Understand Your Usage

Understand Your Usage

Understanding your energy use can help put you in control of your monthly bills. You can use the following tips to reduce your energy use while maintaining your comfort. If you or someone you know is having trouble paying their bill – we are here to help with programs, payment plans and assistance available .

Your monthly bill is affected by the price of energy and the amount of energy you use. Your energy costs include the delivery cost from Central Maine Power and the supply cost based on the supply option you have selected. As your energy delivery company, we build and maintain a safe, reliable system to deliver your energy supply to you. The supply charge is what you pay your supplier for the energy you use. While we have no control over the actual price of energy, you can shop for your supply through a supplier, or competitive electricity provider (CEP), or sign up for the Standard Offer price set by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC).

How much energy you use can vary from day to day depending on how many people are in your home, your daily habits, and the time of year. Enroll in Energy Manager and see how much electricity you use day-by-day, hour-by-hour with our free and secure online tool.

Now that you have a better understanding of your usage, here are some tips to help you conserve more energy:

Energy-saving tips for warmer weather

  • Set your air conditioning thermostat at 78° or higher during the cooling season. Each degree above 75° saves you 3% of the energy used to cool your home.
  • Turn your air conditioner up a few degrees when you leave home.
  • Use ceiling fans to naturally cool your home.
  • Make an upgrade - if your central air system is more than 12 years old, replace it with an ENERGY STAR® certified model. You could lower cooling costs by as much as 30%.
  • Close curtains during the day to block sunlight.

Energy-saving tips for cooler weather

  • Set the thermostat as low as comfort permits. Each degree above 68º F can use 3% more energy.
  • Install a programmable or wi-fi thermostat to automatically control your heating and save money by lowering the temperature when you’re not home.
  • If you use electric heat, consider replacing it with a high efficiency ductless mini split heat pump system, which can lower electricity use by as much as 40%.
  • Clean or replace furnace filters as recommended and have your furnace burner checked and cleaned annually by a contractor. A well cleaned and tuned heating system saves you money.
  • Install high-efficiency LED lighting. LED lighting uses 90% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 25 times longer.

More ways to save energy

  • Lighting: Turn off lights whenever you leave a room or don't need them.
  • Dishwasher: Use the air-drying option instead of heat drying. Or better yet, turn off the drying cycle, open the dishwasher and let the contents air dry.
  • Refrigerator: Keep your refrigerator temperature setting just low enough to chill milk (38-40 degrees F) and the freezer low enough to keep ice cream hard (around 5 degrees F). Did you know, every time you open your refrigerator, approximately 30% of the cold air escapes?
  • Oven: Instead of opening your oven door to check what’s cooking look through the window.
  • Small Appliances: Use advanced power strips to eliminate any ‘standby’ power that many devices consume even when turned off.
  • Hot Water: Set your water heater at 120 degrees F (Many are preset at 140 degrees F).

Additional Resources

Efficiency Maine: Efficiency Maine is the independent administrator for energy efficiency programs. They offer energy and money savings tips as well as a variety of rebates on products that can help you reduce your usage.

Home Energy Calculator: Enter your appliance information to get an understanding of how different appliances in your home affect your overall costs. Try our Home Energy Calculator .

SimplePay: With SimplePay, your energy costs will be spread evenly over 12 months so you know how much your bill will be every month.

Alerts: Receive alerts and updates about your electricity usage and estimated cost - all made possible by your smart meter! You can pick how you get them: text, email, phone – or any combination of those. Sign up for alerts today. You can choose to receive any of the following alerts:

  • Usage Update: Receive weekly updates with your usage, estimated cost, and daily averages for the current billing period.
  • Usage Amount Exceeded: Set a monthly electricity usage or dollar amount and we'll notify you if/when you exceed that amount.
  • Usage Change: We'll notify you of big changes to your daily usage. Specifically, if your daily usage is 50% higher or 75% lower than your past 30-day average usage for three days in a row.
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