Understand Your Summer kWh Use
While summer still seems far away, forward-thinking Texans can already plan for those hot days ahead. And what better way to calculate how much you should budget for your electricity bill than by examining your usage? Discover how much electricity the average Dallas home uses per month to give you a better sense of what you can expect this summer.
Where Do All My kWh Go To?
The exact distribution of your kWh usage within your household depends on your appliances and your habits. In Dallas, the average home size is about 2,000 square feet. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the residential consumption is 1,094 kWh per month. However, that’s based on a yearly average.
Historically, energy consumption can almost double during the summer months in Texas. The increased AC usage can easily add 500-700 kWh of usage every month. Depending on how well sealed your home is, you may use between 1500 and 2000 kWh or more.
In Texas, AC usage can account for as much as 27% of your total electricity bill during the summer. Central air conditioning can use as much as 3 kWh per hour, which can quickly add up. In comparison, a ceiling fan uses only 0.075 kWh per hour.
The second largest source of your consumption comes from household appliances. If you do one load per day, an average washer and dryer can use up to 166 kWh per month. Similarly, your oven and stove can easily use 70 kWh of electricity every month if you run them for one hour a day. Luckily, your fridge’s consumption is generally lower at 1-2 kWh per day, which would mean a max monthly usage of 60 kWh.
Four Tips to Reduce Electricity Use in the Summer
- Set the temperature higher: While you may want an icebox of a home during the hot Texan summer, according to Energy Star, you should keep your AC temp at around 78 °F during the summer. But, you can go as high as you can bear to keep your AC usage low.
- Commit to AC maintenance: An AC with a dirty filter blocks airflow. So your system runs longer, using more electricity to keep your home cool.
- Turn off unused lights and appliances: Adopt good habits like turning off lights when you leave the room and unplugging your TV during the night. Setting back your thermostat when you leave the house for the day is also the best practice.
- Switch to LED lightbulbs: Incandescent light bulbs use 43.8 kWh per year if you use them for 2 hours per day. In comparison, LED bulbs use 7.3 kWh per year at the same usage time.
Get a Cheaper Electricity Deal in Dallas
The tips above will help you reduce your kWh usage. But, nothing saves money as well as having a good electric deal. And you most likely won’t find one in the summer. As the spring shoulder months come to an end, there’s still time to nab a great electricity deal on www.texaselectricityratings.com.
