Why Energy Bills Spike During Summer in University Park Homes

If you’re someone who takes a deep breath before opening your energy bill as summertime begins, it may help to understand why bills can spike during this time and to know which factors are under your control.

So, here are two broad reasons for high energy bills in University Park, TX, and three solutions.

1. Higher Usage in Summer Months

This reason probably feels pretty intuitive. In University Park and throughout Dallas County, average daily high temperatures typically exceed ninety degrees in June, July, August, and September. Averages for July and August come in at a whopping ninety-six and ninety degrees. 

Higher temperatures = higher air conditioning usage. 

Since cooling a home sometimes accounts for half of energy costs, this connection goes a long way toward explaining spikes in energy bills. The longer daylight means that people may also be using appliances and electronics for more hours each day, which also contributes to energy costs. 

As yet another consideration, natural gas is often used to produce electricity, and the greater demand for natural gas causes price increases for the natural gas. In other words, it’s an ingredient in electricity production. As the costs of ingredients go up, so does the final product: electricity. 

During the record heat waves being experienced in Texas during the summer, the grid faced an all-time high demand. This means that, although the higher temperatures can affect people’s energy bills across the country, Texas faces additional challenges. 

2. Grid-Related Issues and More

Although the Texas grid doesn’t directly explain energy price spikes in the summer, issues connected to the grid do create a higher baseline from which the spikes jump. As a brief history, in the 1930s, Texas protested federal energy regulations, staying independent and operating its own independent power grid. 

This meant that borrowing electricity from other states couldn’t happen as easily for Texas when demand exceeded capacity. In one of those situations, when the winter storm named Uri left 4.5 million Texans without power in 2021, it also created nearly $200 billion in damages; to cover these costs, electric bills spiked to the degree that some people received electric bills in the thousands of dollars. As a solution, Texas officials ultimately decided to connect to the national grid, but that also comes at a connection cost: about $360 million that customers help to fund through higher electric bills. 

As a related issue, more than 150 AI and data centers exist in the Dallas area, and these centers consume enormous amounts of energy and can contribute significantly to electrical usage and price increases. 

What Can I Do?

At this point, you may be asking yourself a very reasonable question, one about what you can do about hotter temperatures, historic grid issues, and so forth. The answer: probably not much.

You can, however, take other steps to address your high energy bills in University Park, TX. Here are three of them. 

1. Maintain Your Air Conditioning System Well

When your AC system works efficiently and effectively, it doesn’t have to work so hard. This can translate into lower energy bills. Things you can do include:

• Change your AC air filters more often

• Keep the outside unit clear of leaves, cottonwood fluff, twigs, trash, and so forth

• Have regular AC maintenance performed by experienced professionals, which can help to keep everything running smoothly and well (rather than having to work too hard. 

  • This practice also allows you to know when you need AC repairs sooner rather than later. When caught early enough, issues with your AC system can typically be addressed more easily and cost-effectively. 

Be Smart About Your Thermostat

With a traditional thermostat, you can only adjust settings when you’re home and able to physically make the adjustments. This means that you may allow the air conditioning to run while you’re gone, cooling an empty house and running up more energy costs, or setting it at a high temperature point and needing to cool your house down again when you get back home.

With a smart thermostat, you can conveniently and remotely make adjustments, and you can align thermostat settings with your presence or absence at temperatures of choice.

Moss Heating, Cooling & Plumbing provides comprehensive HVAC thermostat services: installation, maintenance, upgrades, and repairs. We’ll make sure that your thermostat dovetails well with your HVAC system to meet your family’s and system’s specific needs through our compatibility checks. 

When we perform HVAC maintenance, we’ll also check your thermostat to make sure that it’s clean, set properly, and working well. 

If a new, compatible thermostat becomes available that would offer you even more desired features and help to manage energy costs (including spikes), we can let you know. If you’re interested in upgrading to this new model, we can take care of that for you.

Also, if the thermostat needs to be repaired, we will efficiently diagnose the problem and provide the solution. 

2. Time for an Energy-Efficient Replacement

Sometimes, high energy bills in University Park, TX, mean that your HVAC system is reaching the end of its lifecycle or otherwise isn’t powerful enough to cool your Dallas County home. Have you, for example, added an addition since you got your system?

If you want to explore if this is your situation, we will gladly provide you with a no-pressure inspection, model and size recommendation, and quote for an AC replacement installation. Our experts will:

• Listen carefully to your AC performance concerns and your wish list for a new unit

• Consider your home’s size and layout to calculate the right AC replacement size

• Recommend the optimal system for your home and budget

• Share information about the system’s energy savings, maintenance costs, and potential return on investment

• Answer all of your questions courteously without jargon

In general, if your HVAC system is ten or more years older, you’ll almost certainly have benefits to leverage with an energy-efficient AC replacement. In Dallas County, like in other locales in southern states, the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) that measures AC effectiveness must be 15 or more. 

After you approve a model, our credentialed technicians with local expertise will then follow all safety protocols and regulations when installing your new AC unit. 

Why Choose Moss?

You deserve a team that is clear about your priorities for your home, and Moss Heating, Cooling & Plumbing provides the personal attention you need. We respect your time and your budget, providing clear scheduling and competitive pricing. Besides bringing you comfort through an optimally operating HVAC system, we build our entire processes around your convenience and comfort: consistent and courteous ones with a keen eye towards providing long-term solutions.

Unlike many HVAC companies that focus on both residential and commercial services, we remain laser-targeted on home systems. You can proceed confidently with Moss and our thoroughly background-checked technicians who respect your space, treat you and your home with respect, and maintain a commitment towards consummate professionalism. 

We never use the hard sell approach with pressured sales. Instead, you can count on clear, honest advice and guidance to serve your family. When you need emergency service, Moss is ready to act with prompt, dependable service.

Moss focuses on relationship building, and our Dallas-based company puts people before profits. We’ve earned our reputation one home at a time with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. 

As further assistance, Moss offers convenient HVAC financing.

Request a Professional Assessment and Quote

When high energy bills in University Park, TX hit, don’t panic. Instead, reach out by booking your appointment online or by getting a FREE online quote. We’ll leverage our expertise, top-shelf diagnostic tools, and local experience to provide you with the information you need for a fully operational HVAC system that efficiently and effectively provides you with cool comfort in the hot days of a Dallas County summer.