Why Bad Wiring Can Lead to High Energy Bills
The reason that faulty wiring can raise your electrical bills is something called electricity leakage. This happens when the electricity that’s supposed to reach an appliance, whether it’s a toaster or your refrigerator or your computer, doesn’t quite make it. Some electricity is lost as it makes its way to the appliance, and more electricity is needed to enable the appliance to work the way it should. Since the amperage is lower than it should be, your circuit breaker doesn’t trip, and it’s difficult for you as a layperson to find the source of the problem and fix it. Because of this, your bill goes up.
The Most Common Sites of Faulty Wiring
If you see an unusually high energy or electric bill and believe that faulty wiring is behind it, it’s important to call in a professional electrician to check. However, you might want to know which areas in your home are most likely to have bad wiring. They include places you rarely visit, such as your crawl space or your unfurnished attic. These places are the abodes of rats, mice and squirrels that love to chew on wires. Your HVAC system is also an area where electrical wires can fray, especially since these systems tend to have lots of wires and connections. One component of the HVAC system is the thermostat, whose faulty wiring could allow the heating and cooling to work concurrently. You may not even notice this, but your energy bill will reflect it.
Common Causes of Faulty Wiring
Aside from damage from rodents, one of the main reasons for bad wiring is an electrical system that’s simply old. Though copper wires can last for a century or more if they are well maintained, improvements and upgrades in the systems of an older home can put stress on the electric wiring that causes damage. This is especially true for appliances used in the kitchen. Contemporary air conditioners also use much more amperage than air conditioners built 50 or 60 years ago, and this can lead to leaks and resistance that raise energy costs.
Other things that can damage your wiring are people moving carelessly around your attic or your crawlspace and insulation around wires that grow old, crack and fall off. Badly installed wires, receptacles or switches can also cause faulty wiring, as can a leaky roof or a flood, as water causes corrosion of the connections.
