If you’ve owned your home for quite some time, you can probably pretty much predict how much your monthly utilities will cost. So if you receive an unusually high energy bill, it may come as a quite a shock. In this blog, the residential heating repair contractors at Shackelford Heating & Cooling share the questions you should ask yourself if you receive an unusually high energy bill.
How Was the Weather for the Past Month?
Weather can affect your home’s energy consumption. During unusually hot and humid months, you ‘ll probably be running both your air conditioner and dehumidifier. Your thermostat will automatically adjust your HVAC system’s output to make up for the differences in temperature.
Have I Had Visitors?
If you’ve had family or friends stay for an extended amount of time, it can raise your home’s energy consumption. Heating and cooling in the guest room, along with the use of necessities such as hot water, lighting and even phone charging, can all add up.
Am I Still Using Old Appliances?
Appliance manufacturers always come up with new and more efficient appliances. If you’ve been using a decades-old air conditioner, it may be consuming more energy just to keep up with your home’s cooling requirements. An air conditioning repair service technician would likely recommend a new, more efficient air conditioner over keeping the old one running.
Have I Plugged in New Appliances?
While new appliances tend to be more energy-efficient than the ones they replace—especially when you choose an ENERGY STAR®-certified replacement—there’s the question of whether you’ve been running them for longer times. People tend to binge-watch streaming TV shows upon buying a new TV, or play for hours on end on a new gaming system. As your usage of these appliances tapers down to normal, your energy bill should follow suit.
Is My Home Properly Insulated?
Proper insulation helps prevent heat from freely passing between indoor and outdoor areas, which helps maintain consistent indoor temperatures and reduce required output from your HVAC system. In addition to wall and attic insulation, the windows, doors and skylight have to be energy-efficient as well.
Call Shackelford Heating for Your Heating and Cooling Needs
Shackelford Heating is your leading provider of the best heating and air conditioning service in the Dane County area. Give us a call at (608) 530-0667 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.
