Electric Bill Explained

It is helpful to know the impact of decisions for your home when focusing on lowering energy consumption. One of the best indicators is the electric bill.

The bill is determined by monitoring how many kilowatt hours have been used over the last month. Price per kilowatt hour ranges from $0.073 (North Dakota) all the way up to $0.31 (Hawaii) with an US average $0.112 (data from the US Energy Information Administration).

Using this information the average American will pay approximately $4 to run a 50W light bulb all hours of the day for a month. By comparison an AC unit (3500W) running 5 hours a day will cost around $58 a month. To determine the monthly cost of an item use the following formula:

Cost per month = Wattage x Hours of use per month / 1000 x Cost per Kilowatt

With this info you will have an idea of what items to target the most when trying to save energy. But you won't be able to decipher what the actual usage of each item on your energy bill. The best way to track progress is to compare the total energy used from the current month to the same month as last year.

On my energy bill it lists each month's energy usage for the last year. One very noticeable month is July in 2010. The air conditioner had a leak and doubled the energy bill all by itself.

Note: Not all energy companies measure energy use every month even though they will bill you every month. In these cases they will bill based on an estimate from last years usage and make a correction every 2-3 months when the actual usage is recorded.

Energy Star Rated Appliances

There is a big push for consumers to consider Energy Star rated appliances and push for energy efficiency. But is it worth it to the consumer

Energy efficient appliances are more expensive and don't always yield a higher cost savings per year. Federal tax rebates helps level the costs. And if you happen to live in a area where tax rebates are also offered on a state level it can be well worth the upgrade. But it is best to wait until your current appliance bites the dust before running out and unloading a new machine.

Take into account the following:
-Federal tax rebates
-State tax rebates
-Age of your current appliance
-Estimated number of years to make the savings worth the extra cost
-Special requirements (eg high-efficiency soap)

AC Inpection

I inspected  my AC units the other day to check the insulation on the refrigerant lines and cooling fins for damage. The insulation was very damaged and worn out from the weather. Aside from tears and rips, the insulation had become compact and hard (very bad for insulation). 

I spent about $5 at Lowe's buying new insulation duct tape to replace the old insulation. It only took 15 minutes to remove the replace the old insulation. Shown below is the halfway point where one unit was completed and the second one still needed to be replaced. 

Also needing attention was the cooling fins. When rocks (usually from lawn mowers) or other objects hit these delicate fins they become bent and less effective. Simply examine the fins for damaged spots and separate the fins using a blade. Take special care not to further damage these areas. A special AC fins repair tool is also available but be sure to get the correct size for your model. Also, don't forget to inspect both outside and inside fins on the unit. You will have to unplug the power to the unit and take off the fan and guard to inspect the inside fins.

These simple and cheap repairs shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes per unit and will definitely improve your energy efficiency. Check the units a couple times each year (beginning and middle of warm months).

Note: High efficiency AC units often use brushed cooling fins. Although the concepts are the same they can be more time consuming to repair.

Water Displacement Trick

There are several new toilets with multiple flush options, depending on the amount of water you want to use. If the tank on your toilet is fairly large and you would like to reduce the flush volume try using this trick.

Fill a small plastic container with water and seal the top. Place the container in the water tank of the toilet. Try to keep as much air out of the container when filling it so it doesn't float in the tank. The volume that is used during a flush has now been reduced by the size of the container.

This trick will save you a bit of water with each flush, but it is more important to make sure your toilet isn't leaking from the tank into the bowl. Log into Home Maintenance Tracker to see a tip on testing your toilet for leaks, which can waste far more water.

Email Reminders Now Available

As requested, email reminders are now available. Tasks update on set 30 day intervals and a
monthly email will be sent out after every update event. You will still have to log into your account to see any new items were added to your task list, dependent on your house items list.

Included with the reminder in the emails will be a glance at energy and home maintenance
tips posted over the last month. Plus, there will be links to the latest news.

The email reminders are completely optional and you can stop them at any time. Sign up for
this new feature by logging into your account and clicking on the email link in the left side bar.

AC Inspection

The refrigerant is the major driving force in the air conditioning system. It captures energy (heat) from inside the house and transfers it outside through a series of thermodynamic cycles.

The copper tubing carrying the refrigerant should be inspected at the beginning of each summer for leaks. Visually examine the tubing for cracks or oily drips (refrigerant). Pay particular attention to the soldered points of the tubing. If there is a leak you will need to call a professional.

One other indication of a refrigerant leak is an unusually high spike in your energy bill and the AC system will have a difficult time maintaining the proper temperature. To track energy spikes keep a record of each energy bill and compare the same month across the years.

Taking Advantage of the Sun

The sun is a powerful source of heat and energy-use it to your benefit! 


During the winter months leave curtains open and take down any solar screens. The sun's rays coming into the house with help keep it warm and reduce the workload on your furnace.


For the summer months put place solar screens over the windows and close the curtains in rooms not being used. This will help to keep the sun's heat out the house and keep the AC energy use down. It is especially important to cover windows on the East and West sides of the house since the sun's rays will come mostly from these directions.