Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
10 REASONS WHY YOUR ELECTRIC BILLS ARE HIGH IN HOUSTON TEXAS
How to lower your electric bills in Houston, Texas
call: 832-460-2928
Do you own any of these devices in your home?
| Device | consumption | per hour |
| Heat pump or central air | ||
| Water heater or clothes drier | ||
| Water pump | ||
| Space heater | ||
| Hair drier | ||
| Electric range burner | ||
| Refrigerator | ||
| Computer and monitor | ||
| Light bulb |
This table assumes that a kilowatt-hour of electricity costs 10 cents, which is an average rate depending on your location.
1. Update your old appliances. (An old refrigerator can really cause damage to your electric bill).
1990-1992. Annual cost: $283
1993-2000. Annual cost: $189
2001-2008. Annual cost: $118
2009-present (Energy Star). Annual cost: $90
Although a new fridge may cost you anywhere from $400 dollars - $2,000 dollars (depending on the brand name) it will save you over a $1,100 dollars on electric charges over a 5 year period. The average cost to run the fridge is around $450 dollars per year. You do the math.
When shopping for a new fridge, keep in mind that top and bottom freezer models use 10% to 25% less electricity than side-by-side models (energystar.gov). Obviously, the smaller the fridge, the less energy it consumes.
Refrigeration is a big power drain because the fridge can easily run for 24 hours a day. That's about $1 per day to keep the milk cold.
2. Turn off your computer and TV. If you leave the computer or TV on all day, it can add up to $1 to $2 dollars per day.
How
much it costs to run your computer?
To calculate your costs use this formula:
|
Watts
x Hours Used
|
x Cost per kilowatt-hour =
Total Cost
|
|
| |
|
1000
|
A big high-end computer with a gaming-level graphics card and an old CRT monitor, running 24/7; That's about 200 watts x 24 hours x 365 days = 1,752,000 watt-hours, or 1752 kilowatt-hours. If you're paying $0.36 per kilowatt, you're paying $631 a year to run your computer. $631 dollars per year! That's basically one car payment on a 2015 Mercedes Benz (C class).
Turn off your computer when you are not using it. Unplug it from the wall.
3. Make sure that your home is properly insulated. If your home has poor insulation or not enough, you may be loosing energy through your roof.
By increasing the level of insulation from 2-3 inches (R5) to 8 -14 inches (R30) can save $95 to $145 dollars per year for every 1,200 square feet of ceiling area.
call: 832-460-2928
4. The Air Conditioner:
The easiest way to save money is to run the AC less often, and to dial the temperature up a degree or two when you do run it. Each degree below 78°F will increase your energy use by 3-4%.
A 2.5-ton central system uses about 3500 watts. That's a lot of energy!! That's a lot of money!!
5. Install ceiling fans and make sure the blades are spinning in the right direction:
Fans can make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler, allowing you to dial your AC to a higher temperature and still feel just as cool. Running fans generally costs less than a penny an hour to run.
6. Install a Radiant Barrier:
A layer of aluminum foil-type material or special paint across the underside of the roof in your attic blocks heat radiated into the roof, and reduces energy use by 3-8%.
7. Test your ducts for leaks.
The average home loses 27% of its heating or cooling from leaky ducts. Believe it or not, many of the new systems that have been installed over the past decade were poorly installed!! Leaking ducts and insufficient insulation means that the average home used 162 kWh/month or roughly translated: 18% more than normal. This is an extra $233 a year at average electrical rates.
call: 832-460-2928
8. Install a white roof:
(The U.S. Secretary of Energy has said that if the world’s 100 largest and hottest cities switched to white roofs and light-colored cement pavement for roads, it would be the equivalent of taking all the world’s automobiles off the road for 11 years)
9. Put solar screens on your windows:
Solar screening is a special mesh that reflects much more sunlight than regular screening. (Home Depot and Lowes) The mesh can block 60-70% of the heat from sunlight. You can actually remove your old screens and insert the mesh screens. (it's cheap and very easy to install and most importantly, it will save you hundreds to thousands of dollars per year in electric bills.
10. Replace your lights:
Lights create a lot of heat. Replace your lights with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, which use 75% less energy and create 70-90% less heat at the same time. Regular lights give off 10% light and 90% heat, while CFL's give off 90% light and 10% heat.
call: 832-460-2928
HOW TO COMBAT THE ENERGY COMPANY:
Stay cool this summer: contact Aireserv of West Houston
call: 832-460-2928
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