Common Causes of Bill Variations

Conditions Beyond Your Control

• Seasons of the year
• Weather extremes
• Daylight Savings Time
• Days between meter readings

Changes in Normal Living Conditions

• Holidays & visiting relatives
• Guests and entertainment
• Therapeutics & special diets
• Repairs or renovations
• Sickness or convalescence
• Changes in living habits
• Average age & size of family
• Vacations

Appliances

• New appliances installed
• Excessive house heating, such as thermostat control setting
• Inefficient use of oven for house heating
• Use of older or defective appliances
• Lack of maintenance, such as clogged air filters in furnace
• Leaking of hot water faucets
• Frost on refrigerator unit or shortage of regrigerant
• Excessive use of hot water

New home or apartment

• Less weatherstripping, fewer draperies
• Manual heating controls
• Larger than former home
• Less shade from trees
• More heat leakage through windows
• Ceilings not adequately insulated
• Larger water heater
• Windier or colder location
• Larger heating/cooling equipment