Kansas Citians, Experts Discuss Ways to Save on Electricity Bills in Summer Months
Weather Alerts and Closings/Delays in Place as Summer Heat Kicks In
As hot weather moves in, Kansas City residents and energy experts prepare for the summer months by exploring innovative ways to slash their electricity bills. According to recent records, the Consumer Price Index for electricity has seen a 6% increase in the last year, demonstrating that consumers are experiencing increasing expenses on electricity bills.
Potential for Savings with Evergy’s Time-Based Rate Plan
In response to the growing costs, a little over a year ago, the Missouri Public Service Commission made it compulsory for Evergy’s Missouri clients to make use of a time-based rate plan, an option that Kansas residents can opt into voluntarily. With default time-based, summer peak time, nights and weekends, and nights and weekends max plans available, nearly 85% of the customer base currently subscribes to the default time-based plan. Evergy emphasizes the flexibility of these plans, allowing customers to switch at will if they find their adopted plan is not the optimal one.
The time-based plan ensures consumers are charged based on their usage time. Typically, peak usage and higher costs occur between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Because of these peak hours, Evergy encourages power usage during off-peak periods.
Proactive Customers See Tangible Savings
Higher energy efficiency can bring favorable outcomes to consumers and the regional grid by easing the pressure elicited by hot weather and extreme temperatures. Analyze My Usage, a versatile tool utilized by a number of eco-conscious Kansas Citians, has enabled many of them to regulate their power use and save on their bills significantly.
A Kansas City native and Evergy customer, Kathleen Lally-Arena, used to see monthly bills around $1,000 for heating, cooling, and electricity for her century-old, 3,000 square-foot house. Through diligent use of Analyze My Usage and adopting energy-saving measures, her recent electricity bill amounts to a mere $121, demonstrating the potential for remarkable savings year-round.
Adopting Lower Usage Practices This Summer
The summer season brings increased household activities during peak usage hours, which can inflate electricity bills. Aside from taking advantage of off-peak hours, there are various methods to trim energy consumption. These include adjusting the air conditioner by a few degrees, replacing the HVAC filter every three months, using blackout curtains, washing laundry in cold water, keeping shades drawn, and using air fryers instead of ovens. These tactics effectively lower household energy consumption, reducing costs for consumers.
Incorporating these strategies and others, Lally-Arena has rolled up her dance studio’s carpet and removed carpets from certain rooms to achieve further energy efficiency. Her consistent effort and usage monitoring have allowed her to trim her monthly bills by approximately $700, leaving her, and many other Kansas Citians, exceedingly satisfied.
