How Cold Weather Affects Your Home’s Energy Use
Even efficient heating systems must work harder this time of year. A few things happen during winter that naturally drive up electricity use:
- Your HVAC runs longer: The greater the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the longer your system must operate to keep your home comfortable.
- Auxiliary/backup heat may turn on: Heat pumps often rely on additional heat strips on very cold mornings, which can cause sudden spikes in electricity use.
- Hot water demand increases: Cold water coming into your home requires more energy to heat.
- Shorter daylight hours: More lighting and indoor activity increase overall usage.
That means your bill may be higher in winter even when you’re doing everything “the same.”
Need Help with a Higher winter bill? We’ve Got You Covered.
Piedmont Electric offers a variety of tools and programs to help members manage winter expenses.
- Time-of-Day Rate will help you save for shifting your energy use to off-peak times.
- Budget Billing let’s you pay the same amount year round, which evens out seasonal highs and lows.
- Payment assistance for those who need extra time or additional resources to pay their bills.
- Usage tracking in SmartHub so you can see day-to-day patterns.
- Energy advisor tools to identify ways to save.
Visit pemc.coop/payment-options or give our member service team a call. We’re here to help you stay warm, informed and in control all winter long.