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You may not think it, but weather is a contributing factor in how much electricity you use and how much your electric bill will be. The factors below may cause higher electricity usage and could result in higher electric bills.
Thermostats & HVAC
A major factor in your home’s electricity usage comes from the heating and cooling that your HVAC system handles. The set temperature on your thermostat dictates how hard your system must work. Whether it is hot or cold outside, your system is using electricity to keep the inside of your home or business comfortable.
For example, if it is 90 degrees outside and your thermostat is set at 75, your AC is working to cool your house down 25 degrees. In the winter, if your thermostat is set at 70 degrees and it is 10 degrees outside, your heater is working to keep your house 60 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.
Proper insulation and air sealing will help keep the climate in your home comfortable. If your home is poorly insulated and has drafts, your HVAC system will work even harder to reach the set temperature on the thermostat. Warm or Cold air could be leaking into your home, causing higher usage as your system runs more to reach your setting.
Space Heaters
Using Space Heaters could result in higher usage of electricity as well. Space heaters are best used to heat up specific areas of your home. If you are using a space heater to heat your entire house, it could be using a lot of electricity as it is running for long spans of time.
So, how much will an electric space heater cost to operate? You can use the following formula to calculate how much it will cost to operate a 1,500-watt space heater (or any other electric equipment):
Watts x hours of use ÷ 1,000 x cost per kilowatt-hour = cost of operation
This means that if a 1,500-watt heater ran 24-hours at a rate of 11 cents a kilowatt-hour, the cost would be $3.96 a day (1,500 x 24 ÷ 1,000 x $0.11). For a month that would amount to $118.80 added to the electric bill of the average customer.
Extra Usage
When it is extremely hot or cold outside, you probably find yourself indoors more than usual. In these situations, you could be using your lighting, appliances, and electronics more than you typically would. This may result in additional usage appearing on your bill.
For example, if you are snowed in, you will probably find yourself cooking more than usual. The additional usage of your stove or microwave may cause your electrical usage to be higher than if you were away from home for a period throughout the day.