Warm Temps Increase Energy Use

You sometimes probably wonder why your electricity bill is higher at certain times of the year. If you’re paying close attention, you may have noticed that the spikes generally occur during the warm summer months and cold winter months. That’s because your heating and cooling system is working harder during these months to keep the inside of your home comfortable. 

When there is a larger difference between the outside air temperature and the temperature you have the inside of your home set at, you use more energy to maintain the comfortable setting you like. 

During the summer, the warm weather means our air conditioning systems are running, sometimes constantly, to give us relief from the hot temperatures. If you are closely tracking your energy use through our online member services portal, you will notice that when the temperatures rise, your energy use rises. 

In the chart above, you can see two sets of data. This same data is also available for your specific account in the online member services portal. The red line represents the high temperature and the blue bar represents daily energy usage for a typical member. You will notice that as it gets warmer and the high temperature goes up (rise in the red line), energy use goes up (blue bars). 

So what can you do to help save energy? Use these tips to help manage your energy use and keep summer bills in check:

• Raise your thermostat.
• Use your drapes.
• Adjust your hot water heater temperature.
• Make the upgrade to LED light bulbs.
• Postpone running appliances that produce heat.
• Use the microwave or grill outdoors.
• Plug into savings with power strips.

These are just a few ways you can help save money during the warm summer months, but we also have some tools at your disposal that you can put to use to track your energy use: our online Energy Advisor, your Central Electric online portal (also available through our free mobile app), and personalized alerts and reminders.