Keeping Energy Bills Down As Temperatures Rise

This week’s hot temperatures lead you to want more air conditioning, but what effect does that have on your energy bill?

Cookeville Electric Department Director Carl Haney said hotter weather outdoors tends to make your air conditioner work harder to maintain cooler temperatures indoors. He said that each degree you are able to raise your thermostat in a heat wave saves you between one and three percent on your electricity bill.

“Your bill is based on a kilowatt-hour so for every kilowatt it uses for an hour, that’s one kilowatt-hour,” Haney said. “So if an air conditioner is having to work all day long, then it’s sitting there at whatever the full capacity size that air conditioner is.”

Haney said he recommends turning the AC down or setting it on a timer when you are not home if possible. He said many people think that if the AC is down all day it will have to work harder to cool the house back down, but that is not always the case.

As for other ways to keep your AC unit from overworking, Haney said they also suggest simple things such as keeping curtains or blinds closed to block the sun from warming your house. He said using ovens or stoves in the cooler parts of the day also help to keep your house cooler without using a lot of energy.

“All of those help with that,” Haney said.  “But obviously heat like this does put a large burden on your air conditioners and your electric bill.”