Dallas

[kevinzhu]

I am considering moving to Texas and I was told that it costs a lot to run AC to cool down a house in Texas during the summer.

Could anyone give me an estimate of how much AC costs? I like to have <75F

Thanks

[kevinzhu]

I am considering moving to Texas and I was told that it costs a lot to run AC to cool down a house in Texas during the summer.

Could anyone give me an estimate of how much AC costs? I like to have <75F

Thanks

[MelanieH]

There are a lot of factors (in addition to size and temp) such as does it have a pool, age of home (newer homes or upgraded older homes are more energy efficient).  I would estimate (in general terms) about $175 a month (July and August are the hottest).  Hope that helps.  Melanie Hartmann

[A_Homeowner]

Setting the winter electric bill as a $0 baseline  (assuming gas heating, not electric),  then expect to pay an additional $150-350 more thru the eight summer months (which range from uncomfortably hot to hellish hot).  If you don't think summer can last 8 months, wait till you get here.  Altogether about $2,000 in A/C per year, for a typical suburban home.  Can be as low as $1,000 more if you have good insulation, newer more efficient A/C units, shade trees, etc, etc, or much higher if in a very inefficient home and you are trying to get it really cool inside.

[Suedoku]

I have an 1850 sqft condo built in 2008 with a single energy efficient AC unit but with zoned thermostats by each of two floors. My electric bill is about $140 per month. I keep the temp at 78 during the day when I'm not there and 73 at night while I sleep. The weekends it's usually set at 75-76 during the day. I do not have vaulted ceilings. I hear from my friends with vaulted or cathedral ceilings that their electric bills are much, much higher. A friend in such a situation in a 2500 sq ft home pays upwards of $700-800 per month in the summer. This is a newer, so-called energy efficient home. So avoid the really high ceilings!

[isaacbarkel]

The monthly average retail electricity cost for Texas customers is $225 - $250 for a single family home. As indicated in the posts, there are a lot of factors that contribute to the load that you will use in your home, but the single best way that you can SAVE MONEY is to research the products from all of the electric companies. The link below is sponsored by the state of Texas (Public Utilities Commission) and does not contain biased information for any single retail provider.

Go to the following site to compare all of the retail prices: http://powertochoose.org/

There are a couple of things to note when comparing rates:

• Locking into a fixed term contract will almost always save you money.
• 1 year fixed term contracts usually require a credit check or deposit of $250. You may qualify for government assistance based on income or other family circumstances - see the website above for details. Also, some companies provide products where there is no deposit required - the rates may be slightly higher on those products. Do the math and see what makes sense.
• Rates ALWAYS go up during the summer when usage is high. It is usually best to wait until winter or spring when rates are lower to lock into a fixed term contract. If you can tough out the summer bills, you can save more on a fixed term contract. Once again, do the math and see what works best for you.
• Rates have been lower in the past year or two due to declining natural gas rates. 
• If you find a company with a very low rate, they may have more limited customer service or plan options depending on the size of the company. Also, be wary of extremely small companies as they are more prone to going out of business during the very hot years when they can't compete as well as the larger providers.
• Lastly, if your electric provider goes out of business, switch your service to a different company immediately. Your service will not be interrupted as the state will switch your service for you, but you will be charged a much higher rate than the market standard (called POLR - Provider of Last Resort) by the new electing retail company.

Disclaimer: The views and information in this post represent the poster's opinion only and the poster is not liable for the use of the information in any way. The poster does not represent any retail provider or governmental agency in this post.