Manage High Energy Bills

There may be instances when a customer receives an electric bill that seems to be out of the norm with previous bills. There are a variety of factors that may cause this.

Your Home May Be Using More Electricity

A higher electric bill is often from an increase in energy use. Factors that affect energy use include:

    • Weather — Varying weather conditions from one billing period to the next will affect your bill. During extreme heat or cold, air conditioning or heating equipment works longer and harder to maintain comfort.
    • Changes in operating habits — Your thermostat settings may have changed from previous billing periods.
    • Malfunctioning equipment — You may have water heaters, air conditioners, or refrigerators that are malfunctioning. Or you may have timers on electrical equipment that do not turn the equipment off.

Simple Tips to Reduce Energy Use

Small changes can make a noticeable difference. Making a few simple efficiency improvements around your home, like changing your air filters and adjusting the thermostat a few degrees, will help reduce your energy usage. Customers can use our Home Energy Suite to determine which areas of your home use the most energy. Our GoGreen section provides rebates for customers wanting to make their homes more efficient.

Additionally, comparing the average temperature during the current month to the same month last year is one way to tell if the increase is weather-related quickly.

You can calculate the average temperature for your specific billing period on Weather Underground.