Hey everyone, I'm reaching out for some advice because I just got slapped with a $1,200 bill after using 3,500 kWh in a month, and I'm totally confused about how my usage could be so high. I live in a 2,500 sq. ft. townhouse in Massachusetts, and we've got a three-floor setup with a large open staircase. Heat definitely rises, but we keep the heat at a chilly 60°F. Our windows are pretty old—around 30-40 years—and I suspect they might be part of the problem.
Since last summer, my dryer hasn't been working, so I air dry my clothes with a fan instead; that shouldn't be adding to my bill, right? We replaced our heat pump and water boiler two years ago, and we were told they were efficient models, but now I'm wondering if they might not be. On really cold days, my heating system struggles to get above 61-62°F, and the ecobee thermostat shows it's running an excessive 555 hours in January—an average of 18 hours a day!
This month, my energy use shot up by 60% compared to last January, despite lowering the heat and not using the dryer. The only thing flagged during a recent audit was some minimal insulation in the shared crawlspace. I really need some help diagnosing this situation and fixing it if something's wrong. Any ideas? Thanks!
3 Answers
To figure out your actual usage, you should track individual circuits. You can definitely use something like an Emporia monitor at your breaker box to get a clearer picture of what's consuming power. That way, you can isolate and analyze which appliances might be draining your energy.
It sounds like something is definitely off. In my case, my family uses about half as much energy even with multiple EVs charging and extra heating. You should also consider that old windows can leak quite a bit of warmth, and that might be adding to your bill too. You might want to check for any drafts or insulation issues as well—doing a simple incense test around windows/corners could help identify leaks.
That's a good idea! I’ll definitely give the incense test a shot and see if there are any visible drafts.
Your heat pump might be the main culprit here. If it's defaulting to emergency heat often, that could lead to big spikes in your energy bill because that mode uses a ton of electricity. It might be a good idea to check with your thermostat settings and potentially get a professional to look at the system just to be sure.
Yeah, I considered that too, but my thermostat insists the auxiliary heat hasn't been on at all in January. I even get notifications if it's been running for over 30 minutes and I didn't get any this month.
Are there specific devices that are good for tracking usage? I want to make sure I get something that's accurate.