)
According to a survey TDPUD conducted among customers last year, 15% of respondents have some form of mechanical air conditioning, and many installed it in just the last 3 years. This number is on the rise, especially as wildfire smoke becomes a more frequent occurrence, eliminating the option to open windows. For those considering it, central air is a more efficient cooling system than free-standing or window units, and a ductless mini-split system can be the most efficient option.
TDPUD offers rebates for installing heat pumps, which can be used for both heating and cooling. But the first, and most important, step is to take advantage of TDPUD’s weatherization rebates to ensure your home is airtight. By testing ducts, windows, and attics for leaks and making repairs, you’ll boost the energy efficiency of your home. Even if you are not interested in purchasing a heat pump, this is still beneficial to increase the efficiency of your existing appliances. Rebate amounts offered for these tests and repairs rose in 2024 and can now be offered to TDPUD customers who have nonelectric heating thanks to a funding partnership with the Town of Truckee.
At some point, however, increased energy usage is unavoidable during summer. Hot weather can multiply energy usage in your home in ways you might not expect. Even appliances other than AC units, like refrigerators and garage freezers, also need to work harder. We also see more water use in the summer, which in turn burns energy. TDPUD’s water comes from a groundwater source and is pumped from hundreds of feet underground, which is an energy-intensive process. TDPUD takes action to cut down on our community’s carbon footprint by pumping during the times of day when our energy supply is coming from mostly carbon-free resources.
New water conservation regulations will go into effect next year for all Californians, setting a limit for the amount of water our community can use on a daily basis. With these rules on the horizon, conservation needs to be integrated into our way of life. Not just for our electricity consumption, but for indoor water use and outdoor irrigation as well.
It’s up to each of us to decide what actions we are willing to take when it comes to conserving energy in the summer. But it’s important to realize that we are all tied to the same electric grid, and our combined actions have an impact. Additional energy usage at times when demand on the grid is already high could stress the system and require infrastructure upgrades that will have both an environmental and fiscal impact to our community. The little decisions we make today will dictate the wellbeing of our community in the future.
~ Alex Spychalsky is the communications specialist for Truckee Donner Public Utility District. She will be beating the heat this summer by spending as much time swimming in Donner Lake and the Truckee River as possible.
