Things to Check if Your Electricity Bill is Suddenly High

If your electric bill suddenly skyrockets from one month to the next, one of two distinct things could be going on. If you’ve paid a specific amount for the last few months or even the last few years and are suddenly being asked to pay more, the electric company could have made a simple calculation error when figuring out your bill. However, some of the appliances in your home or even your own usage habits could also be causing the bill to suddenly rise. By checking a few things around the house you can help narrow down the culprit and truly find out if the discrepancy rests with you or your electrical service provider.

Look at the most recent appliances or electrical-powered items that you purchased for any potential issues. If you just purchased a new desktop computer and your electric bill suddenly skyrocketed, for example, it stands to reason that the issue may be caused by your new PC. The unit could be drawing too much electricity for some unknown reason, which could point to a problem with either the device itself or with the wall outlet in your home that it is plugged into.

If you live in an area where the temperature fluctuates all year round, one thing that you have to try to keep track of is the heating and cooling system in your home. The system will likely try to maintain a specific temperature all year round, which can make it difficult to realize that the system is even working. If your bill has suddenly shot through the roof, try to figure out if the heating and cooling system has been kicking on more than normal. That is one thing that has the potential to happen on very cold days in the winter or extremely hot days in the summer.

Find out if your electrical meter is functioning properly. An incorrectly-functioning meter could cost you huge amounts of additional money each month that you shouldn’t actually be paying. You can call your electrical provider any time you’d like and have the company send a representative out to inspect the equipment. If an error is discovered, you can also have the representative get to work on correcting your current bill and crediting you for overage charges that you may have incurred in the past.

Another potential problem that you need to consider is whether or not the electrical outlets in your home are functioning properly. If a wiring issue has developed with your home’s electrical system, wall outlets could suddenly be providing certain appliances and devices with too much electricity. Not only will that end up costing you a great deal of money on your bill, but it also has the potential to damage the electrical appliances and could even pose a fire hazard. Have a professional come out and use specialized equipment to make sure that all of the wall outlets in your home are functioning properly.

Bio

Laura Ginn knows that she needs to keep a close eye on her energy bills to ensure that she is being charged correctly by her energy providers. She is well aware of the cost of her average energy bills as she used uSwitch.com to get the best energy prices that she could.