Dear Electrical Services Experts,
I need the advice of an experienced electrician to understand where I’m going wrong with my electrical bill. It went up every month this spring and summer. So we are trying to figure out some ways that we can reduce our consumption of electricity. So, there’s nobody better to ask an electrician. We have been making a more conscious effort to turn lights off in rooms when we leave them and not leave the TV running unless we are actually watching a show or a game. even the kids have been better about turning things off that they’re not using and taking their phones off the phone charger when they are finished charging. However, we have seen very little effect on our electric bill. We are really trying to use less energy; however, it just does not seem to be paying off for us yet. Please tell me you can help us.
Thank you for answering my question,
Saving In Salinas,
Dear Saving,
I definitely believe we here at Wright Electrical Company can be of help to you. Your efforts to date are important and they will pay off for you. However, let’s concentrate our attention on the things that use the most electricity. first and foremost, the number one culprit of electricity consumption is an AC system a window unit AC. Now, I’m not about to tell you that you should use air conditioning here in California, but you can use it less or in conjunction with a ceiling fan, which we can install for you. Your average central AC system uses about 3500 watt-hours per one hour of continuous use, while a window unit AC is about 900 watt-hours per hour of continuous use. In contrast to that, your average CFL compact fluorescent light bulb of the 60 watt variety uses about 18 watt-hours per hour of continuous use and leaving your phone plugged into a charger after it is fully charged only wastes about 0.3 of a watt-hour per hour of continuous use. That’s quite a difference in electricity consumption. So one way you could save on your electric bill is high using your AC less. A ceiling fan can make you feel up to about 8 degrees cooler so you feel less inclined to use your AC as much.
Please let us know how we can serve you.
Sincerely,
Wright Electrical Company