Factors that Impact Your Energy Bills
February brings with it some of the coldest weather of the year. Because of the lower temperatures, your home heating system works harder and longer to keep you warm. This means your energy bills will be higher. Though you may feel you have no control, you have more control than you may think.
If you would like to monitor your control and see up-to-date detailed information about your energy usage, please consider downloading the SmartHub app. By using the SmartHub app, you can see day-by-day and hour-by-hour the electricity used on chilly days and monitor energy saved when you make recommended energy use changes or improvements.
Taking control of your energy bill begins by controlling what you can. But first, you must know the factors beyond your control (and beyond Petit Jean Electric’s control): fuel prices, extreme weather, infrastructure and equipment costs, energy policy and government regulation.
Fuel Prices
Petit Jean Electric purchases electricity from our wholesale power provider, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC). Petit Jean then distributes this purchased electricity to the homes, farms, and businesses on our system. If the cost of generating and transmitting electricity from AECC increases, because of increased fuel or maintenance costs, so does Petit Jean’s cost to provide electric service to our local homes, farms, and businesses. Rest assured that Petit Jean Electric works closely with AECC and other cooperatives to help stabilize this wholesale cost.
Extreme Weather
As everyone knows, no one can control the weather. When temperatures become extremely cold or hot and the demand for electricity spikes, the price can also increase.
Infrastructure and Equipment Costs
To cover a portion of the costs associated with providing electricity to homes, farms, or businesses, members pay a monthly “Service Availability” charge. This fixed monthly fee pays for the fixed costs incurred to ensure reliable service for our members. The “Service Availability” charge helps cover the cost of maintaining the local grid. These costs include poles, wire, substations, trucks, tree trimming, materials, labor, and other daily operations.
Energy Policy and Regulations
Federal energy policies and regulations can have a profound impact on electricity costs. Because of increasingly stricter regulations for natural gas and coal generation, the energy supply is changing from reliable natural gas and coal generation to intermittent wind and solar generation. This has resulted in costly plant upgrades as well as the construction of new facilities which increase costs that are ultimately passed on to you.
Petit Jean Electric and other cooperatives continuously work with members of Congress and local legislators to advocate for common-sense energy policies and regulations.
You Have Control
You have control over your energy use at home. Since heating and cooling account for most of your home energy usage, you can adjust the thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting to save energy and money (for example, 68˚F in the winter, and 72˚F in the summer). You can also save energy and money by replacing dirty air filters as needed and sealing air leaks around windows, doors, and other areas where gaps are possible to help your heating and cooling system work less. Finally, using the SmartHub app on your phone allows you to monitor your daily usage and identify high usage times.
As always, Petit Jean Electric is here to serve you. We work constantly to provide reliable, reasonably priced power. We stand ready to advise and help you so that you have the power you need when you need it.
