{"id":5594,"date":"2026-05-20T14:27:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/?p=5594"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:27:25","slug":"fire-up-the-grill-not-your-ac-memorial-day-energy-saving-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/fire-up-the-grill-not-your-ac-memorial-day-energy-saving-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Up the Grill, Not Your AC: Memorial Day Energy-Saving Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>Take Cooking Outside to Beat Heat Inside<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/energy-saving-GA-Memorial-day-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Use these energy-saving tips to cut costs for your cookout this Memorial Day weekend.\" class=\"wp-image-5602\" title=\"Take Cooking Outside to Beat Heat Inside\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/energy-saving-GA-Memorial-day-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/energy-saving-GA-Memorial-day-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/energy-saving-GA-Memorial-day-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/energy-saving-GA-Memorial-day-480x320.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/energy-saving-GA-Memorial-day.jpg 724w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption><center><em>Celebrate the start of summer in Georgia this Memorial Day with these great energy-saving tips.<\/em><\/center><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer. In Georgia, let\u2019s bring the party outside with a cookout to avoid some of the season\u2019s first air conditioning bills. By cooking outdoors and making a few other energy-saving choices, you can lower both electricity and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Georgia gas<\/a> costs while still enjoying time with family and friends. Weather is predicted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsav.com\/weather-news\/storm-team-3-now\/stormteam-3-sunny-summer-preview-storms-return-memorial-day-weeknd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">be hot and humid<\/a>, so we may need to get creative! This year, fire up the grill, not your AC, and appreciate the Memorial Day energy savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>6 Memorial Day Energy-Saving Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use these tips to keep your energy costs in check this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Cook Outside<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We love a natural gas stovetops, but they aren\u2019t very efficient. In fact, only about 30-40% of the energy goes to heating food, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/products\/electric_cooking_products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Energy Star<\/a>. So, the rest of the heat just warms the house. Over Memorial weekend, move your cooking to a grill and keep that heat outside!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Keep Guests Outside<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When someone opens a door, cool air escapes and warm Georgia air rushes in. So, keep guests outside by setting up drinks, utensils, seating, and games outdoors. Your AC will keep a steady temp more efficiently and be more energy-saving this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Party in the Morning or Evening<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider a brunch or late evening start time and take advantage of cooler temperatures. For brunch, grill some Georgia peaches and other fruit for a yogurt bar. For an evening hang, do grilled veggies and cheese and shrimp skewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Use Fans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fans use far less energy than AC. They also keep guests feeling cooler during afternoon heat. Raise the thermostat a bit but stay comfortable by using fans for airflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. Prep Food<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Preparing sides earlier cuts down on indoor heat later. Smaller appliances like slow cookers also use less energy than bigger appliances. Avoiding the oven and natural gas stovetop allows your AC to run efficiently and also drops your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/resources\/understanding-your-natural-gas-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">natural gas bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. Clean Appliances <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping appliances clean will have them running more efficiently, saving you money. Clean your grill regularly and empty that grease trap. Removing carbon and grease in your natural gas oven helps it reach and keep set temperatures more easily. Also be sure to clean the area around your AC and the cover so air moves readily. This way you\u2019ll spend less cooling your home!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Bonus Savings Tip: Shop Cheap Natural Gas Rates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As efficient as we try to be, we do still need to use some natural gas here and there. So, make sure you\u2019re getting the best rate and saving the most money. Shop for a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/companies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">natural gas provider<\/a> and start saving today. Check out the best natural gas plans at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Take Cooking Outside to Beat Heat Inside Memorial Day weekend is the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mbp_gutenberg_autopost":false},"categories":[210],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5594"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5606,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions\/5606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgiagassavings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}