If you experienced a high PGE or NW Natural bill, just know you're not alone! Everyone in the Portland Metro area felt the pinch. 

According to KATU's article published this morning, one Oregon City resident had their PGE bill reach as high as $531! Despite having high efficient windows and doors, their bill was the highest it had ever been. However, temperatures remained in the upper 20's (even teens!) and never let up. Regardless of the using a gas furnace, heat pump, or all electric system - there was no way to escape the amount of energy used, especially with residents home-bound for days on end as a result of closed schools. 

Next time (which could be as early as the end of this week!), here are a few things to keep in mind to reduce that energy bill down as low as possible, without any surprises:

• Keep your indoor temperature at a constant temp during the day
• If the desired indoor temperature constantly fluctuates, your heating system will ramp up and use a lot of energy to get there. Most units have single stage motors, and work like a light switch to provide you with heat. That constant cycling and on/off action will cause your PGE bill to rise. 
• Turn down the indoor temperature by only 2 degrees in the evening
• Just like adjusting your thermostat to a higher temp, lowering it too low at night will cause your furnace and/or heat pump systems to run too hard to reach your desired temperature in the morning. Try adjusting it no more than 2 degrees so your system is not working as hard
• For heat pump users, turn on your Emergency Heat if the temperature drops below 30
• Heat pumps work great in mild temperatures, but can lack in efficiency and comfort if the temperature outside reaches below freezing. Instead, give it a rest and begin using your back up/emergency heat until temperatures climb back about 32 degrees. This will cause a bump in your electricity bill, but your equipment and cold family will thank you
• Open all vents and check/change your filters
• It seems silly, but furnaces are very finicky if there is any lack in airflow. For example, if more than 10% of your home's duct vents are closed, the furnace is having to push the amount of air meant to heat the entire home in less area than necessary. This will damage your heating system, and potentially cause it to die prematurely. If the furnace filter is not replaced regularly, it too will have the same affect.
• Consider Updating your HVAC system
• This may be tough to think about, but it may be time to replace your aged/outdated furnace with a more energy-efficient unit. Most gas and electric furnaces have a 10 to 20 year lifespan, depending on how often the furnace has been maintained. Below is an image of Heat Strips in an Electric furnace. If you have this type of system and use it as your primary heat source, don't suffer any longer with a high energy bill! You can improve the efficiency of your HVAC system (and reduce your energy bill by up to 50%) with the installation of a new heat pump! Give us a call today for a free consultation. 

Electric Furnaces warm up internal Heat Strips to produce warm air in your home. These units are known to be very inefficient, and will cause your energy bill to rise drastically.