Have you been wondering why your home energy bills are increasing?Many people don’t pay special attention to their power bills – they’re just another monthly expense that needs to be covered.
However, the situation changes entirely if your energy bills suddenly increase. It doesn’t matter if it’s a one-time thing or something that continues happening over the months and years.
As higher electricity bills can strain your home budget and might even prevent you from saving money, you should look for the causes of this unexpected increase. To help you discover what might be causing your energy spending to go up, here are some of the most surprising reasons behind higher electricity bills.
From outdated light sources to old windows and other issues, there are many different things that might increase your energy consumption. Read on and help yourself find the culprit behind your higher bills!
1. You Have Old Leaky Windows
If you have electric heaters, old windows are often the most likely cause of the increased energy consumption that leads to higher power bills.
With winter around the corner, it’s very likely that you already started heating up your home. As old windows are usually leaky, the heat your radiators generate in your home will quickly escape outside, and you’ll have to turn up the heat. That in turn will lead to higher electricity bills.
The easiest way to prevent this from occurring is to replace the seals around your windows. That way, you should drastically decrease the amount of heat that escapes your home. However, some windows might be just too old to attempt such a fix. In that case, you should consider replacing your windows entirely.
The advantage of installing modern windows goes beyond having new seals – contemporary solutions usually have more panes and are better insulated than their decades-old predecessors.
If you want to replace atypical windows such as flat roof windows, it is best to consult with a professional before you make any purchases. Alternatively, you can check out online guides that will teach you how to choose roof windows for flat roof.
2. You Just Replaced Your Radiators
Perhaps your former radiators were so old that they were unable to operate properly. Maybe you just went through a major renovation and wanted solutions with a more modern design. It doesn’t matter – the fact is that your old heaters are no more. However, after a while, you started noticing that your energy bills are uncharacteristically high.
Although electric radiators offer great advantages (e.g., easier maintenance and faster operation) over gas heaters, using them will inevitably lead to much higher energy consumption. If you recently replaced your old gas heaters with electric radiators, that’s why your bills went up.
3. You Use Inefficient Lightbulbs
You might not think of lightbulbs as energy-hungry devices. After all, even if you have a lot of light fixtures around your home, they’re pretty small in comparison to other appliances. However, older, incandescent lightbulbs are very power-hungry compared to modern successors. If you’re still using incandescent bulbs, they might be one of the reasons why your energy bills are increasing.
To lower your energy consumption, you might want to switch your outdated incandescent lightbulbs to LED solutions. LED lightbulbs provide a drastic reduction in electricity use without any compromise in the quality of the light. The savings you might make are significant.
To illustrate the point, your average incandescent lightbulb consumes around 60 watts. In comparison, an LED bulb of comparable strength would consume only 10 watts or less. That six-fold decrease can really make a difference for bigger flats and houses.
4. Winter Is Coming, But Your House Isn’t Insulated Properly
Windows are not the only element of the house that needs to be proofed against the cold. The insulation of your walls and ceiling is just as important.
One of the most common places where heat escapes from homes is the attic. Therefore, if you’re noticing that your energy bills are much higher than usual, it might be because you need to insulate your attic better. Other common energy-wasting problems include cracks in the ceilings and walls or around doors.
Given how many types of insulation are there, it’s natural that you might have no idea how to insulate your home properly. Because of that, it is best to hire professionals that will be able to properly assess your insulation needs and install the most efficient solution for your home.
5. Your Social Life Is Much Busier Than It Used To Be
Your social life is something that is constantly evolving and it can have a significant impact on your energy consumption.
If you’ve recently left your parents’ home to live on your own or if you’ve been having more parties lately, it’s not surprising that your electric bills have gone up. Or maybe your neighbours turned out to be so amazing, that there isn’t a day when you don’t have at least a couple of visitors.
You might not be aware of how much electricity a typical household uses per day. However, if you’re suddenly using your dishwasher more regularly or cooking more meals at home – both of which are very common when living with other people – it’s only natural that your energy consumption would increase.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different factors that might cause your energy bills to go up. Perhaps you’ve recently replaced your old radiators with modern electric heaters. In that case, it’s only natural that your energy consumption would increase.
Your old windows could also leak all of the hot air your radiators are generating, forcing you to turn up the heat. Alternatively, it might also be that you didn’t insulate your home properly and heat is escaping through cracks in the walls or around doors.
Watch out for incandescent bulbs too – although they might be cheaper to buy, they will significantly increase your electricity bills. Finally, one of the most common causes of increased energy consumption is having more people around the house.
If you’ve recently left your parents’ home and are holding party after party in your new flat or if your social life has gotten much busier, you’re bound to use more electricity.
Hopefully, the explanations above will make it easier to find the cause of your higher power bills and help you reduce your energy consumption. Good luck!