If your summertime electricity bill suddenly increases, your air conditioner is a likely cause. You may also get a report from your smart thermostat that the watt usage of your air conditioner increased. If this happens, there are a few reasons why.
Skipping your ductless, mini-split, or central air conditioning system’s annual maintenance causes the system to lose efficiency, and this will increase its watt usage. If the air conditioner is short-cycling, this will lead to higher watt usage. The increased watt usage is due to the heavy electrical consumption of the startup of each new cooling cycle. Increased watt usage may also occur when the system’s air filter is dirty. Check and replace the air conditioner’s filter once a month.