Alabama Power has launched TempCheck, an online tool designed to help customers see how outdoor temperatures and thermostat settings affect energy use. The tool, available through the utility’s summer energy savings page, lets users adjust the temperature outside and the setting inside, then shows the gap between them and labels the energy demand as low, moderate, high or extreme.

Anthony Cook said the point is simple: the closer a thermostat setting is to the temperature outside, the less energy a home uses. He said that if a customer sets the thermostat to 70, that creates a 12-degree difference, and the tool shows how that gap affects usage inside the home.

The launch comes as Alabama Power says summer temperatures are climbing across the state and customers often face higher power bills during the hottest months. The company said heating and cooling systems can account for as much as 35% to 50% of a home’s total energy usage, and that residents in Alabama use roughly 30% more energy than the national average. Against that backdrop, TempCheck is meant to give households a quick way to understand how much a small change in temperature setting can matter.

Alabama Power said the tool is not intended to estimate a customer’s monthly power bill. Instead, it is meant to help people think through energy use alongside other factors that affect a home, including insulation, the condition of doors and windows, the age and efficiency of HVAC systems and individual comfort preferences. The summer energy savings page also includes other tools and tips for customers who want to monitor and manage usage.

That leaves the tool useful in a narrow but practical way: it can show the effect of temperature choices without pretending those choices tell the whole story. Alabama Power said it can also help during colder months, when the same logic applies in reverse and the gap between inside and outside temperatures can drive energy demand up just as quickly.

For customers trying to trim usage during peak weather, TempCheck does not promise a bill estimate or a simple answer. It does something more basic and arguably more useful: it shows, in real time, how quickly comfort settings can push demand higher or lower, and why the company is urging households to pay closer attention before the hottest days settle in.