Amid above-average summer weather driving higher use of air conditioners, San Antonio’s CPS Energy is encouraging customers to take advantage of resources and tips offered by the utility to conserve energy and keep down their energy costs.
Deanna Hardwick, CPS Energy’s executive vice president of customer strategy, said the utility wants to help customers by providing simple ways to stay comfortable, save electricity and prevent bill shock.
Utility officials said CPS Energy will not disconnect customers when extreme weather advisories have been issued. Customers may call CPS Energy at 210-353-2222 for bill assistance or payment arrangements.
“For those with high bills, please call us. No one needs to be disconnected. Most customers we’re able to speak with receive help to get them back on track,” Hardwick said in a statement.
CPS Energy encourages customers to draw up a budget payment plan, in which residents and business owners may budget their expenses and prepare for energy use when extreme weather hits.
According to a news release, summer is the best time to apply for the budget payment program, with which a customer’s annual energy bill is averaged over the past year, and a small percentage is added to cover environmental factors and changing fuel costs. Then the bill paid is the resulting amount every month.
CPS Energy said it also provides a texting service for high bill alerts. Customers may view the energy they’re buying in almost real time via My Energy Portal, a feature in Manage My Account, CPS Energy’s free online service center.
CPS Energy officials said customers can also follow the Beat the Heat campaign to help manage energy bills, conserve energy and support state grid reliability. On "Yellow Days" between 2-10 p.m., when peak energy demand is expected, customers are asked to avoid using large appliances and encouraged to adjust an AC’s thermostat higher than 78 degrees to minimize its use, if health permits. Electric vehicle charging should be done overnight, according to the release.
