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One place we lived was costing us 4 times the electric bill of places far bigger. It was obviously wrong. No matter what I said to the utility company, they would not fix the issue. We ended up moving. If you can't get this fixed, I say move. The outrageous amount you are paying is going to add up.
Someone could have been tapped into your line stealing service. I used to work for a utility company in New Orleans.
Someone could have been tapped into your line stealing service. I used to work for a utility company in New Orleans.
I think the units were wired wrong and I was paying for other people. This was back north and the construction work on homes is very shoddy there. They build them much better here.
What I find is that the furnace has a different speed for heat and cool. Sometimes when they are installed they are never adjusted and since the homeowner has no clue how much air the unit should be moving they just pay the bill and never question it. On the furnace there will be a data plate that says max temp rise or something to that effect. That would be the exiting air temp - the entering air temp. If it's to high your wasting gas and possibly (most likely) causing the heat exchanger to over heat and causing damage. You can buy and el cheapo thermometer to get an about idea what it is and it will give you an idea if the airflow is the problem. take the temp of the air returning to the furnace hopefully as close to the fan as possible if the return grille is right next to the furnace that's a decent position. You will have to drill one hole in the plenum after the furnace away from any parts of the furnace (it should be a big aluminum box and will be attached to the furnace). Temps differences that are higher means lower airflow and and temp difference that are lower mean more air flow.
Also if you have any leaks in your ducting system and it's outside the conditioned space (ie attic or crawlspace) your wasting energy. If you have a leak in the supply and not the return you will leave the home in a negative pressure ausing more air infiltration into the home. If you have a leak in the return it will be sucking unconditioned air into the conditioned air stream. Also insulation on the ducting system outside the crawl space is very important if it's lacking you can take that exiting temp (at the furnace) you had before and find some vents and see how much heat the different runs lose. Do you have a fresh air intake? If so is it open and shouldn't be?
Those are smething I can think of off the top of my head if I think of more I'll reply again.
What I find is that the furnace has a different speed for heat and cool. Sometimes when they are installed they are never adjusted and since the homeowner has no clue how much air the unit should be moving they just pay the bill and never question it. On the furnace there will be a data plate that says max temp rise or something to that effect. That would be the exiting air temp - the entering air temp. If it's to high your wasting gas and possibly (most likely) causing the heat exchanger to over heat and causing damage. You can buy and el cheapo thermometer to get an about idea what it is and it will give you an idea if the airflow is the problem. take the temp of the air returning to the furnace hopefully as close to the fan as possible if the return grille is right next to the furnace that's a decent position. You will have to drill one hole in the plenum after the furnace away from any parts of the furnace (it should be a big aluminum box and will be attached to the furnace). Temps differences that are higher means lower airflow and and temp difference that are lower mean more air flow.
Also if you have any leaks in your ducting system and it's outside the conditioned space (ie attic or crawlspace) your wasting energy. If you have a leak in the supply and not the return you will leave the home in a negative pressure ausing more air infiltration into the home. If you have a leak in the return it will be sucking unconditioned air into the conditioned air stream. Also insulation on the ducting system outside the crawl space is very important if it's lacking you can take that exiting temp (at the furnace) you had before and find some vents and see how much heat the different runs lose. Do you have a fresh air intake? If so is it open and shouldn't be?
Those are smething I can think of off the top of my head if I think of more I'll reply again.
Thank you for your reply. Unfortunetly I don't understand a word of it. Shouldn't the expert have checked all that when he was out today? I have sent an email to PSNC requesting they replace the meter, though it is new. The guy today said it is possible that it's defective. I also inquired as to how they might check to see if someone is "stealing" our gas or if the lines are crossed. I checked the usage or therms used from Nov to Dec, and it indeed doubled despite our efforts to conserve in Dec.
Thanks but that's not an option for us. We just bought our brand new home at the end of Aug.
At least when you buy an Energy Star home you know it has been tested and inspected to be an energy efficient home. Find someone to test your ducts, I say there is a good chance you are leaking a good percentage of your conditioned air to your attic or crawlspace and it will be really tough to tell unless you have your ductwork tested by a professional.
Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I don't understand a word of it. Shouldn't the expert have checked all that when he was out today? I have sent an email to PSNC requesting they replace the meter, though it is new. The guy today said it is possible that it's defective. I also inquired as to how they might check to see if someone is "stealing" our gas or if the lines are crossed. I checked the usage or therms used from Nov to Dec, and it indeed doubled despite our efforts to conserve in Dec.
PSNC (gas co.?)? Just curious what filters do you have in the unit (fiberglass woven or pleated with ridges and valleys in it MERV rating if possible)? The most important thing in air conditioning is the air.
The gas company doesn't have a clue about your HVAC system other than it takes gas and they can get it there and check for leaks or CO. If you need someone to look at the HVAC system you need to get someone who works on HVAC.
PSNC came out again this month. He inspected for any leaks...none found. He made the usual suggestions to lower our energy bill including changing filters. Will do that, though I don't see how any of the things he mentioned is going to make up the difference from our ever rising gas bill. He did say that if the next bill continues to climb that we could request a meter replacement. He said they would send it out for testing for any defects and if any found they would compensate us on our bills. What would any of you do? It's really upsetting me because it just doesn't make sense that the bill would quadruple from Oct to Nov and then jump from 185. in Nov to 250. in Dec. after conciously conserving.
My bill does the same thing. I think we are using the furnace a lot more than we realize to keep the house warm when it is 30 degrees at night. Turn it off every night for a month and watch your bill cut in half (and you wake up freezing lol). I am going to cut mine to 60 at night for a while and see how we make out. My previous bill was $60 and current bill is $190. I am going to try to split the difference next month. (3400 sq ft, 2 story/2 system HVAC 1 year old house w/ gas logs, water heater and furnaces)
The right filters etc may shave a few bucks, but nothing drastic. Standard homes just are not well insulated unfortunately. Monolithic slab and stone walls would be nice lol.
The right filters are way more important than I think you are giving them credit for. If you cut out 25% of the airflow that is recommended how much energy or extra gas do you think your losing? Your filter is your bill as long as everything else is setup right of course. If it's blocking 25% of the air that's 25% less media that can transfer the heat from combustion to your home.
As the airflow volume is decreased airspeed or velocity is increased. The faster the air travels across the heat exchanger the less time it has to gain the heat.
PSNC (gas co.?)? Just curious what filters do you have in the unit (fiberglass woven or pleated with ridges and valleys in it MERV rating if possible)? The most important thing in air conditioning is the air.
The gas company doesn't have a clue about your HVAC system other than it takes gas and they can get it there and check for leaks or CO. If you need someone to look at the HVAC system you need to get someone who works on HVAC.
We've had the HVAC people (Yellow Dot) out more times than we can shake a stick at. They've adjusted air flow, installed baffles because the builder left them off, and you name what else. We feel like we got a lemon of a brand new home and seems nothing can be done. Between the heating/cooling issues, the hot water, and now the gas bill spikes, we would never reccommend Orleans to anyone.
Okay well if you want to get more specific on the actual problems of the HVAC system I might be able to guide you to good info. Others in the house forum will be able to help you if you have builders or other problems.
For example of what I would like to hear: The size of the return vent. The model numbers or size of the system you have. The type of filters. House will only get to 70*F if it's 35*F out but for every degree it drops so does the house. Those type of things.
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Shouldn't the expert have checked all that when he was out today? I have sent an email to PSNC requesting they replace the meter, though it is new. The guy today said it is possible that it's defective. I also inquired as to how they might check to see if someone is "stealing" our gas or if the lines are crossed. I checked the usage or therms used from Nov to Dec, and it indeed doubled despite our efforts to conserve in Dec.
