Understand Your Usage

Understanding your energy use can help put you in control of your monthly bills. You can use the following tips to reduce your energy use while maintaining your comfort. If you or someone you know is having trouble paying their bill – we are here to help with programs, payment plans and assistance available.

Your monthly bill is affected by the price of energy and the amount of energy you use. Your energy costs include the delivery cost from United Illuminating and the cost of supply. As your energy delivery company, we build and maintain a safe, reliable system to deliver your energy supply to you. The supply charge is what you pay your supplier for the energy you use. While we have no control over the actual price of energy, you can shop for an alternate supplier at EnergizeCT.com, or you can sign up for UI's Standard Generation Service.

How much energy you use can vary from day to day depending on how many people are in your home, your daily habits, and the time of year. Understanding your energy use can help put you in control of your monthly bills. Use Energy Analyzer to help you manage your energy costs by showing you your energy use by category, getting tips to reduce your usage and setting up an energy savings plan.

Now that you have a better understanding of your usage, here are some tips to help you conserve more energy:

Energy-saving tips for warmer weather

• Set your air conditioning thermostat at 78° or higher during the cooling season. Each degree above 75° saves you 3% of the energy used to cool your home.
• Turn your air conditioner up a few degrees when you leave home.
• Use ceiling fans to naturally cool your home.
• Make an upgrade - if your central air system is more than 12 years old, replace it with an ENERGY STAR® certified model. You could lower cooling costs by as much as 30%.
• Close curtains during the day to block sunlight.

Energy-saving tips for cooler weather

• Set the thermostat as low as comfort permits. Each degree above 68º F can use 3% more energy.
• Install a programmable or wi-fi thermostat to automatically control your heating and save money by lowering the temperature when you’re not home.
• If you use electric heat, consider replacing it with a high efficiency ductless mini split heat pump system, which can lower electricity use by as much as 40%.
• Clean or replace furnace filters as recommended and have your furnace burner checked and cleaned annually by a contractor. A well cleaned and tuned heating system saves you money.
• Install high-efficiency LED lighting. LED lighting uses 90% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 25 times longer.

More ways to save energy

• Lighting: Turn off lights whenever you leave a room or don't need them.
• Dishwasher: Use the air-drying option instead of heat drying. Or better yet, turn off the drying cycle, open the dishwasher and let the contents air dry.
• Refrigerator: Keep your refrigerator temperature setting just low enough to chill milk (38-40 degrees F) and the freezer low enough to keep ice cream hard (around 5 degrees F). Did you know, every time you open your refrigerator, approximately 30% of the cold air escapes?
• Oven: Instead of opening your oven door to check what’s cooking look through the window.
• Small Appliances: Use advanced power strips to eliminate any ‘standby’ power that many devices consume even when turned off.
• Hot Water: Set your water heater at 120 degrees F (Many are preset at 140 degrees F).

Additional Resources

Energy-efficient Products: You can purchase energy-efficient products directly from UI Smart Solutions, our online store. We offer great deals and instant rebates on a variety of energy-saving items that will help reduce your energy costs.

Budget Billing: With Budget Billing, your energy costs will be spread evenly over 12 months so you know how much your bill will be every month.