METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — The start of summer is less than one week away, but metro Detroiters have already been dealing with some hot days, and that could mean a more expensive energy bill. DTE Energy and Consumers Energy's summer peak electric rates are now in effect.
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Taking a look at your energy bill and seeing higher costs can definitely create headaches, but DTE energy told me that by taking a few steps, you can keep some money in your wallet this summer.
As temperatures rise in metro Detroit, people are looking for ways to beat the heat. But Detroiter Ladon Skyes knows that cranking up the A/C can come with a price tag.
"This time of year, i’m just trying to stay as cool as i can. i’m not home that much but when i am at home, i use my air and i set to a certain temperature," Sykes said. "During the summertime, of course your bills will be up higher."
According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, this summer's cooling costs are expected to rise by a whopping 10.5 percent compared to last year, and some are making adjustments to keep their bills down.
"When I leave home, if it’s hot outside, and the air condition has been running, I turn it off," said Keith Harris. "It doesn’t make sense to cool an open house."
Andrea Aiello, the manager of electric marketing for DTE Energy, said nearly half of energy costs in the summer come from cooling your home. Peak summer rates are also in effect through September from 3-7 p.m. on weekdays, causing prices to rise by about 4 cents per kilowatt hour during that time.
"That means you’ve got 20 hours, Monday through Friday, of off-peak hours and that peak time is designed because that’s when it’s most expensive to generate energy," Aiello said.
But there are ways to save.
"For instance, you could pre-cool your home before 3 p.m.," Aiello suggested.
Aiello told me that DTE Energy also offers programs that will change a customer's peak times based on their usage. Being energy efficient is critical as well.
"Make sure that your vents in your house, your a/c unit, that the vents, the air can move freely. don’t have furniture in front of it," Aiello said. "If you have sun coming in on a hot day, lower your shades, close your window treatments. that helps keep that cooler so your a/c doesn’t have to work as hard."
She added that DTE has tools available, like their bill analyzer and insight app, to help customers manage their costs.
"If they’re going on a journey to say, 'Why do i have a high bill? How do i mitigate that?', we have suggestions in those tools to help them specifically based off how they’re using energy," Aiello said.
