Why is My Upstairs So Hot and Downstairs Cold?
5 minute readWhat can you do when your upstairs is hot and your downstairs is cold?
What Uses the Most Electricity in Your Home in Texas?
3 minute read • Last update May 2024
Top 4 biggest energy consumers in your house
What contributes the most to the average electricity bill in Texas?
According to the Energy Information Administration’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption survey, the average Texan spent about $1,500 per year on electricity. This annual amount was broken down into the following categories:
- HVAC: 53%
- Water heating: 20%
- Cooking, refrigeration, laundry, and electronics: 20.5%
- Lighting: 6.5%
100 Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bill
1. Heating and cooling (HVAC) – 53%
Your air conditioner and furnace use the most electricity in your home (especially in Texas) at about 40-50% of your bill. It’s hot for most of the year which means your air conditioner is working hard to keep your home cool for the most of the year.
You can reduce the amount of electricity used by your HVAC systems by:
- Turning the thermostat up to 78 during the summer
- Relying on ceiling fans to keep cool
- Planting trees to shade your home on the south and west-facing sides
- Setting the thermostat down to 64 during the winter
- Bundling up in warm, comfy clothes indoors during the winter
- Schedule a professional tune up of your AC system each spring and your furnace each fall
- Regularly replacing your air filters – clogged, dirty air filters can cause your HVAC system to consume 15% more electricity
- Ensuring all air vents are not blocked by furniture
What is the Most Energy Efficient HVAC System?
2. Water heating – 20%
Your water heater consumes the second most amount of energy in your home, accounting for about 18-20% of your electricity bill. Every time you take a warm shower, wash dishes, wash your hands, or run the clothes washing machine, your water heater kicks into gear.
You can decrease the energy consumed by your water heater by:
- Turning down the temperature on your water heater
- Washing your clothes with cold water and only with a full load of clothing
- Taking shorter, colder showers
- Running the dishwasher only when it’s full
- Switching to a tankless water heater can save you up to $100 per year
3. Appliances and electronics – 20.5%
All of the electronic devices and appliances in your such as televisions, laundry machines, refrigerators, computers, game consoles, and more make up for about 20% of your electricity bill.
Reduce the electricity utilized by your electronics and appliances by:
- Spending more time outdoors (or reading) instead of watching television, online shopping, or gaming
- Refraining from repeatedly opening your refrigerator just to see what’s inside – plan your trips to the fridge to keep the cool air inside
- Pre-rinsing your dishes, turning off the heated dry settings, and only running a full load in the dishwasher
- Investing in a clothes drying rack to air dry more clothing instead of using the dryer
4. Lighting – 6.5%
The lights in your home consume about 10-15% of the total electricity used. Depending on how many light bulbs you have in your home, the type of bulb, and how often they are, the energy used by lighting can vary widely.
Follow these tips to decrease the electricity consumption of your lights:
- Upgrade to LED lights – these bulbs last significantly longer than incandescent bulbs and use 90% less energy
- Always remember to turn the lights off when you leave the room
- If it’s not too hot outside, open the blinds and rely on natural light instead of electricity
- Replace exterior lights with solar powered lights so they don’t add to your bill
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