With ComEd’s Hourly Pricing, a program that charges the hourly market rate for electricity instead of the standard fixed rate, you could see average savings of 15 percent on the supply portion of your electric bill by shifting your energy-usage to hours when power prices drop (like nights and weekends).
If you’re already enrolled or thinking about enrolling, the more intentional you are with your usage patterns the better chance you have of saving. So how exactly do you shift your usage? Here are some tips:
- Don’t over-cool or over-heat your home. Setting your thermostat to extreme temperatures won’t cool or heat your home any faster. You have to decide what’s best for your health and comfort in your own home, but the Department of Energy recommends setting the thermostat at 78 degrees when you’re home in the summer. Switching to a smart thermostat lets you control your home’s temperature from anywhere using your smartphone. ComEd offers rebates up to $100 for making the switch.
- Take advantage of AC Cycling. With AC Cycling, ComEd cycles your air conditioner’s compressor on and off, shifting the use to lower-priced times of the day. Your AC is never actually cut off; the fan keeps running to circulate cool air, so you may not even notice a difference. You can get a credit on your summer bills totaling $20 to $40. Note: You must have central air conditioning to participate, and you cannot be enrolled in both Peak Time Savings and AC Cycling.
- Charge your devices at night–but not overnight. Charge your phones, laptops, etc. at night but don’t leave them plugged in before you go to sleep. Not only does this waste electricity, but it also strains your device’s battery overtime. (It’s generally a good idea to unplug devices overnight, as this can affect your phantom load.)
- Use energy-efficient LED bulbs. Make the switch to LED light bulbs to save on electricity and avoid producing extra heat in your home. And as you were probably told as a kid, turn the lights off when you leave the room.
- Do laundry at night. Knock out your laundry at night while electricity prices are lower. Try to wash fewer large loads rather than multiple small loads to cut back on water costs, too.
Hourly Pricing is administered by Elevate Energy, a nonprofit organization focused on smarter energy use. To learn more about the program, check out CUB’s Hourly Pricing fact sheet.
