With the darker, cooler days of fall and winter, we spend more time indoors. So it’s no surprise that we use more electricity.
Potential causes of a high bill:
- Extra electric heating, space heater use or leaving doors open to unused rooms when you have zonal heat. (Also remember that if you turn off zonal heat in one room, it will still use some energy unless you turn off that heater at the breaker panel.)
- Home needs weatherizing
- Heating ducts are not sealed or insulated
- Ceilings, floors and walls need more insulation
- Weatherstripping or caulking needed around doors, windows, pipes and cracks
- Inaccurate thermostat
- Thermostat set too high or no longer working accurately
- Cloudy days and shorter daylight hours means lights are on more often
- Fireplace dampers left open when not in use
- Foundation vents left uncovered, allowing cold air in, warm air out
- Older electric water heater
- Water heater failure
- Water heater thermostat set too high
- Hot tub problems such as pump failure, or insulating cover left off when tub not in use
- New appliances or big screen TV
- Extra holiday cooking
- Inefficient holiday lighting or holiday lights left on all night
- Overnight holiday guests, which can mean more water heating and cooking
- A new baby, who can arrive any time of year of course, can add to heating and water-heating usage.
Possible solutions:
- Insulate and seal air leaks. This is likely to make the biggest difference in energy savings!
- Lower your thermostat. For cooler months, 68 degrees is a good energy-saving setting when you’re home. Every degree you lower your thermostat will save an estimated 2 percent on your heating bill. At bedtime or when you’re away, drop it to 60 degrees to save more energy. (Exceptions: ceiling cable heat, maximum setback 2-3 degrees. Heat pump systems vary; see our Heat Pump section for setback recommendations.)
- Check the accuracy of your thermostat. Walk through your house with an instant-read cooking thermometer to see if the air temperature matches your setting. You might need to upgrade to a programmable thermostat.
- Check and clean the heat coil in your air conditioning unit or call your service technician.
- Schedule a tune-up for your furnace if it has been more than a year since the last one.
- Install foundation vent covers. Do this in fall to keep wind and cold air from creeping in under your house. Vent covers can also help prevent frozen pipes. Remove them in spring.
- Open curtains on sunny days. You’ll capture solar warmth and save on lighting, too. Close curtains at night to help insulate.
- Lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees.
- Switch to compact fluorescent lights.
- Choose LED holiday lights and put them on a timer.
- Close fireplace dampers when there isn’t a fire burning. Close fireplace doors, too.
- Review our cooking tips and use the microwave for cooking whenever possible.
Find more solutions
For additional savings, explore our No-cost Options and Low-cost Improvements sections.
Also see our Efficient Investments section for advice on how to achieve significant long-term savings.*
*Savings will vary based on circumstances.