High utility bills: How to save money and cut your home energy and heat costs
We've compiled a set of tips and guides to help you save money on improvements to cut your utility bills, find contractors and take action in the face of skyrocketing energy and heat bills.
Between November of 2022 and January of 2023, Coloradans saw huge spikes in their heat and energy utility bills. Some of our bills doubled compared to the previous winter.
A big part of the reason was the skyrocketing price of gas.
As we head into another winter, we’ve compiled some tips and guides to help you protect yourself from another huge jump.
To protect yourself from high utility bills, we recommend the following:
- Ensure your home is weatherized and as energy efficient as possible. The cheapest energy or heat is the energy or heat we don’t use.
- When it comes to heat, switch to a heat pump so you no longer are impacted by gas price spikes. Heat pumps can also provide cooling in the summer.
- Take advantage of the various credits and financial assistance that your local, state and federal legislators and utilities have created over the last few years. And join us in calling on them to take additional actions.
Tips and Guides to Save Money
Available tax credits, incentives and financial assistance
- Use this calculator from Rewiring America to see how much money you can pull down from the federal Inflation Reduction Act. You can also check out our guide on the federal tax credits available for you.
- Implement energy conservation solutions with Colorado’s Weatherization Assistance Program. Even if you don’t qualify, it can help you identify ways you can increase the efficiency of your home.
- Connect with a group like Energy Outreach Colorado, which provides education and assistance for homeowners and renters. They can also help with paying a utility bill or if your furnace isn’t working.
- Most utilities have efficiency programs you can take advantage of including Xcel Energy, United Power, Holy Cross Energy, CORE Electric Cooperative and Colorado Springs Utilities.
What is a heat pump and why should I get one?
Heat pumps are a great way to convert your heat in your home from gas to electric, reducing your exposure to volatile gas prices. They can also provide cooling in the summer.
Here are three great resources for you to learn more:
- The what and the why from Environment Colorado including information on federal tax credits.
- An extensive FAQ if you have specific questions.
- A webinar from our friends at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project on heat pumps and electrifying our home.
Help finding contractors and shopping around
For many of us, we want to talk to someone who does the work and see what our options are.
- Here’s a resource from Love Electric to find installers in your area.
- Here’s some questions you should consider asking when you are looking into a heat pump.
- Some companies have sites you can check out to find out what electrification would look like for you. Here’s an example from Elephant Energy.
Call for more action from utilities, regulators and elected officials
Many of the incentives that exist are thanks to legislative or regulatory action. But more action will be needed to eliminate energy waste and the pollution associated with it.
One decision happening in 2024 is around Clean Heat Plans – a utility plan to reduce reliance on volatile gas to heat our homes and businesses. Here’s more information on what a great heat plan looks like.
You can also sign our petition calling on the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to stand up for consumers and ensure utilities are doing more to reduce waste and our reliance on volatile gas.
Topics
Authors
Danny Katz
Executive Director, CoPIRG Foundation
Danny has been the director of CoPIRG for over a decade. Danny co-authored a groundbreaking report on the state’s transit, walking and biking needs and is a co-author of the annual “State of Recycling” report. He also helped write a 2016 Denver initiative to create a public matching campaign finance program and led the early effort to eliminate predatory payday loans in Colorado. Danny serves on the Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) Efficiency and Accountability Committee, CDOT's Transit and Rail Advisory Committee, RTD's Reimagine Advisory Committee, the Denver Moves Everyone Think Tank, and the I-70 Collaborative Effort. Danny lobbies federal, state and local elected officials on transportation electrification, multimodal transportation, zero waste, consumer protection and public health issues. He appears frequently in local media outlets and is active in a number of coalitions. He resides in Denver with his family, where he enjoys biking and skiing, the neighborhood food scene and raising chickens.