Cooperative Living July 2018 - 28
EnergySense | by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen, Contributing Writers
Analyzing
Understanding Your Energy Bill
D
ear Pat: Every month, I look
over my electric bill, but a lot of
it doesn't make sense to me. Is
there information included on my bill
that can help me save money?
- Don
D
ear Don: It's always good to fully
understand how you're spending
your money. You look over your
credit card statement carefully each month,
so you should do the same with your utility
bills. As you'd suspect, analyzing your
bill can help you save energy and money.
If you live in an all-electric home, all
of your home energy costs will be on the
monthly bill from your electric cooperative.
This bill will probably have one or more
fixed charges that cover some of the costs
your co-op incurs in delivering the power
to your home.
Beyond these fixed fees, you will pay for
the power you have used that month, which
is sold in kilowatt-hour (kWh) units. One
kWh is equal to 1,000 watts over a onehour
period. Think of 10 100-watt lights
that are used for one hour. Most electric
co-ops charge the same rate for a kWh no
matter when you use it, but some offer a
" time-of-use " rate that is higher during
peak energy hours -- when the wholesale
price of electricity is higher because there's
greater demand. Some co-ops have different
rates for different-use tiers, so the rate could
be higher or lower as monthly use increases.
Electric rates can also vary by season
and cost more during high-use months.
If you're being charged more for energy
use during on-peak hours, you can often
adjust the time you use certain appliances
and equipment, like your dishwasher,
air conditioner, clothes washer or oven
your bill can help
you save energy
and money.
to off-peak hours. This won't reduce your
electric use, but it can save you money if
your co-op offers a time-of-use rate.
Most energy bills include a chart that
shows your electric use over the past 12
months. If your home is electrically heated,
you will see how much your use goes up
in the winter. This chart can also show how
much your use goes up during the summer
when you're running your air conditioner.
Your electric co-op may offer tools on
its website to help you track energy use
and estimate how much you use for
space heating, air conditioning and water
heating, which are often the three largest
energy users. Knowing how much you
spend on heating or cooling can help you
determine how much you might save by
installing a new heat pump or other
energy-efficiency upgrade.
Some co-ops also offer online energy-audit
Some energy bills include an annual energy use chart, which can provide clues to identify areas of energy-efficiency opportunities.
26 | Cooperative Living | July 2018
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Cooperative Living July 2018
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living July 2018
Cooperative Living July 2018 - 1
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