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SALT LAKE CITY — Power bill costs are upsetting residents in Utah, as evidenced by the high volume of complaints that have been sent to KSL by viewers and readers.
A lot of people are having sticker shock with their power bill lately — no amount of air conditioning can cool their tempers when they open their electric bill. And if a bill seems outrageous, it may be a signal the air conditioner and large appliances need to be checked for efficiency.
“Air conditioners use a lot of electricity, and on the hotter days, we see a lot of those electricity bills going up,” said Paul Murphy, Rocky Mountain Power spokesman.
People are used to getting bigger bills in the summer, but from $250 to $500 in just a month? That's what a Herriman family found hard to believe — a story we shared Thursday night.
Rocky Mountain Power representatives visited the family’s home and found there wasn't a problem with their meter; rather, their air conditioning units were overworked.
"My No. 1 thing is to make sure you check those filters often," HVAC technician Alex Waddington said.
Waddington has had a busy summer responding to air conditioner repair calls. He says clogged filters are often the biggest reason why air conditioners aren't running efficiently, and homeowners can run their fan without the central air compressor running to save electricity.
So if your power bill seems unusual, it may be time to have your air conditioner or other large appliances checked for efficiency. Rocky Mountain Power also offers the website wattsmart.com to help people make their homes more energy friendly year-round.
“Every summer is when more people are using electricity,” Murphy said. “That is the peak time for Utah, and so that's usually when people are concerned about their electric use.”
We checked with the Utah Division of Utilities and found there has only been one consumer complaint filed this summer regarding high power bills. You can ask Rocky Mountain Power to put you on an equal payment plan to balance out your bills over the summer and avoid a spike in your bill.
