Out of Control Energy Bills

[bpleshek]

My current energy bill was $491.xx.  I live in the Cincinnati area and have a two story house.  I am trying to get better with the thermostat as I have been keeping the temperature at 69 all year round.  So in the winter I usually see energy bills around 170.xx or so(heating is gas, AC is electric).  While I know I can do better with where the thermostat is placed, that is not my question(I am trying to acclimatize myself slowly).  This summer(and probably last too) my AC would run constantly, but the in-house temperature would sometimes reach 78-80 degrees and not even catch up for a few days.  What can I do to the house itself(R-stuff) to make things more efficient?  Tips here would be helpful.

Thanks,

Brian

[Miss Piggy]

Honestly, it sounds like your AC isn't working correctly. Have you had it serviced recently? It shouldn't run constantly and not be able to get below 78. (That said...wow...69 degrees in the summer? That's asking for high bills IMO.)

[Cranky]

I think the issue is that you've got the thermostat set to 69 degrees. That's really low, and it's going to be expensive to cool to that level. July was hot here, and August has been, too.

Turn the thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer. Don't run either the heat or the a/c in May and September. Shop around a little for a better price from a gas supplier. I'm starting to get ads again for that, but I don't think I'm gonna beat the price I've got now.

[MrSal]

69 in the summer? thats freezing!!! acclimatize slowly? that's what spring is for!

put the AC at 80 its more than doable! i myself inside the house can get it to 84 without being hot at all ... 84 is a nice temperature if you are not exerting yourself

try a whole house fan it might help during the night to get those temps down

my biggest energy bill is during the summer because my wife is also very iffy with AC (we put it at 78 sometimes 76 but rare).

our average bill is around 45 USD per month - the most weve paid was probably 80 usd

[Fishindude]

I'm guessing your HVAC system is screwed up and inefficient.  get it checked out.
Also likely that your home is poorly insulated, bad windows, door seals, etc.
Insulation and weather seals are about the cheapest things you can do to save energy dollars.

[MrSal]

I'm guessing your HVAC system is screwed up and inefficient.  get it checked out.
Also likely that your home is poorly insulated, bad windows, door seals, etc.
Insulation and weather seals are about the cheapest things you can do to save energy dollars.

i doubt its only that!

69F is a hell lot of delta for AC ... even my home at 78F when its 100F outside the AC kicks in for about 6 hours a day or more. At 69F my AC would be on ALL the time for sure!! id still look at the filter and coils in case they are dirty as well.

[zolotiyeruki]

Yeah, something is definitely up with your A/C system.  Get it checked out first.  Then you can look into other potential issues.

[tonysemail]

attic insulation and reflective window tinting made a big difference in my house

[GuitarStv]

- Have you sealed your house for air leaks?  (Windowsills, under baseboard, around 2nd floor ceiling light fixtures, around all exterior doors)
- Are you closing your curtains to block out light during the day to keep things cool?
- How well insulated is your attic?
- Is this a very old home, that has no real insulation in the walls?
- Are you using the stove, clothes dryer, or similar appliances that generate a lot of heat?


As has been mentioned, 20 degrees (69 F to the luddites) is way too cool to keep the house in the summer.

[Fishindude]

As an example, we live in an old wood frame farm house, roughly 100 years old.
When we bought the place we did the basic clean up paint up to make livable and have been steadily improving ever since.
Man, were we in for a surprise that first winter.

It had ZERO roof or wall insulation.   We insulated the attic, blew insulation in the walls, foam insulated the basement and crawlspace walls, etc.
Windows were junk single pane wood framed with cheap aluminum storms.  First year or two we put plastic over all of the windows in winter, then eventually replaced all with good windows.
Doors were junk too.  Eventually replaced all doors and storm doors.
Replaced siding eventually, added a good house wrap barrier and got everything sealed up good.
When we re-roofed, we added good attic ventilation to let hot air out in summer.
When the old furnace pooped out we replaced with a high efficiency furnace / AC system and eliminated the window AC units and electric space heaters.

This place used to be freezing in the winter.  The curtains would blow when the wind blew hard, and certain areas of the house never got warm.
The long & short of it it .... if you get your exterior envelope properly insulated and sealed up, it doesn't take near as much HVAC / $$ to keep the place comfortable.

[bpleshek]

@Miss Piggy: Possibly.  When I bought this house on short sale, it came with a home warranty.  I used it to have it serviced a few times plus they have replaced the compressor.  Still I wonder that you're not right and replacing it is a better long term solution.  Maybe with a larger unit and with a higher efficiency.

@Cranky: That is why I have to retrain my body.  Currently, if it's warmer than 70 degrees, I can not sleep.  And that's 69 with my room fan on over the bed too.

@FishinDude: It probably is all that.  That was the purpose of this post.  Not to have people tell me to turn it up.  I already know that.  I want to make the house more efficient if possible and maybe take them from a highest return(besides the obvious) down to the least and start fixing things.  I'm just not sure where to start.

@MrSal: Ok, i'll take a look at the coils.  Is it just a matter of wiping them down or do I need to apply some kind of cleaning agent to them?

@Tonysemail:  It's weird, but in the winter I sometimes sleep with my bedroom window open because even though the house is set to 69 in the winter also, it seems my bedroom is hotter than that because of heat rising.  I actually had a problem last winter with the window open because my uvula got dehydrated and swelled up.  Because of that I suspect I have enough attic insulation but I don't know for sure.  How would I go about checking if I have enough?  I know just look, but what am I looking for?

@GuitarStv:  The home was built in the last 15 years, so no it's not old.  In the summer we try not to use the oven much if possible to not add much heat to the house, but obviously it is on sometimes.  The laundry is only run once a week so that would only apply on that day.  As I mentioned before, I don't know about the attic insulation, but isn't that more a winter thing since heat rises?  I pretty much have the venitian blinds down all the time to block out light.  I have not checked the house for air leaks.  It all looks sealed, so other than replacing the weather stripping around my three doors to the house, how is it best to find out if an area is leaking.  Is there a device that I can buy that will help me identify said areas?  If it were winter, I suppose a thermal scan of the house might help, however I might go about getting one.

Brian

[GuitarStv]

Most attics get incredibly hot over the day.  Insulation will keep heat generated in the home in the house, but it will prevent heat from the sun beating down on the dark shingles from radiating into the upper floors of the house as well.

You can actually get a seal test done on your home, where someone comes and puts a big fan in your front doorway, then walks around the home feeling for air currents caused by leaks.

[Blueskies123]

It seems odd to me that someone would complain about high energy bills and then say they keep the A/C at 69 degrees.  Google Cause and Effect. I would be uncomfortably cold in your house, maybe even wear a jacket.  I suspect you are way overweight, wear long pants and long sleeve shirts in the house.  As I am writing this I am wear a T, shorts, and flip flops.  My AC is set at 78.

[zolotiyeruki]

@Miss Piggy: Possibly.  When I bought this house on short sale, it came with a home warranty.  I used it to have it serviced a few times plus they have replaced the compressor.  Still I wonder that you're not right and replacing it is a better long term solution.  Maybe with a larger unit and with a higher efficiency.

@Tonysemail:  It's weird, but in the winter I sometimes sleep with my bedroom window open because even though the house is set to 69 in the winter also, it seems my bedroom is hotter than that because of heat rising.  I actually had a problem last winter with the window open because my uvula got dehydrated and swelled up.  Because of that I suspect I have enough attic insulation but I don't know for sure.  How would I go about checking if I have enough?  I know just look, but what am I looking for?

@GuitarStv:  The home was built in the last 15 years, so no it's not old.  In the summer we try not to use the oven much if possible to not add much heat to the house, but obviously it is on sometimes.  The laundry is only run once a week so that would only apply on that day.  As I mentioned before, I don't know about the attic insulation, but isn't that more a winter thing since heat rises?  I pretty much have the venitian blinds down all the time to block out light.  I have not checked the house for air leaks.  It all looks sealed, so other than replacing the weather stripping around my three doors to the house, how is it best to find out if an area is leaking.  Is there a device that I can buy that will help me identify said areas?  If it were winter, I suppose a thermal scan of the house might help, however I might go about getting one.

How big is your house, and what is the size (tonnage) of your A/C unit?  When the A/C is on, does it blow lots of nice, cold air, or is it a more wimpy flow of cool air?  Even with the thermostat at 69, your A/C should be able to handle it.

For those winter months, you might find it beneficial to install a programmable thermostat that automatically reduces the temperature at night, so your bedroom is a more comfortable temperature.  Opening the window in the winter because your room is too warm is insane.

[J_Stache]

What temperature is the air coming out of the ducts?  A cheap digital thermometer with probe is a good way to test whether the air coming out of your AC is cold enough to actually get the house to 69 deg F.  Depending on the outside temperature, you may never be able to actually reach 69 degrees.  Some advice for inspecting your system is here: http://inspectapedia.com/aircond/Air_Conditioner_Temperatures.php

Adding ceiling fans (assuming you install them yourself) could be very beneficial.  They  will help move air around to balance out the temperature throughout the house and will provide additional cooling of the occupants due to convective cooling (e.g.  A house with the AC set at 75, but with air being blown on you as you relax will be similar in comfort to 69 degrees, but limited air movement.

[rothwem]

It seems odd to me that someone would complain about high energy bills and then say they keep the A/C at 69 degrees.  Google Cause and Effect. I would be uncomfortably cold in your house, maybe even wear a jacket.  I suspect you are way overweight, wear long pants and long sleeve shirts in the house.  As I am writing this I am wear a T, shorts, and flip flops.  My AC is set at 78.

I think the issue is that he's got to set it at 69 in order to make it somewhat comfortable.  I doubt its actually getting to 69 if its running 24/7.

Either that, or he could be an overweight slob that wears sweatshirts and long pants and long underwear in the summer, beats up kittens and kicks puppies in his spare time. 

[mskyle]

Put a window AC in your bedroom. Close the door and turn it on an hour before you go to bed. Ta-da, now you can sleep.

Also make sure you're keeping all the blinds closed during the day.

Attic insulation can make a huge difference. I used to live in a top-floor south-facing apartment in an old house, and it got so hot my first summer there my deodorant melted into a puddle on the bathroom shelf. GROSS. The following winter the house got terrible ice dams, which led my landlord to get the attic insulated, and my second summer there was super comfortable (and no more ice dams, and I barely had to turn the heat on the following winter!).

[tonysemail]

Either that, or he could be an overweight slob that wears sweatshirts and long pants and long underwear in the summer, beats up kittens and kicks puppies in his spare time.

ouch, hehe.

Yeah, I agree with the others that a broken AC seems to be the lowest hanging fruit.

Yeah, we also avoid using the oven during the day.
on the weekends, I bake in the morning from 7-10am and use the microwave to reheat for dinner.

my daily routine is to open up the windows at 7am to let the cold outside air into the house.
then we seal up the house until 7pm when it cools off outside.

I can't really help with advice on how to DIY attic insulation.
I hired it out at too high a price.
I had rodent issues and the company cleaned up feces and sealed some holes around the house.
But there are a number of good threads on the forum about it, if you're interested.
here's one with pictures-
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/blown-in-insulation-baffled-about-baffles/

and some others-
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/attic-insulation/
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/attic-insulation-where-to-start/

[Papa Mustache]

Have your A/C system checked out. When we bought our first house our a/c (and heat pump) seemed to run alot. When we finally broke down and bought a new system - the contractor told us that the old system had alot of corrosion on the fins making it difficult to efficiently transfer heat or cold to the air being blown through the house. The system had never been cleaned or depending on where you live salt air might have caused corrosion

[halseyskates33]

My roommate pays our electric and I am shocked at how much it is over $100 some months. We live in an apt. I unplug everything, only use the AC set at 74 on Energy saver at night and take dog sitting jobs that have me away from home at least a couple nights a month. Also don't leave lights on etc.

He has an older model AC that I suspect is sucking all our $$s. Also, takes super long hot showers. How do I deal with him?? I want a lower bill ASAP

btw he is as non mustachian as you can get (face palm)

[Sibley]

My roommate pays our electric and I am shocked at how much it is over $100 some months. We live in an apt. I unplug everything, only use the AC set at 74 on Energy saver at night and take dog sitting jobs that have me away from home at least a couple nights a month. Also don't leave lights on etc.

He has an older model AC that I suspect is sucking all our $$s. Also, takes super long hot showers. How do I deal with him?? I want a lower bill ASAP

btw he is as non mustachian as you can get (face palm)

Introduce him to my roommate, we'll trade? But only if you live with 10 minutes of me, preferable south or southeast.

Bonus points if yours is overweight and wears long pants year round.

[halseyskates33]

Ugh I wish. I am in New England. Do I get extra bonus point if he is overweight and walks around in just a towel?? (shudders to self)

[Goldielocks]

Can you stop using some of your rooms for the summer, and seal them off / close the doors and AC venting to those rooms?

After turning up the A/C, this is the classic move -- only cool the main room, and one bedroom, have remaining people sleep on the porch, basement, or couch, as desired.

No reason why a thermal scan wouldnt work on a hot day for you -- from the inside, you will see the "hot" spots, if the temperature differential is great enough.