Many factors influence electricity rates in your area. From local fuel costs to power plant availability, these factors affect how much you’ll pay for your electricity.
Electricity prices generally reflect the cost of financing, building, maintaining, and operating power plants and the electricity grid (the complex system of power transmission and distribution lines).
Weather
Weather is an essential factor in determining electricity rates in your area. Outdoor air temperature is an evident influence, but the humidity and dew point can also affect energy use.
The sun’s rays heat Earth’s surface during the day, which can cause dramatic differences in land and air temperature. Wind and clouds also play a role in generating weather.
For example, a stormy sky can indicate heavy rain. In the case of a thunderstorm, lightning can be an indicator of a potentially destructive cloud or weather event.
Similarly, wind patterns can tell you what’s on the way. Likewise, the smells of plants, the waves on a lake or ocean, and animals’ movements can all be good indicators.
Traditionally, electricity bills tend to be higher in the summer. This is due to the warmer weather and increased energy demand from home appliances like air conditioning and lighting. However, there are ways to prevent energy costs from rising too much.
Residential Demand
Electricity rates, like some of the lowest electric rates in Texas for residential customers, are based on the average speed at which electricity is consumed (measured in kilowatts, or kW). HVAC cycles, lighting, and other loads consume energy, so your household’s demand will vary.
During the hottest summer months, residential consumption peaks during afternoons when air conditioning is turned on. Homes and businesses also use power during evenings, when lights are turned on.
Utilities charge more for electricity during peak hours and less in off-peak periods. These time-of-use rates, or TOU, are designed to encourage consumers to manage their usage during these times and lessen the strain on the power grid.
As demand charges have become more common for industrial customers, some utilities seek to make them mandatory or even default options for all residential customers. While these charges can lead to higher bills, they can also be reduced with the right tools. For example, you can stagger the use of major appliances during on-peak hours and shift power-intensive processes to off-peak periods. By doing so, you can pay lower monthly electric bills.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is a strategy that improves the performance of technology and products and reduces energy use. It also reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, which can help combat climate change.
Energy-efficient products and processes can lower energy costs, decrease dependence on fuel imports, and increase productivity. For example, a factory that replaces old, inefficient motors with more efficient ones requires 35 percent less energy to produce the same number of products.
While energy efficiency is a powerful tool, it can be hampered by a lack of information about the most effective technologies for different situations. This can create market failures that can lead to underinvestment in energy-efficient options.
This may include reduction targets for electricity sales, peak electricity demand, and natural gas consumption. These policies differ in their requirements and timing across states, but most have a clear timeline for achieving their goals.
Utility Regulations
Your local utility regulations, such as those from your municipal government, are vital to your rights as a consumer. They protect your rights to access the grid and ensure that your power providers cannot overcharge you for electricity.
Regulations also help you make informed choices about your energy supplier and how much you pay for electricity. These rules can include the minimum and maximum prices for every kilowatt-hour of usage, which helps you choose an electric provider that best fits your needs.
In the United States, most consumers are served by investor-owned utilities. Public service commissions regulate these companies at the state and municipal levels.
Utilities can operate as vertically integrated monopolies (which means they own generators and power lines) or in deregulated markets, where the market sets electricity prices, and federal regulators oversee wholesale market operations.
In today’s increasingly politicized environment, regulators often demand that electric utilities advance a growing number of social objectives while expecting them to carry out their fiduciary duties to shareholders and serve the long-term interests of customers. They generally weigh the effects on the local environment, climate, job creation, and economic development more heavily than the financial consequences of a proposed action.
Competition
Competition is an essential factor that influences electricity rates in your area. It can be a good thing for your business, encouraging you to produce better products and offer them at lower prices. It also enables customers to try new products and services they might not have tried otherwise.
For example, a local restaurant might open up a new location nearby, and it can attract more customers. This can boost the profits of other businesses in the neighborhood, such as gas stations, jewelry stores, or personal service providers like hair salons.
Similarly, retail electricity competition can lead to better prices for consumers. However, many independent companies require customers to sign contracts that lock them into a fixed price for their energy use. This can negatively impact some customers if the price is at the rate they were paying the utility company. Nevertheless, customer choice can help reduce your electricity costs and allow you to choose a supplier that suits your needs and preferences.