With the heat index as high as 109, keeping the house cool can come at a cost. But one Raleigh man says changing when and how he uses electricity is helping him shave up to 25% off his monthly Duke Energy bill.
Adam Helsel, a facility engineer who lives in a two-story townhome, said he combines several Duke Energy programs with small changes at home to save roughly $50 or more in some months. One of those programs alone, a time-of-use rate, typically saves him about $20 to $35 a month.
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“You have to take a little bit of care with your thermostat and when you run your dishwasher, things like that,” Helsel said. “But for relatively simple lifestyle changes, it saves real cash that adds up.”
The potential savings can become more important during extreme heat, when air conditioners run longer and households use more electricity. Duke Energy spokesperson Caroline Fountain said cooling demand jumped 43% above average during an earlier period of extreme heat this summer.
“All of that translates into higher energy use because your HVAC system is working overtime, longer, even overnight hours, in order to keep your home cool and comfortable,” Fountain said.
Flex Savings
One of Helsel's strategies is Duke Energy's Flex Savings Option, a time-of-use rate that charges different prices depending on when customers use electricity.
For Duke Energy Progress customers enrolled in the program, electricity costs more during periods when demand on the grid is highest and less during designated discount periods. Customers who successfully shift enough of their electricity use to lower-demand hours can pay less than they would under the standard residential rate.
During the summer, Helsel tries to minimize his electricity use during the 6-9 p.m. peak period from May through September.
That doesn't mean skipping laundry or leaving dirty dishes in the sink. Helsel uses delay-start features on his appliances to make them run later and programs his thermostat around the different rate periods.
“I do dishes after dinner, and then I can hit a couple-hour delay start to where it comes on in the preferred time frame,” Helsel said. “Especially laundry and dishes are super simple.”
His energy reports break down how much electricity he uses during on-peak, off-peak and discount periods and compare his costs with what he would have paid on Duke's standard residential rate. During the overnight discount period, the electricity rate is half the standard off-peak rate.
The program does require some planning. Duke Energy does not control a customer's appliances or decide when electricity is used; customers are responsible for shifting their own usage. Duke warns that customers who don't move enough electricity use away from on-peak hours could see their bills increase.
Customers make a minimum one-year commitment to the time-of-use rate. However, Duke says customers whose circumstances change or who determine the rate isn't a good fit can switch back to a standard rate. They then cannot re-enroll in a time-of-use rate for 12 months.
Bill credits for helping reduce peak demand
Helsel also participates in EnergyWise Home, a separate Duke Energy Progress program that offers bill credits in exchange for allowing the utility to temporarily adjust enrolled equipment during periods of high electricity demand.
Unlike Flex Savings, which requires customers to proactively change when they use electricity, EnergyWise allows Duke to make brief adjustments to eligible enrolled equipment during a limited number of peak-demand events.
A Duke Energy flyer advertises up to $246 per year in EnergyWise bill credits, depending on which equipment a customer enrolls. Helsel receives a $56 annual credit for enrolling his air conditioner and receives additional credits through other eligible equipment.
Duke also offers a smart thermostat option that provides eligible customers bill credits for allowing the company to make temporary thermostat adjustments during periods of high demand.
For Helsel, those credits add to the savings he sees from changing when he uses electricity. His time-of-use savings fluctuate depending on the month and how much flexibility he has to avoid peak hours.
Extreme heat can make that harder.
“I may only save $20 this month because, you know, using more AC,” Helsel said. “But yes, I still have a net decrease in my bill at the end of the month.”
How to keep cooling costs down during a heat wave
Even customers who don't enroll in a special rate plan can take steps to reduce energy use.
Fountain recommends setting the thermostat to the highest temperature that is still comfortable, keeping HVAC filters clean and closing blinds or curtains on sunny sides of the house.
Ceiling fans can also make people in a room feel up to 4 degrees cooler, according to Duke, allowing some customers to raise the thermostat without sacrificing comfort. Fans cool people rather than rooms, however, so they should be turned off when a room is empty.
Customers can also request a free home energy assessment. An energy adviser evaluates the home and provides personalized recommendations for improving efficiency, including information about rebates that may be available for upgrades.
Another new option this summer is Duke Energy's Bill Insights feature in its mobile app, which provides a personalized breakdown of factors affecting a customer's bill, including weather and the length of the billing cycle.
Saving electricity can have benefits beyond the monthly bill. Homes and businesses account for nearly a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions when emissions from the electricity they use are included, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Using less electricity can reduce the amount of power that needs to be generated, particularly during periods of high demand. That can lower emissions from fossil fuel power plants while also reducing strain on the electric grid.
“Pay attention to either the emails or the flyers that you get with your bill,” Helsel said. “There’s a lot of good, useful information in there on ways to lower your energy demand and to shift your peak.”