Have you noticed how your electrical bill varies throughout the year and around wintertime, it seems to spike? Does the winter somehow impact your electrical bill or are you going crazy? Well, it’s not your imagination – it’s common for electrical bills to spike during the wintertime.
What factors can impact your electrical bill?
- The arrival of winter weather. When it’s cold out for extended periods of time, people use their heating systems more frequently, which dramatically increases energy use in a household. Be aware that heating your home can make up between 40% and 60% of your monthly electrical bill during the winter. Generally, people’s energy bills start going up in October and peak in January and February.
- The holidays can be a factor. When you have additional friends and family visiting in your home, it means more laundry, more showers, and more dishes, all of which increase energy use.
- Fewer daylight hours. When natural sunlight decreases, we use interior lighting more. When you use more lights throughout the home, you increase your energy use.
- Drafts are a significant culprit. When there are air drafts in a home, it robs the home of warmth and the heating system has to work extra hard.
- An aging heating system. If you have an old heating system, it could be having a major impact on your energy bills. Wall, space, and baseboard heaters also use a lot of energy.
“Energy usage is especially higher in homes that are heated with electricity and structures that are not well-insulated. Mobile homes are especially at risk of high bills in winter because they often are both all-electric and cold air can get under the home, where it might not be as well insulated. Older homes may have gaps in window seals and siding that might allow cold air to creep in,” according to Entergy® Newsroom.
If you want to know how to make your home more energy-efficient, especially in regard to its electricity usage, contact Lightning Bug Electric today!