What Causes Your Electric Bill to Skyrocket?
As energy prices continue to go up, homeowners are looking for ways to reduce their bills. Aside from looking for ways to reduce your energy consumption, this can feel like a difficult task. You may also feel like you’re in a tight spot when you rely on so many electrical appliances. How are you supposed not to use your dishwasher?
We are also seeing that, in modern homes, electronic equipment is starting to take a greater toll on our electric bills. As most homes have multiple televisions, DVD players, gaming consoles, computers, tablets, and more, the demand on our electrical systems continues to increase. Furthermore, since many people have moved to home offices, computers and other office equipment only add to the electrical burden.
What uses the most electricity in your home?
- HVAC system
- Water heater
- Large appliances
- Lighting, including landscape lighting
While using less energy overall can help, there are better ways to reduce your electric bill. However, before you start unplugging all your small appliances, let’s take a look at what causes your electric bill to go up. Then we can tackle whether running around your home and turning lights off really makes a difference.
Things that can cause your electric bill to go up include:
- Problems with your electrical system
- An out of repair HVAC system
- Running your heating or cooling system to excess
- Inefficient appliances
- Running too many devices during peak hours
Additionally, if you have a pool or hot tub, the heaters and water pumps associated with them may also cause your electric bill to jump up.
Tips for Reducing Your Energy Bills
So, what can you do as a homeowner to reduce your energy consumption? This is a tricky question, and the answer isn’t simple. While no one thing will cut your bill in half, there is a combination of things you can do, adding up to big savings.
Below are three surprisingly easy ways to reduce your electric bill this summer.
#1 Make Sure Your HVAC System Is Running Efficiently
Your HVAC system is responsible for nearly half (if not more) of your home’s energy consumption. If your heating and cooling system aren’t operating efficiently, it can cost you a lot of money. One of your first steps in reducing your energy costs should be to have your HVAC system checked over by one of our professional HVAC maintenance technicians and ensure that it is running at peak efficiency.
Other ways to improve your HVAC system’s energy efficiency include:
- Utilize your smart thermostat’s eco settings
- Improve the airflow in your home with fans
- Keep your windows closed and blinds drawn during the hottest part of the day
- Open your windows and let in fresh air at night when the temperatures outside drop
- Install ceiling fans or use room fans throughout your home
It is also a good idea to get familiar with the scheduling feature of your thermostat. This can allow you to set up cooling and heating routines that keep your home comfortable while you’re there but reduce the amount your system is running when you aren’t home. Furthermore, consider keeping your home a few degrees warmer in the summer. For example, set your thermostat to 72° instead of 68°. This small change alone can dramatically reduce the amount your AC needs to run, and you likely won’t notice a difference.
#2: Give Your Water Heater a Break
After your HVAC system, one of the greatest energy hogs in your home is your water heater. We use hot water every day for various tasks, from doing the dishes to taking a shower to washing our hands. With such a demand for hot water, our water heaters work overtime. By reducing the amount of hot water we use, we can also reduce our energy consumption.
Ways to reduce your hot water consumption include:
- Take shorter showers (this saves water too!)
- Wash your clothing at lower temperatures (this will help your colors stay more vibrant too!)
- Fix any plumbing leaks around your home
- Make sure your water heater is in good condition, not leaking, and heating efficiently
Another way to reduce your hot water consumption is to install a tankless water heater. These models heat water instantly and on demand. And even though they tend to rely on electricity instead of gas, they are 25% to 30% more energy efficient than conventional models. Additionally, most people find that their overall water consumption decreases when they install a tankless water heater.
#3: Replace Old Appliances & Keep New Ones Well-Maintained
The next major category to consider is the impact your large appliances have on your energy bill. While these appliances are crucial to our everyday life (refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.), there is a lot you can do to reduce the amount of energy they use.
Ways to improve the energy efficiency of your large appliances:
- Run your appliances during off peak hours
- Only run full loads of laundry
- Wait until your dishwasher is full to run it
- Make sure your refrigerator is on the correct setting
- When replacing appliances, purchase new, energy-efficient models
Crucial to keeping your appliances from using excess energy is to make sure they are well-maintained. This means keeping them clean, changing any filters when necessary, and making repairs as soon as you see signs of trouble. Appliances that aren’t in good condition require more energy to keep running and can be a drain on your energy bill.
Want more help keeping your energy bills down? Reach out to AAA Service Plumbing, Heating & Electric. We can help you with everything from HVAC maintenance to water heater replacements to plumbing repair!
