Five Things to Check When Your Electric Bill Goes Sky High

Since people are home more often during winter, electrical bills are normally more expensive in this season. However, sometimes you’ll notice an electrical bill that is unusually high. When you see an unusually expensive electrical bill, particularly in winter, there may be other issues. From overloaded panels to damaged meter boxes, a professional electrician can help you hone in on the issue and make repairs or replacements.

To get you started, here are a few things you can check to see if you have an appliance spiking your electrical usage.

• Know Your Electrical Usage- Finding out your regular electrical usage can be tricky. First go back through past billing statements and compare electrical usage of the same months together. Check usage among all the months in a similar season. If you are noticing an unusual spike, use an kWh usage calculator to estimate your usage and then compare your total estimate to the usage on your bill.

• Check Your Circuits- Circuits that have had shorts in them can drain your electrical power and put a major spike in your electric bill. Check your circuits for shorts by:
  • Leave your main breaker on.
  • Turn off each circuit in the breaker.
  • Next turn on one individually at a time.
  • Check to see that the meter disc has stopped.
  • Turn one circuit back on.
  • Check to see if the meter disc has started turning.
  • Check each circuit the same way. One at a time.
  • Look for circuits where the meter disc spins very quickly when you compare it to the other circuits.

This process will show you when a connection or appliance is having a problem and draining your power.

• Check Your Electric Meter- Sometimes meter boxes and meters become damaged during fall and winter storms. Check your electric meter with the following steps:
  • Pull the main breaker.
  • Check for movement in the electric meter disk.
  • If you have a meter disk that is still moving, you have some sort of power drain or electrical issue.
  • Call your trusted electrician in Virginia Beach to fix the issue before it becomes dangerous.

• Leaky Pipes-  Having a leaky pipe can cause your water heater to run on overtime. Check your faucets throughout the house as well as the pipes beneath them.
• Double Check the Bill- Sometimes electrical bills can have errors on them. Compare your electrical bill to your meter reading, if they don’t match up, there might just be a human error.

Lower Power Bills While Conserving Energy

You can also lower high your bill by simply conserving energy. Consider switching to LED lights, solar power panels, or simply unplugging appliances when they aren’t being used. Phantom power can actually equal up to 25% of your electrical bill. If you aren’t using something, don’t just turn it off, unplug it too.

Got a Problem in Your Electrical System? Don’t Wait, Call Now.

If you happen to notice anything wrong with your electrical usage, or would simply like an electrician to help you check for power drains, Nipper Electric is here to help. Call us today at 757-842-1710 or make an appointment online. We’ll have your home or office running better than new before know it!