SAN ANTONIO — Well, folks: We have made it through summer, which is typically when the highest electric bills arrive for San Antonio residents. Now, they are starting to go down for most people, but there are some simple ways you can bring them down even more.
CPS Energy has plenty of tips for saving money on electricity, not only in homes but at small businesses as well. The big expense tends to be air conditioning and heating.
"If it is cooler outside, you should bump up your thermostat, and if you are not home you should definitely make sure you are bumping up your thermostat so you are not wasting any energy there," said CPS Energy Communications Specialist Dana Sotoodeh.
Another way to cool your home down: Use portable or ceiling fans, which Sotoodeh says can make living spaces four to six degrees cooler.
Here are some other few tips to save energy all year round:
- Have a licensed professional check your HVAC unit twice a year.
- Clean and replace air filters according to the directions on the filter itself.
- Caulk the windows and doors for leaks so your HVAC unit is not using more energy than it needs to.
- And consider using Wi-Fi thermostats, which Sotoodeh says allow you to control and manage the temperature at any time.
CPS Energy even offers a one-time $85 rebate to help bring down the cost. And there are also resources on the CPS Energy website, including the My Energy Portal.
"That allows you to really see your energy usage as you are using it," Sotoodeh says. "It's a really great budgeting tool and it allows people to see where they are at before that bill is actually due."
If you are struggling to pay your energy bill, CPS Energy encourages you to call them at (210)353-2222, where they'll have energy advisors ready to help you out.