Are Your Pets Causing Your Utility Bill to Skyrocket?

09/05/2016

The Unexpected Costs of Pet Ownership

San Diego is pet friendly! We love that about our city! Surely, your pets are a part of the family. Fido & fluffy are a comfort for you, fun for your children and visitors to your home, and they’re the perfect welcoming committee at the end of a long day. However, your pets probably also have their own column in your budget every month. As their caregivers, we must feed and provide medical care for our animals and we’d be lying if we said we don’t spoil them with treats & toys! It’s all expected as part of caring for a pet. However, there may be a cost you didn’t expect to accrue.

If you’re staring at your most recent utility bill from San Diego Gas & Electric is through the roof, it may not be your spouse who mistakenly leaves the hall light on all. the. time. or your kids who never stop charging their devices. It could be your HVAC system!

Is my PET really affecting my utility bill?

There are a lot of reasons your HVAC system could be hiking your utility bill. You may need to upgrade to a newer, more energy efficient furnace or the SEER rating for your air conditioning system might be less than ideal. However, it could also be the way you operate your machine OR how hard it’s working to push air through debris.

If you are a pet owner and you find that your utility bill is too high, try these fixes for your HVAC system:

Set your HVAC system on a timer while everyone is gone.

Do your pets stay home while everyone else is at work or school? If so, you may make efforts to accommodate them while you’re out – you leave on a television so they’re not as lonely, leave them a new treat, and keep your thermostat kicked to ‘comfortable’ all day long. They’re SO lucky to have you.However, if your HVAC system is laboring to heat or cool your home all day long while Rover slips in and out of the doggie door casually all day, you might be wasting home comfort resources. Instead, we recommend setting your thermostat on a timer so that periodically throughout the day, your home is warmed or cooled to your usual standards but it isn’t kicking on all day, unnecessarily. Bonus: Your home will be sunny and 70 when you get home from a hard day!
Brush your pets more often.

The other BIG effect your pet has on your utility bill comes straight from the fur – you know, the stuff you pull off of your favorite pair of pants and sweep off the floor every. single. day? By brushing your dog or cat and disposing of the hair, you can stop all that extra fluff from circling the air and ending up coating your vents and gumming up your air filters. Not only does this require extra wear & tear on your system, it also requires more energy for your system to push air through all the fuzz, thus raising your bill!
Change your air filters more often.

In reference to the previous issue, homes with pets require more frequent replacement of filters to better combat the hair issue. Even with regular brushing, our furry friends still shed like crazy!
Clean & monitor your outdoor heating and cooling unit.

It’s less common, but more rough & rambunctious pets like to climb on and play with outdoor AC units and other backyard paraphernalia. To avoid damage, teach your pets to avoid the area, provide a barrier to the unit such as a low fence or trellis, and monitor the unit often to check for debris. This is a good practice for homeowners anyway as loathsome pests can infiltrate & damage your system.
Have your HVAC system inspected.

There are elements of your HVAC system that simply must be inspected and maintained by a professional. This is especially the case for homeowners with ductwork, but it’s true for even the simplest packaged unit. Your Airmaxx HVAC technician can inspect the entirety of your system and determine if there are any other energy efficiency solutions not being implemented yet.