Northern Alien asked:
My energy bill for this past month was insanely high compared to my average per month, and I think its because of the heat and maybe the Christmas lights (?) not sure though. Anyways Would a space heater use less energy than having to turn the heat up on the thermostat? And do the lights on my xmas tree use up a lot of energy? I have it on every night from evening time til I go to bed.
My energy bill for this past month was insanely high compared to my average per month, and I think its because of the heat and maybe the Christmas lights (?) not sure though. Anyways Would a space heater use less energy than having to turn the heat up on the thermostat? And do the lights on my xmas tree use up a lot of energy? I have it on every night from evening time til I go to bed.
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maybe the credit crunch has something to play part in the role of your bills?????
and if u r gunna keep your lights lit make sure they dont heat up to much and cause a fire. have a safe merry christmas and a happy new year xxx
It’s not likely that your Christmas lights have anything to do with the increased bill. Electricity only costs 20 cents per kilowatt-hour or less, and those lights probably don’t use much more than that much energy in one evening, if even that much.
A space heater, if used cleverly, can reduce your heating bill. Your central air heats your entire residence. If you instead place a space heater in the part of the house or apartment that you are in, and close the doors leading to other rooms, then you are only heating a small area, not the entire building. Only keep the heater on until the area is warm enough for you.
The general opinion on the links below are that if you seal off the room you’re in a space heater is more cost efficient. I wouldn’t trust one on over night though. A heated blanket is best for night time when you’re in bed.
Read the third link to help choose a space heater that’ll fit your needs.
The Christmas lights don’t use that much energy and it’s Christmas. Keep them lit.
not enough info. p=vXi/ you need to figure out how many watts you use. Tried to locate that info on the heaters. watt=voltagexcurrent. the find the rate you pay per kilowatt hour which is per thousand watts per hour. don’t sweat the christmas lights unless you have a ridiculous amount of lights and your home can be seen from space from now until you remove the lights after new years.
A space heater can save money if it is efficient not a dinosaur and allows you to heat up a smaller area. If your house is not on separate zones and you have to heat the entire house while you occupy 1 room than a space heater is better. Also consider the age and efficiency of your central unit.
The heat is the most likely culprit. Be careful w/ electric heaters. When used properly and are of good quality and efficiency they can save money. Best bet though is to keep the thermostat down make sure your home is properly insulated. Contact your local power provider and request a home energy audit.That will determine whats ******* the life out of you They often do this free of charge. It;s the “green” thing to do and can save money. An old refrigerator of hot water heater are common reasons too. Spending the money noe to upgrade to new energy star compliant units can save money in the long run. Don’t forget high efficiency bulbs they really save money.
The hidden potenial for energy savings in most homes is far greater than the average home owner can imagine. Start by requesting that usually free home energy audit.
Good Luck
You do not say what form of heating you have.
Generally heating using electricity is the most expensive option, and definitely the least efficient, since fuel is burned ‘somewhere else’ to produce electricity, and this process of generating electricity is not particularly efficient. In fact, most of the energy is wasted. If you burn gas or oil in your own home, you get most of the heat that is produced.
However, if your options are to heat the entire house, or just one room – especially a small room – with a space heater, then heating the small space can be a cheaper option – sometimes even a much cheaper option.
It can be useful to find out how much you pay for a kilowatt-hour, and then to learn to read you electric meter: they actually read directly in kilowatt-hours, with the last digit being the tenths of a kilowatt-hour. Subtract yesterdays reading from today’s at the same time, and you have the usage for the past 24 hours. then you simply multiply that usage by your cost per KW hour.
That way you could see how much a day costs you, and you could try different ways of heating on different days, watch the costs, and decide how to proceed.
If you have 50 or 100 lights and they are the big bright sort you ***** in individually, well, yes, they could draw a fair amount of power. But if they are the kind where you have a long string of small bulbs on a light wire with a power adapter at the end, then no, all of them together will probably not draw as much power as a single regular light-bulb.
Lastly, you are probably still being charged for power based on the recent high prices for oil, and that is the largest reason your bill was so high.