News

By: Mitch Ross

While performing energy audits, we end up seeing the same issues come up repeatedly. Many are so familiar, that just by looking at the hourly energy use or speaking with the homeowner on the phone, it’s an easy diagnosis. The list of common culprits includes lack of insulation, major duct leakage, electric heat with no heat pump and a few other things. I enjoy audits that go beyond the common issues and require a deeper look.

Here are just a few of the head-scratching circumstances that have come up over the years:

• Heat strips stuck: This rare problem is hard to diagnose. It can be caused by a failed sequencer, faulty thermostat, improper wiring or other issues. When this happens, it is possible that the heat strips can consume energy 24/7 until the issue is found, leading to expensive bills and potentially other hazards. This can occur even as the unit is running in air conditioning mode.  
• Heat pump not operating properly: Heat pumps can be great at providing affordable heat for most of the winter. Depending on the units, they heat our homes even when the outdoor temperature is below freezing. At times, we find that homeowners are surprised to find that their heat pump isn’t operating, and the heat is being provided by the expensive backup heat strips. This can be caused by many issues including low refrigerant, dirty filters or coils, faulty wiring and more.
• Thermostat settings: Some new thermostats have special settings, such as using the central HVAC unit as a dehumidifier instead of just traditional air conditioning. It’s rare, but worth going through all the thermostat settings to ensure it isn’t causing your home to use excessive amounts of energy.
• Power going directly to ground: Under normal conditions, power going directly to ground should cause a breaker to trip, cutting off the flow of electricity. In very rare cases, the electricity that is “leaking” may not be enough to trip a breaker, or there may be some other fault. Power going directly to ground can take a toll on your energy bill. It may be able to be diagnosed with an ohmmeter or a thermal camera but otherwise, it can be tricky to find.

Apart from these rare occurrences, other issues such as HVAC failings, hot water leaks, hot water circulation pumps, etc. can cause excessive energy bills that can be very hard to understand. If your energy bill is higher than expected and everything else looks in order, it might be worth ruling out some of these rare issues.

Contact your local electric cooperative to help identify potential issues and keep your home running efficiently and safely.