By July, the air conditioner is the single biggest line on most Texas electricity bills, and it stays that way until October. Cooling can account for a large share of summer home energy use, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s residential energy survey, and Texas summers are long. That makes the warm months the highest-leverage time of year to take a few concrete steps that lower the bill.
None of what follows requires a contractor or a big purchase. These are five verifiable, low-cost moves — backed by the U.S. Department of Energy and Texas program agencies — that a household can start this week.
1. Shop your electricity plan if you’re in a deregulated area
Most Texans live in the deregulated market served by the grid operator ERCOT, which means they can choose their retail electricity provider. The state’s official, ad-free comparison site, Power to Choose, run by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, lets you compare offers by price for your usage level. When you shop, look at the Electricity Facts Label for each plan — it shows the average price per kilowatt-hour at different usage levels, so you are comparing the same thing across providers. If your contract is expiring, this single step can be the largest saver on the list.
One caution when shopping: read the Electricity Facts Label for the price at the usage level you actually hit, not just the lowest advertised number. Many plans post an eye-catching rate at, say, 2,000 kilowatt-hours a month but charge much more at 500 or 1,000 — and a household’s usage swings dramatically between a mild spring and a brutal August. Watch too for plans with bill-credit gimmicks or steep early-termination fees. The PUC’s Power to Choose lets you sort by your real monthly usage, which is the only honest way to compare.
2. Set the thermostat strategically
The U.S. Department of Energy’s guidance on thermostats notes that you can save on cooling by setting the thermostat as high as is comfortable in summer and letting it drift up when no one is home. The smaller the gap between the indoor and outdoor temperature, the less the system runs. A programmable or smart thermostat automates this so you are not cooling an empty house all afternoon. The Department of Energy estimates households can save meaningfully over a year by avoiding cooling space that doesn’t need it.
A companion habit helps: run ceiling fans in occupied rooms (they cool people, not rooms, so turn them off when you leave) and close blinds on the sunny side of the house during the hottest hours.
3. Seal and shade the house
A lot of cooled air escapes through gaps you can fix cheaply. The Department of Energy’s air-sealing guidance identifies the usual culprits — gaps around windows, doors, attic hatches, and where pipes and wires enter the house — and recommends inexpensive caulk and weatherstripping. Adding or topping up attic insulation, where it’s low, pays back over time in a hot climate. These are weekend-project costs that keep working every summer afterward.
4. Cut water heating and water waste
Water heating is one of the larger energy users in a typical home year-round. The Department of Energy suggests setting the water heater to a moderate temperature rather than the factory-high default, and notes that low-flow fixtures reduce both the water bill and the energy used to heat that water. Fixing a running toilet or a dripping faucet is a small repair that shows up on the next water statement, and many Texas cities and water utilities offer rebates for efficient fixtures — check your city utility’s website. The EPA’s WaterSense program lists certified efficient products.
There is a practical reason water heating deserves attention in Texas specifically: even in summer, the water heater runs year-round, so the savings from a moderate temperature setting and efficient fixtures accrue every month rather than just during cooling season. The Department of Energy’s water-heating guidance notes that lowering the thermostat on the tank not only cuts energy use but also reduces the risk of scalding — a small adjustment with two benefits.
5. Use the appliances you already own more efficiently
Behavior matters as much as hardware. Wash clothes in cold water, run the dishwasher and laundry only with full loads and, where your electricity plan has time-of-use pricing, during off-peak hours. Replace the air-conditioner filter on schedule — a clogged filter makes the system work harder for the same cooling. When a bulb or appliance dies, replace it with an ENERGY STAR-rated model, which the federal program certifies for lower energy use. None of these is dramatic on its own, but together they trim the base load the rest of the year.
One more appliance habit pays off disproportionately in a Texas summer: keep the air-conditioner’s outdoor condenser unit clear of grass clippings, leaves, and debris, and make sure the indoor vents aren’t blocked by furniture. A system that can’t breathe runs longer to hit the same temperature. The Department of Energy’s air-conditioner maintenance guidance notes that a neglected unit loses efficiency steadily, so a clean filter and a clear condenser are among the cheapest ways to keep cooling costs from creeping up over the season.
If the bill is still out of reach, ask for help
For Texans who are doing everything right and still struggling, the state runs the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. CEAP helps qualifying low-income households — generally those at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines — pay energy bills, and it covers all 254 Texas counties through a network of local agencies. You can find your local provider through TDHCA or by dialing 2-1-1. Many retail electric providers also offer deferred-payment plans during extreme weather; ask before a bill goes past due.
Putting it together
It is also worth understanding why these steps work in Texas’s particular market. Most of the state’s homes are cooled by electric air conditioning rather than gas, and much of Texas buys power in the competitive ERCOT market, where the rate you pay depends on the plan you chose. That combination means two of the five steps — shopping the plan and reducing how hard the AC works — carry more weight here than in states with regulated utilities and milder summers. The Energy Information Administration’s Texas state energy profile shows the state’s heavy reliance on electricity for cooling, which is why summer is when small efficiency gains translate into the largest dollar savings.
You do not have to do all five at once. Start with the one that fits your situation: shop your plan if your contract is ending, set the thermostat today, and tackle sealing and appliance habits over a weekend. The combination — a better rate, less wasted cooling, a tighter house, and smarter water use — is what moves a Texas summer bill, and most of it keeps paying off every year you stay in the home. If the numbers still don’t work, CEAP and 2-1-1 are there for exactly that reason.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. Figures are linked to their primary sources; where a claim could not be verified from the public record, we say so.
