Consumer Considerations and Home Efficiency Part 2
Today, everything is geared towards saving money. The cost of living is rising and wages are not keeping up, so it is important that we are getting the most out of everything in which we are investing our hard-earned dollars. Statistics show that since the winter storm of February 2021, electric utility bills have risen approximately 30%. This ranges between $20 and $40 a month for most families in the state of Texas.
The Department of Energy has been called upon to help with these increases. Electricity CO-Ops and providers are besieged with complaints. Homeowners are left covering the overages with little that can be done to ease the burden. When looking to internet advisories and resources, the advice (while it may be sound) does little to educate us and ease our minds as the next utility bill comes due.
This is why we need efficiency. According to the Department of Energy, our air conditioner systems consume 50% to 70% of the electricity bills here in Southeast Texas during the months of June through September. We know that there are many times we are running our systems as early as March and often well into December. This is why we must do all that we can to ensure that our HVAC System is efficient. On the other hand, we must balance our desire for high efficiency with our proverbial checkbook. With all the other expenses in our home, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to justify the expense of replacing a good running system with a better, more efficient system.
New Variable Speed (also called Inverters) systems can run the consumer up to $35,000. Of course, brand name and companies can have an increase or a decrease on that price. These systems are excellent at what they do to decrease the amount of energy needed to provide comfortable temperatures for your living area. Ultimately, the question arises whether or not we can get our money back by saving on our utility bill. If money were no object, we would conclude the we want the best, but money is definitely an object. For many of us, we cannot justify the up-front expense of some of these options.
Where else can we find efficiency, that will help us save money?
Surprisingly, the answer to this question is your attic!
There are 3 things that should be considered when looking to save energy consumption and making our houses more efficient.
- Insulation
- Infiltration
- Appliance ratings
We will look into these topics on the next issue of Consumer Considerations.