TAMPA, Fla. — As many of us are riding out the coronavirus pandemic at home, we are probably using more energy than usual. Binge-watching shows, leaving the lights on throughout the day, and cranking up the air conditioner are just a few things that will set you back a few dollars.
The average household spends about $2,000 a year on utility costs, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. With more people working from home on their laptops, and students logging on to their computers for e-learning classes, families are bound to see an increase in their utility bills.
In Florida, TECO, Duke Energy, Florida Power Light, are all working toward a plan to get their customer's energy bills reduced.
All three companies requested approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to give the annual fuel savings in their upcoming bill.
Usually, fuel savings are refunded to customers throughout the following year.
"Through the year, there are times fuel costs go down, then we provide that to our customers,” explained Bill Orlove, FPL’s spokesman. "Normally we spread it out over the year or several months.
"But because of this crisis that we're in, we felt it was important for customers to get those savings as quickly as possible, and we're doing it as a one-time rate reduction."
Once the PSC approves the requests, Orlove expects customers will see the savings listed on their May billing statement.
“That will provide residential customers nearly a 25-percent savings on their bill," he said.
Duke Energy residential customers will see a 21-percent savings if PSC approves the request.
Given this is a one-time lump-sum discount, there are several ways you can save on energy by curbing a few simple habits while you wait for stay at home orders to life.
15 Tips to save a few dollars on your energy bill
- When your phone, laptop and other mobile devices are fully charged, unplug the charger from the socket. According to Duke Energy, many chargers still burn energy when its not connected to a device.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room. If your home is basking in sunlight, open the blinds and let the natural light shine through.
- Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room. “Fans cool people, not rooms,” Orlove said.
- Check the filters in your air-conditioner and replace them if they are dirty. Clean filters use less energy and the system won’t have to work as hard.
- Keep your windows closed when the AC is on.
- Switch to LEDs, which use a lot less energy.
- Use a power strip and turn it off to stop power flow when you’re not using the electronics attached to it.
- Unplug your printer and appliances when not in use.
- Using your computer’s sleep mode or power management features can save up to $50 a year. If your computer won’t be in use for more than two hours, energy.gov recommends turning it off.
- If you’re still ‘meal prepping’ FPL recommends that you bake several dishes at a time.
- Only run the dishwasher when it’s full. You will save water and electricity.
- Keep the bedroom and other doors open. Closed doors can block the airflow.
- Clean the lint filter in your dryer before every load to minimize drying time.
- Turn off bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans when you leave the room or after you’re done using it.
- Video games and television sets turn them off when you’re not using them.
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