How to Save on Energy in the Summer: A Practical Texas Guide

A Texas summer is a stress test for your budget. The AC runs from morning to midnight, the meter spins, and the bill that lands in July can look nothing like the one you paid in April.

The good news: summer bills respond to two levers, not one. You can use less energy, and you can pay less for every kilowatt hour you use. Most savings guides only cover the first lever. This one covers both.

Why is my electric bill so high in the summer?

Cooling is typically the largest share of a Texas summer electric bill. When it is 100 degrees outside, your air conditioner runs longer cycles and works harder on each one, so usage climbs even if your habits never change.

The other half of the equation is your rate. Two identical houses on the same street can pay very different totals simply because one household shopped its electricity contract and the other rolled onto a default renewal rate. Usage gets all the attention, but price per kilowatt hour is the quiet multiplier on every single bill.

What is the best thermostat setting for summer?

ENERGY STAR guidance commonly points to 78 degrees when you are home. Every degree cooler than that adds to the workload, so pick the warmest setting your household can genuinely live with.

A few tactics make that number comfortable:

• Set the thermostat up when nobody is home. The Department of Energy estimates that a setback of 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day can save roughly 10 percent a year on heating and cooling, so program the schedule once and forget it.
• Run ceiling fans in occupied rooms. The breeze can let you raise the thermostat about 4 degrees with no loss of comfort. Fans cool people, not rooms, so switch them off when you leave.
• Pre-cool in the late morning if your plan charges more in the afternoon, then let the house coast through the expensive hours.

How can I cut cooling costs without replacing my AC?

Maintenance and small fixes do real work in a Texas summer:

• Change or clean the filter monthly during heavy use. A clogged filter forces the system to run longer for the same result.
• Get a professional tune-up each spring or early summer. Low refrigerant, dirty coils, and a struggling condenser all show up on your bill long before they show up as a breakdown.
• Seal and shade. Weatherstrip exterior doors, close blinds on west-facing windows in the afternoon, and check your attic insulation. The attic is often the cheapest big win in an older Texas home.
• Time your appliances. Run the dishwasher, dryer, and oven after sunset, and cook outdoors when you can. Every appliance that makes heat indoors makes your AC pay for it twice.

Curious what your current rate is costing you? Enter your ZIP code at avenenergy.com and tap See My Savings. It takes about a minute, and it costs you nothing. Suppliers pay our fee, not you.

Where does natural gas fit into summer savings?

Gas does not disappear in June. If you have a gas water heater, it burns all summer to keep water hot around the clock.

Set the water heater to 120 degrees, the setting the Department of Energy recommends for most homes. Wash clothes in cold water and fix dripping hot water taps, because every drop of hot water is fuel you already paid to burn.

On the supply side, timing matters. Natural gas demand peaks in winter, so warm months and shoulder seasons are a sensible time to line up gas supply for the year ahead instead of negotiating during a cold snap. In Texas, homes buy gas from a regulated utility, so this shopping lever mainly belongs to businesses. In several other states, including Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and New York, households can choose a gas supplier too.

Can switching electricity plans lower my summer bill?

Yes, and for most households it is the single biggest lever on this list. Insulation and thermostat discipline trim usage at the margins. A better contract changes the price of every kilowatt hour you buy, all summer long.

If you live in deregulated Texas, which covers most of the state including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Corpus Christi, you can choose your electricity provider and lock a fixed rate before peak season. Austin and San Antonio are the exceptions: Austin Energy and CPS Energy are municipally owned utilities, so residents there cannot switch providers, although every usage tip above still applies. Shoppers in other deregulated states, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, have the same opportunity.

Two timing rules pay off:

1. Check your contract end date now. Expired contracts often roll onto month-to-month holdover rates that run well above competitive offers. 2. Shop before the heat, not during it. Many plans can be locked weeks or months ahead with a future start date, so you are never forced to sign whatever happens to be available during a heat wave.

How can businesses save on energy in the summer?

Commercial accounts have levers homeowners never see, and summer is when they matter most.

Demand charges are the big one. Many business tariffs bill you partly on your highest short-interval draw, so one afternoon of everything running at once can set the charge for the whole month. Stagger equipment startups, pre-cool before the afternoon peak, and shift flexible loads to mornings. Larger Texas accounts should also watch summer peak afternoons, because usage during the grid's highest-demand intervals can shape transmission costs for the following year.

The bigger lever is procurement. Commercial contracts can be signed months before the current one ends, so a business renewing in December can price the market in June and lock the better number. Aven Energy runs that process end to end: we put your account in front of 90 or more competing suppliers for electricity and natural gas, at zero cost to you, because suppliers pay the brokerage fee. Aven Energy LLC is a PUCT-registered broker, license #BR260133.

Frequently asked questions

Does switching electricity providers cause an outage?

No. The same utility owns the wires and delivers your power either way. Switching only changes the company that bills you for supply, and the power never blinks.

When is the best time to shop for a summer electricity rate?

Before summer pricing shows up in offers, which usually means spring or earlier. Most plans let you lock a rate with a future start date, so you can secure the number months ahead.

Can I switch providers in Austin or San Antonio?

Not for electricity. Both cities are served by municipally owned utilities, Austin Energy and CPS Energy. The usage tips in this guide still cut your bill there, and businesses based in either city can shop supply for their locations in deregulated cities like Houston or Dallas.

What does it cost to use an energy broker?

Nothing. Suppliers pay the fee when you sign, so the rate comparison and the switch are free to you. Aven Energy is registered with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, license #BR260133.

Ready to pull the second lever? Enter your ZIP at avenenergy.com and hit See My Savings. One minute now can reprice every kilowatt hour you use all summer.