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Summer arrives tomorrow, and forecasters expect temperatures to be more moderate than last year's record setting season, which is good news for consumers who got hit with painful electricity bills during the heat wave.

This summer's electricity usage, which peaks as people crank up fans and air conditioners to keep cool, should fall short of the records set last year, according to the company that manages the electricity grid from which Pittsburgh draws its power. PJM Interconnection said it expects summer usage by the 13 states that share the grid, plus the District of Columbia, to peak at 136,961 megawatts (a megawatt is enough electricity to power 800 to 1,000 homes).

That falls well short of the record 144,644 megawatts set last Aug. 3, and is well within the amount of electricity that PJM already has committed to the season: 160,680 megawatts.

While peak usage is expected to fall below last year's, total electricity consumption by U.S. households should show a 2.2 percent increase over last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, an increase that the agency describes as "near-normal."

The EIA also projects a 3 percent increase this year over last year's electricity prices, partly because some states have experienced rapid price increases as rate caps have been lifted as part of electricity deregulation.

Still, if you want to keep your electricity bills in check this summer, experts offer some advice:

Turn your thermostat up to 78 degrees. For every degree you raise your thermostat, you can cut your energy consumption by 4 percent.

Close your drapes and blinds, especially on the sunny side of your house. This keeps the sunshine out, keeping your home cooler.

Using ceiling or portable fans helps keep air moving in your house.

Wait until 7 p.m. or later to user large, heat-generating appliances such as washers, dryers, ovens and dishwashers.

When possible, use a microwave oven to cook.

Turn off lights when not in use.

Close vents and doors in rooms that aren't being used.

Make sure that the filters in your household cooling system are clean.

Place window air conditioners on the north or shady side of the house to avoid overworking them in the hot daytime sun.

Storm season

Along with high temperatures, summer brings thunderstorms, and thunderstorms bring power outages, which may last minutes or hours. Outages also can be caused by faulty equipment, or may result simply from a lapse in power as electricity is being rerouted from one path to another.

In fact, said Duquesne Light Co. spokesman Joseph Vallarian, 50 percent of the 1,600 outages experienced during last year's "storm season," which runs from May 1 to Sept. 30, were due to such "switching," and were corrected within five minutes. In the longest outage, it took 2 hours and 30 minutes to completely restore power.

Mr. Vallarian said the company prioritizes outages, giving first importance to those that threaten public safety, such as downed wires that cross public highways. Next come high-voltage transmission lines that send power to substations, then public health and safety facilities. Substations and major circuits come next, because they provide critical linking and switching functions, routing electricity to large numbers of users. Finally, service crews focus on specific neighborhoods and individual homes and businesses.

Since different circuits may serve different parts of the same neighborhood, one house's power may be restored while a nearby neighbor's house, even one on the same street, is still dark. In a major storm, some electrical lines may be rendered inaccessible to work crews by fallen trees, flooding, or other storm-related conditions.

Consumers can minimize the disruption caused by a power outage by taking some precautions.

Before an outage:

Keep an emergency kit on hand in a convenient location. It should include flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh batteries, and a first-aid kit with current supplies.

Keep a three-day supply of nonperishable foods, bottled water and medication.

Have at least one corded or cell phone available, as cordless phones will not work during an outage.

Use surge suppressors to protect sensitive electronic equipment.

If a storm appears imminent:

Fill a tub and spare containers with water in the event the electric water pump or the municipal water system becomes unavailable.

Check to ensure that elderly family members or friends who live alone are prepared for the weather.

Unplug sensitive equipment.

During a power outage:

Report the outage and report any power line hazards by calling Duquesne Light at 1-888-393-7000 or Allegheny Power at 1-800-255-3443. Do not touch any downed or hanging power lines or anything that touches them.

Avoid opening the refrigerator or freezer. Food will stay frozen in a fully loaded freezer for 36 to 48 hours if the doors remain closed. If the freezer is half full, the food will generally keep 24 hours.

Keep candles away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials. Also, keep children and pets away from open flames.

Disconnect or turn off appliances that were on when the power outage occurred. Leave a light on so you will know when power is restored.

Use a camp stove, fireplace or can of sterno for cooking. Do not use charcoal or any other fuels in unventilated areas.