The success of every great team is determined by the performance of its players. So, it’s important to know how the players responsible for your family’s comfort can impact your energy bill. If your air conditioning unit is the quarterback responsible for your family’s comfort in warm weather, your furnace is the linebacker defending your family from cold weather in the winter. During the milder seasons, many of us are “benching” our heating or air conditioning system because of the moderate temperatures — and that usually means lower energy bills.
When mild fall weather turns into sustained colder winter temperatures, your all-star heating system jumps into the game and runs more frequently, for longer periods of time. This means you can generally expect to see your energy bills increase around October and peak in January or February. The cost of heating your home can make up 40% of your monthly Avista bill.
Save money and win one for your team by trying the following plays:
To avoid obstacles that could impede your team’s chances for success like appliances failing, falling victim to the dreaded injured reserve list (IR), please have your appliances serviced regularly.
To see how changes to your seasonal playbook impact your energy bill, look for the section on the back of your bill that says, “Your Monthly Energy Usage” and review the electric and/or natural gas charts located there. The chart shows your energy use for the current month, plus the prior 11 months. You’ll also see the current month’s usage compared to the same month of the previous year.