CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Over the holiday, temperatures in the Queen City felt more like spring, but don’t expect that to last long.
“We’re headed into cold weather and that means potentially higher bills,” Jeff Brooks with Duke Energy said.
Brooks said the colder temperatures headed our way typically last through March, almost promising many of us will soon see a stretch of higher payments.
“We’ve actually seen the Carolinas become a winter peaking utility, meaning we see some of our highest bills in the winter,” he said.
While the Carolinas typically don’t see temperatures leading to scenes like this winter wonderland in North Dakota this weekend, it's enough to have people cranking up the heat, which cranks up the bill.
"When you think about the heating in your home, that difference between the temperature outside and the temperature inside really is what determines how often your heating unit turns on, and they're also inside more so they tend to use more electricity generally," Brooks said.
To save some money, Brooks recommends setting the thermostat as low as comfortable and ensuring your air filter is clean.
“Oftentimes we see people forget about this but a dirty air filter can increase your unit cost and shorten the life of your unit,” Brooks explained
Brooks said to make sure you're not letting any precious heat escape.
“It's really important that you check around doors and windows and check the seals around those," he said. "Open the blinds on the sunny side of our house, let the natural warmth come in during the day and then make sure you close that at night."
Brooks said setting your ceiling fan clockwise can help push warm air down.
Contact Lana Harris at lharris@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.