SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Your money is gone more quickly these days. A big chunk of change goes to your power bill. A cost that will likely be high for a while.
“It’s going to be a real problem and something we’re really going to have to work on as a state because there’s going to be a lot of people that just are not able to afford their power,” said Doug Lewin, an energy consultant with Stoic Energy. “Everybody’s kind of focus on the reliability crisis and understandably so. There’s another crisis happening at the same time and that’s a crisis of affordability.”
There are a lot of costs that change on your bill. Right now, they are all going up.
How much power you use is the biggest factor in driving of the cost of your bill. It is the “Energy Charge” on your bill. These scorching days mean air conditioners are on more for longer.
Next is a “Peak Capacity Charge,” which means you pay more for power June through September for every kilowatt hour you use over 600 kilowatt hours.
Then there is a “Fuel Adjustment Charge.” That is the cost of fuel. It is the second largest cost that makes your bill rise. This cost fluctuates monthly based on what CPS Energy pays for fuel. The fuel that runs power plants is natural gas and prices are rising.
“Natural gas transporters can keep increasing the price as the market demands more and more natural gas,” said Virginia Palacios of Commission Shift. “There is not an independent market monitor for the gas supply chain that is checking gas prices and making sure that gas prices are fair and there isn’t a cap on natural gas pricing in this state.”
Plus, CPS Energy customers also saw a rate increase in March. That adds 3.85% to your bill. It is an extra $5.10 a month for the average bill.
Bottom line, you are paying a lot more now and probably will until the intense heat ends.
Here is how to reduce your bill for free:
- Keep your thermostat at 78.
- Close blinds and shades.
- Turn off lights.
- Unplug unused electronics.
These actions come at a small cost, but will also help reduce your bill:
- Change your air filters monthly.
- Install a programmable thermostat.
- Add insulation to your attic.
Call CPS Energy customer service at 210-353-2222 if you are having trouble paying your bill. It can help you with assistance and payment plans.
“We know that bills are high due to a few factors, especially because we saw a record high in June and we’re seeing record high temperatures in July, over 100 degrees every day so far,” said Dana Sotoodeh from CPS Energy. “What we want people to know is that we have resources available to them. Since June of 2020, we’ve connected our customers with more than $60 million in assistance.”
You can also sign up for High Bill Alerts with CPS Energy by calling customer service.
“They basically will alert you when your electric or gas bill is 20% higher than it was at the same time the year previous,” Sotoodeh said.
Another option is to participate in the Budget Payment Plan.
“It essentially smooths out your monthly energy bill,” Sotoodeh said. “It takes the previous 13 months of your usage and it makes one set payment based on that. So summer is really a good time to do that because it averages your lows and your highs and gives you a steady payment.”
Plus, customers can attend any of several community fairs to get questions answered and find out about assistance options.