Energy supply prices have increased over the last year, impacting our customers’ monthly bills. Every utility bill is typically made up of three different charges: supply, delivery, and taxes/surcharges/fees.

• Supply: This is the cost of the commodity that you are consuming—the actual cost of purchasing the electricity from the generator or the actual cost of purchasing the natural gas for your use. This charge on your bill is a passthrough cost; NYSEG and RG&E do not profit from the supply charge – rather, the money collected is for the actual amount that it costs to purchase the energy on your behalf. This applies only to customers that get their energy directly from the utility. If you get your supply from an Energy Supply Company (ESCO), it may be different.
• Delivery: This is the component of the bill that pays for NYSEG and RG&E to deliver safe and reliable service to you for consumption. It is the total cost of our energy delivery service.
• Taxes, surcharges, and fees: As the name suggests, this component is set by the government for taxes and additional fees or surcharges to pay for the public policy decisions and regulations that policymakers adopt.

There are a few easy actions you can take to help lessen the impact of these supply cost increases as temperatures surge this summer. Ensuring your home is as energy efficient as possible should be a top priority. Using energy wisely can increase the comfort of your home, help the environment and help you control your energy costs.

To prepare for the summer heat, consider taking these actions to boost your home’s energy efficiency:

Fans vs. air conditioners

• Consider using window fans. Well-placed window fans use little energy and will still cool your New York home.
• If you buy an air conditioner, check the energy efficiency ratios (EER) of models on the market. The higher the EER rating, the more efficient the unit and the less it costs to run.
• Be sure your outside air conditioning condenser is shaded from the sun. If it’s not installed in a shady area, create shade with a tree or fence. Avoid using bushes that may block the flow of air around the cooling unit.

Inspect and maintain your home

By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling and reduce environmental emissions 20-50%.

NYSEG and RG&E offer a partnership with Sealed^© to upgrade your home’s insulation, air sealing, and smart home technology. Sealed will assess your energy bill to find wasted energy and then will coordinate and cover the upfront cost of the work. Find out if you qualify by clicking here for NYSEG and here for RG&E.

Upgrade your appliances

Upgrading your old appliances to new, energy-efficient models is an easy way to increase the energy efficiency of your home, save money, and help the environment. According to ENERGY STAR, a typical household can save about $450 on their energy bills by switching to ENERGY STAR products.

To explore products that will help boost the comfort and efficiency of your home, visit our online store: NYSEG Smart Solutions or RG&E Smart Solutions. You’ll find special discounted pricing and instant rebates on energy-efficient lighting, smart thermostats, power strips, air filters, and electric vehicle chargers.

Turn up the temperature

• Set your air conditioning thermostat at 78° or higher during the cooling season. Each degree above 75° saves you 3% of the energy used to cool your home.
• When using air conditioning, only cool the rooms you need. Close doors to other rooms.
• Turn your air conditioner off when you leave home.
• Help keep your home and yourself cool by using natural ventilation and wearing light clothing.
• Close your draperies and shades on hot, sunny days to reduce solar heat build-up.
• Close windows and doors during the hottest parts of the day.

For more energy efficiency tips, visit NYSEG or RG&E’s Energy Saving Tips website.