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Texans say they haven't used more electricity during COVID-19

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By Arthur Murray March 18th, 2021
2 min read

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Zoom meetings increased while Texans stayed at home.

Nearly half of Texans say they haven’t used more electricity during the COVID-19 crisis than they did before the pandemic, according to results of a survey conducted earlier this month on behalf of Choose Energy. That runs counter to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research that found Texans had used 16 percent more energy during the pandemic.

The survey, administered March 4-6 by Dynata, asked 521 Texans questions about the February winter storm, their usage, how they shop for energy, and more. About 45.5 percent of Texans said they have not noticed a change in usage, and 4.4 percent say they’ve used less electricity.

Most Texas workers had been under stay-at-home orders since late March 2020. Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the order on businesses on March 2, 2021. Conventional wisdom, and the study, held that people have used more residential electricity during the stay-at-home period.

Here’s how the Texans surveyed answered the question, “Do you believe you’ve used more electricity due to stay-at-home or other restrictions related to COVID-19?”

Nearly half of Texans say they didn't use more electricity during the COVID-19 quarantine.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, average Texas residential electricity usage is 1,140 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month. Texans paid 11.96 cents/kWh for residential electricity in 2020, about 9.4 percent less than the national average.

How Texans perceive their monthly electricity bills

Survey respondents say on average that they expect to spend $143 a month. The median (or the response in the exact middle) was $125 a month.

Texans say they spend about $143 a month for their electricity.

Still, respondents think they have a better deal on their energy plans than other residents of the state. They believe other Texans pay an average of $162 a month, with the median value being $150.

How much do you expect the average person’s typical monthly electric bill to cost?

Survey respondents believe other Texans spend more each month for electricity than they do.

For the record, the EIA says the average Texas residential electricity bill is $134 a month.

Where Texans set their thermostats during winter

Of course, the electricity rate is only part of the formula. Another factor that plays heavily into electricity bills is usage, particularly for heating and cooling. The EIA says about 16-17 percent of residential energy use goes toward those factors. It is the single-largest category of home usage.

And a good percentage of that usage is affected by thermostat settings. Most survey respondents said they didn’t keep it too warm in the house. About 38.5 percent say the thermostat is set at less than 70 degrees.

The average winter thermostat setting from the survey was 71 degrees.

The average claimed by respondents was 71 degrees. The median thermostat setting was 70.

Arthur Murray
Energy Expert
Arthur leads content for ChooseEnergy.com, taking advantage of more than 20 years of newspaper and magazine experience. His articles have appeared on Zillow.com, Business.com, Nasdaq.com, and USNews.com, among others. Reach out to us with any questions or concerns. 

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