Why Your Summer Power Bill Is So High
It is not your imagination and it is usually not an error. Here is what is actually driving it, and which fixes move the number enough to bother with.
What Is Actually Driving It
Six causes, and the first one is most of it.
In a Las Vegas summer your air conditioning is not cycling on and off, it is running most of the day and a good part of the night. Everything else on this list is secondary to that.
The air conditioner runs constantly
When it is 110 outside and you want 76 inside, the system never gets a real break. That is the entire story of a July bill.
Overnight does not cool off enough
Desert nights used to give the house a break. In peak summer the overnight low is often still warm enough that the system keeps working.
An aging or undersized system
An older unit at lower efficiency uses substantially more electricity to deliver the same comfort. Age matters more than thermostat settings.
Attic insulation
Many older valley homes are underinsulated by current standards. Your attic gets brutally hot and pushes that heat down into the house.
Duct leakage
Ducts running through a hot attic that leak are cooling your attic instead of your bedrooms. It is invisible and expensive.
Pool equipment
An older single speed pool pump running long hours is a real line item on a summer bill. Variable speed uses far less.
What a Normal Year Looks Like
Shape matters more than any single month.
The seasonal swing here is dramatic and it is supposed to be. Mild months are genuinely cheap, then July and August land hard. Budgeting month to month makes summer feel like a crisis. Budgeting annually makes it a plan.
Ask your utility about equal payment budgeting. It averages your annual usage into a level monthly amount, which does not save you money but removes the summer shock. Most people who switch never go back.
What Actually Moves the Number
In order of impact, not in order of ease.
Service the HVAC every spring
Dirty coils and low refrigerant make the system run longer for the same result. This is the cheapest meaningful fix there is.
Add attic insulation
If your home is older, this is often the single best return in the house. Have someone actually measure the depth rather than guessing.
Seal the ducts
A duct test finds leaks you would never see. Sealing them means the cold air reaches the rooms instead of the attic.
Handle west facing windows
Film, shades, or exterior shading on the afternoon sun side. That glass is a heat source for hours every day.
Upgrade the pool pump
Swapping a single speed pump for variable speed cuts its consumption substantially. Check for a utility rebate first.
Use a smart thermostat properly
Small setbacks while you are out help. Large swings do not, because the system works harder to recover than it saved.
Ask about rebates before you buy anything. Utility programs here have historically offered incentives on HVAC efficiency, insulation, duct sealing, and pool pumps. Check what is currently available before you write the check. Solar is a bigger conversation, covered on my solar panels page.
If You Are Buying a House Here
Four things to establish before you remove contingencies.
Request twelve months of bills
Not a summary, the actual months. A July number tells you more about a house than the listing photos do.
Get the HVAC age
Your inspector will note it. In this climate a system near the end of its life is the most expensive thing you can inherit.
Look at the attic
Insulation depth is visible and it is one of the strongest predictors of what summer will cost you.
Note the back yard orientation
A west facing wall of glass is a different summer than a north facing one. Stand in it in the afternoon.
Bring it up at the inspection. HVAC condition, insulation, and duct runs are all on the list, and they are worth more attention here than almost anywhere else. See my home inspection guide.
Ask for twelve months of power bills on every house you get serious about. It is the most honest disclosure document nobody thinks to request.
Working Out What a Home Costs to Run?
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Common Questions
Tap any one to open it.
Why is my Las Vegas power bill so high in summer?
Because your air conditioning runs nearly continuously from June into September, including much of the night when the temperature does not drop enough to give the house a break. Age and efficiency of the system, attic insulation, duct leakage, and pool equipment all compound it. A summer bill several times your winter bill is normal here, not an error.
What is a normal summer electric bill here?
It varies enormously with square footage, insulation, HVAC age, thermostat setting, and whether there is a pool. Rather than chasing an average, get the actual twelve months of bills on the specific property you care about. That is the only number that means anything, and sellers can pull it from the utility.
What temperature should I set the thermostat to?
Higher costs less, and each degree matters more here than in a mild climate because the gap between inside and outside is so large. Modest setbacks while you are away help. Very large setbacks often do not, because the system runs hard to recover and can struggle to catch up during peak afternoon heat.
Does adding insulation actually help?
In many older Las Vegas homes, yes, and it is frequently the best return available. Attics here get extremely hot, and if the insulation is thin that heat pushes into your living space all day. Have someone measure the actual depth rather than assuming, and check for a utility rebate before you schedule the work.
Will solar fix my summer bill?
It can reduce it meaningfully, since our sun is one of the best resources in the country for it. What matters is how the system is structured, because an owned system and a leased one behave completely differently at resale. Read my solar guide before you sign anything.
Can I spread the cost across the year?
Yes, ask your utility about an equal payment or budget billing plan. It averages your annual usage into a level monthly charge and trues up periodically. You do not pay less overall, but you stop getting a July bill that feels like a car payment.
Buying or Selling Here?
What a home costs to run is part of what it is worth. Let’s look at the whole picture, not just the price.
Keep Reading
The pages homeowners open next.
Lori Ballen
I’ve lived in Las Vegas since I was five years old and I have paid a lot of August power bills. Email me at lori@loriballen.com.
702-604-7739