Delaware
8 Ways Delaware homeowners can cut energy costs as summer approaches
Why energy prices are higher, what Delaware lawmakers plan to do about it
State Sen. Stephanie Hanson discusses why Delawareans saw higher energy prices this year and what the state legislature plans to do about it. 3/14/25
Delaware homeowners are feeling the pinch of soaring energy bills, with the state’s electricity costs ranking among the highest in the country.
After a winter of steep price hikes sparked heated debates over the causes, residents are seeking solutions to curb their expenses. Google Trends data reveals a 366% surge in nationwide searches for “how to lower electric bills” — a clear sign energy-saving strategies are top of mind.
Energy experts at Delmarva Power and the U.S. Department of Energy have shared practical, effective tips to help Delawareans cut costs and keep their homes comfortable, even as temperatures rise.
8 energy-saving tips to lower your home’s electric bills
If you’re looking to save money on your electric bills, here are some key strategies from energy experts to help you manage rising costs:
1. Run appliances at night: Using heat-generating appliances, such as dishwashers, dryers, and ovens, during the hottest part of the day makes your AC work harder. Instead, run these appliances at night or during off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower.
2. Add houseplants for natural cooling: Indoor plants do more than brighten up a space — they also help reduce humidity. By absorbing excess moisture, houseplants can naturally lower the temperature, decreasing the need for AC use.
3. Install blackout curtains: Blocking out sunlight with blackout curtains is a simple yet effective way to keep indoor temperatures down. Keeping them closed during the day prevents heat from entering your home, reducing your cooling needs.
4. Use a dehumidifier: Humid air makes it harder for your body to cool down, forcing your AC to work overtime. Running a dehumidifier can reduce humidity levels and lower your home’s temperature, making it feel cooler with less energy usage.
5. Seal drafts and insulate properly: Small gaps around windows and doors allow hot air to seep in. Use weather stripping and caulk to seal leaks, and make sure your attic is well-insulated and ventilated. This helps keep your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
6. Monitor energy use with a power meter: A power-consumption meter can reveal which appliances are draining the most energy. By identifying and unplugging energy hogs, you can reduce waste and trim your electric bill.
7. Lower water heater temperature: Water heaters account for a significant portion of household energy costs. Lowering the temperature from 140°F to 130°F can save money without sacrificing comfort.
8. Upgrade to smart lighting: Automated or motion-sensor lighting can reduce unnecessary energy use. Smart lighting systems adjust brightness based on natural light levels and turn off when rooms are unoccupied, leading to long-term savings.
How to get a free home energy checkup
In a move to support energy conservation, Energize Delaware has expanded its Home Energy Checkup and Counseling program to all Delaware residents, removing previous income restrictions.
The program provides:
- Free one-hour home energy assessments
- Installation of energy-saving products
- Expert guidance on reducing energy consumption
In addition to the consultation, residents can receive assistance with installing LED lighting, efficient showerheads, door sweeps, furnace filters, smart power strips and other energy-saving devices.
For more information or to schedule a free Home Energy Checkup, visit Energize Delaware’s website.
You can contact staff reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com.
Delaware
Delaware Lottery Mega Millions, Play 3 Day winning numbers for Dec. 16, 2025
Claiming lottery in Delaware
18 states have laws that allow national lottery prize jackpot winners to remain anonymous, but is Delaware among them?
The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 7-1-2
Night: 0-1-8
Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 5-5-8-3
Night: 4-2-6-8
Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
10-21-22-24-26-33
Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
03-04-19-24-39, Lucky Ball: 11
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 5 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 6-6-3-8-7
Night: 8-7-0-5-4
Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
- Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
- Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
- Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
- For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.
Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?
Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.
How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?
Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.
When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
- Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
- Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.
Delaware
Trump will go to Delaware for the dignified transfer of the 2 National Guard members killed in Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is traveling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday for a dignified transfer for the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert that is testing the rapprochement between Washington and Damascus.
The two guardsmen killed in the attack on Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the U.S. Army. Both were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. A U.S. civilian working as an interpreter was also killed.
The ritual at Dover Air Force Base honors U.S. service members killed in action and is one of the most solemn duties undertaken by the commander in chief.
During the process, transfer cases draped with the American flag holding the remains of fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that carried them to Dover to an awaiting vehicle to transport them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the fallen service members are prepared for their final resting place.
Trump, a Republican, said during his first term that witnessing the dignified transfer of service members’ remains is “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.
Remembered as ‘the best of Iowa’
The Iowa National Guard is remembering the two men as heroes. Howard’s stepfather, Jeffrey Bunn, said Howard “loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out,” noting that he had wanted to be a soldier since he was a young boy.
In a post on the Meskwaki Nation Police Department’s Facebook page, Bunn – who is chief of the Tama, Iowa, department – called Howard a loving husband and an “amazing man of faith” and said Howard’s brother, a staff sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, would escort “Nate” back to Iowa.
Torres-Tovar was remembered as a “very positive” person who was family oriented and someone who always put others first, according to fellow guardsmen who were deployed with Torres-Tovar and issued a statement to the local TV broadcast station WOI.
“They were dedicated professionals and cherished members of our Guard family who represented the best of Iowa,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard.
Trump stands by Syrian leader al-Sharaa
On Saturday, Trump told reporters that he was mourning the deaths and vowed retaliation.
Trump said Monday that he remained confident in the leadership of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the onetime leader of an Islamic insurgent group who led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad, whose family had an iron grip on Syrian rule for decades.
The U.S. president welcomed al-Sharaa to Washington last month for a historic visit to the White House and formally welcomed Syria as a member of the U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State group. Hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS.
“This had nothing to do with him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “This had to do with ISIS.”
Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were injured in the attack. As of Monday, two were in stable condition and the other in good condition. The Pentagon has not identified them.
Trump traveled to Dover several times during his first term to honor the fallen, including for a U.S. Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a person dressed in an Afghan army uniform opened fire.
Delaware
Delaware will save more than $300M after federal tax decoupling takes effect
The fiscal year 2027 forecast remained relatively flat from the October meeting. But some expenses declined, including salaries for teachers. Brian Maxwell, state director of Management and Budget, said teacher salary expenses were down because student enrollment has dropped. He said federal immigration policy could be impacting the state’s Multilingual Learners.
“Obviously, there have been a number of students that may not be showing up to class just because of the enforcement of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” he said. “So some of the families may be scared to actually send their kids to school.”
Maxwell said overall enrollment is down, but the number of students needing special education services is up. The next student count is in February.
DEFAC members also discussed the revised Healthcare Spending benchmark. In September, the subcommittee devised a methodology that only used healthcare inflation, resulting in a 7.13% for 2026.
“We all gathered in October and there was a fair amount of concern with that outcome,” said Christen Linke Young, director of Health and Social Services. “So the subcommittee reconvened earlier this month to consider a new approach.”
After adopting the methodology using expected national inflation data and a three-year measure of health care cost growth, the benchmark now sits at 4.9%. But Young said there would be no penalty for hospitals exceeding the guideline.
Gov. Meyer and the state’s largest nongovernmental employer, ChristianaCare Health System, reached an agreement earlier this year in a lawsuit the regional hospital system filed last year. The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board was created by lawmakers in June 2024 to try to rein in hospital spending. But the agreement, which requires new legislation and the governor’s signature, would strip the board of its authority to approve and modify hospital budgets.
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