The first step for determining your home's energy efficiency is to look at your usage. See below on how to use SmartHub to track your electricity consumption!
Take advantage of Efficiency Vermont's services, from virtual home assessments to an appliance usage calculator.
Energy Saving Tips
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kWh 101. A Kilowatt Hour = 1,000 watt hours. The basic unit of electric energy equal to one kilowatt of power used for one hour. The amount of electricity sold or consumed is measured in kilowatt-hours. Although we may all associate electric usage with cost (as in: “my electric bill is $75”), in order to understand why an electric bill is what it is, you need to examine how much kWh your household uses.
Q. How many kilowatt hours does the average Co-op household use daily?
A. The average kilowatt hours used per DAY, based on more than 10,000 residential Co-op households is around 18 kilowatt hours (kWh). This does not mean all Co-op households use around 18 kWh/day; rather there is a range in average, from single digits per day, to some households who use 40 or 50 kWh per day.
Electricity is a flow of energy; kwh/day is a measure of the rate of use or flow rate. To manage COST one needs to understand where the energy is flowing, and at what rate of use. Some electric loads are “driven” by occupancy or season of the year; others run year-round. Electric loads are also differentiated by their voltage (typically either 120 volts or 240 volts); voltage also implicates how a member can directly measure any load’s impact (kwh/day).
In examining your electric bill what you should consider is: (1) what is your most recent AVERAGE DAILY usage (KWH/day), and (2) how does this measure of your household energy intensity vary (or not) over time.Cost is driven by usage; usage is measured in kwh/day or rate of use.
The first way to review this is to look at the most recent AVERAGE DAILY KWH usage on your Co-op bill. Bills are driven by (1) average usage and (2) cost per KWH. The cost per kwh also impacts the total bill; WEC provides 200 kwh/month of low cost electricity; all additional kwh’s per month are priced higher than the first 200. The kwh/day rate of use then also impacts the cost per kwh; lower usage means a relative lower cost per kwh.
Q. My neighbor’s house is bigger than ours/ they have more kids than we do/we’re gone all day, and the neighbors are not/ etc, yet our bill is more than theirs. Why?
A. Although each home is different, there’s little correlation between house size and electric energy intensity ( as measured in AVERAGE DAILY electric usage (KWH/day). Rather, electric usage depends on (1) what equipment you own, and (2) how you use it (“duty cycle”).
Heating water is energy-intensive, no matter how it’s done. To reduce energy waste:
- Check for leaks in hot water pipes and faucets.
- Use less hot water by washing clothes in cold water, taking showers instead of baths, and filling the sink when hand-washing dishes, and running full dishwasher loads.
- Insulate hot water pipes and seal any gaps that allow cold air near your water heater.
- If you have an electric water heater, consider adding a tank wrap for extra insulation.
Your home's insulation and general condition significantly impact your energy use.
Take advantage of Efficiency Vermont's weatherization incentives and virtual home assessments.
Operating your heating system - even if your fuel is not electricity - can increase electricity usage. Energy savings tips:
- Consider using a “setback” or smart thermostat to help save when you aren't home or at night
- If possible, avoid using space heaters; electric resistance is one of the least efficient heating technologies
- If you have AC, consider setting the temperature higher and turning it off when it's not needed
To learn more about specific heating and cooling technologies and see what may be right for you, visit Efficiency Vermont.