3 Things Your High Energy Bills Tell You About Your Home

You should get into the habit of reviewing and going through your energy bills every month. It’s a tedious task that nobody enjoys doing, but it tells you a lot about your home. In fact, your energy bill may help you identify some hidden problems that have been lingering in the background. Addressing these problems will help you a) lower your energy bill, and b) prevent further expenses in the future. 

So, what can your energy bills tell you about your home? If your bills seem absurdly high and you can’t work out why, it could be down to the following household issues: 

Damaged or inefficient heating/cooling systems

When your house starts consuming more energy than usual, it may be a sign of heating/cooling issues. People with HVAC systems could see a couple of issues: 

• Your energy bills increase dramatically during the winter
• Your energy bills increase dramatically during the summer

Both may indicate problems with either the heating or cooling elements of your system. Get an HVAC company round to test your system and see if it requires maintenance. There could be dust or debris clogging the vents, forcing your system to work harder when heating or cooling. As a result, more energy is consumed despite the system doing the same job it usuall does. 

After maintenance, check your bill the next month and it should be considerably lower.

Problems with home insulation

If your heating/cooling system passes any checks and seems to be in good working order, there’s another reason your home may have high energy bills. The systems might be working overtime to compensate for a lack of insulation in the building. 

This could be down to old insulation between the walls, a damaged roof, broken window seals, improperly installed doors, etc. All of these problems allow heat to escape your home, so your furnace or HVAC system works extra hard trying to heat your interior spaces. Check the areas of your home responsible for insulation and make any changes. 

If you spot anything, fix it, and then you’ll see an energy consumption decrease on your next bill. 

Inefficient electrical goods

Energy bills don’t just tell you information on your heating/cooling systems, they also show how much electricity you’re using. There’s a strong change your energy usage is find from a gas perspective, but you’re using way too much electricity. 

A quick look at your bill can explain why as some appliances are consuming way too much energy. Often, it’s small things that have the biggest impact – like your lights. Switching to more energy-efficient lighting (and other appliances) can help you save a fortune.

While staring at your energy bill can be boring – and a bit disheartening – it helps you make better decisions. You can fix problems or swap things out to lower your monthly expenses from here on out. Additionally, you’re being proactive and sorting things out before they get even worse. For instance, if you notice problems with your heating system, you can fix the issues before the whole furnace breaks and it demands a more expensive repair.