Five Reasons Why Your Home Energy Bill is High

 

When you are cutting your home energy bill, you might be looking for tricks to lower consumption or finding cheaper alternatives to the ways you are using energy now. However there is an important point that you may have, missed. You may be using more energy then you need to. Indeed, you may be wasting energy.  Do an energy audit on your home and check to see if any of these common reasons for high energy bills are occurring in your home.

The 5 Reasons Why Expenses Skyrocket in your Energy Bill

 

 

An average family uses 850 kWh of electricity per month on the Energy Bill.  Check your statement which lists starting and ending readings. This will tell you if you are using or overusing energy to a high energy bill. Also, check your home for the following:

  • Outdated or faulty equipment.  Older appliances and equipment use more energy than the newer energy efficient (Energy Star) models. Older appliances use almost twice the electricity than new ones. Dirty or faulty air conditioners may work but may be staying on longer than necessary. Every appliance should have cleaning on a regular basis. Clean your refrigerator coils, have the dust blown out of your computer, empty the lint trap on your dryer and clear exhaust hose and vent.
  • Equipment that draws power when plugged in (even when not on). Purchase watt meter and check you’re plugged in items, many will pull electricity even when the item is not in use. Power cords and surge protectors can also add money to your monthly charges and they do not need to have anything plugged into them! Unplug all appliances you are not currently using. Turn off power strips. Remember to leave the ones on that run your air conditioner and your television recording devices.
  • Equipment that devoirs energy. Some appliances use more electricity because of their size or because of what they are required to do. If you own a freezer that you rarely use, sell it. Turn off your ceiling fans when you’re not in the room. If you are able, hang your laundry out to dry. Your air conditioner should be put on a programmable thermostat that adjusts to a warmer setting (about 5 degrees) for the hours you aren’t home and the night time. You should set the air conditioner at 78 degrees. Running it at 70 degrees will almost double your energy costs.
  • Overcharges, Mischarges.  Confirm your monthly statements listed usage amount by checking it against your meters reading. From time to time, there will be a reading that was misreported. It makes good sense to keep track of your readings and watch for fluctuations.  When you have guests visiting, your utilities (water, gas, and electric) will climb but should return to normal when your house empties out.
  • Broken meters and energy thieves.  To check your meter, unplug all of the appliances in your home. There may be a couple of items that are hard to unplug and turning them off will have to do (hot water heater and central air conditioning units, for example.) Check your meter. Is it still showing energy usage? If so, it may be faulty or if you are in a multi-unit housing complex, you may be paying for some of your neighbor’s circuits (they may not know.) Next, shut down your breakers. Any usage you see may be a result of leakage. Then switch on one breaker at a time and check it each time. Make note if you see any usage. Broken meters are rare, but not impossible. An electrician can help you with any other problem (make certain you’ve not missed an item that was still plugged in, first.)

Check these items and you should find which things are wasting your energy to high energy bill.  Conservation often takes research.  Do your part to lower home energy bill costs.  Not only is it the smart thing to do, but it’s also the responsible thing to do.