Your electric bill should be getting friendlier right about now, but a lot of Phoenix homeowners are surprised when it doesn't drop as much as they expect. Part of the reason is habit—you spent five months running the AC like your life depended on it, and that pattern doesn't automatically reset just because it's 85 instead of 110 outside. The other part is that most of the savings opportunity this time of year isn't about running your AC less, it's about running everything smarter.

Here's where the real savings are hiding as we move into fall.

Know which rate plan you're actually on

APS and SRP both price electricity differently depending on the time of day, and a lot of homeowners are on a plan that doesn't match how they actually live. If you're on an APS time-of-use plan, your on-peak window is 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays year-round — that's when electricity costs the most, no matter the season.

SRP's plans work a little differently depending on which one you're enrolled in. Some SRP time-of-day plans set the higher-cost window between 6 and 9 p.m., others run from 5 to 10 p.m., and the off-peak stretch on most of them falls between roughly 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. If you're not sure which plan you're on, both utilities let you look it up online, and it's worth five minutes to check.

Once you know your on-peak hours, the easy win is shifting anything you can control — laundry, the dishwasher, EV charging, pool pump cycles — outside that window. This one change costs nothing and can meaningfully shrink your bill without you using less electricity overall.

Both utilities also treat weekends and certain holidays as off-peak, which is easy to forget. If you've got a big task that uses a lot of power — running the dryer for several loads, charging an EV, deep-cleaning with a pressure washer — weekends are often the cheapest time to do it regardless of which specific plan you're on.

Adjust your thermostat now that the outside temperature is actually cooperating

During summer, your thermostat is fighting a losing battle against triple-digit heat all day. In fall, the outside air is finally on your side, and a lot of homeowners don't take advantage of that because they leave their thermostat set the same way it's been since June.

Bump your setpoint up a couple of degrees during the day, especially once mornings start feeling genuinely cool. If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, this is the time of year to actually use the scheduling features — a slightly higher daytime setting while you're at work, and a comfortable evening setting, adds up over a full month.

Ceiling fans are worth a second look too, but the seasonal fan trick people always mention — running them clockwise to push warm air down — only helps once you're actually heating your home, which for most Phoenix households isn't quite yet. Until then, keep them running counterclockwise on low to help your AC coast through the last of the warm afternoons with less effort.

Don't let up on shade just because it's not summer anymore

West-facing windows are still catching brutal late-afternoon sun well into October and November, even after the worst of the heat has passed. If you've been using blackout curtains or solar screens all summer, keep using them through the transition — the sun angle hasn't changed nearly as much as the thermometer has.

South-facing windows are a different story once temperatures really cool off. Later in the season, letting midday sun in through south-facing glass can actually help warm a room for free, which is the opposite of what you want in July. For now, in the early fall stretch, it's still worth keeping window coverings in place during the hottest part of the afternoon and opening things up once the sun starts to drop.

If you've been considering exterior shade — a patio cover, solar screens, or shade trees on the west side of the house — fall is a good time to plan for it. You'll get the benefit next summer, and a lot of these upgrades are easier to schedule and install once temperatures aren't dangerous to work in.

Give your HVAC system a little help

Your air conditioner just finished the hardest stretch of its year, and a system that's slightly out of tune burns more electricity to do the same job. A clean filter matters more than people think — a dirty one forces your system to work harder no matter how you've set the thermostat.

If you haven't had your system serviced since spring, now's a good window to do it, both because the workload is easing up and because a tuned system going into the cooler months runs more efficiently for longer. This is also a good time to check for obvious duct leaks in the attic or garage, since sealing them keeps the air you're paying for actually going where you want it.

Attic insulation is worth checking too, particularly if your home is older or you've never verified how much is up there. Phoenix attics take a beating from summer heat, and insulation that's degraded doesn't just cost you comfort during the hottest months — it makes your system work harder in both directions, all year.

It's also worth checking the weatherstripping around exterior doors and windows while you're at it. Gaps that don't matter much when your AC is running constantly in summer let noticeably more air escape once you're relying on smaller, more precise temperature swings in fall — and it's a cheap, ten-minute fix per door if you find one.

Small habits that add up

A few smaller changes are easy to overlook but genuinely move the needle. Unplugging chargers and electronics you're not using cuts down on the steady background drain most homes carry without realizing it. Switching to LED bulbs, if you haven't already, reduces both electricity use and the heat those bulbs throw off, which matters more in Phoenix than in most places.

Running your pool pump for less time now that water temperatures are dropping is another one worth checking — a lot of homeowners keep their summer pump schedule running well into fall out of habit, when the pool doesn't need nearly as much circulation once it's not sitting at 90 degrees.

Worth thinking about before you sell

If you're planning to list your home in the next year or two, energy efficiency is something buyers are paying more attention to than they used to — a newer HVAC system, good attic insulation, and solar screens can all be worth mentioning in a listing. If you're weighing whether an upgrade like this is worth doing before you sell versus just living with it, I'm happy to talk through what actually tends to pay off at resale versus what's better done for your own comfort.

 

About Brian Eastwood
Brian Eastwood is a Realtor based in Phoenix, Arizona, helping local buyers and sellers navigate the Valley's shifting market with straightforward, data-driven guidance. Reach out anytime to talk through your specific numbers and timeline. 📲 Call or text me, Brian Eastwood, at 602-330-6813. It can be overwhelming, but I'm here to help!