High bill questions
Is your utility bill higher than normal this month? Consider the following common causes for high bills
during the cooler, darker months. Read our recommendations and tips for ideas to help
save energy and prevent large spikes this winter.
- Electric space heating (resistance heat such as ceiling heat, baseboards,
wall heaters, portable space heaters and electric furnaces are costly to operate)
- Inaccurate thermostat or thermostat set too high
- Colder temperatures (typically lower than 35 degrees) cause ducted heat pump
systems to switch to back-up furnace, which can be costly if you have an
electric furnace as your back-up heat. See a temperature graph for the past
month to determine how many times it dipped below 35 degrees, activating
your back-up heating system
- Heat pump is unnecessarily switching to auxiliary/back-up/emergency electric heat
- Frequently adjusting temperature settings on ducted heat pump thermostat (if you don't
have a lockout thermostat, varying thermostat settings causes costly back-up electric
heat to activate)
- Leaky heating ducts that have been damaged or disconnected
- Using fireplace while using electric heating system
- Open windows or doors
- Lack of floor, attic or wall insulation
- Air leaks around doors, windows, pipes and cracks
- Increased use of lights during darker days
- Water heater failure (faulty elements or thermostat)
- Hot water leaks (causes both electric and water consumption to spike)
- Addition of new electric appliances (plasma TV, hot tub, RVs with heating system)
- Addition or continued use of electric pool heaters or hot tubs during colder
temperatures
- Houseguests or additional people living in the home (increase in hot water
consumption and space heating)
- Longer billing period (billing cycles can vary from 28 to 33 days)
For all homes
- Insulate
and seal air leaks in your home.
- Use one heating source at a time. For example, turn ceiling heat off if
using space heaters. Or, when burning a fire, turn off the electric heating source.
You don't want the heat that you are paying for to go right out of the chimney!
- Consider enrolling in EWEB's Budget
Billing program to avoid seasonal highs, and make your payments consistent and predictable each month.
For homes with forced air electric furnaces, or ceiling, wall or baseboard heat
- Lower your thermostat setting at night and when you are away from your home.
- Consider turning these systems off when not in use to lower bills. It will not
cost you more to turn the heat back on when you get home. However, remember that heating
systems should not be turned off during freezing temperatures.
- Install wall-mounted electronic programmable thermostats (available for homes with ceiling, wall or
baseboard heat)
- Consider upgrading to a ductless heat pump (available for homes with ceiling, wall or baseboard heat)
- Consider upgrading to a ducted heat pump (available for homes with electric forced air furnaces)
For homes with ducted heat pumps
- Ensure thermostat is set to "Heat" mode, not "Auto."
- Confirm that the auxiliary/back-up/emergency heat light only turns on when the
outside temperature is below 35 degrees.
- Install a lockout thermostat for your ducted heat pump. This prevents
the electric furnace from coming on unnecessarily.
- Have your ducts tested, sealed and insulated
For customers using portable space heaters
- Most space heaters use a maximum of 1500 watts, which costs approximately
$0.14 per hour to run. Use space heaters sparingly in small rooms/areas.
- Be aware that using space heaters in addition to other electric heating systems
will increase your electric consumption.
Water heating
- Lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees.
- Use cold water to do laundry unless necessary to use warm or hot water.
- Fix water leaks right away. Small leaks can result in large water and
electric bills, especially if you have a hot water leak.
- Note that the average water usage for one person is approximately 2 to 3 kgals per month.
Check your monthly bill to determine how much water you are using.
For additional help, email EWEB's energy
experts or call (541) 685-7000 with your concerns or questions.
