Electric bills are perhaps the most confusing because usage is measured in units of kilowatt-hours or kWh, which is something that you can’t actually see or measure in the usual way like gas and water. Simply put, kWh are the amount of electricity used by 1,000 watts in one hour. Electric meters don’t specifically record kWh, the difference read between one month and the next must be multiplied by the ‘meter multiplier.’ This number, which is usually 12, converts the number that the meter reads into kWh, a number that can then be multiplied by the electric rate. This electric rate is actually the sum of several customer charges including generation, transmission and distribution. The current rate of electricity in the Pittsburgh Area (through the Duquesne Light Company) is $0.11/kWh, but this rate is subject to change as the utility company petitions the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) for a rate increase.

Electric bills remain more static month to month because most heating is done by gas and not heat. If you are one of the few that does have electric heat and hot water please read the comments listed above for gas. Even though fans in the summer and the furnace fan in the winter (the fan built into your furnace that moves air through the home) both use electric neither is an extremely large electric draw. Window or central air conditioning are the factors that can really increase electric bills and if you have either of these you can expect your bills to spike in the summer months. During winter months electric bills can drastically increase because of space heaters and may have a minimal increase because shorter days often require people to turn on more lights in a household. Electric stoves and clothes dryers can increase bills year round, as can high TV usage ( big screen TVs are an especially large energy hog ). The first step in addressing your electric bill is to assess what appliances in your household are electric and follow these tips:

1. During the summer months use fans to supplement your air-conditioner, whether a central system or window model. Fans can make you feel 7° cooler in your home, allowing your a/c to work less hard, so turn the thermostat up to 77°, put a fan on and relax at a comfortable 70°.

2. Close blinds or drapes in windows that face the sun whenever using a/c, the added heat of the sun really makes a difference. When using a window a/c also keep doors to that room or area closed so that conditioned air does not escape. (Note that window a/c are rated to cool a certain square footage and using the a/c to cool anything larger than this area will cause it to work much harder, really creating a drain on your electric bill.)
3. Limit space heating by either addressing the cause of the chilliness (do you need insulation?), wrapping exposed pipes (so you don’t need a space heater to make sure they don’t freeze), or wearing warmer clothes! (Note that just like window a/c, space heaters are meant to warm a certain square footage only.)
4. If you have an electric dryer you should only dry full loads of laundry (not just that one pair of jeans…) and always clean the lint filter after each load. In the summertime consider drying clothes outside on a clothesline.
5. If you have an electric stove always keep pots covered to retain the heat created, also try using the microwave for cooking and reheating (microwaves are safe and efficient, only using $1.00/month for every fifteen minutes of use.)
6. Turn off unused electrical appliances! This includes turning off computers when not in use, unplugging empty fridges or freezers and not letting the TV stay on when no one is watching!
7. Change out your regular incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents, which use 75% less electricity and last between 3-5 years (compare that to a regular light-bulb that you have to change every 6 months!)

Further Resources
1. Duquesne Light Bill Reading website:
2. Purchasing Energy Efficient Appliances, Energy Star website: