How to Lower Your Summer Energy Bill

By Nat Sillin

Summer after summer, as temperatures and inflation rise, people across the U.S. are experiencing record-breaking heat.

Unfortunately, heatwaves tend to bring ultra-high energy bills with them. For summer 2025, the average household electricity bill was expected to hit a jaw-dropping, 12-year high of $784.

While there’s nothing you can do to control the heat, there are ways to crank down your energy bill. These energy saving tips for summer can save you money all year round. 

Track your energy spending

Tracking your utility bills is a powerful way to manage rising energy costs. Simple tracking can make you more aware of bad habits as they develop — like doing your laundry during peak hours, when energy costs more. You can also discover if you’re spending more than usual on utilities, and adjust your habits and budget accordingly.

Energy tracking is probably easier than you think. You can do this by simply searching for your energy payments on your most recent bank statements, and then listing them on paper or in a spreadsheet.

Here are a few categories to track separately, if they apply:

• Electricity, gas and water
• Vacation home utilities
• Business or home office 
• Cars and recreational vehicles

Consider an energy audit

An energy audit, sometimes called a home energy assessment, is an evaluation of how your home is using energy. Completing an energy audit can help you pinpoint ways to reduce your bills, weatherproof your home and improve overall efficiency.

You can conduct an energy audit in a few different ways

• Self audit: Conduct a DIY home energy audit with the help of a guide, like this Energy Assessment Checklist from the U.S. Department of Energy. 
• Certified Home Energy Auditor: Hire a professional auditor to inspect your home. Their audits can be performed at different levels with varying price points. In 2025, the average cost across all audit levels was around $400. 
• Utility providers: Some utility companies provide resources to help reduce your energy usage, like home audits online that show you how your energy is being used. 

If you’re buying a home, you can also make an energy audit part of your final home inspection process. 

Watch that thermostat

If you’re wondering what’s using up so much energy in your home, it’s not usually your washer and dryer, your water heater or even your lights that are the main culprits, it’s your air conditioner (A/C). 

To bring down your energy bill, save the heave A/C use for warmest nights of the year. The rest of the time, set the thermostat at a slightly higher temperature. 

For example, if you adjust the temperature by 7°F to 10°F for eight hours a night, the Energy Department says you can reduce your heating and cooling bill by as much as 10% a year. For extra savings, try making these changes:

• Reduce A/C costs by setting up a programmable thermostat 
• Shut off vents and close window treatments in unused rooms
• Set the thermostat higher when no one is home
• See if your utility provider has a budget billing program

If you have dogs or cats in your home, note that they can’t typically withstand temperatures above 85°F for more than four hours. 

Cut random waste

We’ve all been scolded for leaving the lights on in an empty room, but turning off light switches isn’t the only way to cut random energy waste. Here are a few other things you can do to waste less energy:

• Turn off fans when you leave the room
• Install window coverings to keep heat out
• Use motion sensors, light dimmers and timers 
• Install power strips with shutoff switches
• Use colder water to shower and wash your clothes
• Unplug non-essential appliances between uses
• Switch from conventional, incandescent light bulbs to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs

Use tax credits and rebates

Depending on the tax year, the federal government may have tax credits and rebates for homeowners that you can use to improve your home and reduce your energy bills.

For example, since January 1, 2023, the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit has been available to cover up to 30% of the cost of energy upgrades for homeowners.

To find out how to take advantage of these credits and rebates, check IRS.gov and talk to your tax professional. You can also follow news about residential energy credits and specific appliances at EnergyStar.gov. 

Keep in mind that Congress traditionally acts late each year to renew or approve these credits.

Use energy-smart landscaping

If you have a yard, it likely accounts for about one-third of your water usage at home. So smart landscaping upgrades can reduce your water bill in a major way. 

Here are some of the landscaping changes that could reduce your summer water bill, particularly if you live in a hot region:

• Planting more trees for shade
• Choosing native and drought-tolerant plants
• Removing plants that block wind
• Replacing grass with water-efficient plants

Replace appliances and electronics

If you know you’ll need to replace a furnace or a kitchen appliance in the next year, do your homework and scout out sales and deals throughout the year. A great place to start is  EnergyStar.gov, where you can look for rebates and search for products with the Energy Star label. 

Drive smarter

Summer is the biggest driving season of the year, and gas prices start inching up just in time for Memorial Day. 

As prices rise, reconsider how you approach day-to-day errands and short trips. If you need to drive, consolidate trips and use apps or local resources that scan for the cheapest stations and notify you of the best days of the week to fill up. 

If possible, consider public transportation as an alternative. Check out your local bus and train routes to see if there’s a route that gets you to work or nearby recreation areas. If weather permits, you may even want to explore a new bike or walking route. Not only will walking or biking save you money on gas, but it’s good for your health and the environment.

Ultimately, summer is a great time to test new energy-saving habits. But if you’re still not sure how to tackle your summer energy bill, reach out to an NFCC-certified credit counselor for personalized budget support and resources.

This article is intended to provide general information and should not be considered legal, tax or financial advice. It’s always a good idea to consult a legal, tax or financial advisor for specific information on how certain laws apply to you and about your individual financial situation.
Nathaniel Sillin is the Head of Global Financial Literacy at Visa Inc. and runs the company’s financial literacy program in the United States, which includes the award-winning Practical Money Skills for Life and What’s My Score programs. As part of his work at Visa, Sillin is a frequent public speaker and an active voice in the financial literacy community.
Views expressed are the personal views of the author, and do not represent the views of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, its employees, its members, or its clients.