9 Items Causing Your Idaho Power Bills to Skyrocket This Summer

While most of the world was experiencing the hottest year on Earth in 2023, the Pacific Northwest was treated to a fairly mild summer. 

In 2023, the Boise area only experienced 11 triple digit days last year. That was, no doubt, a relief after the record shattering 27 we sweat through in 2022! We're about halfway through meteorological summer (June-August) and if the weather continues to follow the pattern we’re locked in at press time, Summer 2024 is going to be more like the one we experienced two years ago. 

READ MORE: 11 Things Your Should NEVER Leave in Your Car on a Hot Idaho Day

We’ve already seen eight triple digit days this summer. Some extended forecasts, like this one from Weather Underground, show the triple digit temperatures continuing straight through the end of July. There’s a real possibility that we could break the record for triple digit days again! 

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During hot streaks like the one we’re experiencing, Idahoans are doing everything they can to keep cool. For many that means dropping the temperature on the thermostat and/or running more fans around the home. While Idaho Power hasn’t asked customers to limit their use to reduce strain on the system like they did in 2021, they haven’t ruled out the possibility of setting a new record for energy served to customers. That current record is 3,745 megawatts which was set the evening of June 30, 2021. 

Obviously, the more energy you use to stay cool, the higher your power bill is going to be. However, your air conditioner might not be the only appliance causing your power bills to spike in the summer.  Finance Buzz put together a list of nine items, including air conditioners, that are unintentionally gobbling up energy and causing your power bills to rise.