Most of your electric bill is likely to be blowing in the wind, literally. Depending on the climate you live in, up to 80% of your bill may be to pay for heating and cooling costs, and often times the expenses are higher than they should be due to inefficiencies. Especially true of houses built in the 1990's and earlier, leaky windows, door jambs, vents, and ducting can result in your thermostat trying to heat or cool the outdoors.
In several states, electricity prices were capped years ago. Now, in states like Pennsylvania, the cost cap on electricity is being lifted, and people are experiencing doubling or even tripling of monthly bills. Now is the time to reevaluate the weatherization of your home. If you have a heat pump, the rated efficiency of your system makes a big difference in your monthly bill. Older units with a low energy efficiency rating, for example a 10 SEER unit, may be costing more than they're worth. Replacing them with a 13 SEER unit might drop your electric bill by a hundreds or thousands of dollars on an annual basis.
Taking the time to caulk windows, insulate hot water pipes, blanket water heaters, and inspect & seal air conditioning duct work keeps the comfortable air in, and the uncomfortable air out.. If you live in a house with multiple heating and cooling zones, it becomes even more important to monitor your home's efficiency. I live in a reasonably large house with three separate zones, for example, and one of the three heat pumps went on the fritz a few weeks ago. When the outside unit (the compressor side of the system) was replaced, the cost was about $1500. I replaced a 10 SEER unit with a 13 SEER unit, but the inside unit (the air handler & coil) was still functioning okay, so I did not replace it. The end result is a system that functions at something less than 13 SEER (efficiency) but something better than 10 SEER. The result: my electric bill dropped $212 during the coldest month of the year. My $1500 investment will pay for itself in under 8 months.
Working with tangible numbers, it became painfully evident to me that my own bills have been higher than they should have been for years, prompting me to go on a weatherization crusade throughout the house. How is your electric bill these days? Realizing the savings, isn't it time to spend less money on inefficiency, or on heating and cooling the outside? Set your Congress-approved economic stimulus check aside and make it work for you by reducing your cost of living.
Here are some examples on how to keep more of what you earn by spending a little bit now. A new water heater blanket costs about $40. If it saves you just $5 per month, it pays for itself in eight months and continues to save $60 per year thereafter. New weather seals on doors and windows can cost $25 to purchase, but may save $15 per month by improving the air-tight characteristics of your home, for a $180 per year savings. Simply cleaning out your oven or drier vents and ensuring that the vent flaps close properly can save $10 or more per month. Replacing brittle, leaky duct work tape between adjoining sections in your attic, basement, or crawl space can cost $20 but save hundreds of dollars per year by reducing leakage. Insulating or lagging hot water pipes can keep your water hotter and costs lower, too.
Most of the little fixes discussed above are cheap to do. The problem is, they take time. If you schedule the morning to get the jobs done on a Saturday or Sunday, a few dedicated hours of work can make for a better cash flow for your household. If you qualify for low-income incentives, your particular state may even sponsor a program to do the work for you at no cost. Look up the keyword "weatherization" on your favorite search engine to learn more.
In several states, electricity prices were capped years ago. Now, in states like Pennsylvania, the cost cap on electricity is being lifted, and people are experiencing doubling or even tripling of monthly bills. Now is the time to reevaluate the weatherization of your home. If you have a heat pump, the rated efficiency of your system makes a big difference in your monthly bill. Older units with a low energy efficiency rating, for example a 10 SEER unit, may be costing more than they're worth. Replacing them with a 13 SEER unit might drop your electric bill by a hundreds or thousands of dollars on an annual basis.
Taking the time to caulk windows, insulate hot water pipes, blanket water heaters, and inspect & seal air conditioning duct work keeps the comfortable air in, and the uncomfortable air out.. If you live in a house with multiple heating and cooling zones, it becomes even more important to monitor your home's efficiency. I live in a reasonably large house with three separate zones, for example, and one of the three heat pumps went on the fritz a few weeks ago. When the outside unit (the compressor side of the system) was replaced, the cost was about $1500. I replaced a 10 SEER unit with a 13 SEER unit, but the inside unit (the air handler & coil) was still functioning okay, so I did not replace it. The end result is a system that functions at something less than 13 SEER (efficiency) but something better than 10 SEER. The result: my electric bill dropped $212 during the coldest month of the year. My $1500 investment will pay for itself in under 8 months.
Working with tangible numbers, it became painfully evident to me that my own bills have been higher than they should have been for years, prompting me to go on a weatherization crusade throughout the house. How is your electric bill these days? Realizing the savings, isn't it time to spend less money on inefficiency, or on heating and cooling the outside? Set your Congress-approved economic stimulus check aside and make it work for you by reducing your cost of living.
Here are some examples on how to keep more of what you earn by spending a little bit now. A new water heater blanket costs about $40. If it saves you just $5 per month, it pays for itself in eight months and continues to save $60 per year thereafter. New weather seals on doors and windows can cost $25 to purchase, but may save $15 per month by improving the air-tight characteristics of your home, for a $180 per year savings. Simply cleaning out your oven or drier vents and ensuring that the vent flaps close properly can save $10 or more per month. Replacing brittle, leaky duct work tape between adjoining sections in your attic, basement, or crawl space can cost $20 but save hundreds of dollars per year by reducing leakage. Insulating or lagging hot water pipes can keep your water hotter and costs lower, too.
Most of the little fixes discussed above are cheap to do. The problem is, they take time. If you schedule the morning to get the jobs done on a Saturday or Sunday, a few dedicated hours of work can make for a better cash flow for your household. If you qualify for low-income incentives, your particular state may even sponsor a program to do the work for you at no cost. Look up the keyword "weatherization" on your favorite search engine to learn more.
Learn more about heating and cooling and how to save money by visiting Comfort Zone Heating and Cooling of Lewisberry, PA. Article independently authored by Dan Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Comfort Zone Heating & Cooling. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog. |
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