你的电费比你预期的高吗? 你从哪里开始找出可能导致增长的原因?
Here are a few of the most common culprits behind high household power usage and suggestions on how to curb usage and save money.
我们强烈建议您在线查看每月的用电量 SmartHub. 您可以跟踪您的使用情况，并将猜测从您的账单. 通过详细的图表, 你可以全天候监控你的使用情况，跟踪你的消费情况, 寻找减少和节省的方法.
- 使用历史
回顾过去13个月你账户上的千瓦时(kWh)历史. 每张账单上都有这段历史记录. 你可以将最近的一个月与一年前的同一个月进行比较. 你使用的千瓦时是你电费的主要驱动因素.
- 预算计费调整
Your monthly payment amount is based on your average usage over the past 12 months and is reviewed and adjusted each year. If you have questions call our Customer Service Representatives at (541) 567-6414.
- 其他费用加起来
除电费外还有其他收费吗? 任何额外的服务费用(i.E存款、连接/断开连接费或退回支票费)? 以前账单的过期金额是否已加到总额中? 不要忘记说明你已经采取的任何节能贷款, 这些费用包括在你每月的账单中.
- 比较季节(冬天和夏天)
按月核对千瓦小时总数. 从历史来看, 冬季的气温更高吗, 表明某种形式的电加热或更高的热水加热器的使用? 夏季意味着有空调吗? 在此期间，气温是高于正常水平还是低于正常水平? The additional heating or cooling load will cause an increase in electric use. Heating and cooling your home accounts for nearly half of your average total energy use. 使用空间加热器, 壁炉, livestock heaters or vehicle block heaters in the winter can dramatically increase your energy consumption. 开除湿机或给草坪浇水, 夏季的花园和动物会增加你的能源消耗.
- 你的电表不会在休假时使用
If you leave your home for an extended period of time for business or vacation, remember that any appliance you leave plugged in or connected will continue to use electricity even while you are gone, 尤其是你的热水器, 冰箱, 冰箱, 暖通空调系统, 景观灌溉, 井泵, 等.
- 生活方式
没有两个家庭使用能源的方式是相同的, so comparing your energy bill to your neighbor’s is like comparing apples to oranges. 最好将你现在的用法与你过去的用法进行比较. 这是一个更准确的记录. Remember to determine if the size of your household has increased or has someone stayed at home more? 你在你的后院增加了一个新的游泳池或热水浴缸吗? Do you have hobbies that include the use of power tools, ovens and other electrical appliances?
- 照明，制冷，电器和烹饪
照明, 制冷, cooking and appliances account for roughly 50 percent of the total energy use in the normal household. 冰箱和冰柜的位置非常重要. Never place a 冰箱 or 冰箱 in direct sunlight or in unconditioned space such as a breezeway, 车库或附属建筑. The 冰箱 or 冰箱 will have to work harder to overcome excessive heat during warmer months. 确保你的冰箱和冰柜有足够的通风.
- 设备维护
如果器具使用时间超过15年, the efficiency of that appliance may be decreasing significantly and requiring more energy to do its job. It is important to clean or replace the condenser, coils or filters on some appliances regularly. 您可能需要更换设备本身. Many times old electrical wiring will have loose connections resulting in increased electrical use and create potential safety hazards.
- 建造或改建
你改造过你的家吗? Many times room additions are completed without proper sizing of HVAC for additional heating and cooling loads.
Top Power Culprits: Check out the usual suspects and determine what changes you can make.
吸血鬼的力量
Most modern appliances and gadgets still draw electricity even when turned off – hence the term vampire power! 这样做的原因是，它们从未真正断电. 即使“关机”，大多数都处于待机模式. 想想你插上的是什么:dvr, 电脑, 手机充电器, 电视, 微波炉和咖啡壶. Anything you have programmed or scheduled a task is in standby mode, which still draws electricity. 任何带时钟的东西, 比如微波炉和咖啡机——甚至更古老的技术, 就像录像机一样，在关闭的时候需要电源来保持时间.
- 解决方案: You can start saving energy by connecting devices to power strips and turning off the power strips when you’re not using them. 这种方式, off will really means off as you’ve effectively disconnected the device from the power source.
电器
大型家用电器, 像洗碗工, clothes washers and clothes dryers demand a lot of electricity and using them too often can drive your electricity bill way up. 事实上, the average American family does almost 400 loads of laundry a year and uses almost 40 gallons of water for a full load. Always use the appliance to it’s fullest capacity and eliminate unnecessary loads.
十大最耗电电器
- 中央空调(2吨):1450kwh /月
- 热水器(四人家庭):400-600/kWh/月
- 冰箱(17-20立方英尺):205千瓦时/月
- 烘干机:75kwh /月
- 烤箱范围:58千瓦时/月
- 照明4-5个房间家庭:50千瓦时/月
- 洗碗机:30 kWh/月
- 电视:27 kWh/月
- 微波炉:16千瓦时/月
- 洗衣机:9 kWh/月
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- 解决方案: 你的洗碗机, 请确保在运行它之前将其填满, choose an appropriate wash cycle and change the drying setting to use no or low heat. 用于洗衣机和烘干机, 试着每周只洗一天衣服, 填满你的负载容量和选择低热量干燥.
照明 & 吊扇
说到照明, many people make the mistake of using lights to affect the brightness of an entire room, 哪些因素会导致高昂的电费. 然而, lighting is efficient only when used directly to provide light to specific areas of a room, 比如沙发, 椅子, 厨房的桌子和工作区. Full room ceiling lights are much less effective than individual lamps for providing the light you need. You’ll also pay more on your electric bill if you keep lights on when nobody’s using them.
Ceiling fans only affect the temperature of the room in which they’re installed, 所以如果房间里没人，开着吊扇是不合理的. 另外, ceiling fans have a toggle switch that allows the blades to switch direction for optimal efficiency based on the season.
- 解决方案: Use lighting only for specific areas that are occupied and make sure to turn off lights when those areas are no longer in use. Change out inefficient incandescent light bulbs for energy efficient LED bulbs. Learn more about making efficient lighting choices at the ENERGY STAR website or watch this video. Turn your ceiling fans off when nobody’s in the room and be sure to set the toggle switch so that the blades run counter-clockwise during the summer and clockwise during the winter to circulate air more efficiently.
奶奶的设备
Using old appliances is probably one of the bigger reasons why you’re paying more on your electric bill. The fact is old appliances simply use more energy than new energy-efficient models.
- 解决方案: 用新的节能型号升级你的电器. 一种新型节能冰箱, 例如, 耗电量比老款少四分之一.
充电器的狂热
在当今世界, 所有东西都有充电器:手机, MP3播放器, ipad和平板电脑, 电脑的, 电动剃须刀, 电动牙刷, 笔记本电脑, 便携式游戏系统及其他设备. 扫描你的房子, 如果你有技术支持, more than likely you are to have these devices plugged in everywhere and drawing energy from your home — the more chargers you have, 它们对你电费的影响就越大.
- 解决方案: Unplug AC adapters and chargers from sockets when not actively charging a device, 因为它们只要插上电源就能通电. 也, make sure to only charge your devices when they need it consider having them all on the same power strip so you can turn it off when not needed. Keep in mind, frequent charging not only costs money, it can shorten your gadget’s battery life.