Apart from addressing the root causes of a high electric bill, there are a few additional steps you can take to reduce your bill even further.

1. Invest in a Smart AC Controller or a Smart Thermostat

Heating and cooling costs make up a big chunk of your total electricity bill. Smart AC controllers can help you get AC costs under control through useful features such as geofencing, humidity and temperature triggers, usage tracking, etc.

2. Always Unplug Unused Appliances

Many modern – day energy appliances don’t shut down when given the command. Instead, they enter standby mode so they can power up quickly the next time you need to use them. The problem is that if you leave these devices plugged in, they will continue drawing energy. Over time, this energy usage adds up, leading to sky – high electric bills. So the next time you are wondering why your electric bill is so high, walk around your house and look for any unused devices still plugged in.

3. Turn Any Fans or Lights off When You Leave the Room

Many people believe that lights and fans don’t use much energy, so they don’t bother turning them off when they exit the room. However, if you routinely leave ceiling fans and lights on, you will have a high electricity bill. So make it a habit to check any lights and ceiling fans when you leave a room. You will notice a difference in your electricity bill soon enough.

4. Invest in an Electricity Usage Monitor

If you think an appliance consumes excess electricity, a watt meter or electricity usage monitor is your best friend. An electricity usage monitor helps you determine how much electricity an appliance uses. Plug the monitor into an outlet, and then plug your appliance into the monitor. Then, run the appliance for 24 hours. The monitor will tell you its electricity consumption for 24 hours. Multiply that figure by 365 to get an idea of your yearly cost. An electricity usage monitor can help you understand why your electricity bill is so high and where you need to reduce usage.

5. Keep Your Fridge Full

Turns out, always keeping your fridge full of food can actually be good for your wallet! Food acts as insulation and helps your fridge keep food items cold. Every time you open the fridge door, you introduce warm air into it. If you already have a lot of chilled food items in your fridge, they will retain cold air and that warm air will have less of an effect. On the other hand, if your fridge is always empty, the large amount of warm air that enters every time you open it has more of an impact and it has to work harder to keep cool.

Why Is My Electricity Bill So High All of a Sudden?

If you already follow all the tips given in this article, yet your electricity bill has suddenly skyrocketed, there could be a few reasons:

6. Electricity Leak

If your bill is suddenly higher than usual, an electricity leak could be to blame. An electricity leak occurs when electricity flows to the earth through the earth wire, usually due to faulty wiring. An electric leak can be expensive and dangerous. If you turn off the main breaker for your house and your electric meter is still showing electricity consumption, you may have a leak. If you suspect a leak, contact a licensed electrician immediately. Do not attempt to fix it yourself as you can get a nasty electric shock.

7. Rising Inflation

Your electricity bill may sometimes increase for reasons not under your control. If there is overall inflation in the country, naturally, your electric bill will also increase. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do in this situation. However, you can be even more diligent about not wasting electricity and reducing your consumption as much as possible.

8. Someone Could Be Stealing Your Electricity

A sudden unexplained increase in your electricity bill could be caused by pilferage. Switching off the main breaker is a simple and easy way to determine if someone is stealing your electricity. Contact the power company immediately if your electric meter continues showing electricity usage. They will send a technician to resolve the issue.

Which Appliances Use The Most Energy In A Home?

Heaters use the most energy in a home. They account for the highest percentage of a home’s total electricity consumption. Water heaters and cooling appliances are the second and third biggest consumers of residential electricity, respectively.

Does Unplugging Appliances Save Electricity?

Yes, unplugging appliances does save electricity. The average household has 40 products constantly drawing energy. Combined, these can amount to 10% of total residential electricity use. High electricity bills are a source of great financial stress and hardship. With these tips, you can reduce the burden on your wallet and benefit the environment. It’s a win – win! Start implementing these tips and enjoy big savings in no time!

Via: Cielo Wigle

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The HVAC industry has massively progressed since the invention of the first electric furnace in 1861. From burning wood to next-gen AI-based automated heating systems, the race toward highly intelligent, fully automated HVAC technologies is still on. New players are entering the scenario and taking the game of innovation to the next level. Technology is without a doubt a major contributor to the growth of the HVAC industry. It is playing an important role in satisfying the growing demand for energy-efficient solutions. The global HVAC system market is expected to grow from USD 202 billion in 2020 to 277 billion by 2025.

While the initial development in HVAC technology focused on mechanical advancements and increased efficiency, the current focus has also majorly grown towards sustainability, comfort, and energy-saving. This is extremely important considering the current impact on our climate and the rise in demand for efficient heating and cooling systems. Let’s take a look at some of the latest advancements in technology that are taking the present day HVAC system towards a brighter future.

1. Smart HVAC Technology- Automation is the Way Forward!

Think of your air conditioner automatically turning on exactly 15 minutes before you reach home from work. Whether you achieve this through scheduling or geofencing, smart technology offers ample convenience allowing you to set triggers and control your HVAC system from your mobile device. With these Wi-Fi connected devices, you don’t even need to be home to send commands to your unit!

Smart ACs, smart controllers, and programmable thermostats offer numerous benefits. Along with comfort and convenience, you can achieve energy savings by setting triggers to activate your HVAC unit exactly when you need it. This ensures that the unit would not be running unnecessarily throughout the day and thus saving energy.

With smart technology, completely automated homes are also becoming a reality. Now, your HVAC unit can be connected with other smart appliances in your home and behave automatically based on climate conditions, preferences, and settings. As an example, when it’s sunny and hot outside your blinds may turn halfway down, the AC may turn on a cool, low fan setting to preserve energy while your ceiling fan can turn on to circulate air at low power. Moreover, you can also give voice commands to your air conditioning unit. All appliances can be interconnected and adjusted according to each other!

2. Geothermal HVAC Systems – Sustainable Technology

Sustainable or green technology is the talk of the present and the future. In the HVAC industry, this means keeping the natural flow of air in mind and relying on a more efficient system.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems are an excellent option to start reducing your carbon footprint. Their major emphasis lies on naturally cooling a house using heat pumps, water, and an underground piping system. They exchange heat with the ground and no refrigerant is used, which makes them highly environmentally friendly.

During winter, the heat from the ground is absorbed and transferred into a building while in summer the heat is transferred to the ground after being absorbed from the building. Geothermal systems are expensive to install but they deliver double to four times the efficiency of other systems.

3. Ductless HVAC Systems – Efficiency & Savings

Energy efficiency is the key to the HVAC systems of the future. Ductless systems are quickly becoming the system of choice as they are super efficient and their installation does not involve extensive ducts. This makes them easy to install and cost effective.

Another benefit of ductless systems is their zoning capability. In the case of a ductless system, you do not need to heat or cool an entire home, but you can simply heat or cool a particular zone.  These systems are very efficient with great seasonal efficiency ratings.

Ductless HVAC systems can be installed from moderate temperature zones to harsh temperature zones. The already efficient ductless system can be made more efficient by the use of smart AC controls. These smart AC controls are brand and type independent and you can control your ductless system from anywhere. Moreover, users can benefit from intelligent smart AC features such as geofencing, scheduling, comfy mode, and more.

4. Thermally Driven Air Conditioning – Go Solar

Thermally driven air conditioning is a new HVAC technology picking up on the need for sustainable systems. It provides an energy-efficient cooling method and can be used as an alternative to traditional air conditioners. Instead of electricity, this system utilizes solar energy for cooling, and if unavailable then natural gas kicks in. This completely eliminates electricity costs!

While this HVAC technology is not extremely widespread, it is a great glimpse into an eco-friendly future. Thermally driven air conditioning systems remove heat with evaporation at low pressure. They are extremely effective and efficient however a high temperature (around 350F) is required to generate electricity from the solar panels.

5. Dual Fuel Heat Pump Technology – Efficient HVAC

A dual fuel heat pump is an excellent system for homes in areas where the electricity rates are not too high and during winter the temperature does not fall below freezing point. This advanced HVAC technology utilizes a combination of a gas furnace and a heat pump to provide efficient, cost-effective heating and cooling.

If the outdoor temperature is above 35 degrees, the heat pump utilizes electricity to pull in heat from the outside air. This is extremely cheap compared to firing up the furnace. Although, once temperatures are below 35, gas is used to create heat for higher efficiency.

When the weather is cool, such as in spring, the dual fuel heat pump comes in handy to distribute air. Even during summer, the heat pump circulates the refrigerant through the furnace’s air conditioning coil to blow cool air! This system has a high upfront cost but this can be recovered through energy savings over the next few years.

6. Zoned HVAC System – Customize Temperature According to an Area

An HVAC zoning system divides a house into different areas, each of which can be individually controlled by a separate thermostat. Different temperature settings may be required in different parts of a home and by utilizing zoning you can achieve the best temperature for each area. This is especially important to decrease usage in empty rooms. Zones can be applied to central air conditioning systems, VRF systems, or ductless systems. Zones can easily be installed in existing systems also by utilizing a zone control panel. Apart from the latest innovation in HVAC technology, the latest trends in HVAC service and service delivery are also helping both the service providers and the end-users. Here are the latest trends in HVAC service delivery:

7. Predictive Maintenance – Stay Alert

Predictive maintenance, utilizing IoT and AI is revolutionizing the upkeep and maintenance of HVAC technology. HVAC repairs, maintenance, and installations can be extremely costly. Nobody wants to go through unnecessary maintenance nor take on the hassle and cost of fixing an issue. This makes it imperative to stay alert and be able to predict when maintenance is needed before a serious issue arises!

Smart HVAC technology senses data on air quality and equipment status to be able to predict the right time for maintenance.  This helps to fix any problem or indication before it has already occurred and caused serious damage. Other than monetary benefits you can greatly benefit from improved air quality at all times and better comfort and a safer home with predictive maintenance!

8. HVAC Energy Analysis Software – Make Informed Decisions

Energy analysis software can be extremely useful in helping owners or constructors to implement the most efficient and least costly HVAC system. This software can analyze and predict a building’s lifetime energy use and calculate savings in comparison to other HVAC systems.

Furthermore, previously HVAC users had to keep a check on their bills, energy consumption, and other related data manually. It was a hassle but with the advancement of HVAC technology, analytical software helps you to stay on top of any data related to your HVAC system. Through various software, you can check your energy consumption and track the efficiency of an HVAC system. This is greatly helping consumers make educated decisions concerning their HVAC system and cut down on energy costs.

9. Virtual Reality – Training for HVAC Professionals

While viewing advancements in HVAC technology, it is also important to note the developments in technology for training HVAC professionals. In an era where you can get assistance from HVAC professionals remotely, HVAC professionals can also benefit from technology and can be trained for exceptional circumstances through virtual reality.

Virtual Reality training has proven to be cost-effective for organizations because professionals can first use virtual components and develop their skills before moving to the real world. It doesn’t only save money but saves time as well. With the help of a virtual simulator, technicians can look into the process of installation of the HVAC system or troubleshooting of the new system. A large group of people can be trained through virtual reality in lesser time and with less equipment.

Furthermore, for advanced or dangerous technology, VR training also provides safety for beginners. It can also be a great tool to practice real-life, dangerous situations. Virtual reality is not the only application for training, it’s growing to find its purpose in many more use cases also!

The Future of HVAC Technology

From manual buttons, dialers, remote controls to controlling your HVAC system via voice commands, technology has come a long way.

HVAC is bound to embrace new technologies. The smart home trend is here to stay. AI in the form of machine learning is going to thrive. Fully automated, super-efficient, self-learning and sustainable HVAC systems are the future. Optimization in every aspect of the supply chain is the new normal.

Via: Cielo Wigle

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