9 hacks to lower your NYC energy bill during a heatwave

Summer heatwaves don't just drive up temperatures—they can send your apartment’s electricity bills soaring. 

Fortunately, there are multiple ways individual New York City renters and owners can cut energy use, earn cash through Con Edison programs, and help reduce strain on the grid, as well as building-wide strategies for condo and co–op buildings.

Here are nine strategies to lower your energy costs this summer.

1) Get paid to use less power

Con Edison partners with companies that pay customers to reduce electricity use during periods of high demand. One option is GridRewards, an app from Logical Buildings that alerts you when to cut back during demand response events—typically about 10 afternoons each summer during heat waves.

Connect the app to your Con Edison account and, when notified, pre-cool your apartment ahead of the peak demand period, then switch off unnecessary appliances, unplug electronics and chargers, and reduce AC use if it's safe to do so. The less electricity you use, the more you can earn.

You can enroll year-round, but rewards are available from May 1st through September 30th.

Co-ops and condos can also participate through SmartKit AI, a building-wide version of the program that can generate thousands of dollars in annual rebates. Marat Olfir, AKAM resident manager at a 165-unit condo in Kips Bay, annually earns rewards by temporarily closing amenities such as gyms or laundry rooms and asking residents to unplug unnecessary devices during peak periods. 

Here's another tip: “I tell the unit owners, unplug everything—when you unplug everything you actually save the building a lot,” Olfir said. Many types of modern appliances continue to draw a small amount of electricity even when they are turned off, but that phantom power use can add up to as much as $100 a year.

2) Shift your energy use

The demand for electricity is highest on hot afternoons and evenings. This pushes up the supply and delivery costs you see on your bill. Whenever possible, run dishwashers, washers and dryers, and other major appliances outside the 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. window on hot days.

New Yorkers love their AC, but if you have multiple air conditioners, try running just one at peak times, or use fans to stay comfortable—when possible. 

“Fans lower the perception of the air temperature by about five degrees,” said David Bergman, architect at David Bergman Eco and a sustainability educator. “A fan also uses much less energy than an air conditioner.”

Co-ops and condos will pay a peak demand charge so reducing electricity use when demand is high helps to lower the building's overall utility costs. Olfir has made it his mission to educate residents in his building about how billing works, the costs associated with peak demand, and how small changes can have a big impact. 

“My goal is to stop the electric waste, simple as that,” Olfir said.

3) Get paid to power your AC use with a battery

Con Edison partner Every Electric provides free battery packs that you can connect to your air conditioners. The batteries charge when electricity demand is low and power your AC during peak periods.

Participants can earn up to $150 per year for each AC unit while helping reduce strain on the electric grid.

4) Install a smart thermostat

If you have an eligible smart thermostat, Con Edison offers an $85 rebate for enrolling in its smart thermostat program. Customers who regularly participate in demand response events can earn an additional $25 per year for the first three years.

Keep in mind you generally can't combine this incentive with other demand response programs such as GridRewards. 

5) Seal air leaks

Older buildings often lose cooled air through gaps around windows, doors, and air conditioners. Sealing air leaks is equally important to retain heat in winter. Advice from the Department of Energy includes installing weatherstripping or a door sweep to seal drafts, and checking that your window AC is tightly fitted. 

At the building-wide level, fixing leaky exhaust pipes and ventilation shafts can cut a building’s heating demand and save thousands in utility costs. 

“Some are brick shafts, sheetrock, or sometimes concrete,” said Amit Gupta, founder and CEO at Aeroseal, a company specializing in ductwork sealing. When shafts are not airtight, rooftop fans work harder and the air extracted doesn’t come exclusively from the shaft, making the system inefficient and expensive to operate. 

“You make the building work and it pays for itself in three to four and a half years depending on incentives,” Gupta said. 

6) Keep cool air inside

Keep blinds and curtains closed during the day to block heat—Con Edison estimates that about 40 percent of unwanted summer heat enters through windows. 

“The ideal is probably a blackout blind to stop heat coming further into the apartment,” Bergman said. 

7) Clean or replace your AC

A dirty air conditioner works harder and uses more electricity. Cleaning the filter and coils regularly improves efficiency and can lower your energy bill. “When the coils are clogged there is no heat transfer,” Olfir said.

If your unit is old, replacing it with a high-efficiency model can reduce electricity use even further. “Look for Energy Star appliances,” Bergman said. Energy Star is a label ensuring the highest standard of efficiency. 

8) Switch to LED bulbs

LED light bulbs use up to 90 percent less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs and last much longer, making them one of the easiest ways to lower energy costs. At the building-wide level, Local Law 88 mandates LED lighting upgrades for buildings larger than 25,000 square feet. 

9) Sign up for community solar

Community solar lets you get credits on your electric bill without having to install rooftop panels. By subscribing to a shared solar project, you receive a portion of the clean electricity it generates in the form of bill credits. Providers can be found through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). 

“It’s great that its savings, it's renewable and you don’t have to do anything, all you have to do is sign up,” Bergman said. 

For co-ops and condos with appropriate roof space, a solar installation can reap rewards. NYSERDA’s NY-Sun program offers incentives for solar projects where the array either produces power for the grid and generates credits on the monthly electric bills or offsets the cost of a building’s common area electricity usage.