TULSA, Okla. — Sudden, high electric bills are a common complaint, but experts and residents are sharing ways to help bring those costs down.
Courtney Klosterman, a home insights expert with Hippo Insurance, said utility bill fluctuations are a widespread issue.
"In the Oklahoma region, our house power data showed that 42% of homeowners said that utility bill fluctuations have impacted their financial stability," Klosterman said.
Jeff Cooke faces the same dilemma as many others when it comes to his electric bill.
"It fluctuates because of the weather, the ups and downs, so like last month, I think I paid 100 bucks, and the month before that it was like double that," Cooke said.
Cooke rents his home and shows fluctuations that hit renters, too. His family looks for ways to keep from running up their bill.
"My wife stays at home, so she keeps as many lights off as possible, and we do laundry like maybe once a week," Cooke said.
Changing just a few habits, like unplugging kitchen appliances you are not using and unplugging charging cords after use, is a good way to tame high electricity bills. However, Klosterman tells 2 News Oklahoma that a couple of other things can do more.
"That can start with simple maintenance for your HVAC system, which can typically be used pretty heavily as temperatures get warm, do your due diligence to either replace air filters regularly or have your HVAC system serviced annually to make sure that things are running efficiently and there's no potential problems that could be reducing energy efficiency there," Klosterman said.
Cooke said his landlord serviced the heating and air conditioning before they moved in, and provides fresh filters.
"So they, they send us one every three months. I change it," Cooke said.
Sealing drafts around doors and windows also helps keep a lid on electric bills. Additionally, many electric providers offer energy audits to help you find things driving up your bill so you can make changes to bring it back down.
These are simple and reasonably priced ways to protect yourself and help insulate your wallet against big electric bill shocks.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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