Know More. Pay Less. — Nationwide Energy Partners

One Degree of Separation

When it comes to your electricity bill, every degree on your thermostat setting matters.

In apartments and condominiums, heating and cooling account for a significant portion—often more than 50%—of your total electricity usage. If your unit relies on electric heat instead of gas, your thermostat settings can be one of the most impactful ways to reduce your energy costs.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save about 3% on your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat during winter. That means even a small adjustment—such as lowering your thermostat from 70°F to 67°F—could result in noticeable savings over time.

As one physicist explains, heating costs are proportional to the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures. If it’s 45°F outside and you heat your home to 70°F, that’s a 25-degree difference. Lowering your thermostat to 65°F reduces that difference to 20 degrees, cutting heating energy usage by about 20%.

The recommended thermostat setting in winter is around 68°F when you’re home and awake and lower while you’re asleep or away. If you can tolerate it, even a slight decrease—like setting your thermostat to 65°F at night—can lead to substantial savings over the season.

Adjusting your thermostat is even more impactful for apartment and condo renters whose units employ heat pumps and/or electric resistance heating.

While your thermostat settings significantly impact energy use, other factors – such as insulation, heating system efficiency, unit location, and weather conditions – also affect your electricity bill. Most of these variables are beyond your control, but adjusting your thermostat is a simple, effective way for you to help manage your costs.

By lowering your thermostat just a few degrees, dressing in warm layers, and using smart heating practices, you can enjoy a comfortable home without overpaying for energy.

Want to learn more about energy-efficient heating? Visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Saver at www.energy.gov/energysaver for expert tips and recommendations.

Don’t Be Fooled

Understanding the All-In Rate

As an informed consumer, understanding how electric rates are calculated is valuable. An electricity rate is made up of several components:

• Generation supply
• Transmission costs
• Distribution Costs
• Tarrifs, Riders, and Regulatory Fees

This is called the all-in rate. In advertising or the media, you will sometimes see rates that may seem unrealistically low. In these instances, what is being referenced is only the generation portion of the rate. Don’t be fooled. No one pays only the generation portion for their electricity. As consumers, we pay the all-in rate.

Remember, NEP is not a utility; therefore, we do not directly bill the rate components. Rather, we ensure that residents are never charged more for their metered electric usage than they would have paid under the local utility’s all-in rate for the same usage.

Heating Method Comparisons

Heat Pumps & Space Heaters can be Costly in Cold Weather