SAN ANTONIO — Electricity bills will be going even higher for June and CPS Energy says much of that use can be attributed to your air conditioner. In fact, CPS Energy VP of Financial Planning Chad Hoopingarner told KENS 5 the A/C unit in a home is the number one driver of increasing energy usage.
"Your July bill can be twice as much as your March bill," Hoopingarner said.
The good news, there's an easy Department of Energy rule that can help you save energy.
According to that department, you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours a day from its normal setting. Savings could increase during the summer.
If you work during the day, this can be easy. Just turn up the A/C before you leave and turn it down when you come home.
CPS Energy suggests turning your thermostat to 78 degrees during the day to save energy. While the "10 degrees" rule can save you money, CPS Energy said homeowners should not turn the thermostat higher as it poses a danger to family members or pets.
CPS Energy has more information about conservation here. Hoopingarner said they work to reduce San Antonio's peak usage with a system of energy conservation levels in an effort to save residents money.
Hoopingarner said the high temperatures can also be brutal on city infrastructure.
"It is more expense to generate power in the summer. We have more plants online. When it is hot outside the plants are less efficient and it costs more money to run the plants," Hoopingarner said.
CPS Energy adds a "Peak Capacity Charge" to bills from June though September to help pay for those cost increases.
The charge adds $0.0206 to bills for every kilowatt hour (kWh) used "in excess of 600 kWh," which means the first 600 kWh used are not affected by the charge at all. Hoopingarner says an apartment can hit up to around 900 kWh while a home can use much more depending on it's size and cooling systems.
Hoopingarner told KENS 5 that, due to the Peak Capacity Charge, conserving energy in the summer can save people even more money than in other times a year. He said homes and apartments can "reasonably" save 20% of their current electricity usage during the summer by following additional CPS energy saving tips.
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