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Q. My electrical consumption went from an average of 400 Kw to 576 Kw on my last bill even though the weather was slightly cooler than last year at the same time. The only difference is that this year I closed the downstairs cold air return and ran the a ir system on fan only (not compressor) a daily average of ten to twelve hours most of the month. I find it hard to believe that this caused a 50 percent jump in electrical consumption. Do you think this is possible? The meter reading was correct since I checked that first.
A. Closing off air returns really isn’t a good idea because the system was designed to pull a given quantity of air through it but frustrating it somewhat shouldn’t explain your sudden uptick in electrical usage. We are now entering into a part of the ye ar-- fall-- in which we tend to use little or no heating and cooling for almost a whole billing period. This is the time to see just what you use both for heating and cooling, because it will not be on the bill, and what you are paying for everything els e.
You need to take a critical inventory of your entire electrical consumption to see if you can identify things using more juice than they should. The first things to examine are anything that produces heat other than the heating system. That includes stov es, clothes dryers, water heaters and even high wattage lighting. Double check things. My Mom had two stoves in her house in upstate New York. She only used the one in the basement for big holiday meals and such. While visiting once I noticed that the ba sement oven was on warm and asked Mom when she used the stove last. A couple of weeks ago was her reply. It had been on the whole time and you bet that showed up on her bill.
Clogged dryer vents make the dryer have to run much longer to dry a load of wet clothes and that is a vent that frequently gets overlooked for cleaning.
Check the pipe on the temperature/pressure relief valve (TPV) on your water heater. See if it’s warm about a foot and half away from the valve. If so check the outflow point-- usually located in a sump pit or floor drain or may even be piped through the basement wall to the outside-- and see if water is dripping out of it. The discharges are frequently out of sight so you must go looking. TPV valves can go bad and start leaking and then you’re heating water around the clock with the valve dumping it ou t, wasting both electricity and water. That will increase both the electric and water bills.
Next, go looking for anything with a motor that may get left running on end and possibly wearing out in the process. Bath exhaust fans, attic fans (the ones I dislike as potential house fire starters) and kitchen fans all need to be checked for proper o peration.
Do you have any extra refrigeration equipment stored in the basement or garage? Those old refrigerators that get used as “spares” use a lot more electricity than modern ones do. Most folks hate parting with those harvest gold or avocado colored beasts an d shove them in corners storing soda, beer and frozen food in them thinking they are being thrifty. Clean them out and unplug them for a month and you’ll see a difference on the bill.
Lowering the wattage of lighting in general by using compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) is good way to chip away at power usage so I recommend it. Every little bit counts.
Next go to the non electrical systems in the house that affect usage and get ready for winter. Check windows and doors for air tightness. Caulk and seal as needed. Take a trip up to the attic and survey the insulation. More is better. The majority of you r heat loss in winter is straight up when the wind’s not blowing so money spent here pays back quickly.