I just cut a check that looked something like a down payment on a used car.
It was, in fact, my monthly energy bill.
Granted, this is as high as the monthly utility bill gets. It’s the height of summer in the South. So, the HVAC cooling system is running a bit overboard attempting to keep our home cool. There are a couple of issues which lead to these types of energy bills. First, my HVAC heating and cooling system is on the downside of its productivity. We bought this house knowing full well that an HVAC replacement would be something we had to contend with in the future. The HVAC system is 15 years old. That is generally considered to be about the length of time an HVAC runs. Ours is failing because it can’t keep up with demand on the hottest days. Additionally, the efficiency is vastly different than the last few years. Our energy bill is sky rocketing and this is a sure sign that our HVAC is on its last legs. When the fall gets here, we have plans in place to replace it for a new, state of the art model. The other issues have to do with how little we do to lessen the load on our heating and cooling unit. When we put the new unit in, we’ll be changing some other things. New curtains will be going up to block the direct sun from heating our home. Currently, there are some blinds but we rarely, if ever, shut them to mitigate the direct sun. We will also add a smart thermostat.
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