The recent wave of extreme cold weather has led to a wave of increased energy bills for many Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) members.
Heating and cooling costs can account for as much as half of a single-family home’s energy use. When temperatures drop, running the heater for long periods can result in a significantly higher bill, even if you don’t adjust the setting on your thermostat. While the temperature may remain the same inside your home, lower temperatures outside mean your home’s heating system must work harder to maintain the temperature indoors.
These effects will be especially noticeable in the February electric bills. With the average temperature for January at 37 degrees, your HVAC unit was working hard to keep you warm. In addition, snow led to school closures, meaning kids were at home using more electricity during the day.
When looking at your bill, make sure to note the increase in your kWh use. This will help you understand why the amount of your bill has increased.
“We understand that unforeseen circumstances or surprisingly high energy use can present a financial challenge for our members,” stated Robert White, MTE vice president of community relations and member services. “Having 26 days in a single month where we dropped below freezing will absolutely impact the bills, and we encourage members to reach out if they are having trouble paying their bill. While MTE’s rates are 25% below the national average, when the temperature falls below 32 degrees, our normally efficient heat pumps become inefficient.”
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MTE has many bill payment options that can help our members, such as variable and fixed budget billing, to ease the large swings that occur with extreme temperatures. “MTE is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative; we’re here to help our members,” White continued. “MTE has payment options for almost every situation and wants to work with our members. And for those members not on traditional payment programs, such as prepay, the cooperative can provide options and arrangements for them too.”
White encourages members to contact MTE at 877-777-9020 or through the online portal at mte.com to learn more about options for assistance.
MTE also has energy assistance funds available to members who financially qualify through local community help agencies. A list of those agencies can be found at https://www.mte.com/
White stressed that the best way to keep energy bills down during a period of extreme cold is to be aware of your home’s energy habits. MTE provides a number of tools to do this - members can view their daily energy usage through the myMTEMC app. This will help to identify times where using less electricity can make the most significant impact. To sign up for myMTEMC, go to mte.com and click on the ‘My Account’ icon or download the myMTEMC app from the app store on your mobile device. Members can also sign up for power usage alerts, which will alert members by email when their daily usage is above their designated threshold.
To help save in the future, MTE has a team of energy efficiency experts ready to help members manage their electric use. Go to mte.com for more information about our energy services.
About Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)
Founded in 1936, MTE is the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States, serving more than 750,000 Tennesseans via 320,000+ accounts covering nearly 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle Tennessee counties, primarily Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson and Wilson. Municipalities served include Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. MTE employs 520 people in seven local offices and its Murfreesboro corporate headquarters.
For more information, please visit www.mte.com.
