| Good morning from Tulsa |
| It's a crisp, clear week out there, with highs around 68°F and no reason yet to fire up the furnace full-time. That makes this a good moment to catch up on a few things worth knowing before the cold actually arrives. This issue covers your electricity rate, a lingering rebate program that still hasn't paid out a dime, and a smart-home warning every homeowner should read before winter. |
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By the numbers
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roughly 12 cents
Tulsa residential rate per kWh
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$129 million
Oklahoma IRA rebates allocated, not yet open
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105-110 mph
Winds from March 6 Tulsa EF-1 tornado
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Tulsa Pays 38% Less Per Kilowatt-Hour Than the National Average |
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Oklahoma's $129 Million in Home Energy Rebates Still Hasn't Opened |
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Previous Owners May Still Have Access to Your Smart Thermostat and Other Connected Devices |
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March's EF-1 Tornado Is a Good Reminder to Check Your HVAC After Any Wind Event |
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5
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Around Tulsa: Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa Kicks Off Tuesday, and 3 more coming up |
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The lead · RATE WATCH
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Tulsa Pays 38% Less Per Kilowatt-Hour Than the National Average
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| At roughly 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, Tulsa homeowners have one of the better electricity deals in the country, and that gap matters most when your HVAC system is running hardest. |
| The figure comes from EnergySage's May 2026 data for Tulsa County: PSO customers pay about 12 cents per kWh, compared to a national average that runs nearly 40% higher. That spread means an aging, inefficient system costs you less here than it would in, say, Denver or Atlanta, but it also means the savings calculation on a new high-efficiency unit is tighter than the national headlines suggest. Worth knowing before anyone tries to sell you something purely on energy savings. |
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Why it matters: When you're weighing a repair versus a replacement this fall, your local rate is one of the first numbers to plug in, and now you have it.
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Read at EnergySage →
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LOCAL RULES
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Oklahoma's $129 Million in Home Energy Rebates Still Hasn't Opened
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| Oklahoma has $129 million in federal IRA rebate money set aside for home energy upgrades, and as of September 2026, not a single dollar has reached a homeowner. |
| The HOMES and HEAR programs, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the Oklahoma State Energy Office, were supposed to help homeowners get cash back on heat pumps, insulation, and other efficiency upgrades. They remain in pre-launch. No applications, no payouts, no confirmed open date. The advice right now is simple: don't build a rebate you haven't been approved for into a buying decision, but do keep an eye on the Oklahoma State Energy Office for an announcement. |
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Why it matters: If you've been holding off on a heat pump or an efficiency upgrade waiting for this money, you're not alone, but there's still no open application to file.
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Read at Heat Pump Pricing →
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HOME SECURITY
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Previous Owners May Still Have Access to Your Smart Thermostat and Other Connected Devices
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| If you moved into a home in the last few years and never reset every connected device, the previous owners may still have login credentials that work. |
| Smart thermostats, doorbell cameras, and home automation hubs often stay linked to the original owner's account even after the house sells. A factory reset on each device, followed by setting up your own account, is the fix. Family Handyman's guide walks through how to check ownership and revoke old access across common platforms. It takes an afternoon, and it's the kind of thing most people skip. |
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Why it matters: Your thermostat schedule, lock codes, and camera feeds are worth an hour of your time to secure, especially before you settle into winter routines.
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Read at Family Handyman →
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STORM PREP
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March's EF-1 Tornado Is a Good Reminder to Check Your HVAC After Any Wind Event
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| The EF-1 tornado that cut a 6-mile path through west Tulsa on March 6, with winds of 105 to 110 mph, damaged homes and uprooted trees, the kind of event that can shift or dent an outdoor AC unit without it being obvious. |
| After any high-wind event, the outdoor condenser unit is worth a quick visual check: look for bent fins, debris packed into the sides, and whether the unit is still level on its pad. A unit that took a hit and runs crooked puts strain on the compressor over time. You don't need to call anyone for the visual, but if something looks off, it's better to catch it in October than when you need cooling in May. |
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Why it matters: Tulsa's storm season runs longer than most people expect, and a five-minute look at your condenser after the next wind event can save a much bigger repair bill later.
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Read at National Weather Service Tulsa / ArcGIS StoryMaps →
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Quick hits
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Around Tulsa
Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa Kicks Off Tuesday
Tulsa's 47th annual Oktoberfest opens Tuesday, October 21, at River West Festival Park on the Arkansas River and runs through October 25. German bands flown in from Germany, food, rides, and stein-lifting for five days, it's one of those events that somehow still surprises you with how big it gets. Worth making time for if you haven't been in a while.
Also coming up
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Tip of the week
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Change Your Filter Before You Switch to Heat Mode
The first time you flip the system from cooling to heating is the moment most people forget the filter. A filter that spent the summer catching dust and allergens will restrict airflow right when your furnace needs it most, and a restricted furnace runs longer to hit the same temperature. Check the filter this week, before the cold nights arrive, not after you notice the heating bill.
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How was this issue?
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Until next week,
Ray, owner
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| P.S. If something in this issue raised a question about your system, we're always happy to talk it through, no appointment needed for a phone call. |