APS Took A (Rate) Hike

Arizona Public Service, or APS, is well known for providing power to hundreds of thousands of Arizona residents, but a recent rate increase has people looking for new ways to save power. On February 20th, 2024, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved the rate case for APS.  This means that residential customers will be paying even more for their electricity. They are estimating that APS customers will pay approximately 8 percent more on their monthly bills effective March 1st, 2024. 

APS High Energy Bill

Why Are They Raising The Rates?

APS notes that the rate hike will allow them to continue bringing reliable energy to the hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial properties that they are currently serving. APS stated that as Arizona continues to grow, they need to grow with it- which means expansion of infrastructure and services. 
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What Can I Do?

As APS continues to increase their rates, and your APS bill becomes higher, it puts customers in an odd position. Unfortunately, there are limited options when dealing with providers such as SRP or APS. Customers with rooftop solar systems and other clean energy solutions pay less, but may still see the bills impact. 
When people see that their APS bill is higher, they tend to look for new ways to save money. Here are a couple of ways that you can save money on your APS bill, especially after the new bill increases.

Switch Plans
Switching plans with APS can save you money. Currently, there are three main rate plans for APS, which include one basic plan and two time of use plans. 

The basic plan is flat rate, even on holidays and weekends. This plan does not include any discounts, and what you pay is based on your tier. 

The time of use plans involve different prices for different times, both from 4pm to 7pm, where you limit your usage on large appliances. If you are able to manage your usage during these times it can save you money. 

For information on different types of plans, view our blog here. 

Lower Your Energy Usage
Most of us have already tried this, but being more cautious with your electricity use can save you money. This can include setting your thermostat higher, or being more cautious when running your water heater. 

Maintain Your Air Conditioner
It may sound silly, but ensuring that your air conditioner filter is clean is a must. This can cause air conditioners to work poorly, especially when one or two degrees seems to make the biggest difference (thanks, Arizona summers). Regular maintenance is also important. 
Here at Green ID, we complete a 22 point inspection to ensure that your air conditioner is running the best it can. We want your air conditioner to last as long as possible as nobody wants to wake up in the middle of the summer to a broken air conditioner. 

Keep Doors Open
It may sound counterproductive to keep all doors open, but it allows the air to properly flow throughout the home. With air conditioning being one of the most energy-using culprits here in Arizona, keeping the house cool instead of continuing to crank the air conditioner can save you money.
When all doors are closed, air is unable to flow throughout and bottles up into a room. If a door to your room tends to shut when the air conditioner turns on, or there are visible dust tracks, that is a sign that you need to keep the door at least cracked to circulate the air. 

Run Your Fan More
Again, this can sound counterproductive, but running your fan more could be a great solution to getting proper air into the home and keeping it that way. Running the fan helps circulate the air better, encouraging faster cooling and more even temperature distribution. We all seem to have that one room that gets hot (you know the one!), which makes us crank up the air conditioner- costing us more on our electricity bills. 

​Energy Audit: The Overall Fix

An energy audit can help you find spots in your home that are not energy efficient. For example, your home could have unsealed ducts, internal moisture, air leakage, draft leakage, and other things that are costing you money each month. 

An energy auditor will go through your home with infrared cameras and complete pressure tests, insulation evaluations, pool pump evaluations, and more. One energy audit checks all these, ensuring that your home is as energy efficient as possible. ​

About Us: Green ID Arizona

A small, local business here in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, we have been serving the Valley for over 10 years. We take pride in saving our customers money, and ensuring that their homes are as comfortable as possible. 
Don’t wait for another rate hike. Make sure that your home is keeping cold air in now. 
For more tips and tricks on how to beat the APS rate hike, check out our Youtube video here. ​