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Recent cooler temperatures mean San Antonio residents will soon turn off their air conditioners and fire up their furnaces. On Monday, CPS Energy officials released their estimates on how much it will cost consumers to stay warm this winter. More from Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea.
October 12, 2009 · After an intensely hot summer, it could be colder than normal this winter in San Antonio. Sylvia Arnold is director of customer services for CPS Energy. She says cooler temperatures and other factors could result in a higher utility bill.
“The average customer’s usage is going to be up slightly. We expect it to be up about nine percent over the same time last year, and that would result in a bill that’s about fourteen dollars a month more than the corresponding bill for the same time last year,” said Arnold.
Arnold says rising natural gas prices will be the main factor in a higher energy bill. Her estimates are based on a household using both electricity and natural gas. She says consumers should weatherize their homes and keep the thermostat a little cooler than usual.
“The customer can’t do anything about the price of the fuel or the price of the product. We do everything that we can at CPS Energy to keep that down and keep the price as low as we can. The customer’s portion of it is to keep their usage as low as they can,” said Arnold.
Arnold also says a well maintained furnace with clean filters can also cut energy costs. |
