Most of us don’t often think about how many things in our home are using electricity constantly. While there are certain factors such as HVAC units that typically make up a large portion of electricity usage, your total consumption is the result of dozens of sources that seem insignificant on their own yet add up quickly. If you’re feeling the strain of a high energy bill, take a look at the following things that may be a drain on your wallet.
Outdated Appliances
Engineers have made remarkable progress in recent years when it comes to creating more energy-efficient appliances. If you’re still relying on decades old things such as refrigerators or dishwashers, the energy savings you get from a new model may be enough to offset the cost on their own.
Light Bulbs
For some time, compact fluorescent bulbs were all the rage due to their increased efficiency over traditional options. Now, LED bulbs have dropped in price so significantly that many of the biggest manufacturers are discontinuing compact fluorescents completely and moving to LEDs. If you haven’t outfitted your home with LED bulbs yet, there’s no better time than now.
HVAC Temperature Settings
Contrary to conventional wisdom, adjusting your HVAC settings by even one or two degrees can help you reduce your energy bill significantly. By focusing on small adjustments, you probably won’t even experience a change in comfort.
Plugged-in Electronics/Chargers
Everyone appreciates the convenience of leaving frequently used electronic devices and phone charges plugged in throughout the day; it eliminates the fumbling and bending over that typically accompanies trying to fit the plug in the outlet. However, leaving those devices constantly plugged in could be costing you hundreds of dollars per year.
Electric Resistance Heat
If you have your air conditioning set to a reasonable temperature during the summer and are still besieged by outrageously high energy bills, your HVAC unit may have the electric resistance heat (or strip heat) turned on at the same time. This is essentially a coil inside the system that acts as supplemental heat, and it may be heating your home at the same time you’re trying to cool down.
Air conditioning Vents
If you’ve recently moved to a new home and find that the HVAC unit is struggling to achieve the desired temperature, check to see if the vents are all open and unobstructed. The system can’t do its job if the air has nowhere to travel.
Airflow
If you are lucky enough to have ceiling fans in our home, put them to use and help your warm or cool air move around the house more freely.
Not Measuring Your Usage
If you really want to figure out which appliances are the biggest power drains on your energy bill, you can utilize a simple meter that will measure usage from individual sources and even store the data digitally for you. This method can help you pinpoint high energy usage and save every penny possible.