Houston Summer Energy Bills and Your Home's Air Ducts

Why Houston Power Bills Climb in Late Summer

Houston sits close to the warm Gulf, so the back half of summer brings sticky mornings and long, hot afternoons. When the heat index passes 110, your air conditioner rarely gets a break. Homes in this region often use 1,400 to 1,500 kilowatt hours a month in the peak of summer, and cooling is the biggest part of that number.

No matter which retail electricity plan you pick, CenterPoint Energy owns the wires and delivers the power to your home. The delivery charge is a large share of the bill, so the fewer hours your system has to run, the more you keep. That is why airflow matters so much in August. A system that cools the house quickly shuts off sooner and uses less power.

How Dusty Ducts Make the System Work Harder

Air conditioning works by pulling warm air across a cold coil and pushing the cooled air back through your ducts. When dust coats the filter and lines the duct walls, that air has a harder time moving. The blower motor strains, the cooled air reaches the rooms more slowly, and the outside unit keeps running to make up the difference.

The U.S. Department of Energy notes that a clogged filter alone can raise a system's energy use by about 15 percent. Add years of dust in the ducts and the strain grows. Longer run times mean more wear on the blower and the compressor, so a dirty system can cost you twice, first on the monthly bill and later in repairs.

Signs Your Ducts Are Adding to the Bill

Your home gives you hints when dust in the system is dragging down airflow. Watch for these during a hot stretch:

• Some rooms never cool as well as others, no matter the thermostat setting.
• The air from the vents feels weak when you hold a hand up to it.
• The filter turns gray within a few weeks of a fresh one.
• Dust settles back on furniture within a day of cleaning.
• The AC runs in long cycles and rarely shuts off in the afternoon.

One of these on its own may be minor. Two or three together in the heat of August usually means the system is fighting a dust load, and a cleaning will help it breathe.

What a Fresh Air Techs Visit Covers

The $99 whole house special is built for exactly this kind of weather. Here is what a visit includes:

• HEPA air duct cleaning through the main supply line.
• Unlimited supply ducts, so every room that feeds off the system is covered.
• A free dryer vent inspection.
• A free AC inspection and a free furnace inspection.

We connect HEPA filtration equipment to the main supply line and pull dust out of the system under negative pressure. The dust ends up in a sealed filter, not blown back into your living space. Once the buildup is gone, air moves freely again and the system can cool the house with less run time. The free AC inspection also flags simple problems that waste power. The price is $99 per AC unit, so only the number of AC units changes the total. You can see the full service details on our Houston air duct cleaning page.

Do Not Forget the Dryer Vent

The dryer is another quiet drain on your energy in summer. When the vent line is packed with lint, the dryer runs longer to finish each load and uses more power doing it. A clogged vent is also a fire risk. A free dryer vent inspection is part of every visit, so the technician checks the line and the outside flap while they are at your home and tells you if it needs attention.

Simple Habits That Help Keep Bills Down

A yearly cleaning does the heavy lifting. A few easy habits keep the system efficient between visits:

• Change the AC filter more often in summer, since it clogs faster in the heat.
• Keep supply and return vents open and clear of furniture and rugs.
• Set the thermostat to a steady temperature instead of large swings.
• Keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, grass, and clutter so it can shed heat.

Serving Homes Across Greater Houston

Fresh Air Techs works across the greater Houston area, from the city out to the suburbs. If your bill has jumped and the house still feels warm, we can take a look. We serve Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Tomball, and Missouri City, along with the rest of the metro.