Why Are Your Energy Bills Suddenly Rocketing Up?

When you’re trying to maintain a reasonable household budget, you get used to watching your bills. As such, it might be a lot easier to suddenly see when your energy bill has taken a hike and is way up from what it used to be. Although it’s certainly possible that it could just be a change in your provider’s rates, once you eliminate that by checking with them, there are a few spots in the home that you should check first and foremost.

Your HVAC System

When your heating and cooling systems start to get older, they naturally become less efficient at their job. Their components experience wear and tear, airflow might be blocked, and the systems generally struggle more with age. Having them inspected once a year can make sure that your heater and air conditioning are kept at their best, especially before the summer and winter, when you’re likely to rely on them a lot more. Eventually, however, it might be time for a replacement, as the newer models tend to represent quite the energy-efficient upgrade.

Your Windows and Doors

The most common culprit for air leaks, small gaps around your windows and doors, can affect your bills much more than you might think. When their weather stripping wears down or cracks start appearing in their seals, warm air can transfer much more easily, which makes the home colder in winter but hotter in summer. This, in turn, makes your appliances work much harder and consume a lot more power to maintain the temperature that you want. These problems exacerbate over time. Improving the weather stripping around these fixtures might help, but eventually, a replacement might be more cost-effective if you have to repair them frequently. 

Your Roof

Much like your doors and windows, roofs can develop gaps over time, often due to damaged or missing shingles, as well as problems with the flashing. However, issues with the roof tend to go unnoticed for even longer due to the fact that it’s simply out of sight and out of mind most of the time. Having a roofer carry out an inspection at least once a year can make sure that there’s no lingering damage, which could make the upcoming seasons much more expensive. Heat rises, so winters can be particularly hard if all the heat you’re producing is drifting right out through gaps in the top of the home.

Your Insulation (Or Lack Thereof)

There doesn’t have to be any damage for heat to easily transfer out of the home during the winter. If your roof and walls do not have adequate insulation they need, then heat can leak right through the surface of the home. You might be able to benefit from financial assistance like grants for improving your home’s insulation, so it’s always worth looking to see what upgrades you can find.

It’s also well worth considering that your own lifestyle or usage habits might have changed. New appliances, spending more time at home (such as working remotely), or using space heaters can cause spikes to be mindful of, too.