# Identifying High Electrical Bill Culprit



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*High Electrical Bill*

Everyone is going to tell me "I told yo so," but what the hell.

A while ago, when I posted explaining that we would be upgrading our old baseboard electrical heaters to new convectors, many of you went against my electrician's suggestion that doing so would greatly reduce our electrical bill. Well an entire winter has passed with four of these new heaters and you were right: the cost for electrical barely changed. We even compared the temperature of each month to make sure that we *weren't* erroneously comparing the cost of heating for November 2013, when the average temperature was -30C, to that of November 2014 that had an average temperature of -10C.

Therefore, we started looking at what else could be the culprit for such a high electrical bill (which also accounts for hot water heating tanks). A contractor of my dad's said that we need to insulate our hot water tanks because they're always fighting to retain heat and constantly working since they're stored in our unheated garage. That is plausible.

We then considered that the door and windows were old and leaked air, which is a sure fact; it's something you can see with your naked eye, strobes of light shining through the door or if you hold your hand above the outline of the door you can feel the cold air seeping through.

Before we invest any more money towards anything, we'd like to first find out for certain what is the culprit. We've called insulation and door companies to examine our home and they all tell us that high electrical costs (especially when paying for electrical heating) can be a tricky thing to pin-point since they are many variables to consider.

I've seen videos online of home-owners using thermal guns to detect air leaks in their home to figure out where the problem lies. Is that what I should be looking into? What if air leaking is not the issue? What if it's consumption? Short of installing a watt-killer on each major electrical component in this home, there's no way for me to know what is producing such atrocious costs.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

The water tank wrap is a simple to it yourself thing. I would do the pipes as well, but don't expect a big/quick pay off.

Weather strip the doors, caulk around the widows if they are leaking.

Think seriously about insulating the outer walls and the attic, if needed.

Windows, boy is that expensive. Windows with metal frames are always cold.
To me the ideal window would be a wood frame and insulated glass. 

BG


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Also, old refrigerator are big energy users compared to compared to new ones.

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> The water tank wrap is a simple to it yourself thing. I would do the pipes as well, but don't expect a big/quick pay off.


Which pipes? They're obviously not at all accesible. For the hot water lines coming from the tanks that are visible, I already have somehting like this on them:












> Weather strip the doors, caulk around the windows if they are leaking.


All the windows and patio doors are already weather stripped. The problem is that if I put my hand on the tiled baseboard under our kitchen patio (during the winter), it's completely frozen and you can feel a breeze of cold air coming in. 

All these door companies have told us that our wooden doors are very good quality and just need to be fixed up a bit, despite us wanting to get new steel doors. It just seems like those new aluminium/steel doors handle air leaks better. I have people on my street that have them and you can hear the suction sound when they close their doors, from across the street. Ours don't do that.



> Think seriously about insulating the outer walls and the attic, if needed.


How will we know if it's needed? That what I'm getting at... Who specializes in this type of stuff? Who do we have to call to tell us what needs to be addressed first and foremost to reduce our energy consumption? I'm not going to start stuffing the three outer walls of this big home with expanding foam if that's not the main thing costing is money.



> Also, old refrigerator are big energy users compared to compared to new ones.


Yes, our fridge is old. The stove is new though. But again, is there a way to find out what components consume what kWh?


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

The pipe insulation you show is what normally sold and it is fine.

The cold air. Got to remember that cold air always settles down. Open the frig and the cold air runs out. It may not be cold air coming in, just the cold running down.

Wood is nice as it is not a good conductor of cold/heat. Next would be 
vinyl frames.

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Your advice is sound but I'm looking for a way to identify what the main culprit is. I believe that what has been suggested about everything collectively contributing the the energy consumption, however, I still have a hunch there is one aspect that is costing is big money.


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

if you have a company come out with a thermal imager to see where the heat is going out of the house they will be able to tell you what needs to be done in order to help with the energy bill.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

What type of company does this? I've only seen home-owners using this on YouTube. Who would I have to call?

Edit: What about this? http://www.amazon.ca/Black-Decker-Tld100-Thermal-Detector/dp/B0044R87BE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

The trick is to find a good company. They need to be in business a few/several years.

Don't take the cheapest bid.

BG


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

I would say No on the $60.00 device. They will have a tester that is much better.

One thing they should be looking for is any fire stops that could be in the walls. Their tester should show them.

BG


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

you might want to see if any insulation companies in your area has the cameras.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

In case you want to know what fire stops are in timber walls look like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=fir...racts-timberframe.co.uk%2Fgallery.php;900;732

BG


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## Gadsden (Mar 10, 2012)

Solidify said:


> What type of company does this? I've only seen home-owners using this on YouTube. Who would I have to call?
> 
> Edit: What about this? http://www.amazon.ca/Black-Decker-Tld100-Thermal-Detector/dp/B0044R87BE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top



I have one of those but only paid $28 for it a few years ago. They are $29 new on ebay. Black Decker Thermal Leak Detector TLD100 | eBay

Though not as effective as the thermal imaging, it does give you accurate readings anywhere you think a difference of temperature is happening. I use mine all the time at home and at customers homes.
(It's also useful for cooking)

This won't plug into anything 220V, but I also have one of these. I wanted to see just how much TV's, computers, space heaters, etc were costing.
Kill-A-Watt Electricity Usage Monitor by P3 at HSN.com


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

I can't really use kill a watt for convectors though...


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## Gadsden (Mar 10, 2012)

Solidify said:


> I can't really use kill a watt for convectors though...



Maybe not but handy nonetheless.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Yeah thanks but it wont be useful for my situation.


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## Vegassparky (Nov 24, 2013)

Try giving your local power company a call, and asking about an energy audit. They may also offer financial assistance for equipment upgrades. Some home inspectors may have thermal imaging equipment, which is fine if they can accurately interpret it.

You have constant loads all year(lighting/appliances/hot water). If your usage increase is seasonal(winter in this case), then you can make a pretty safe assumption that your home heating is the energy hog. With that being the case, you either find a more cost effective heating solution, or insulate to maximize what you do consume.

Thermal imaging can be a very effective tool to tell you what areas need attention the most. Then you may be able to address them one at a time.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> If your usage increase is seasonal, then you can make a pretty safe assumption that your home heating is the energy hog. With that being the case, you either find a more cost effective heating solution, or insulate to maximize what you do consume.


You hit the nail on the head there. 

But the problem is that we don't know what is the biggest contributor to this heating surplus? Is it poorly insulated exterior walls? Leaking windows and doors? Inefficient electric heating system?

However, I like the way you've narrowed it down. 



> Try giving your local power company a call, and asking about an energy audit. They may also offer financial assistance for equipment upgrades.


That's what we did this year with the entire building thermostats; we upgraded them from the knob-style thermostats to the new digital ones.


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