Summer Energy Efficiency Checklist for Small Businesses
Air conditioning drives the biggest summer cost increase for most small businesses, and on demand-charge rate structures, a single very hot afternoon can raise the whole month's bill. Servicing HVAC equipment before peak season, raising the cooling setpoint a few degrees, shading windows, and staggering equipment startup all help control both total usage and peak demand.
Before peak cooling season
An HVAC service call before the hottest months — cleaning coils, checking refrigerant levels, replacing filters — keeps cooling equipment running at its rated efficiency instead of working harder than it needs to. Dirty coils and clogged filters are a common, easily fixed reason a system runs longer than it should.
Setpoints and scheduling
Raising the cooling setpoint even a few degrees during business hours, and allowing a wider setback during closed hours, reduces compressor runtime meaningfully over a full season. Where multiple large pieces of equipment start up around the same time each morning — HVAC, refrigeration, ovens — staggering their startup avoids a sharp demand spike that can set the whole month's demand charge.
Reducing heat load before it hits the AC
Window film, awnings, or simple blinds on sun-facing windows cut the heat a cooling system has to work against in the first place. LED lighting also produces far less waste heat than older fixtures, which is a bigger deal in summer since that waste heat is heat the AC then has to remove.
Space-specific checks
Restaurants and other kitchen-heavy businesses should check that exhaust hoods are pulling properly and doors between kitchen and dining areas are sealing, since kitchen heat that escapes into cooled space adds load. Retail stores lose a lot of cooled air through doors propped open for customer flow — an air curtain or simple signage reminder can help. Warehouses and industrial spaces benefit from evaluating whether full-building cooling is needed versus spot cooling in occupied work areas.
What this means for your bill
Because summer bills often combine higher usage with a demand-charge risk, the most valuable single move for many businesses is simply watching for a demand spike and addressing its cause — usually simultaneous equipment startup — rather than only focusing on total kWh.
Frequently asked questions
Why are summer electric bills so much higher for a small business?
Air conditioning is the main driver — cooling equipment runs longer and harder in peak heat, and in some rate structures a single very hot afternoon can set a demand charge that raises the whole month's bill.
What is a demand charge and why does summer matter for it?
A demand charge bills based on the highest rate of electricity use during a billing period, not just total usage. Summer cooling loads tend to create the year's highest demand spikes, so a single hot day can raise costs beyond just that day's usage.
Does raising the thermostat a few degrees really save much?
Yes — each degree the cooling setpoint is raised meaningfully reduces compressor runtime, and the effect compounds over a full cooling season, especially combined with a program that widens the setback further during closed hours.
See this on your own bill
Upload your business's summer bill and Certo reads it for you — a free bill health score, including whether a demand charge is driving the total.
Want demand spikes flagged automatically?
Certo Pro tracks usage and demand month over month and flags unusual spikes before they turn into a surprise bill — across every location.