Duct Sealing and Proper Thermostat Settings Essential to Savings

How cold has it been so far in January? 

Tideland territory required more home heating in the first 15 days of the month than we did for the entire month of January 2023! 

We are on track to repeat or exceed a bitter cold January 2018 when home heating requirements were double that of January 2023. We are also easily blowing past January 2024's home heating requirements. Therefore, home heating bills are likely to be unprecedented this month due to high energy use. 

We've visited with a few members at their homes this month to help them determine the cause of their skyrocketing energy use. We've seen heat pumps operating exclusively on emergency strip heat due to compressor failure and another that was simply an improper thermostat setting (please make sure your system is set to "Auto" and not "On" and that it is in "Heat" mode and not "E-Heat.") 

We also visited a 1962 brick ranch home where the crawlspace was almost as warm as the house due to significant duct leakage. Honestly, there is no better time than right now to check your crawlspace or attic (depending on the location of your ducts) to see if you have duct leakage. Minor but meaningful duct repairs are not expensive but can significantly reduce energy consumption while greatly improving indoor comfort. (Posting a few photos to show important duct sealing details. The key is to use a MASTIC duct sealant). 

This week's forecast is downright terrifying in terms of home heating so please sign up for a high energy use alert today (via the member portal or call our office), frequently utilize the member portal to study your daily and interval meter readings, and call our energy services team if you're just stumped for answers.