Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke Energy customers in North Carolina will likely see their power bills increase this fall as the utility faces soaring coal prices.
The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that Duke has asked state regulators for a fuel price adjustment to compensate.
If approved, average residential bills would increase by 4 percent. That translates to an added $3 to an $80 power bill.
Coal prices have more than doubled since October. Duke Energy uses coal to generate more than half the power it provides in North Carolina and South Carolina.
James McLawhorn, an official with the North Carolina Utilities Commission, said rate rapid power plant construction in China has put pressure on domestic coal supply and increased prices.
