What’s not to like about summer other than elevated energy bills. It’s often the price we pay for using our pools and cranking the A/C down in the house. With summer coming to an end. Most of us are in luck with lower winter energy bills in our near future! Let’s take a look at why your electric bill may be lower in the winter vs the summer.
Why Are Energy Bills High in The Summer
There are a couple things that factor into energy bills typically being higher in the summer. The first thing that jumps out is that peak demand usage at most households increases. Kids are out of school for the summer and at home watching tv, playing on computers, opening the refrigerator more frequently, and keeping lights in the house on for longer periods throughout the day. While these things aren’t considered major “energy hogs”, they will increase your bill at the end of the month.
Another thing to consider is your appliances. With the temperature being higher than other times of the year. You’re A/C unit is having to work harder to keep the air nice and cool inside all day. Something you don’t have to worry about when your kids are at school and no one is home. Pools also increase your electricity usage in the summer. Pool filters need to be run for more hours in the summer when they are being used vs the winter. So as that filter is running your electricity usage is increasing. It’s also important to make sure your pool filter isn’t clogged so it can run efficiently. Clogged filters could cause the unit to work harder and use more electricity.
If you’ve moved into your house in the summer (peak moving season). You likely signed up for an electricity plan that was higher. Electricity plans in the summertime are sometimes more expensive for several reasons. These costs are usually passed on from the retail electric providers to consumers. Resulting in higher summer energy bills vs lower winter energy bills.
What Allows for Lower Winter Energy Bills
There’s one main thing that needs to be taken into consideration with winter energy bills. Do you have natural gas powering your heat in the winter? Heating units in homes powered by natural gas in the winter produce lower winter energy bills. Which causes a slightly higher natural gas bill, but a lower electric bill.
Some homes in the northeast or mid-west may use wood burning stoves as well for their heat source. Which also helps to lower your winter energy bills. Some homes in the southern areas, such as Texas, may run off electricity year-round. These homes will most likely not see lower electric winter energy bills. This is because their heating unit is using electricity as the power source vs natural gas.
Also, as discussed previously, homes that have pools will see savings in the winter. With your pool seeing little use and only running a couple hours in the winter. Energy consumption from the filter will be at a yearly low. Giving you lower winter energy bills and putting a little extra cash in your pocket.
Need to Start or Renew An Electric Plan
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