High Electric Bill in Winter in Texas? Check Your Heat Strips
High electric bill in winter in Texas? Why heat strips and aux heat run too much, setbacks that backfire, and how to tell if the heat pump failed.
A high electric bill in winter catches a lot of Texas homeowners off guard. People expect August to be expensive; they don’t expect a January bill that rivals it. In all-electric homes — common in newer neighborhoods in Wylie, The Colony and across the metroplex — the reason is almost always the same: electric heat strips doing work the heat pump should be doing.
Why Is My Electric Bill So High in Winter in Texas?
Electric homes in North Texas heat one of two ways:
A heat pump with backup heat strips. The heat pump moves heat from outdoor air into the house and is roughly two to three times more efficient than resistance heat. The strips are meant for defrost cycles and the coldest days.
An electric air handler with strips only. Straight resistance heat, like a giant toaster. Every hour it runs costs about as much as running a heat pump for two or three.
A typical 10–15 kW strip heater draws as much electricity as several window AC units at once. When the strips run more than they should, the bill follows. In a heat pump home, the question is why the strips are running.
What Makes Heat Strips Run Too Much?
Big thermostat setbacks. Turning the heat down to 62°F overnight and back to 70°F at 6 a.m. tells many thermostats to call for auxiliary heat to close the gap quickly. The heat pump could have done it slowly and cheaply; the strips do it fast and expensively.
Wrong thermostat setup. A thermostat without an outdoor sensor or proper heat pump configuration may bring the strips on at the first call for heat, every time.
“Emergency heat” left on. EM heat bypasses the heat pump entirely. It’s meant for when the outdoor unit has failed, not for cold nights.
A heat pump that isn’t working. Low refrigerant, a stuck reversing valve or a failed defrost board leaves the strips carrying the whole load — and the house may still feel warm enough that nobody notices until the bill arrives.
Leaky attic ducts. Heated air lost into a 40°F attic has to be replaced, and longer run times mean more strip time.
How Do I Tell If Aux Heat Is Running?
Most heat pump thermostats display “Aux” or “Auxiliary Heat” when the strips are on. On a 45°F afternoon, you shouldn’t see it much at all. A quick outdoor check helps too: on a mild day with the heat calling, the outdoor unit’s fan should be running. If the indoor unit is blowing warm air but the outdoor unit is silent, the strips are doing all the work.
What’s a Normal Winter Electric Bill for a Heat Pump Home?
Situation
What It Usually Looks Like
Healthy heat pump, mild winter month
Noticeably lower than a summer month
Healthy heat pump, hard-freeze week
A spike — strips legitimately help below ~30°F
Strips-only electric heat
Often close to or above summer bills
Heat pump failed, strips covering
Sudden jump with no change in weather or habits
The pattern matters more than the number. A bill that jumps while the weather stays the same points at the equipment. For broader bill causes, see our high electric bill troubleshooting page.
How Can I Lower My Winter Electric Bill?
Keep setbacks small — 2–3°F at most with a heat pump, or skip them.
Use a heat-pump-aware smart thermostat with an outdoor sensor and an aux heat lockout set around 35°F, so the strips stay off when the heat pump can handle the load. Our thermostat installation includes setting those lockouts correctly.
Check that EM heat is off.
Seal attic ducts. In many DFW homes, duct leakage is the biggest fixable loss. More on that in why attic ducts leak.
Get the heat pump checked before the cold arrives, so a refrigerant or defrost problem doesn’t hide behind the strips all winter.
Should I Replace Strip Heat With a Heat Pump?
If your home has an electric air handler with strips only and an older AC outside, the next AC replacement is the time to switch to a heat pump. The installed cost difference is usually small, and in North Texas the heating savings are substantial.
Get Your Heat Pump Checked
If your winter bill jumped and the weather didn’t, call 214-900-2533 or see our heat pump services. We’ll check refrigerant, defrost, and the thermostat’s aux heat settings in one visit.
Reviewed by Kenneth Galvan, Founder & Lead HVAC Technician
Kenny founded Absolute Comfort Mechanical after more than 20 years in the Dallas–Fort Worth HVAC trade, because he was tired of watching homeowners get sold equipment they didn't need. He still runs diagnostics himself and reviews the technical advice published on this site.
20+ years in the Dallas–Fort Worth HVAC trade
Licensed and insured Texas HVAC contractor
EPA Section 608 certified for refrigerant handling
Residential and commercial refrigeration experience