will an electrician be able to tell me what is causing my high electric bill

If you've received a high electricity bill or gas nib, you can cease upward feeling pretty helpless.

I've spoken to many people over the years who think their high electricity nib was acquired by:

• an electricity leak,
• a faulty apparatus,
• an incorrect utility meter,
• or fifty-fifty a neighbour stealing power.

While these things are technically possible, they're extremely rare. So rare that they don't even rate a mention in my 'tiptop 10' list.

When it boils down to it, high ability bills are the event of three main things:

• Actual high energy usage (points ane to 7 in my list beneath),
• Billing issues (8 and 9),
• A problem with solar PV panels (item 10).

How do I know this?  I've conducted over ane,000 energy audits all around Australia - from small-scale apartments to large office buildings, restaurants, and sporting facilities. I've used plug-in power meters, wireless free energy monitors, thermal imaging cameras and other devices to validate the source of energy wastage at these backdrop. I've seen get-go paw, once more and once again, that what people think causes high ability bills is not what really causes loftier bills.

In Summary, the Main Causes of Loftier Electricity Bills Are:

1. Ducted air-conditioning
2. Electric water heaters
3. Other electric heaters
4. Ventilation fans
5. H2o pumps
6. Refrigeration
7. Lighting
8. Estimated bills
9. Bad rates
10. Solar panels (with issues)

Important! A combination of factors tin can often cause a high electricity nib. For most high power bills, a few of the problems below volition apply, not just one of them.

This guide covers both high electricity bills and high gas bills. Yet, my main focus is on electricity usage equally complaints virtually these bills are the most common.

ane. Ac

Ducted ac would have to exist the most frequent cause of high power bills that I have seen. That's for both households and workplaces. As a guide, in nearly businesses I accept assessed, air conditioning makes up over l% of their electricity bill.

The reason for this is that ducted air conditioners accept a high input power rating. Every actress 60 minutes yous leave them on, your pecker will become upwards.

Here's an instance. A domestic ducted air workout system consumes virtually 5kW of electricity. Utilise it for 5 hours per day, 180 days per year, and you've already got over $1,000 of electricity usage. And that's from merely one appliance.

5kW (input) x five hours/day x 180 days/year x $0.25 per kWh = $ane,125

Note: your input power may exist higher, usage longer, and tariffs more expensive.

On the 'outdoor unit of measurement' of your Air Conditioner, find the compliance plate. In the example pictured higher up, the unit has an input of 5700W (5.7kW) when cooling and 4700W (iv.7kW) when heating.

A noteworthy related mention is ducted gas heating . Most pop in Victoria, they're also used in cold climates in other states. These monsters really chew through natural gas or LPG. Not to mention the fact they as well need electricity to power their large air circulation fans.

Y'all know how I just said a domestic air conditioner might use 4.5kW? Well, ducted gas systems have an input rating of about 90MJ/h. This is equivalent to 25kW. Yup, y'all read that right. No wonder the gas industry loves extolling the 'virtues' of gas heating!

What can be done about high electricity bills caused by air-conditioning?

1. Continue the oestrus (or cold) out of your edifice in the offset place. Employ shading, draft proofing, and thorough insulation to apply less air conditioning.
2. Preference the use of quality ceiling fans, portable fans, and efficient heaters instead of air workout.
3. Set the thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter. Every 1˚C adjustment can reduce heating or cooling costs past 5-10%. To automate your energy savings, come across our Bill Buster air conditioning remote and Sensibo smart Air conditioning controller.
4. If possible, use small-scale, loftier-efficiency split system air conditioners instead of ducted systems.

ii. Water Heaters

Hot water systems  typically account for about thirty% of energy usage in households. Regardless of whether your system is a tank or instantaneous ('continuous flow'), it will use a lot of free energy.

Hot h2o already starts from a high base in terms of energy usage. But things can go from bad to worse, very speedily.

Reasons for a high electricity nib from hot water include:

• A water leak (dripping tap, or leak at the tank).
• Inefficient water fixtures and shower-heads.
• A resident teenager (or another long-shower-taker or two!)

In almost every role across the country, you'll notice at least one electric hot water tank . They're usually stuck somewhere out of sight - like in a closet or in the roof crenel. Only about every kitchenette and bathroom volition have i, somewhere. And then you demand to add to the mix those instant hot/common cold taps that are all the rage.

Instant boiling (or chilled) water isn't needed after hours. Then switch the unit off (as in this photograph), or identify it on a timer.

Pool & spa water heaters , although less common, are massive consumers of energy. They are fuelled past natural gas, electricity (including oestrus pump), or solar (blackness pipes on the roof). Even solar water heaters for pools use plenty of electricity. This is thanks to the circulation pump, which may need to run 8 to 10 hours per mean solar day.

Here's how to reduce high energy bills caused by hot water usage:

1. Cheque for leaking taps, or leaks on or effectually your hot h2o unit. Get them fixed as needed.
2. Install tap aerator inserts and efficient shower heads to reduce hot h2o consumption.
3. Reduce the set-point temperature and make sure the pipework is insulated, particularly near the tank.
4. Preference the use of loftier-efficiency heat pump hot water where practical. If you're stuck on gas (eg. a restaurant or other high user) choose the highest star rated continuous flow unit you can observe.
5. At work, get all those hot water devices to switch off afterwards hours. The Zip or Billi under-sink units often have programmable timers. Electric tanks can have a timer fitted at your board by an electrician.
6. Heated pools and spas should have the set up-point as low as possible. Deploy a puddle encompass whenever they're non in employ - equally the highest energy losses are from evaporation.

3. Other Heaters

Plug-in electric heaters might look innocent, but they tin eat a large amount of ability. The classic example is anoil column heater used to estrus a sleeping room overnight. You might recollect the heater doesn't utilise much… Until yous get your side by side electricity bill.

For case, a single two kW electric heater running 8 hours per solar day consumes nearly $360 of electricity during one quarterly power bill.

Cheap to buy, but very expensive to operate. Exist careful when using high power plug-in heaters.

At least y'all can see a portable electric heater. Some of the worst heating culprits remain invisible to the user.

Examples include underfloor electric or hydronic heating  and heated towel rail . Heating circuits like these tin can rack up high bills as they're often left running all 24-hour interval. Some in-slab or underfloor heating can be left on without the occupants even noticing. I've been in several homes where heating was unintentionally left on in a seldom-used bathroom.

Clothes dryers are another heater that often contributes to high electricity bills. Each full load in a wearing apparel dryer tin can apply up to 5kWh of electricity.

Related appliances are electric (or gas) ovens and any class of kiln . These are heaters as well, just used for cooking or other processes. These are a big deal in whatsoever commercial kitchen (where they can utilize up to 40kW each). Fifty-fifty in households, if used often, they can contribute substantially to your electricity or gas bills.

Here's what tin be washed nearly it:

1. Employ timers or other controllers to restrict the functioning of electric heaters. Peculiarly underfloor heating and heated towel rails which are left on all the time.
2. Employ thermostats, where available, and prepare them to a sensible temperature. Say 18˚C to 20˚C for full general heating, or much lower if overnight. You can use a HeaterMate on any plug-in electric heater to achieve this.
3. Use constructive low-power radiant and conductive heaters as a preference. Things like a heated human foot mat, heated throw blanket, or electric coating.
4. Minimise the apply of clothes dryers. If you lot're a heavy clothes dryer user, switch to a 'heat pump' dryer.

Did Y'all Know? Kettles, toasters, and hair dryers are also 'electric heaters', but you won't observe them mentioned above. They have a high input power rating (around 2kW) but are simply used for minutes per day, non hours. Equally such, their full contribution to a high electricity beak tends to exist small.

4. Ventilation Systems

Ventilation or extractor fans  are nevertheless another pregnant but somewhat 'invisible' energy user. They oftentimes sit in roof cavities, on the roof, beneath the sub-flooring, or in the car park.

There'due south oftentimes a fleet of ventilation fans on the roof of commercial buildings or unit blocks. What's more than alarming is that these fans usually operate 24/7 at full speed. And that's even if the building is just occupied during business hours.

Extractor fans for bathrooms, kitchens and car parks are institute everywhere. You'll see them dotted around the roof on most buildings (equally pictured).

This is not a problem confined to large buildings. I've been to many homes with large electricity bills thanks to sub-floor or other 'always on' ventilation. These are often installed as a quick set up to forbid damp, mould, or other problems.

The problem with all this ventilation is not only its direct free energy usage. All the air extraction works against other energy-using systems. For case, you may be trying to rut or absurd a room, but at the same fourth dimension, an extractor fan is removing this air. This can indirectly besides drive up your heating and air conditioning costs.

Don't go me incorrect, fresh air is required, particularly in role buildings. Just there are often much more sensible ways to do it.

Here are my top tips for reducing ventilation electricity usage:

1. Apply controls to simply operate ventilation fans when they're really needed. Past 'actual need' I mean things similar removing moisture from a bath, or fumes from a carpark. At the almost basic level, yous can utilize a timer. More avant-garde options include occupancy, temperature, humidity, or carbon monoxide (CO) sensors.
2. To retain 'some' ventilation at all times, install a variable speed bulldoze. This tin can be programmed to reduce power depict at all times outside of the acme.
3. Where 'conditioned air' is involved, use a heat exchanger (also known every bit 'heat recovery ventilation' or 'free energy recovery ventilation'). That style not all the energy from inside is lost to the hot or cold exterior air.

5. Water Pumps

thirteen% of Australians at present live in a home with a swimming puddle. I tin can likewise say that, every bit a rule, these households accept the highest electricity bills. The principal culprit is the pool filter pump  which circulates the water and may likewise run the puddle cleaner.

Pool shops and swimming puddle installers are notorious for exacerbating this trouble. Despite improvements in pool pump efficiency, they still (more often than not) install over-spec filter pumps. As well, every bit they don't take to pay your electricity neb, they recommend the pump runs for viii hours or more per day. Running a pump for this long is not necessary in most cases.

Irrigation pumps are also meaning users of energy. Water pumps are used on rural properties, farms, golf game courses, and sports fields. Equally with most energy guzzlers, they're unremarkably not installed with energy efficiency in mind. Pumps are often oversized and the pipes undersized.

Incorrectly sized and operated pumps can really sting on your electricity bills. In energy terms, the motor speed is critically of import. This is because power is proportional to the cube of speed. In other words: halving the pump speed reduces its power requirement by over 85%.

Irrigation pumps tin can be massive in size. Just even small pumps can toll you big time. I'm thinking in particular of hot water circulation pumps.

Hot water reticulation pumps are plant in flat buildings and large homes. They circulate hot water through a network of pipes so that y'all don't accept to look several minutes to get hot water. The problem with this is non and then much their direct free energy usage (every bit the pumps are small). It's more than the fact they are continuously sapping energy from your hot water system. And as I explained in signal two above, hot water tanks utilize a lot of energy.

Noteworthy related mentions include fish tanks , swimming pumps and water features . All of these need circulation pumps of varying sizes. In the case of fish tanks, they may fifty-fifty accept an electric heater.

Here are some of my top recommendations for water pumps:

1. Reduce your puddle pumps operating time and/or use a variable speed drive to run it more than efficiently.
2. For irrigation or transfer pumps, use a smaller pump for a longer time, to motion the same volume of h2o. Even better, install a standalone solar-powered pump if suitable.
3. Hot water reticulation pumps should be turned off, set to their slowest speed, and/or placed on a timer.

Did Yous Know? Y'all can utilize a Power Meter to check the free energy usage of whatever plug-in appliance.

6. Refrigeration

Refrigeration gets a bad rap in terms of energy consumption. When asked about primal energy users at home, people often nominate refrigeration. I gauge they're right in the sense information technology'southward switching on and off all day. But refrigerators are really now quite energy efficient. So for households, it'south more a case of how many y'all have.

Households with large electricity bills often have two or more than refrigerators. A refrigerator/freezer , chest freezer, plus a drinks fridge , and of a sudden you have a considerable electricity bill.

For cafes, restaurants and clubs, refrigeration tin can exist their unmarried biggest energy user. I'thou talking well-nigh cool rooms , freezer rooms, brandish fridges & freezers , nether demote fridges , and water ice machines . Unfortunately, these items practise not acquit star ratings to encourage free energy savings.

A practically empty commercial brandish fridge costing over $1,000 per year to operate. Measured with a Ability Mate Low-cal.

The sheer book of refrigerators can also be a trouble. I've been to many sports fields with well in excess of 20 refrigeration systems. The site might be shared by ten dissimilar local clubs, and each seems to have acquired at to the lowest degree two fridges. The fact they don't pay the electric bill (the local council does!) also contributes to the proliferation of energy-guzzling sometime refrigerators.

Actions to combat loftier electricity bills from refrigeration:

1. Most importantly, consolidate the number of devices in utilize. Instead of using two or more partially full fridges, use one close to total capacity.
2. Anything that does not contain perishables (due east.g. most drinks fridges), place them on a plug-in timer.
3. For households a set up-point of 4˚C in the fridge and -xv˚C for the freezer is sufficient. For businesses, lower settings may need to be used to ensure safe food treatment and rapid chilling of stock.
4. For cool rooms, maximise the insulation and minimise air changes. For example, ensure the door is well sealed and use a PVC door curtain. This will prevent all the common cold air from rushing out each fourth dimension the sliding door is opened.

Tip: Use our thermometer to check and optimise all of your set up signal temperatures.

7. Lighting

More often than not speaking, lighting contributes more than to high business electricity bills than residential ones. Regardless, lighting is an area where some of the well-nigh significant energy-saving opportunities are available.

Key trouble areas for lighting include:

• Utilize of sometime applied science.
• Inappropriate control.
• Over-spec installations.

Incandescent , halogen , fluorescent , and other lamps can at present all exist replaced with LED for upward to 90% energy savings. Former lights non just use a lot of energy, they also take college maintenance costs. Non to mention the fact that most erstwhile lights should be called 'heats' not 'lights'.

Inappropriate control can only mean leaving the lights on when they're non needed. Like function lighting left on from when the first person arrives at vii am to when the cleaner leaves at 9 pm. Or peradventure outdoor lights left on over-night when they're merely needed for a few hours. An fifty-fifty worse instance of this can be found in burn down escape stairwells. They're almost never occupied, but they've got lights running at full brightness 24/vii.

Efficient LED lights won't necessarily solve a high electricity neb if y'all apply likewise many of them. Many buildings are lit with the same intensity throughout. They brand no real consideration of the task being performed in each surface area. A jeweller needs much better lighting than a forklift driver. In the same way, y'all probably want brighter lighting in your kitchen than in your sleeping accommodation.

Actions to reduce lighting's contribution to loftier electricity bills:

1. Upgrade all lights and fitting to energy efficient LED. At that place's now an LED solution for just about all situations. From bulbs in every shape, to manufacturing plant lights, and everything in betwixt.
2. In low occupancy spaces install LED lights with sensors. I mean that mostly for commercial premises, like the burn-escape instance to a higher place. At home, you tin can commonly only politely ask the other occupants to switch off the lights. Although that'due south not e'er the case!
3. Utilize an appropriate amount of lighting for a given task. Consider the appropriateness of lighting and use a lux meter to appraise lighting levels. Calorie-free levels can be much lower in corridors and storage areas than work areas, for case.

8. Estimated Electricity Bills

When gas or electricity bills have been estimated for a few periods, the final 'correction' bill tin be unexpectedly loftier.

The problem starts when your utility company sends you an estimated bill instead of an actual bill. This, in itself, is not a problem. Free energy companies are allowed to estimate your usage, only they must readyour meterat least once a twelvemonth.

The problem is that you may non even realise this is happening. So, when the 'correction' bill finally arrives, it tin include a catch-upward amount, making it unusually loftier.

Don't think for a minute that they're any good at making these estimates. You'd think they would be, as subsequently all, this is what they do (send bills). But almost all 'estimated' bills I have seen are poor estimates. They don't even seasonally adjust the approximate, in my experience.

E is for Estimated. And it means y'all have an essentially meaningless energy bill.

What you tin can practice about this:

1. Be alert to this possibility and check your bills for the word 'estimated', or the letter 'Eastward' beside the meter readings. If you keep getting estimates you can usually take a reading yourself and phone it in. If your beak says 'Bodily' or has the letter 'A' side by side to the reading, in that location's no need to worry.
2. Use an energy monitor to runway your energy usage betwixt bills. This way a nib (estimated, or not) will never come as a shock.
3. Take your own meter readings. I particularly recommend this on the starting time day you motion into a property, and on the day you lot leave. If you do not accept this 'hard evidence' you could finish up paying for some of the previous or next occupant's usage.

ix. Bad Electricity Bill Rates

The lazy taxation does not just utilise to the deals yous get from your bank and on insurance. Information technology nearly certainly likewise applies to the tariffs you are charged by electricity and gas retailers. And information technology can oft exist very confusing as to what constitutes a 'good deal.'

More than important than the best deal is to sympathize your bills. If you don't understand your electricity bills, it's a little hard to store around and get better rates. And more than to the bespeak, in that location may be amend means for y'all to salve than merely getting a meliorate deal. Ii examples of this are time of use tariffs and peak demand charges .

A 'fourth dimension of use tariff' is i that varies by the time of mean solar day, day of calendar week, and/or fourth dimension of yr. Sound confusing? Well it is, in a manner, which is why yous need to know the times that the different rates utilize. Many households and businesses pay five times more during pinnacle periods (eastward.g. a weekday evening vs overnight on a weekend).

Another example found on virtually commercial power bills is the summit demand charge. Rather than a 'volume' of electricity, these tariffs hit you for the highest 'capacity' you crave from the network. This rate applies to the whole calendar month for the superlative power you may draw for only 30 minutes on one day a year. This is shown on your bill as 'need kVA' or 'peak kW'.

How to accost loftier energy bills from poor rates:

1. First and foremost read your electricity and gas bills in detail. Piece of work out where about of your cost is coming from to better inform your energy-saving actions.
2. There are government websites and individual companies that compare rates. In general, I recommend reviewing your rates once every two years. Larger properties should put their bills out to tender. For households, it'due south oftentimes every bit piece of cake as phoning your current provider and asking for a better deal.

Warning: Electricity and gas tariffs are fraught with subconscious details. Make sure yous compare apples with apples. Who cares about the percentage disbelieve offered. Rather ask:

• What is the concluding rate you lot volition pay per kWh?
• Are y'all being quoted an "inc GST" or "ex GST" rate?
• Is your daily service charge staying the same, or going up?

10. Solar Panels

Solar PV panels are an excellent way to create power and reduce your bills. But if you don't understand how they work, they can inadvertently crusade high electricity bills. That's non the sales pitch that the installer gave you, was it?

Properties with high power bills and solar, may come across ane of these three issues:

• Lack of knowledge well-nigh the capability of their solar panels.
• Reduced functioning due to a maintenance issue.
• A billing or metering problem.

The kickoff point relates to how much (and when) your panels produce power. Sometimes people will make assumptions like "now that I have solar, I tin run my ducted air con for free". But every bit I outlined in point 1, air conditioners can use a lot of ability. And so this really depends on the conditions, time of year, time of twenty-four hour period, size of air conditioner, and size of the PV array. Not so simple!

Secondly, if you don't know how your solar is meant to perform, you won't know when it's faulty. Solar PV panels are incredibly low-maintenance and reliable. I don't know of whatever other consumer product that carries a 25-yr operation warranty. Fifty-fifty so, the lower-spec and cheaper your arrangement was, the more likely y'all are to confront some sort of problem. These include faulty inverters, faulty panels, shading, water-logged connections, and so on.

Thirdly, y'all may have a billing or metering mistake - both of which can be tricky to place. Customers who don't cheque their organization periodically can stop up going months, or years, with no do good from their solar panels.

Solar panels are awesome. Only make sure you continue an eye on your system, and understand your usage, to get maximum benefit.

Here's how to forestall solar panels from leading to high power bills:

1. Read the Skilful Solar Guide Volume to ensure y'all understand how your organization is meant to work, and typical output for systems in your area.
2. Install a solar free energy monitor. This shows your energy usage, solar production, and how they relate to each other. Y'all can then make adjustments to maximise your utilisation of solar power.
3. Check that a 'feed-in tariff' is appearing on your power bills. Understand the divergence between 'self-consumption' and 'exported power' (see the book and monitor higher up).

Ready to Crush Your High Electricity Bills?

Follow the detailed advice to a higher place, or in summary:

1. Buy yourself a power meter and electricity monitor to rails your electricity usage. You'll never receive a surprise power beak again.
2. Next, outset taking activity by changing how y'all utilise power. Most importantly: upgrade to free energy efficient heating & cooling, LED lighting, and other appliances.

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Source: https://reductionrevolution.com.au/blogs/how-to/high-electricity-bills

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