Why is my house so ineffecient

[Whitsettd8]

Just looking for some advice on where to look for energy savings on my house. Here’s my house break down. 1[SUP]st[/SUP] it’s old really old deeded in 1880 and modified through the years. In 02 I had the house completely gutted and remodeled . It’s roughly 1100sq feet with a partial basement unfinished. Exterior is vinyl siding the exteriors walls were insulated with blown in insulation prior to installing siding. The attic has roughly 12 inches of blown in insulation with 5 or 6 attic vents as well as soffit vents. The windows are all modern double hung double pane low E argon filled. Appliances are energy star rated all electric with the exception of a gas furnace. All bulbs are cfl’s and I have 4 ceiling fans through the house to help with cooling and circulation. I don’t have anything extra like deep freezers or well pumps. My thermostat is set at 72 degrees. My bill in the summer varies between 250-325$ which is painfully high so I’m just looking for some advice.

My only thoughts were the attic and basement. Maybe installing solar powered attic vents or forced air attic vents instead of the static kind and I had concerns about the crawl space side of my basement as there isn’t anything insulation wise just dirt. I was thinking maybe sprayed in insulation around the perimeter?
Attached below is my usage from Duke Energy to give an idea of KW’s used.
Days KW
8/26/2013 29 Actual 2,659 92
7/26/2013 29 Actual 3,078 106
6/28/2013 34 Actual 3,123 92
5/28/2013 28 Actual 1,964 70
4/26/2013 30 Actual 2,184 73
3/27/2013 29 Actual 1,666 57
2/26/2013 31 Actual 1,912 62
1/28/2013 35 Actual 2,078 59
12/26/2012 30 Actual 1,675 56
11/26/2012 29 Actual 1,560 54
10/24/2012 29 Actual 1,563 54
9/25/2012 32 Actual 2,453 77
8/24/2012 30 Actual 3,288 110

 

[mcolford]

How thick is your ceiling insulation? My inlaws remodeled a while back, and we took their ceilings to R-30...

I would consider insulating the floors as well. I plan to do mine when I get the money.

Do you feel drafts anywhere during the winter AT ALL?

Do you have the TV on a lot? If so, what kind, etc. Start looking to see if certain things are left on appliance wise, garage included (air compressors and soforth).

 

[pinshooter45]

Need more than 12 inches in the attic and you probably have tall ceilings? That will hike it up. Plus I'll bet you are on an REMC which is probably more Expensive than IPL here in Indy. Looks like you have done what you can. But also look for thing that remain on, PC's and Gaming devices and TV's that are hooked up to the web are often always on.

 

[tv1217]

Find a Japanese consultant. They will build you a new house in 10 hours made out of bricks from the compressed remains of their suicides. Also used panties.

 

[jkaetz]

IR camera to see where your hot spots are. Probably more attic insulation. 72 is pretty low when the outside temperature hits 90+. Any old appliances? Old refrigerators are notorious for drawing extra power.

 

[Rookie]

Add another six to eight inches in the attic. That will help.

 

[Brandon]

When we were doing insulation this time last year 2 companies came by and said you want an R-60-70 or 50-60 range (I forget now). They said we were about half way there with the 14 inches of blown in we had. They both said they would add a layer of R30 on top of it. We did this our selves and this made a huge difference.

Are your windows insulated between the inside frame of the window and the wall stud? Same for exterior doors. Are your door seals good?

 

[Brandon]

How old is your furnace/ac and they are electric? Water heater? If you water heater is electric how hot do you have it set? Can you lower the temp 5-10-15 degrees with out anyone complaining it isn't hot enough? Does it sit in an area that experiences large temperature swings? May try to wrap it with an insulating blanket for water heaters.

 

[upalot]

How old is your furnace/ac and they are electric? Water heater? If you water heater is electric how hot do you have it set? Can you lower the temp 5-10-15 degrees with out anyone complaining it isn't hot enough? Does it sit in an area that experiences large temperature swings? May try to wrap it with an insulating blanket for water heaters.

My thoughts also, put as much insulation in as you want, but if your equipment is old and outdated its not going to help a lot. A really good heatpump system is well worth the money, dropped my heating/cooling bill by $100.00 a month.

 

[Stschil]

During dark hours, switch your breakers off and on one at a time and see which one turns off lights in your neighbors house.

 

[Whitsettd8]

As mentioned above all the appliances were replaced in 02 some are even newer.
The furnace is forced air electric with gas heat
Water heater is electric
No extra fridges or old appliances.
I don't know about insulation around window but I know before they installed the siding they went around the house with a hole saw cut holes and blew in insulation
I'm thinking of swapping out the water heater to a gas tankless or hybrid since I already have gas ran for the furnace.

Has anyone had an energy audit done what do they cost?

 

[XMil]

Last summer I got a new roof and my old vents were replaced with a ridge vent. My electric bill dropped dramatically and my air conditioner, which would run most of the time in 90+ degree weather now constantly cycles on and off. Probably too much.

Important that you have good soffit ventilation to go with it.

 

[ultra...good]

Turn off your main breaker and go outside and see if the meter still spins. Have seen faulty meters a few times.

 

[IndyGunworks]

How old is your HVAC?

 

[Dirtebiker]

As mentioned above all the appliances were replaced in 02 some are even newer.
The furnace is forced air electric with gas heat
Water heater is electric
No extra fridges or old appliances.
I don't know about insulation around window but I know before they installed the siding they went around the house with a hole saw cut holes and blew in insulation
I'm thinking of swapping out the water heater to a gas tankless or hybrid since I already have gas ran for the furnace.

Has anyone had an energy audit done what do they cost?

You said you had the house "gutted". I guess you don't really mean that, or you would have insulated the walls properly. When you only blow in insulation, it is easy to have voids. Old houses typically have fire stops, horizontal blocking in between studs. If they didn't drill above AND below the blocking, you didn't insulate the whole wall. Also, blown insulation can settle and leave voids. Much better to remove the drywall and put in batt or roll fiberglass.
You also could probably use a lot more insulation in the attic. And maybe more ventilation.

 

[Whitsettd8]

New in 02

How old is your HVAC?

 

[bigretic]

During dark hours, switch your breakers off and on one at a time and see which one turns off lights in your neighbors house.

I swear, I've been thinking of doing that.

Turn off your main breaker and go outside and see if the meter still spins. Have seen faulty meters a few times.

I'm definitely going to try that.

I've been trying to get my elec bill down for about a year and a half now and have made zero progress.

 

[pinshooter45]

I swear, I've been thinking of doing that.

I'm definitely going to try that.

I've been trying to get my elec bill down for about a year and a half now and have made zero progress.

Some Utility companies will come out and do a free energy audit for you as well. While they don't mind charging you for what you use, they hate wasting energy as much as you do!

 

[Mgderf]

With 12" of blown insulation (I'm assuming cellulose) you have about R38 now, which is average for a newer home.
If you decide to add more, I would suggest laying batts on top of the cellulose. Use an "unfaced" insulation. If you have a vapor barrier in the ceiling already (you should) you do NOT want to add another.

Hold a lit candle or lighter up to your window and door trim. Trace the shape of your windows and doors with the lit flame. Note any movement in the flame means you are leaking air.

If you find leaks, be careful. Do NOT use any insulating foam on your windows or doors uless it is specifically designed for windows and doors. Some window and door manufacturers will void your warranty if units are "foamed".

Expanding foam insulation has been known to warp frames on windows and doors, rendering them inoperable!
Minimal expanding foam ONLY on windows and doors.

My best guess is your windows and doors are not properly sealed, but it would not hurt to add more to your attic.

Insulating your floors will make your floors feel warmer, but remember heat rises. You lose very little heat through your floors.

 

[remauto1187]

Insulating your floors will make your floors feel warmer, but remember heat rises. You lose very little heat through your floors.

Actually not quite true....Heat is drawn to where it is colder. If you lay on the ground on a 35 degrees day (or any day for that matter) the earth being cooler will suck all the heat out of you eventually....the heat isnt rising unless the air above you is cooler than your body and even then there will be heat loss downward and upward at some ratio.

It is building code in many areas that the floor be insulated.