jennifer833•28d agoProlific Poster

Just got my home energy report and the number hit me hard

I opened the email from my utility company yesterday and saw we used 1,200 kWh last month. That's double what a similar sized home in my area uses. I checked the breakdown and our old electric furnace is the main culprit, running almost non-stop during the cold snap. I knew it was inefficient, but seeing that exact figure really made it real. Has anyone else had a big wake-up call from their utility data and what did you do first?

4 comments

4 Comments

blair_taylor3228d ago

Double the average usage, that's a huge jump. I remember when our old AC unit spiked our bill like that. The first thing we did was check the air filter and seal up some obvious drafts.

wendy13128d ago

Seeing that exact figure is what got me too. We started by getting a cheap smart plug to track our biggest energy hogs, which was eye-opening. That data helped us decide what to replace first.

hollyl2510d ago

Yeah, the smart plug idea is a good one... we did something like that with our old fridge. After seeing how much it was pulling, we finally replaced it and the next bill was way better. Olivia_moore is right about the audit too, we got one and they pointed out all the air leaks we'd totally missed.

olivia_moore28d ago

My cousin had the same shock with her old water heater. She told me just getting a basic energy audit through her utility company was free and they gave her a list of the cheapest fixes with the biggest impact.