Higher temperatures can mean higher utility bills
Have you been outside lately? Did it feel like you were on the surface of the sun? We’ve had 12 consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures, and this summer could become the hottest on record. As temperatures soar, air conditioners have to work extra hard to keep your home comfortable. This can lead to electric bills that are higher than the rest of the year.
“When temperatures get extreme, it’s important to pay close attention to your thermostat,” said Karen Sparkman, vice president of Customer Experience for Tampa Electric. “The typical air conditioner can only reduce the temperature by 20 degrees – so when it’s 97 degrees outside, it can only cool your home to 77 degrees. Setting it to anything lower will make your air conditioner work overtime – and will drive up your power bill.”
To better understand seasonal energy use, see Tampa Electric’s page on summer bills.
Here are a few ways to use less energy (and help reduce your power bill):
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher and set the fan on “auto.” Every degree below 78 can add 6 percent to 8 percent to the cooling portion of your power bill. For example, if your bill is typically $200 and you keep the temperature at 72 degrees, you may be able to save more than $40 per month by raising it to 78 degrees.
- Use ceiling fans – but only in occupied rooms. Fans cool people, not furniture. For summer, rotate the blades counter-clockwise.
- Limit your pool pump to run eight hours a day, or as recommended by your pool service.
- Use the microwave or grill to cook food, to keep the kitchen from heating up.
- Set your refrigerator temperature at 37 degrees and your freezer at 5 degrees. Keep the doors closed and properly sealed. Clean the refrigerator coils quarterly and turn on the power-saver mode, if available.
- Lower the temperature setting on your water heater to 120 degrees. Keep showers to under seven minutes.
- Run washing machines and dishwashers only when they are full; wash laundry with cold water.
- Close the curtains or blinds in sunny rooms, to keep the heat out.
- Turn off computers and monitors when not in use, or put them in “sleep” mode. Unplug electronics, gadgets and chargers.
- Clean or replace air conditioning filters each month. This helps the unit run more efficiently.
- Check for leaky windows and doors, and don’t forget the fireplace damper, if you have one.
- Make sure your attic is sufficiently insulated. Save about 15 percent annually on the air conditioning portion of your energy bill when you add the appropriate levels of ceiling insulation, plus you may qualify for a Tampa Electric rebate.
Learn more about how you can adjust your energy use with these Energy Calculators.
Tampa Electric also has several programs that can help you save a few dollars on your bill.
Prime Time PlusSM is a free and easy way to earn credits on your electric bill, saving you money each month. The average customer earns $144 per year. It does this by letting Tampa Electric reduce electricity use during periods of extremely high demand. By reducing demand, we can avoid the need to invest in additional power plants.
Here’s how Tampa Electric’s Prime Time Plus program works.
- You allow Tampa Electric to temporarily turn off your heating and cooling system (HVAC), water heater and pool pump (if applicable) during periods of extremely high demand for electricity. We will notify you when this occurs.
- In exchange, you’ll earn monthly bill credits. Credits will vary, based on the equipment you choose to connect to Prime Time Plus, and could be as much as $12 a month, or $144 a year, for the average customer.
- A small control device used to communicate with your water heater and/or pool pump will be installed near the appliances.
- We’ll install a smart thermostat that includes access to a mobile app, letting you adjust temperature settings, set flexible scheduling, receive usage reports and reminder alerts, whether you’re home or away.
Our free Energy Planner program is a powerful tool to save money. It allows you to plan your highest energy use during the time of day when demand for electricity is lowest. You can save about a month’s worth of electricity each year – like tossing out one electric bill – by making simple adjustments to the time of day you use electricity.
To continue to help manage your energy costs, you can get a free Energy Audit from Tampa Electric. Our online audit identifies areas where you may be wasting valuable energy. Call 813-275-3909 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tampa Electric has been encouraging sustainability for over 40 years. In that time, more than 1.79 million customers have participated in the company’s energy-saving programs. In 2023 alone, more than 133,000 of Tampa Electric’s customers participated in at least one energy-saving program. One of our goals is to help residential and business customers reduce their overall energy use, and ultimately their energy costs.
To help assist customers having difficulty making utility bill payments, Tampa Electric matches donations to the Share program dollar for dollar. Share is administered by the Salvation Army and the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, specifically to provide utility-bill assistance. The Share program is funded by the generosity of employees, customers and community partners.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 840,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
