Why Is My Electric Bill So High in Summer?

The equipment causes

• A dirty condenser coil, so the system runs longer at higher pressure to move the same heat
• A low refrigerant charge from a leak, which reduces capacity while the system runs continuously trying to reach setpoint
• A clogged filter or crushed duct restricting airflow
• Duct leakage — conditioned air escaping into an unconditioned attic before it reaches a room
• Short cycling, which pays the high inrush current of a compressor start over and over

The part that is not the equipment

California utilities bill on time-of-use, so the same kilowatt-hour costs different amounts depending on when you use it. Pre-cooling the house earlier in the day and easing the setpoint during peak hours can change a bill without changing a single component. Check your own rate plan for the specific hours.

What a tune-up actually changes

Cleaning the condenser, verifying the charge, checking static pressure and clearing the condensate drain restore the system to the efficiency it was designed for. That is what the $88 tune-up covers, or the Cool Club at $225 a year which adds 10% off repairs and priority scheduling.

When the honest answer is the equipment is old

An aging system loses efficiency as coils foul and components wear. If yours is past twelve years and the bill keeps climbing after a tune-up, the comparison worth running is annual operating cost against a replacement.