Why doesn't my bill amount seem right?

If you have lived in your home for a while, you may be used to predictable energy bills. But once in a while, an energy bill seems to "jump" for no obvious reason. There is always a reason for a sudden bill increase -- it's just a matter of finding it. Here are some of the more obvious reasons:

1. Look at your usage - Look at your usage from last month to the current month and the current month to the same month last year. Think about the weather conditions from last month to the current month:  was it colder, hotter, Christmas lights, and the same number of days in the billing period?
2. Previous balance - If your bill shows a previous balance, perhaps this bill and your payment crossed in the mail.
3. Compare winter to summer - Check the kWh total by month.  From your usage history, are the winter months higher, indicating some form of electric heat?  Do the summer months indicate air conditioning?  Was that period higher than historical averages or higher than the preceding month or the same month last year?  Hancock-Wood may be able to use our automated meter reading computer software to determine if there were days when the usage was significantly higher.  Also, shorter days in the winter mean more time indoors (watching TV, eating in, etc.), and thus, more lights turned on.  Conversely, during the summer, some appliances such as dehumidifiers, air conditioners, fans and swimming pool pumps will run more.
4. What appliances are electric? - What major major appliances run on electricity?  If you are seeing higher usage in the summer months, what kind of air conditioning do you use?  If higher in the winter, what is your source of heat?  Do you have any baseboard heat or electric space heaters that you are using?  If geothermal, is your backup coming on more than it should?  Remember that appliances with heating or cooling elements or motors are the biggest users such as electric heat, heat pumps, geothermal, furnace fans (on fossil fuel furnaces), electric space heaters, heat tape, well heaters, water heaters, air conditioners, well pumps, refrigerators, freezers, dryers, sump pumps, dehumidifiers, etc.  You may be surprised to know that other appliances (TV, radio, computers, etc.) contribute a smaller portion of your bill each month compared to heating/cooling.
5. Change in appliances -You may forget about all the extra electric devices you purchase over time: computer, printer, television, DVD player, extra phones and outdoor lighting. All of these add up, especially for example, when you leave on lights and computers while not using them.
6. Were appliances left on when you were gone? - If you were gone for a period of time, you probably remembered to turn off your TV and lights, but did you turn off your heat, freezer, refrigerator and water heater?  If not, remember that they still run on a normal basis.
7. Thermostat settings - Some thermostats will only set the heat back to 55 degrees even though it may appear "off."  The heat will come on when the temperature is lower than 55 degrees. Colder than normal weather will cause your heat to be on longer.  Plus, thermostats may be inaccurate, especially the bi-metallic type common with ceiling heat and baseboard heaters; digital thermostats may lose their programmed settings when the power goes off.
8. Water heater problems - If you do not have an efficient newer model water heater you can be using more electricity than necessary.  Also, if an element is burned out or sediment has built up inside the tank, your usage can be high.
9. Water leaks - Water leaks in pipes, especially hot water leaks, can cause your water pump and water heater to operate more than normal.
10. Insulation factors - Not only insulation, but window and floor coverings also affect your bill because they can have an impact on the efficiency of heating and air-conditioning systems.
11. Holidays/parties - You may have used more energy than usual if the house was packed with friends and relatives. Overnight guests can increase the water heating, lighting and laundry usage dramatically.
12. Structural differences - Comparing your bill to a neighbor's is probably not fair when considering the numerous differences in homes. Insulation, windows and doors are major factors in helping you cut your electric bill. And even though your home may have been built at the same time and by the same builder, previous homeowners may have made improvements of which you are not even aware.
13. Keep a diary - If your usage is in line, you may want to read your meter each day at the same time and keep a daily dairy of your usage and what has happened at your residence (did laundry, company present, etc.) and the daily temperature/weather.  By doing so, you will be more aware of how weather and life style affects your usage.
14. Breaker test - Check those appliances using your "220" service, such as a water heater, heat pump, AC unit, freezer, well pump, etc.  There are two different breaker tests you can conduct:
    1. Test #1:
       1. Have someone watching the meter.
       2. Have someone at the breaker box to trip (turn off) each breaker for each of these appliances, one at a time (e.g., trip the water heater breaker off and if this slows down the meter considerably then you know it uses a lot of power).
       3. Trip that breaker back on and proceed to check additional breakers for each 220 appliance.
       4. If the meter is flying and the breaker test slows it down then this will help determine which appliance may need to be checked because of high kwh usage.
    2. Test #2:
       1. Have someone turn off all breakers including main breaker.
       2. Have someone watch the meter until the dial on the meter quits going around (it will do a complete circle before it comes to a complete stop).
       3. Trip (turn on) each breaker separately and determine how it makes the dial spin.
       4. If there is excessive speed this will indicate which appliance may need to be checked for a problem (e.g., if the heat pump breaker spins excessively this may mean the heat pump may need to be serviced.  Also check to see that filters are clean).
15. Daily use report - You may want to contact us to have us e-mail you your daily use report and some literature that might help you better understand their energy usage and also suggests ways to reduce consumption.  You can also check out the Saving Energy section on our website.
16. The meter measures energy usage - If your meter is moving slowly, or "creeping," that means something in the house is using electricity.  The meter itself is very seldom the cause but often the blame:  less than 2 out of 1,000 meters are faulty when tested (this includes running slow or running fast).
17. When to test a meter - We want to save you money, so learn from your fellow members' past mistakes:  for the reasons in #8, use this only as a last resort. There is a $50 charge to test your meter.  If the meter does test faulty (outside of industry standards of +2%) the charge will be refunded.

All these variables play a part in the actual number of kilowatts used each month, so be very aware of your changes in use, and try to keep an eye on it in the future.

Remember, you can do plenty of things to save energy and control your cost.  Visit our special web section on Energy Efficiency Programs, or the main Saving Energy section.