TUCSON, Ariz. -- Heat isn’t the only thing going up this season— electricity bills are too!
Sherri Cadeaux is the Senior Corporate Communications Specialist with Tucson Electric Power. She says bills skyrocket over the Summer.
“Average bills for the summer can be $250 to $300,” she told KGUN9.
However, she says your bills don’t have to be so high.
Here are hacks, she says, will help keep you cool while saving money
“Make sure that you close your blinds, your curtains, during the daytime. Make sure that you avoid heat-generating appliances. You want to use those in the evening if you can. Dial your thermostat to 78. Use ceiling fans to help you feel cool,” she added.
She says switching incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs, and planting trees for shade can also help you save money.
Here’s what you can do to avoid high summer bills altogether.
“One of the things we suggest to customers is signing up for our Budget Billing Program. It takes the 12 months of your energy costs and divides them into equal payments over 12 months. What this means is that you’re going to pat the same amount every month, even during the summer.>
If you need help paying bills, TEP can help with that, too.
“Tucson Electric has donated more than $1 million to COVID relief to help our customers. We have a lot of resources we can refer them to. One of them is a lifeline program that offers a monthly discount for their utility bills,” Cadeaux said.
They can also refer customers to agencies that can provide short term assistance on their bills. These include:
- Interfaith Community Services
- Pima County Community Action Agency
- Portable Practical Education Preparation
- Salvation Army Green Valley
“Call us if you’re behind on your bills. We really want to work with you to help make sure your kills are manageable and if you visit our website we can share energy-saving tips that will help you reduce that summertime cooling cost,” she told KGUN9.
For resources on electricity bill relief, click here.
