Summer starts June 21: Duke Energy Florida highlights five key appliances to help customers manage energy use

Summer starts June 21: Duke Energy Florida highlights five key appliances to help customers manage energy use

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- While summer heat has already settled across Florida, the astronomical start of the season is observed this Sunday, June 21. Duke Energy Florida is helping customers manage their energy use – and their bills – by offering practical tips focused on the five appliances that use the most energy in the home: air conditioners, water heaters, refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers.

The big five:

1. Air Conditioners: Set the thermostat to the highest comfortable temperature and raise it a few more degrees when leaving home. Adjusting it 7-10 degrees from its normal setting for eight hours a day can lower cooling costs by up to 10%.  
   
   
2. Electric water heaters: Behind an air conditioner, a water heater is typically the second-highest user of energy in a home. Set it to 120 degrees to save 6-10% on energy costs.
   
   • Showers often account for over half of a home's hot water usage – installing low-flow fixtures may result in 25-60% in additional savings.
   
   
3. Refrigerators and freezers: Set the refrigerator temperature to 35-38 degrees. The freezer should be set to 4-5 degrees if it is part of a combined fridge/freezer and 0 degrees if it is a separate unit.
   
   • To check the seal on their refrigerator door for cracks or deterioration and avoid energy loss, try the dollar bill test: Close the door on a dollar bill – it should stay in place. If it falls, replace the worn seal.  
   
   
4. Washing machines: Run full loads of laundry in the washing machine during morning or evening hours to lower energy use and reduce indoor heat. For additional savings, use cold water whenever possible.
   
   
5. Dishwashers: Use the dishwasher's "eco-mode" and/or the air-dry or overnight-dry settings (instead of the heat-dry setting) to save water and energy.

Our view:

"Duke Energy Florida is here to help our customers take control of their energy use this summer," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "By focusing on how and when these five key appliances are used – while taking advantage of our many energy efficiency tools and programs – they should see that simple, strategic changes add up and can have a real impact on their bills."

Get a progress report:

Midway through each billing cycle, customers will get a Usage Alert email showing how much energy they have used so far. They can compare it to the same time last year (for example, July 2025 vs. July 2026) to track their progress – and, if needed, make further adjustments before their bill arrives.

More resources are available:

Duke Energy Florida offers several other energy efficiency tips, tools and programs as well as flexible payment options. More information can be found at duke-energy.com/SummerSolutions.  

Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida. 

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,700 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an energy modernization strategy, keeping customer value at the forefront as it invests in electric grid upgrades and efficient generation resources to strengthen the system and serve growing energy needs.

More information is available at duke-energy.com. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for stories about the people and innovations powering its communities.

Contact: Aly Raschid
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
X: @DE_AlyRaschid

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SOURCE Duke Energy