Spending more time at home this winter means energy use could be higher and your monthly bill may be, too. SDG&E has some helpful tips on ways to save on your energy bill. We know that every little bit helps, especially now.

1. Being on the right pricing plan can make a difference on your bill. Compare pricing plans to ensure you are on the best plan for your household at sdge.com/pricing.
2. Use appliances before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m. when demand for power is lower.
3. Use your exhaust fans sparingly. Your bathroom fans and oven hoods are overlooked sources of heat loss in the winter because they can pull warmth from your home.
4. Get a more predictable bill by signing up for the Level Pay Plan at sdge.com/LPP. Level Pay averages your bill every three months; you don’t pay less or more.
5. Let the sunshine in. Take advantage of the world’s best furnace — the sun! Open your curtains during the day to naturally heat your home.
6. When you’re asleep or not home, turn your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling costs.
7. Check your home’s insulation. It’s like a winter coat for your house. The heavier it is, the warmer your home will be.
8. Hot air rises so run your ceiling fan clockwise, at the lowest speed, to help push the warmth back down to you.
9. Use less hot water as it takes energy to heat up water; wash your clothes in cold water and install low-flow faucets and showerheads.
10. Move furniture and belongings away from heating vents so they can deliver all the heat you’re paying for.

Visit sdge.com/winter for more energy-saving ideas. 

By:  MICAIAH BILGER/LifeNews.com
1/13/2021

Abortion activists praised Samantha Power, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development, as a “steadfast voice for human rights” on Wednesday.

Biden’s transition team announced Power as his choice for USAID administrator this week. She is one of a growing list of pro-abortion leaders slated to fill the new presidential administration.

In the position, Power will assist Biden in restoring taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood and other global abortion advocacy groups – funds that President Donald Trump cut through his Protecting Life policy.

Power previously worked in President Barack Obama’s administration as a representative to the United Nations. Before that, she served on the National Security Council where she advised Obama and Biden on “women’s rights,” which, to Democrat leaders, includes abortion on demand.

This week, Planned Parenthood Global and Biden both praised her as a “human rights” advocate even though she supports their efforts to destroy human rights for unborn babies.

“Samantha Power is a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity — challenging and rallying the international community to stand up for the dignity and humanity of all people,” Biden said in a statement. She will “fight for the value of every human being,” his transition team added.

Planned Parenthood Global also praised Power in a tweet: “As a steadfast voice for human rights, Amb @SamanthaJPower has the experience and the opportunity to advance sexual and reproductive healths [sic] and rights for people around the world as USAID Administrator.”

It urged her to “prioritize the needs of women and families bearing the brunt of the pandemic.” For Planned Parenthood, that means more abortions.

Under the Trump administration, funds through USAID prioritized real health care for women and girls and human rights for all human beings, including those not yet born.

It did so through Trump’s expanded Mexico City policy, which prohibits international aid funds to groups that promote and/or perform abortions. The policy defunded Planned Parenthood’s international arm of about $100 million and the British abortion chain Marie Stopes International of about $73 million in U.S. tax dollars.

The pro-life policy did not reduce access to healthcare. A USAID review earlier this year found that the U.S. has maintained global health assistance to 98 percent of the overseas healthcare organizations that received funding prior to the policy’s implementation.

However, Biden has promised to reverse that policy and restore funding to the British abortion chain as well as Planned Parenthood, which does more than 345,000 abortions each year in the U.S. alone.

​The pro-abortion leaders slated to fill Biden’s administration also include:
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California as vice president
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as secretary of labor
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo as commerce secretary
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland as secretary of the interior
Former Obama and Clinton administration leader Ronald Klain as chief of staff

Lower temperatures and spending more time at home may increase your energy costs. Here are some no-cost and low-cost ideas to help you save energy and money while staying comfortable during the colder winter months.  

1. Take advantage of heat from the sun: Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home. Close the curtains at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows. 
2. Cover drafty windows: Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration. Install tight-fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty. Find out about other window treatments and coverings that can improve energy efficiency here. 
3. Adjust the temperature: When you are asleep or not home, turn your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating bills. A smart or programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature.  If you have a heat pump, maintain a moderate setting or use a programmable thermostat specially designed for use with heat pumps. 
4. Find and seal leaks: Seal the air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Find out how to here. Add caulk or weather-stripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows
5. Maintain your heating systems: Schedule service for your heating system. Replace your filter once a month or as needed. Find out how to efficiently maintain furnaces or boilers and heat pumps at energy.gov. Wood or pellet burning appliances are cleaner burning and more efficient. Clean the flue vent regularly and the inside of the appliance with a wire brush periodically to ensure that your home is heated efficiently. Energy.gov also has other maintenance recommendations for wood-and pellet-burning appliances. 
6. Reduce heat loss from the fireplace: Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney. When you use the fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly – around 1 inch – and close doors leading into the room. Find more techniques to improve your fireplace or wood-burning appliance's efficiency and which wood to burn at epa.gov/burnwise.

For more tips on how to save energy this winter, visit sdge.com/winter.