Power Hours Begin June 1 - How To Save On That Electric Bill

June 1st is the turning point in the seasonal weather in Southwest Oklahoma. If you live here in Lawton our local power company offers a way to save on that bill that most would benefit from. It's called Power Hours, here's how it works.

In order to cut down on fuel costs, many power companies offer incentives to customers if they reduce their consumption during "peak times." In our part of the country, peak time is between 2 PM and 7 PM. That's when the day's heat really sinks in and it carries on until the sun loses that direct intensity early in the evening. The evening is also when most people are getting home and turning down their air conditioners, cooking, doing dishes and laundry, etc... putting a heavy load on the electrical grid.

The way the Time of Day Power Hours program works is this... Since the power company has to ramp up electricity production between 2 & 7 PM, they offer an incentive for you to curb your electricity usage.

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They try to curb peak-time use by pricing each kilowatt-hour at a staggering 18.158¢ during that period of time. If you've been with PSO for years, it's not quite double what we paid three years ago, but it's up there.

So where's the incentive? It comes during off-peak hours. Your electric usage from 7 PM tonight through 2 PM tomorrow afternoon is discounted to only 3.7282¢ per kilowatt-hour. It's also a slightly higher price than it was in 2021, but only by a penny or so. If the program works for your household, it could be a great way to save a little on your bill.

Other things that will also help keep your energy bills low but are also affordably cheap have to do with improving your efficiency. Find and seal up the air gaps in your home that leak your conditioned air to the outside. If you have inefficient windows, add heavy curtains or plastic to create an insulating air space or hang white blinds to reflect the sun. Check the weather-stripping around your doors. The small things add up.

To learn more about programs and things you can tackle to reduce your bill, check out PSO's website.

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