Excessive Power Usage

[Racelady88]

My MIL had excessive power and water usage. After more than a year of looking for answers we finally found a small leak in the base of the hot water heater (2 years old). As soon as we fixed the leak both her water & power usage dropped dramatically.

[oberon_1]

1) Turn off all electric appliances and lights and check the meter. It shouldn't move.
2) Start one appliance at a time and check which one effects the meter most.
3) After some checks you will be able to determine where the fault is.

[CyFree]

Before you do anything else, or spend any more money to solve this problem, I would strongly suggest you contact a home energy auditing company and have they perform a full home energy evaluation

Home energy audits are really inexpensive worth every penny because instead of looking at individual systems, they look at the home as whole.

They will usually include a blower door test to see how much air leakage your home has, and a thermal imaging test to see if there are insulation gaps in the building envelope or just overall poor R-Value insulation. They will check your ducts for leakage, as well as your attic and your foundation - the two main areas of concern when it comes to insulation and air leakage.

Truth is that no heating and cooling system will be energy efficient if the air that you are paying to cool and heat is consistently leaking out or if the temperatures from the outside are influencing indoor temperatures due to poor insulation. These conditions make any HVAC system work more than they should.

The U.S. Department of Energy states that you can save up to 30% in heating and cooling bills with proper air sealing and insulation.

Here you can find some more information on air sealing:

Air Leakage | Air Seal a Home for Energy Savings | Air Sealing Info & Service

[CyFree]

A couple of additional ideas that will help you save some energy:

- A programmable thermostat is a really inexpensive device that will put your furnace in "cruise control", turning it up and down automatically, according to your schedule and preferences.
- Smart power strips will turn appliances and electronics off when they are not being used.
- If your new water heater is tank based (rather than tankless) consider insulating the tank and pipes to prevent standby heat loss. Turn down the water heater thermostat as well. Basically, if you have to open the cold water so you won't be scorched when you shower, your heater is working harder than it should.

[Maxwell1937]

According to an energy expert our dehumidifier (energy star and 6 yrs old) is the reason our energy bill is high. However it wasn't until the past yr or so that it has continuously increased from an average of $ 85 per month to $145 (this month). Is it because of the age of our dehumidifier? Is the newer energy stars more efficient? Thanks for any help with this.

[metamorphosis]

When I was married (ages ago), we had the same issue. It turned out that our "heat pump" was on the verge of dying.

[Catdancer]

Have you checked your attic for hippies? They can sneak in when you're not looking and set up lava lamps, crock pots and grow rooms. A bad hippie infestation can quadruple your electric bill.

[eddie1278]

Originally Posted by tdna

The rate for power is very reasonable. You have to join a co-op here and there is a $36 membership fee every month. Including the membership fee, my bill has gone from an average of $80 a month to $300 a month or more (as high as 2200 KWH), but it didn't happen until several months after the water heater was replaced. I did check to see if someone had plugged into my house and can't find anything. I don't know why I haven't been recording daily meter readings, but I'll start doing that.

As soon as i read your OP I was thinkind water heater issue then i read this post. I would have your water heater checked.