Chas Roberts A/C & Plumbing Weighs in on APS Rate Changes

Arizona’s Leading Provider of A/C Systems is telling consumers what to expect with new APS rate plans

(November 20, 2017) – Chas Roberts A/C & Plumbing is giving their customers the information they’ll need in advance of the major rate changes that are coming for 2018. Chas has been a leader in energy efficiency with their commitment to Energy Star rated homes and understand the importance of saving money on energy bills.

The new APS plans were voted on as a rate hike by the Arizona Corporation Commission, so chances are that if you’re an APS customer, your bill will be going up. This will be an adjustment for everyone, which is why Chas Roberts wants to get a leg up on the changes by giving their customers the news about how the changes will affect them, from wall to wall and floor to ceiling:

• Saver Choice

  The closest to the current “noon to 7 p.m.” plan. The drawback of this new rate option is that it moves the end of “Peak Time” back by one hour to 8 p.m. A/C and the charge for each “kilowatt hour” of electricity is going up, most noticeably during off-peak hours. APS is estimating that electricity bills will be going up slightly, so that’s what you should expect on this plan.

• Saver Choice Plus

  Use extreme caution if choosing this plan or the third on the list. While the much lower cost per kilowatt hour charge might look appealing, the “Demand Charges” are the real wild card. This is a potentially daily fee on your bill of $8.40 during both summer and winter. The $8.40 is added for each day that you exceed your predetermined allotment of power. And it requires a long-term commitment, so if this plan turns out being wrong for your level of usage, it will really cost you. As the name suggests, you could save quite a bit, but that’s not the case for everyone.

• Saver Choice Max

  This plan could save you the most possible money because the price per kilowatt hour is very low. But it could also turn very costly as the demand charges are $17.43 per day in the summer and $12.23 per day in the winter. So, for each day that you exceed your daily allotment of power, you’ll see a significant increase in your total bill. It is our advice to only select this plan after very careful consideration of your power usage.

Chas Roberts has been a long-time participant in the EPA’s Energy Star program for home energy consumption. In fact, more than 80% of the new homes that they install systems in Phoenix and Tucson are Energy Star certified. The Arizona based company is passing this information along as part of their effort to inform the public about how their energy usage can lead to a more sustainable lifestyle. Chas Roberts has announced that they are going to be informing their consumers about maximizing their energy efficiency in Energy Star homes with a guidebook they are releasing in early 2018. Bob Shank, COO of Chas Roberts says the company always has efficiency in mind, “we have always seen Energy Star as the key to being a smart consumer. In an environment where utility rates for traditional users are going up, saving on usage is where we can get ahead.”