If you have checked all of your bill items and they look normal, you may have changes with your electricity usage. Here are some things that can affect your bill:

Seasonal changes/weather: Usage varies depending on the time of year. The winter season often leads to an increase in energy costs – even for homes without an electric furnace. Shorter days call for more lighting and time spent indoors, and cooler weather typically translates into more cooking and hot water use.

Non-electric furnaces utilize electric blowers, and the supplemental use of space heaters, engine block heaters for diesel vehicles, heat tape, snow-melting devices, pump house heaters, small baseboard heating units, hot tubs and heat lamps can have a major impact on your electric usage.

Those who irrigate or have outdoor ponds may see an increase in usage beginning in the spring months, while summer often translates into more cooling (from air conditioners, fans and swamp coolers), showers and time
off from work and school.

Additions to the family: Any additions to the household will impact your bill. A new baby might seem small, but they can use up a lot of energy – more laundry, heat and an increase in cooking can quickly add up. The same goes for a new roommate, college kid home from school, summer vacations, a visitor, etc.

Visitors: Any time you have a visitor in your home, there is a potential for your electricity use to increase. Heat and hot water are two of the highest energy guzzlers in your home. Visitors have a tendency to use up more heat, increase hot water usage (more showers), and washers and dryers are used more frequently. Sometimes, visitors bring their RV and plug in to an outlet on the outside of your home.

Family illness: An illness in the family may change your energy bill, too. If someone stays home during the day when your house is usually unoccupied, the extra use of electricity for lights, television, showers and cooking will show up as a slight increase on your bill. Some illnesses require the use of medical equipment, which can also increase the amount of energy used.

Changes or additions in electrical equipment: Have you added any new appliances? A computer or hot tub perhaps? During seasonal changes, we sometimes change the way we use appliances – fans and air conditioners in the summer, or space heaters and heating blankets in the winter. Do you have a new hobby? Have you remodeledyour home? Are you making use of a space not previously used? Anything that you are doing differently with appliances, both major and minor, can impact your electric bill.

Equipment malfunction: Have you noticed anything unusual with any of your electrical equipment? Is your heater or cooling equipment running longer than usual? Does your circuit breaker trip often? Does your hot water heater run out of hot water sooner than normal? These can be signs that your equipment is not working properly and needs to be repaired. Malfunctioning equipment can use up more energy than neccessary.

Holidays: Holidays may prompt decorative lighting, guests in the home,additional cooking, and more time spent at home, all of which may result in higher usage.

Vacations: Even when you are away from the home, there are appliances that will still use electricity unless turned off at the breaker. Consider the following questions. Was the electric hot water heater turned off at the breaker during your absence? Was the thermostat temperature on your heating unit decreased before you left? Were any space heaters left on to keep pipes from freezing or pets warm? Was the air conditioning left on? Remember that an empty house takes more energy to heat than an occupied one, so you won’t lower your bill while you’re away without taking steps to lower your usage.

If you still have questions about changes in your bill, please call us at 1-888-221-7070 and one of our customer service employees will be happy to take a further look at your account.