These mistakes can cost you hundreds on your monthly bills — here's how to fix them.
This homeowner struggled with identifying the cause of their expensive electric bill and asked r/Plumbing for advice.
"I'm very confused on why my gas bill is extremely high," they wrote. "I bought this house and moved in Jan 1. This is my 2nd gas bill [and] they are outrageously expensive. Can someone help out what's wrong?"
The homeowner explained that they don't cook or heat the home often, there's no leak, and there's no mistake on the utility company's end.
The Redditors in the comments narrowed it down to the homeowner's boiler. "Good chance somethings not set right and it's running inefficiently," a Redditor wrote.
While expensive utility bills can often be caused by high usage, remedies include unplugging energy vampires and washing your clothes with cold water.
But if your bills are still high despite low usage, it's likely a problem with your house's appliances. Old or inefficient heaters and thermostats, washers and dryers, fridges, and stoves could be secretly raising your bills.
Electrifying your home with certified EnergyStar appliances is one of the easiest ways to save a ton of money on your utility bills. According to EnergyStar, "a typical household can save about $450 on their energy bills each year" by switching to energy-saving appliances.
If you're curious about how much you could save, Rewiring America is a great resource. The site can help you estimate savings, contact local contractors, and find available tax rebates for your purchases. You could save hundreds of dollars on a new induction stove or take thousands off the price of solar panels.
🗣️ Do you think home heating costs are higher than they should be?
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🔘 Depends on the season ☃️
🔘 Depends where you live 🗺️
🔘 No 👎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Redditors were quick to help the homeowner pinpoint what was going on.
"Have someone come out and check your burner. That's a conversion burner on a boiler designed for oil," one user explained.
Someone else noted: "I'm so glad I saw your comment. I've actually been thinking about getting that conversion kit for my Weil McLain."
"Might be worth it to start looking at a heat pump replacement," another commenter suggested. "The new tax bill has a lot of rebates for them."
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