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Entergy New Orleans summer bill information
07/05/2023
To our valued customer,
We know how important it is to keep you informed, especially regarding utility bill costs.
Last summer, utility bills across the nation surged, largely influenced by a spike in the cost of natural gas. Many domestic and global factors contributed to this two-fold increase in the cost of natural gas, and while the supply remained adequate, the cost of the natural gas that Entergy and other utilities use to generate electricity experienced the same upward cost pressure. The cost of the natural gas that Entergy uses to generate electricity, which is listed on bills as the Fuel Adjustment Charge, was one of the major drivers influencing higher than normal bills last summer.
Looking ahead for the rest of this summer, we anticipate that natural gas prices will remain at a much lower level – down over 50% from this past year. However as always in the South, the need for additional electricity to cool your home or business during these extreme summertime temperatures will continue to be a significant driver for bills, but we know that lower natural gas prices, leading to lower prices on your electricity bill, will be welcome news for all our customers.
We all want to save money on our bills, so we encourage you to consider taking steps at home to be more energy efficient to reduce your energy usage, where possible. As we typically see during the summer, hot weather makes our air conditioners work harder, and cooling costs can make up more than 50% of your bill. Here are some tips we recommend:
- Change air filters. Air filters on some air conditioning units require monthly cleaning or replacing.
- Setting the thermostat to 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree lower than 78 can raise a bill as much as 3%.
- Buy a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat can help manage costs, is controllable, and can help monitor usage.
- Use fans to cool off. Ceiling fans, box fans and oscillating fans use very little electricity to circulate the air. Make sure ceiling fans are rotating in the right direction – counter-clockwise during summer – to push cooler air down into the room. Be sure to turn all fans off in unused rooms.
- Close blinds, shades and curtains to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Also, close air conditioning vents in rooms that are not in use.
- Seal cracks and holes around doors, windows and ductwork. Weather stripping and caulk will help keep the cold air in and the hot air out.
- Use the myAdvisor tool on myentergy.com. The usage and cost tool can compare usage history by month, day and hour.
Though this comes as a sense of relief for many, we know that any increase in monthly bills can be burdensome.
Through the Energy Smart program, our company offers a variety of programs and resources to help customers save energy and money at their home or business, including incentive and rebate programs.
We also offer several bill payment assistance plans, including deferred payment arrangements, levelized billing and pick-a-day billing, to name a few. To learn more about these options, as well as assistance programs like The Power to Care and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, visit: entergy-neworleans.com/bill-help/.
If you are a customer or know someone struggling to pay their utility bills, please do not wait — call us at 1-800-ENTERGY so that you can be connected with a customer service representative who will be happy to help assist you with your unique situation.
Thank you,
Sandra Diggs-Miller
Entergy New Orleans Customer Service Vice President
