The Simple HVAC Trick That Could Save You Tons on Your Energy Bills

I’ve been in denial about my electricity bill lately. It’s on auto-pay, and while I give it a peek every month or so, what can I do but sigh? Well, that’s a luxury I—and the rest of the non-billionaire world—can no longer afford. Electricity prices are up 6.1% since April 2025, and combined with higher energy prices across the board—especially the skyrocketing price of gas—it’s clear I need to rein in my energy costs. Using off-peak power can help.

What exactly is off-peak power? I’d heard of the term and its savings potential, but I have to admit I hadn’t looked into it (remember my out-of-sight, out-of-mind electricity bill!). But that Texas summer heat isn’t far away, and as an electrician, I know that even little tweaks can translate into big savings.

Ahead, I spoke with Elena Chrimat, an energy-efficiency expert and owner of Ideal Air Conditioning & Insulation in Tempe, Arizona, to learn more about off-peak power. Plus, we’ll give you some actionable (and totally DIY) strategies to boost efficiency in your home, so read on.

What Is Off-Peak Power?

“Off-peak power is the energy you buy from your utility company during the hours when it’s cheapest,” Chrimat says. “Most utility companies offer time-of-use rate plans where the price per kilowatt hour changes throughout the day.”

Sounds simple enough, but is it super inconvenient? I don’t really feel like doing my laundry at 3 a.m., thank you very much. But we don’t have to worry about losing sleep.

“On-peak hours, when energy is most expensive, usually run from around 9 or 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., depending on your provider,” Chrimat says. “Off-peak is everything outside that window, when energy is cheap to buy.” Of course, it will depend on your utility company, but using off-peak power in the morning and evening sounds OK to me.

Why Timing Your Energy Use Matters

Besides paying less for off-peak power, it matters because utilities struggle to keep up with demand, especially during the middle of summer. “There’s something called the duck curve, and basically what it means is the utility can’t just flip a switch and ramp up a power plant to meet demand,” Chrimat says. “It’s virtually impossible to do that on short notice.”

That’s where you and I come in. “So instead of building new power plants, which is incredibly expensive, they incentivize homeowners through time-of-use plans, thermostat rebates and rebates on energy bills to shift their usage,” she says.

That shift is key. Chrimat says if we keep going on our current trajectory without reducing our energy usage, eventually we’ll have to build new power plants, “and that’s going to raise our energy bills by a lot more than what they’re going up now.”

Understanding Your Local Rate Plan

“This is the first step, and most people skip it: Go to your utility company’s website and look up their rate plans,” Chrimat says. “Every utility offers options because everyone’s schedule is different, and you want to find the plan that matches your lifestyle.”

And don’t forget to check back every year, especially before peak seasons. “We had a homeowner come to us during an energy audit who couldn’t figure out why their bill kept climbing year-over-year even though their actual energy usage was the same,” Chrimat says. “Turned out they were on a time-of-use plan and running their AC right through peak hours without realizing it. Once we got that sorted, the savings were immediate.”

Heating & Cooling Strategies

To get the most out of off-peak power, employ some smart strategies. “The biggest one is pre-cooling,” Chrimat says. “If your home has good attic insulation, you have a real shot at retaining cool air for hours.” (More on that coming up.)

“Set the thermostat down as low as possible during off-peak hours when energy is cheap,” Chrimat says. “Then when on-peak hits, turn the system off or push the thermostat up to 80 if you can tolerate it, or whatever the highest temperature is that you can stand.” Your home will slowly warm, but when energy is cheap again, you can turn the thermostat back down. (Heating works the same but in reverse.)

If this sounds like a lot of planning (and work), there’s a simple fix: “A smart thermostat makes this easier because you can program it to automatically follow your rate plan,” Chrimat says, adding that most utilities also offer “‘demand response programs,” where the utility can adjust your thermostat during peak demand in exchange for a rebate (she says you can usually override this if needed).

Chrimat says her clients typically see a $50 to $100 rebate for buying the thermostat, plus an annual bill credit of around $50.

DIY and Other Improvements That Boost Off-Peak Savings

Beyond using off-peak power plans, you can update your home with some easy improvements. Some are squarely in the DIY category; others might require professional help, depending on how handy you are.

• Add window shades: “Start with exterior shading,” Chrimat says. “You can go to Home Depot or Lowe’s, buy shade screen material, drape it over the exterior of your windows, or build your own shade screens with kits they sell.” Once that radiant heat is inside the home, you’re paying to remove it, she says.
• Plant trees:“Planting trees on the east and west sides of your home does the same thing long-term,” Chrimat says. “Those are the most detrimental sides for sun exposure.”
• Add attic insulation: This is a high-impact addition, but it must be installed correctly. “All the top plates and wire penetrations in the attic need to be air-sealed before the insulation goes down, and the insulation has to be in 100% alignment with the surface for it to function.”
• Seal your ductwork: “If your ducts run through an unconditioned attic and have holes, you can save anywhere from 10% on the low end up to 30% off your cooling bill just by sealing the duct system,” Chrimat says. (Make sure your ductwork is insulated too.)

FAQ

Will my house actually stay comfortable if I turn things down during peak hours?

As long as you’ve done the prep work, Chrimat says yes. “If your insulation is up to par, the home will hold cool air through the on-peak window.” The idea isn’t to suffer, “it’s to pre-cool when energy is cheap so the house can coast through the expensive hours.”

But Chrimat says it’s a personal decision. “I don’t push my own house to 80 because I have dogs that need to stay cool, so the real answer is push it as high as you can tolerate.”

Is this hard on my HVAC system?

Luckily, no, but Chrimat says it is important to stagger your highest loads. “Your highest demand hour might be when your pool pump is running, your AC is on and your water heater decides to kick on at the same moment,” she says. That spike is what drives the utility to ramp up production (and prices).

“Just be mindful of what’s running together, and the system will be fine.”

About the Expert

• Elena Chrimat is the owner of Ideal Air Conditioning & Insulation in Tempe, Arizona. She is a founding board member of the Building Performance Association, a national industry association dedicated to improving residential energy efficiency, and also advocates for utility energy-efficiency programs. Chrimat’s company has received the ENERGY STAR Century Club Award every year since 2013, and she has nearly two decades of experience working in energy efficiency and utility savings.

Sources:

• Elena Chrimat, owner of Ideal Air Conditioning & Insulation in Tempe, Arizona; email interview, May 17, 2026
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: “Consumer Price Index Summary, April 2026”

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