Unfortunately, we’ve received word from a customer that scammers are once again trying to scam our customers out of money. This latest report is from a customer that said they received a call from an undisclosed person stating that  HES had overcharged them and that the customer had a refund coming to them. The scammer then requested the customer’s debit card information to deposit the refund directly into their account.

Thankfully, our customer recognized the scam attempt, and alerted us immediately so that we could alert our customers. ANYTIME you are contacted by a person saying they represent HES (or any other company for that matter) and are asked for any financial, ask for the caller’s name and tell them you will call them back at the company’s official phone number. Then visit the website of the company in question and call the phone number listed on their website. If the call was legitimate, you should be able to reach someone to confirm the original caller’s request.

In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission received fraud reports from 2.8 million consumers. More than $2.3 billion in losses were reported due to imposter scams, where a person pretended to be representing a company they were not an employee of. Most phone scams originate outside the continental United States, making it very difficult for U.S. authorities to track, apprehend and prosecute scammers. That is why your best line of defense is to educate yourself, and especially older family members, on how to recognize a scam. Anytime someone calls saying you are owed money, have won a prize, owe a fee, need to pay money to avoid legal consequences, or any similar type of call that requires you to either send money quickly, or provide your banking information to receive a payment, it is almost a certainty that the caller is a scammer. Hang up!

For more information from the Federal Trade Commission about scams, see the video below. We’ve also listed links to some useful articles to help you learn to recognize a scam.

Federal Trade Commission YouTube channel
Federal Trade Commission article on “How to Avoid a Scam”
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “Frauds and Scams” webpage
Consumer Reports article on “How to Protect Yourself From Common Scams”
AARP’s “11 Ways to Protect Yourself From Fraud in 2021”

As soon as the temperature starts getting into the 80’s and 90’s, we receive calls from customers wondering why their bills are higher. The simple answer is that air conditioners must work longer, using more electricity, to maintain the indoor temperature setting on the thermostat. Many customers tell us that they have not touched their thermostat setting, so how could their unit be using more electricity? As the outdoor temperature goes up, it warms the walls and roof of the house, which continually affects the indoor temperature of the house throughout the day. So the air conditioner has to work longer to cool the house, even though the thermostat setting remains the same.

We can’t do anything to control the summer temperatures, but there are some easy things to do to help your cooling system operate more efficiently, keep you cool, and keep your energy costs down.

• Set your thermostat at the highest comfortable setting.
• Use ceiling fans to circulate indoor air. Just a little air movement can make it feel much cooler.
• Keep air conditioner filters clean; Dirty filters can decrease the efficiency of your cooling system.
• Clear the area around your outdoor cooling unit to allow it to expel heat.
• It’s a good idea to have your system professionally serviced once a year.
• Close draperies or adjust mini-blinds to deflect the sunlight (and heat) out of the house interior.
• When cooking, try to avoid using the oven. Use a microwave or toaster oven instead.
• Take advantage of cooler hours of the day for strenuous activity or household chores.

For more ideas on how to save energy and lower your electric bill, visit our Energy Saving Tips page.

HES/Energynet offers customers the ability to view their daily electricity using an app called Myusage. This app shows your daily electricity usage with an overlay for the outdoor high and low temp of the day. This shows the correlation between outdoor temperature and electricity usage. For more information about Myusage and to sign up, click here.