During the summer electricity rates tend to skyrocket, but saving money shouldn't be as difficult.
Joey Estrada, with Lochridge Priest, shares some tips on what you should do before the temperatures get too high.
“Have a technician come out, check the refrigerate levels, check your system to make sure it’s running. Make sure your fan motor is running the way it should be,” Estrada says.
Estrada says you want to have a technician come in to take a look at your A/C unit to make sure everything is operating the right way.
“First thing you want to check [is] the filter. Make sure you’re keeping a clean filter. That helps the airflow get through as best as possible,” says Estrada.
Many states are experiencing record heat waves, which means that Air Conditioners will be running at full throttle. During the summer months most Americans see an uptick in their electricity bills, and now add that people will be cooped up even longer in their homes due to the pandemic.
The typical household spends roughly $2,000 annually on energy bills, an Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson told TODAY. The EPA added that air conditioning is the likely culprit for energy bill increases in the summer months. Nearly half of a given home’s total energy bill is dedicated to heating and cooling systems.
It is projected that homeowners could see monthly energy bills rise by 10% based on data collected from renewable energy company Arcadia for those living in cities. Data was collected from energy use by 10,000 customer households across 13 major U.S. cities during March and April.
If you're looking to keep electricity bills down as temperatures soar, try these short- and long-term recommendations from the EPA and other sources.
Temperatures are rising! In order to protect yourself from rising electricity prices, follow these easy tips to help keep you and your wallet cool.
1. FAN YOURSELF
Buying stand, box or ceiling fans is a small investment that can reduce your energy costs. Using fans to help cool your home means you can raise the thermostat setting by 4 degrees without reducing your comfort level. Just remember to turn off the fans when you’re not in the room. They aren’t intended to cool the space — just the people in the space, via the wind, chill effect.