Share this article Share this article CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on an analysis of anonymized energy data in more than 5200 homes that have the Sense home energy monitor, Sense ( sense.com) found that, since Covid-19, average electrical usage increased 9.3% from April through August 2020 compared to 2019, a reflection of people using more electricity while they stayed home, combined with wildfires in the west and heat waves across the country. With this increase, homeowners paid $85 more in the spring and summer months of 2020 compared to 2019. The average additional cost was trending to $127 per household by year's end. California consumers were hit hard by Covid-19, heat waves and wildfires that drove up electricity bills, costing them $176 more than in 2019.