Heat is raising electricity bills, but learn how you can reduce those bills
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- With another heatwave hitting Michiana, people are going to want to be inside with the AC blasting, but keeping cool comes with a cost. Senior Communication Specialist at Indiana Michigan Power, Demetrious Lewis, explains how homeowners might be seeing an increase in their electricity bills. “During those off-peak hours, whether early in the morning or later in the afternoon, because those heavier appliances can draw up more electricity, creating more usage, it’s going to up your bill,” Lewis said. Those peak hours of the day are between early afternoon and late evenings, which is when most members of a household are going to be home; that is one factor that can vary the electricity bill. Every home will have different electricity usafe depending on how many members there are within the home. Lewis was able to explain to ABC57 how you can keep your bill lower. “It’s important for you to keep your air conditioner on one setting. Don’t you know fidget with it, move it up and down. That’s going to increase the usage of power for your AC. It’s going to work harder when you’re, you know, adjusting those temperatures,” Lewis said. Technicians at ‘Home Comfort Experts” say they have been getting thousands of calls this week from customers who have experienced outages from the heat. Brian West is the General Manager at Home Comfort Experts, and he says that his technicians are tired. “We have 30 some technicians, and so they’re out there running from eight int he morning till 12 O’clock at night, and running many calls a day,” West said. West says that their turnaround time is aimed to be around 24 to 48 hours, first taking care of the elderly, then moving on to their list of customers. West provided some tips and tricks to help keep your cooling system running smoothly. West also says that dirt getting in the filter is the number one because of your AC unit going out.