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Summers in the Coachella Valley area are often quite brutal. Temperatures can climb into the low 100s in the middle of the day and stay in the 90s all night. Of course, you do not have to break the bank to stay comfortable. If you want to budget for energy this summer, it is fitting to understand the amount of energy that a three-bedroom home uses during summer months because this is a common type of home in the United States, and then you can make adjustments accordingly.
Type of Home
Keep in mind that not all homes use the same amount of power. A detached home is a private home designed for a single family. While you might have neighbors nearby, you don’t share your walls with another dwelling. Attached homes include duplexes and triplexes as well as townhouses. Townhouses and condominiums often have multiple homes with the same interior layout that line up against each other in a straight row. The units share either one or both walls with another home. A duplex can have two units that each have three bedrooms. Duplexes are structured in a variety of ways. Some duplexes have two units that sit side by side and share a wall that runs the length of the building. Other duplexes are structured in such a way that houses are on top of one another. Then, of course there are three-bedroom apartments in a building with two to four units or five or more units. There are even some mobile homes that contain three bedrooms.
Detached homes use the most energy in the summer. They use an average of more than 988kWh per month, while attached homes use an average of 690kWh. Duplexes use less power than triplexes do. Mobile homes tend to use more power at an average of 967kWh per month. Apartment complexes use even less at 476 to 553kWh per unit, and this depends on the number of units in the building.
Your electric provider charges you a rate based on the total number of kilowatt hours you use every month. Many homeowners pay less in the spring because the temperatures are mild. Summer temperatures increase significantly and require that you use more energy to stay cool, which will increase your price. Simply looking at your bill from last year may not help as the provider can increase prices each season. You can compare the average amount of energy you expect to use to the average rate you pay. The average rate that people in California pay for power is around $210 per month, with a slight increase in the summer.
What Affects Your Summer Power Usage?
There are many factors that impact how much power your home uses in the summer. One of those factors is the size of your home, as not all three-bedroom homes are the same size. The average size of a three-bedroom home in the United States is 2000 square feet. However, some homes are larger or smaller than the average. Larger homes require more energy to cool, while their smaller counterparts use less. Another factor that impacts energy usage is the number of floors in your home. If your home has two or more floors, your home will consume more energy. Homes with multiple floors need to use more power to move cold air up through higher levels, while one-story homes only need to circulate the air around a single floor.
The number of people you live with can also impact your energy consumption. Not everyone who has a three-bedroom home has one or more people living in each room. You may live alone or with a companion and only occupy one of the bedrooms, thus you will use less energy compared to if all rooms are occupied by one or more people. The age of your family members can also affect your usage. Older kids and teens tend to use more energy than smaller children do.
You also want to consider the type and number of appliances you have. Every appliance in your home uses a different number of kilowatts. The more appliances you have, the more energy you use in the summer. Some of the appliances that use the most power in the warmer months include the following.
- Central air conditioners: 3,000 to 5,000 kilowatts
- Water heaters: up to 5,000 kilowatts
- Window AC units: up to 3,250 kilowatts
- Garbage disposal: around 500 kilowatts
- Refrigerator: up to 1,500 kilowatts per day
- Microwave: around 1,000 kilowatts
- Standalone freezer: 1,000 to 2,000 kilowatts per day
- Laptop computer: 100 kilowatts
- Desktop PC: up to 500 kilowatts
Most suppliers in the United State charge per kilowatt hour. The rate in California is significantly higher than the average rate in the nation, as you will pay $0.30 per kilowatt hour. Fortunately, Coachella Valley rates are slightly lower than those found in other parts of the state.
How Can You Use Less Power in the Summer?
Even if you have a three-bedroom house in the Coachella Valley area that is heavily populated, you can cut back on the energy you use this summer. Our experts from Home Team Electric, can install a ceiling fan in each room. Ceiling fans use much less energy than central AC systems do, and they can also help the AC run more efficiently to save you money because they can give your air conditioner a boost by circulating the cool air.
Adding a smart thermostat is also helpful. The unit works with your heating and cooling systems and comes with an app that lets you control the thermostat from anywhere you go. You can set up zones and change the temperature in each one or turn the AC on and off in the middle of the day. Smart models also learn from your habits and can adjust as needed to control the temperature of your home.
Though California receives a substantial amount of natural sunlight, you might find that you still use overhead lights and other lamps quite often. Make use of natural lighting during the day and switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs to use less power. You can also add more insulation to your home. This will keep the cool air from escaping through your roof or walls. In addition to these measures, there is more you can do to save energy.
- Use blackout curtains or heavy drapes on your windows.
- Limit indoor cooking.
- Turn the thermostat up a few degrees higher.
- Keep the AC off when your home is empty during the day.
- Only plug in devices that you use.
- Take cooler showers to use your water heater less.
- Move furniture and other objects away from your vents.
- Upgrade your electrical panel.
- Seal your windows to prevent warm drafts.
- Invest in Energy Star appliances.
If you want some help saving energy this year, you can contact our skilled electricians at Home Team Electric, we can upgrade your electrical panel to help you save on energy costs. We can also provide suggestions for making your home electrical system more efficient. If you need an electrical inspection, we can help with that as well. Call Home Team Electric today.
