subject: How To Reduce Your Texas Summer Electric Bill [print this page] Boy its hot! There are still a lot of days left to summer. Many Texas residents are going to want to crank up the air conditioner and plop down in front of it until the temperatures finally go back down. Do that, though, and you may find come fall that you have no money in the bank because it all went to cooling your home. Luckily, there are lots of things that you can do to lower your summer electric bill while still beating the heat.
The first thing that Texas customers should do is to start shopping around to make sure that theyre getting the lowest rates possible on electricity. Energy is deregulated in Texas, which means that electricity providers compete against each other to get customers. The competition means great deals for many customers. Smart customers will look around for low rates, especially low rates that are locked in with six or nine or twelve month contracts. The less you are paying per kWh for your electricity, the lower those energy bills will be even if you keep the AC on.
Once youve made sure that youre paying as little as possible for the energy that youre using at home, its time to make sure that youre using the least amount of energy that you need. After all, if you can lower both the rate and the amount that youre using then youll really see a significant drop in your energy bills. Start by taking a look at all of the major appliances in your home, including your air conditioner.
Ask yourself the following questions about each appliance:
Is this a relatively new energy-efficient appliance? If its not then you may want to invest in getting a new Energy Star rated machine because it will save you money in the long run. Look for rebates if you need to get any new appliances.
Has this appliance been professionally maintained in the past year? You should always get a thorough maintenance check at the start of the season (in the summer for your air conditioning system and in the winter for your heating system). If not, get on the phone and get that taken care of.
Have I cleaned this appliance recently? You should regularly clean your air filters, lint catchers and other parts of appliances that catch dirt. The cleaner they are, the more efficiently they operate and the lower your electric bills will be.
Once youve made sure that the appliances that you are using are in good shape, its time to start thinking about how and when you use them. In the summer, you want to do your best to reduce all usage of heat-producing appliances especially during the hottest hours of the day. Thats because if youre running your dishwasher and oven and laundry machines during the day then theyre producing heat, making your house warmer and causing your AC to have to work harder to keep the place cool. Think about ways that you can limit the amount of heat your produce at home. Some top ideas that work well in summer include:
Dry clothes on the line instead of in the dryer.
Wash dishes by hand instead of in a dishwasher.
Eat raw foods and cold cuts instead of hot meals.
Cook dinner outside on the grill instead of in your oven.
Do chores like laundry late at night or early in the morning when its not so hot. Limit the amount that you do on any given day.
By eliminating the heat from your extra appliances, youll reduce the need to use your AC at home. But you are obviously still going to use it so you should also implement some smart habits that allow you to use it as little as possible and in the most efficient way. For example, you should install a programmable thermostat so that you can keep the AC off when no one is home but cool the house so its comfortable before you get there. You should double-check to make sure that no furniture is blocking the vents where the air comes out. You should close off the vents to any un-used rooms.
All of these little changes add up so you wont faint from the heat and you wont faint when you see your electric bill either!
