Managing High Bills

Be aware of your usage

The best way to avoid being surprised by a high bill is to keep tabs on how much energy you’re using.

Energy is the only product most people buy without knowing how much they’re getting or what they’re paying. It can be very hard to tell, since the same thermostat setting results in variable energy use based on the outside temperature.

Our bills include a bar chart that compares your most recent 12 months of usage to the previous year, along with details about the weather. This can help explain the amount you owe and illustrate trends that might prompt energy use changes going forward.

But if you want to make more proactive adjustments, you should make regular visits to our online energy tracker. My Energy Usage shows your daily and hourly consumption compared to your historic usage. You can also review on-peak, off-peak, and demand usage for the month. This lets you make immediate changes – before your bill arrives – if your usage is higher than you hoped.

Log in to your TEP account online or via the mobile app to get started. The patterns you see also can help you determine which of our pricing plans might be a good fit for your household. Learn more about our Time-of-Use and other flexible pricing plans.

Simple steps to significant savings

Improving energy efficiency not only lowers your energy bills; it improves the comfort and quality of life for you and your family. You have the power to start saving today and for years to come with some low-cost measures and simple lifestyle modifications.  In some cases, our rebates can make investments in efficiency more affordable.

Here are some simple steps to take now:

• Manage your air conditioning. For most of us, air conditioning is the largest energy user in our homes. Depending on the needs of your household members, consider setting your thermostat to 78 degrees, or even higher during times when the home is not occupied. Be sure to change dirty filters to help your AC unit run more efficiently. Also, consider using fans – and a higher thermostat setting – to keep cool. TEP offers rebates on air conditioning tune-ups to help you keep your unit running optimally. We also offer a free virtual home assessment of your home’s heating and cooling system.
• Control standby power. Turn off lights and appliances when not in use, and unplug electronic devices that continue to draw power even when off. The average customer spends up to $100 each year on this type of phantom energy loss, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Plugging these devices into a power strip and then switching off the strip when the devices are not used is a convenient and effective way to reduce standby power.
• Shield the sun. Closing doors, windows, curtains, shades and blinds during the day helps to seal out the heat and block sunlight when temperatures are at their highest.
• Use large appliances efficiently. Position foods you use regularly in the front of your refrigerator so they’re easy to find, limiting the time you need to keep the doors open. Keep lids on your pots and pans when cooking, trapping heat and speeding up cooking time, and right size your pan to the burner. Dishwashers are more efficient than handwashing. Up to 85 percent of the energy used by a clothes washing machine goes to heat the water, so use the cold water settings when appropriate and do only full loads.

Shift your energy use and choose to save.

Choosing the right pricing plan can help you take control of your electric bill.

Changing your energy usage habits, particularly if you can limit your energy usage during times of high energy demand, can help you reduce your bill. Our Pricing Planner tool can help you determine which pricing plan might be a good fit for your household energy use, helping you save energy and lower your bill.

Shifting your energy usage to earlier in the day or overnight also has the added advantage of supporting cleaner energy, since those times match when wind and solar power are most abundant.

Consider paying the same amount each month.

Managing your budget is a lot easier when you know how much your bills are in advance.

Most of us pay lower winter bills and then higher summer bills when we use our air conditioning units more, but with Budget Billing, you’ll pay the same each month all year long.

You’ll know ahead of time how much to set aside for energy costs regardless of the season. Read about one customer’s experience with the program.