If you have checked all of your bill items and they look normal, you may have changes with your electricity usage. Here are some things that can affect your bill:

• Seasonal changes/weather: Usage of certain appliances varies depending on the time of year.  
  • Spring: irrigation increase for those who have outdoor ponds.
    
  • Summer: more cooling from air conditioners, fans and swamp coolers.
    
  • Winter: heat tape, snow-melting devices, pump house heaters, small baseboard heating units, hot tubs, heat lamps, more lighting, cooking and hot water use.
    
• Additions to the family:

• • New baby
    
  • New roomate
    
  • College student back from school
    
• Visitors:  Visitors have a tendency to use up more heat, increase hot water usage (more showers), and washers and dryers are used more frequently.
  
• Family illness: An illness in the family may change your energy bill, too. If someone stays home during the day when your house is usually unoccupied, the extra use of electricity for lights, television, showers and cooking will show up as a slight increase on your bill. Some illnesses require the use of medical equipment, which can also increase the amount of energy used.
  

• Changes or additions in electrical equipment: Have you added any new appliances? A computer or hot tub perhaps? Some appliances such as cell phone chargers, toasters and coffee makers use power even when they aren't in use.
  
• Equipment malfunction: Malfunctioning equipment can use up more energy than neccessary.  These can be signs that your equipment is not working properly and needs to be repaired.
• • Have you noticed anything unusual with any of your electrical equipment?
    
  • Is your heater or cooling equipment running longer than usual?
    
  • Does your circuit breaker trip often?
    
  • Does your hot water heater run out of hot water sooner than normal? These can be signs that your equipment is not working properly and needs to be repaired.
    
• Holidays: Holidays may prompt decorative lighting, guests, additional cooking, and more time spent at home, all of which may result in higher usage of home appliances.
  
• Vacations: Even when you are away from the home, there are appliances that will still use electricity unless turned off at the breaker. Consider the following questions:

If you still have questions about changes in your bill, please call us at 1-888-221-7070.