HVAC Fan and HUGE electric bills

[Max]

Hi Forum:

Over the past two months our electric bill has been through the roof. Last month was 3x, this month is 2x. I have two 1/2 possible suspects and I just wanted to bounce these ideas off you guys to see if anything seems like a prime suspect:
1. I have a fridge / freezer in the basement. I was using it as a fridge but changed the temp setting so that it's now a freezer. Could that be responsible? Sounds like a long shot but I'm not leaving any stone unturned,
2. My parents were visiting in September and after they left we noticed that the upstairs thermostat was turned all the way down, off the bottom of the dial. We think it might have been like that for a few days but I changed it back and switched off the cooling. I don't think that is the reason since I fixed that last month and we're still seeing a high bill (albeit not as high as last month).
3. When I was in the basement I heard the upstairs unit running (the furnace and fan are in the basement). This struck me as odd since the thermostat is OFF, not heat or cool. I checked the thermostat and noted that the fan was ON rather than AUTO. Could an HVAC fan running 24/7 cause our electricity bill to shoot up?

These are the only things I have found so far. I've switched off the basement freezer and switched the upstairs thermostat fan to off. My plan is to check the meter in a couple of days and see if I notice a difference. Right now we're averaging between 35 and 40 KWh / day so if either of these fixes are the real fix I think we should notice pretty quickly.

Thanks, Max

[Speedbump]

I don't know where you are, but if you have a basement, chances of you being in Florida are slim to none. This makes me want to ask why the AC was running at all this time of year.

I don't think making a freezer of a fridge/freezer combo is a good idea. Fridges aren't made to be freezers and this could drive the bill upwards some.

[Max]

I don't know where you are, but if you have a basement, chances of you being in Florida are slim to none. This makes me want to ask why the AC was running at all this time of year.

I don't think making a freezer of a fridge/freezer combo is a good idea. Fridges aren't made to be freezers and this could drive the bill upwards some.

Thanks for the reply. Let me give you the missing important information.

I live in Mass and the AC wasn't really on, it just wasn't switched off if that makes sense? My wife moved the temperature setting higher so that it doesn't flip on unless we have a really hot day at the end of summer. However, "something" happened when my parents were here and the temperature was below the minimum. I don't think that's the issue honestly since that was rectified last month (and now the thermostat and fan are set to OFF and Auto respectively). Long story short, we think the last time that the AC really kicked in was sometime in mid to late September - but the fan was running continuously).

I didn't convert the fridge into a freezer, I actually did the opposite. I bought a cheap freezer to use for lagering beer. I bypassed the temp control with an external device to keep the temperature in the mid 30s. The reason I did this is that I wanted the shape of the freezer but with the temperature range of a fridge. Just recently I removed the bypass and the freezer has been running at about 10 degrees rather than 35-40. Yesterday I unplugged it to rule that out.

We have an aquarium that hasn't had any fish in it for a while but it was still running. I switched that off today.

I should have mentioned we're on gas for heat and water.

We don't have a lot of appliances running. A fridge and smaller wine fridge. Various appliance displays like microwave clock, etc. There are a couple of lamps that we keep on all the time. Perhaps the most important thing is that we haven't made any changes in the last month or two. Can anyone think of an appliance that could "go rogue"? I keep thinking to myself that the only way something can burn through that much electricity is if it's hot, bright, loud or moving a lot. We don't have anything in the house that matches any of those but there appears to be a draw somewhere.

I'm continuing to monitor the meter after making these changes but I think I can call National Grid and ask if they can send someone out to run some tests.

Thanks!

[Speedbump]

The electrical company would be your best bet. They can check the entire system and tell you where your electric usage is and if there is a problem.

I have had things similar to this and when trying to figure out what's going on, overlook the obvious many times.

[Max]

I'll give them a call and remove all doubt.

Thanks!

[Max]

Just in case anyone is interested, since switching off the following items:
1. HVAC fan,
2. basement freezer,
3. fish tank

the average usage has gone from 1.6KW/hour to 0.95KW/hour. There are slight fluctuations but it seems to have gone down quite substantially. I'm going to leave things as-is for a couple more days then I will switch the freezer back on to see if there is any noticeable change because we want to use it.

[mrcaptainbob]

A few years ago the well pump went on the fritz. Actually, there was a leak in it's pipe. The pump ws running non-stop for about a month. Just by chance my wife was passing by where it was located and heard the hissing sound and alerted me. The bill was outrageous from that!! Immediately it dropped to normal with a new pump. Thanks for keepong us updated on what you find.

[driz]

http://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449751770&sr=8-1&keywords=where+to+buy+kill-a-watt

Check what Capt Bob says first though. If it's happening you will see the needle on the gauge going up and down like the water is running and the tank and pipes will be covered in condensation. It's a very common problem with wells.

[Max]

P3 P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor - Low Temperature Alarms - Amazon.com

Check what Capt Bob says first though. If it's happening you will see the needle on the gauge going up and down like the water is running and the tank and pipes will be covered in condensation. It's a very common problem with wells.

We don't actually have an issue with our well pump, I think Capt Bob was just giving a related story to demonstrate how something like this (fan, motor, etc) can really hit your wallet hard if not working properly.

I actually have another test which I will report back on when I get the chance to test. I will switch the fan on for an hour and monitor the meter settings. The increased draw should be apparent after an hour long test I would think.

Cheers, Max

[mrcaptainbob]

You are correct, Max. It was but a suggestion. I had another learning experience regarding light bulbs. For some reason my wife had a need of keeping one of those little night lights on in every room of the house. I coaxed her into changing them from the 7 watt bulbs to 4 watts. At eight or ten hours a day it adds up. Eventually we brought it down to but one night light in the bath. It changed the electric bill dramatically. The first change dropped the bill from 21,000 watts a month to 12,000. The second change dropped it to 1,200! I wish there were a way to eliminate the lights that display the tv, cable box, etc. is ON. Huh? If it's on,would I not know it??And why is there a light showing the unit is off? Do I need traffic signals on the coffee maker? And clocks. Everything has a clock. Ahhh....sorry. I digress... Stepping down form the soap box....

[HayZee518]

CFLs are definite a savings in the energy department. Initially they may seem expensive but down the road they will justify themselves. By all means use them. Check rates with Western Mass Electric Co or Mass General