No doubt it’s been hot here, and your air conditioner has been working overtime -- meaning your wallet is working overtime too. But there might be some tricks you haven’t tried to cut your monthly electric bill.
Change your cleaning time: You can save money by washing clothes and running the dishwasher between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. And when you’re washing your clothes, use cold water. Lowering the temp from 75 to 60 degrees can save $60 a year.
Lower your hot water temperature: The second largest energy user in your home is the hot water heater. Lowering the temperature from 140 to 120 degrees can save 3% to 5% on your energy costs.
Switch to LED light bulbs: Just switching can save you hundreds of dollars. LED light bulbs consume 90% less energy and last 25 times longer. The average person can save $225 a year by making the switch.
Use smart plugs or power strips: Using these will conserve energy. When you turn off a coffeemaker or TV, it continues to draw electricity if it’s plugged into the wall. Smart plugs detect when you’re no longer using a device and automatically turn off the power supply.
Adjust your thermostat: And get used to adjusting your thermostat. Set the temp at 78 when you are home and 82 degrees when you’re away. Each degree you raise your thermostat between 75 and 78 can save you 5% on your monthly cooling costs.
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JEA’s advice to help reduce your utility bill
Air Conditioning
- Air conditioning and heating systems consume about 40% to 60% of all the electricity customers use. Set your thermostat at 78 degrees in summer, 5 degrees to 10 degrees higher when you leave the house.
- Change your heating and cooling system air filter every month. A dirty air filter makes your system work harder, which uses more energy.
- Run ceiling or table fans instead of lowering the air conditioning thermostat. Fans can help make you feel 2 to 3 degrees cooler. But they cool you, not the room, so turn them off when you leave the room.
- Shade windows that receive direct sunlight to help keep rooms cooler.
Small Changes that Make a Big Impact
- Avoid going in and out of the home repeatedly to keep cool air in and hot air out.
- Use the washer with full loads using cold water.
- Try grilling outside, using the microwave or cooking with a Crockpot or InstantPot instead of the stove or oven. Small appliances typically use less energy and keep the kitchen cool.
- Check out more advice in JEA’s Summer Savings section.
Assessments
JEA provides free in-home assessments to help customers conserve energy and reduce water use and thus reduce their JEA bills. Energy auditors conduct walk-through inspections of homes to determine whether behavioral changes and/or new equipment can help reduce energy costs.
To schedule a free energy or irrigation assessment, customers can call 904-665-6000.
Water conservation tips
On average, 35%-50% of water used for irrigation is wasted. Here are some tips for conserving water and saving money on your water bill:
- Inspect sprinkler heads. A broken one can waste 25,000 gallons of water in six months.
- Direct spray to your landscape, not your sidewalk.
- Follow watering days as mandated by St. Johns River Water Management District.
- Order a free JEA Water Conservation Kit for water-saving products that will help you save up to $75 a year on your water bill. Order at: http://jea.com/waterkit
JEA billing/payment assistance
JEA offers a variety of billing and payment options for residential and business customers, including payment assistance. Options include:
- MyBudget: This levelized billing program averages your past usage so your bill is about the same each month.
- Monitor usage: Customers can monitor their daily electric usage through their account on JEA.com. Also, customers can receive alerts via text or email when usage has reached a certain dollar, electric (kWh) or water (gal) amount. Register for alerts here.
- Payment extensions: Learn more about payment extensions for those customers who need a little extra time to pay their bills.
- Payment arrangements: Customers can make payment arrangements when they need to pay their balance due over a longer period of time with installments.
- Access to community resources: JEA can point customers to third-party groups that offer utility bill assistance.
Assistance by utility and program
Energy assistance programs and resources that can also help offset higher utility bills: