ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s not a shock to walk outside this time of the year and go back in.

What is a shock is seeing how high your electric bill can go. That’s why PNM has a program to help you and your bill stay cool this time of year.

The PNM Home Energy Checkup Program entails an auditor inspecting your home, then explaining how much energy you use and showing you what to do to put money back in your pocket.

“You want to make sure that you pull out the refrigerator, pop off the back piece. Usually at the bottom, once you take off each one of those screws, you have easy access to something called condenser coils,” said Elian Rodriguez, an auditor for PNM.

Your refrigerator is one of the biggest energy consumers in a home. Dirty condenser coils can mean you pay more for your bill.

“Once they do get clogged up, they start working a little bit more harder and that can actually tend to raise up your electric bill,” Rodriguez said.

The program is free for PNM customers.

“It is once every ten years per homeowner and so we do encourage people to use it when they can. Because like I said once you get that energy expert in there, they go through everything, your weatherization, your air conditioner, your fridge, your water tank, everything, it’s a big sweep of your home,” spokesperson Eric Chavez said.

They want to show homeowners what they can do specifically to save energy and money. That means talking about rebates, too, like the one you can get for switching to energy-efficient appliances.

“There is a rebate for $125 if you do end up purchasing a new Energy Star refrigerator. And if you do replace it, PNM can come and pick this up and give you $75 for it,” Chavez said.

PNM also offers virtual inspections. Click here to learn more.